Huntington Bank Review 2023
- Interest-bearing savings, checking
- Automatic savings tools
- Early access to paycheck
Huntington Bank is popular because it is a full-suite experience. Savings and checking accounts that earn solid interest are just the start.
Customers can rely on Huntington for everything from a mortgage loan to health insurance to wealth management, plus savings and checking accounts.
Huntington Bank is based in Columbus, Ohio, but offers physical locations and ATMs across several states. While its number of ATMs is on the low side (just 1,500), two out of three of its core checking accounts make withdrawing from out-of-network ATMs easy and free.
Specifically, Huntington is a regional bank in the Midwest. Consider a Huntington account if you live in its home state of Ohio, or Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, West Virginia or Wisconsin.
Huntington, also called Huntington National Bank, is most popular with customers looking for standard checking and savings accounts. You’ll have your choices of both at Huntington, but you can also rely on this brick-and-mortar bank for loans, insurance and investments. Huntington even offers special banking options for students, businesses and active duty military members and veterans.
Digital banking with Huntington is a cinch thanks to an online platform stocked with great educational resources, plus a leading mobile app with great reviews on both the App Store and Google Play. The mobile app has been awarded three consecutive years for its customer satisfaction. And in June 2022, the Huntington Bank mobile app was ranked No. 1 among regional banks in the J.D. Power U.S. Banking Mobile App Satisfaction Survey.
Huntington is typically among the banks featured in our monthly roundup of bank bonuses for new customers. While the promotion may vary, you can typically rely on Huntington to reward new customers with some kind of bonus.
Huntington Bank Checking Accounts
Huntington Bank offers three core checking accounts:
- Asterisk-Free Checking account
- Huntington 5 Checking account
- Huntington 25 Checking account
The account that is right for you depends on how you plan to use it. If you need regular access to an ATM, for example, don’t go with Asterisk-Free Checking because it doesn’t come with any out-of-network ATM fee reimbursements. However, it is the only checking account without a maintenance fee (though you can waive monthly fees for the other two checking options quite easily). The other two (Huntington 5 and Huntington 25) are also interest-bearing accounts, a nice way to make a little extra cash.
In addition to these three personal checking options, Huntington National Bank offers three business checking accounts:
- Unlimited Plus Business Checking account
- Perks Checking account
- Platinum Perks Checking account
In our Huntington Bank review, we’ll focus on personal checking accounts only.
Asterisk-Free Checking Account
- No monthly maintenance fee
- Early access to paycheck
- Overdraft avoidance features
While Asterisk-Free Checking from Huntington Bank does offer great learning features and tools for beginners, this basic checking account lacks an annual percentage yield (APY), and it notably does not reimburse you for any out-of-network ATM fees. If you’re an ATM power user, these fees can add up fast. On the plus side, there is no minimum deposit to open, and the 24-Hour Grace and $50 Safety Zone tools help you avoid overdraft fees.
Though Huntington’s next level up for checking has a monthly maintenance fee, you can easily waive it; upgrading to this level over the basic checking account earns you five monthly ATM surcharge reimbursements and a nominal APY.
Perks Checking Account
- Up to five monthly ATM reimbursements
- Interest-bearing checking account
- Overdraft avoidance features
With an easily waived monthly service fee and actual interest earned on the checking account, the Perks Checking account is ideal for savers. Why? Those who are prioritizing growing savings can likely maintain at least $5,000 in their Huntington savings account to avoid the monthly service fee, and having linked savings means they can keep most of their money there where it grows interest and just move money over to the checking account as needed.
Like the entry-level Asterisk-Free Checking account, the Perks Checking account has no minimum deposit to open and features the Money Scout automatic savings tool, Early Pay (early access to paycheck if done via direct deposit) and features that help you avoid overdraft fees like the $50 Safety Zone and 24-Hour Grace.
In addition, this account gets you free credit score monitoring.
While the annual percentage yield of the final checking account (below) at Huntington is higher, the monthly service fee for that account is also higher ($25) and a little more challenging to waive (maintaining at least $25,000 across accounts). For many, that makes Perks the better option.
Platinum Perks Checking Account
- Unlimited ATM reimbursements
- High-interest checking account
- Overdraft avoidance features
Huntington’s three checking options are the classic Goldilocks and the three bears story. The Asterisk-Free Checking is “too small” when it comes to perks, and the Huntington 25 Checking account’s fees are “too big.” The Huntington 5 account? Just right!
So is Huntington 25 Checking ideal for anyone? If you can maintain $25,000 across your bank accounts at Huntington, sure. For that $25 service fee each month (don’t sign up for this account if you won’t qualify to waive the fee; otherwise, it’s not worth it), you get unlimited ATM access and a 0.05% APY for a checking account. That exceeds the norm for checking accounts and even exceeds the national average annual percentage yield for savings.
In addition, you’ll get free credit score and identity monitoring.
Huntington Bank Savings Accounts
Huntington Bank offers two core savings accounts:
- Huntington Premier Savings account
- Huntington Relationship Savings account
In addition, Huntington offers the Huntington Relationship Money Market Account, which is worth some consideration. The notable flaw with this money market account is the lack of Money Scout, a tool that analyzes your spending habits.
In a world of high-yield savings from online banks, Huntington’s account options for savings fall short, largely due to low APYs. So why even consider Huntington? The benefits of building your savings with Huntington are easier access to funds for the checking account (and a higher “relationship” APY for having both a Huntington checking and savings account), access to a leading mobile app and physical access to bank tellers for help if you need, assuming you live in one of the Midwest states with branches.
Finally, Huntington offers Certificates of Deposit (CDs), which we will touch on in the next section, as well as business CDs and business savings accounts (Business Premier Plus Money Market Account and Business Premier Savings). For this portion of our review of Huntington National Bank, however, we will focus solely on savings and money market accounts.
Huntington Premier Savings Account
- Money Scout automatic savings tool
- Free checking overdraft protection
- Easily waivable monthly maintenance fee
When the market is saturated with high-yield savings accounts that pay 1.00% or more APY, the Huntington Premier Savings account falls way too short at just 0.01% APY. The free overdraft protection when linked to the Asterisk-Free Checking is nice, and having that linked checking account is an easy way to waive the $4 monthly fee. (So is the alternative: maintaining an average daily balance of $300).
Beyond the stellar mobile app, the saving grace for Huntington’s entry-level savings account is Money Scout, a tool fueled by artificial intelligence that analyzes your spending habits, income and typical expenses to identify funds in your checking account that you likely don’t need there. It will then move these funds automatically over to your savings.
Of course, it moves these funds from a 0.00% APY checking account to a 0.01% APY savings account, so the interest earned is next to nothing. For example, if it moves $50 over in a month, you will earn half a cent in monthly interest. It will take a lot of time (and a lot more money) for that to make any kind of real difference.
The minimum deposit to open the Premier Savings account is $50. But do yourself a favor and prioritize a savings option with a stronger APY.
Huntington Relationship Savings
- Money Scout automatic savings tool
- Free checking overdraft protection
- Easily waivable monthly maintenance fee
At a max of 0.02% APY, Huntington’s “higher interest” savings account is remarkably low when it comes to its interest rate. You can bump that to 0.06% if you have a Private Client Account (for investments).
Like Huntington Premier Savings, Huntington Relationship Savings offers free overdraft protection for linking the Huntington checking account, and you can waive the $10 monthly maintenance fee by having a linked Huntington Perks Checking or Huntington Platinum Perks Checking account. Alternatively, you can waive the fee by maintaining an average daily balance of $2,500.
Money Scout is also included with Huntington Relationship Savings.
Relationship Money Market
- 0.05% APY for balances of $25K+
- Savings Goal Getter tool
- Overdraft protection for linked checking
The Huntington Relationship Money Market Account earns no interest until you put $25,000 away in the account, so don’t open it if you can’t afford to invest. (There is no minimum deposit amount, but your money will do nothing until you hit that $25K threshold.) That said, there are money market accounts out there paying higher interest rates for lower thresholds.
A nice part of Huntington’s MMA is the Savings Goal Getter, which allows you to create up to 10 specific goals (vacation, car, wedding, etc.) plus an Emergency Fund, so you can organize your funds more easily.
Other Huntington Bank Products
Beyond these savings and checking accounts through Huntington National Bank, you can apply for several other accounts and services. That’s the big appeal of banking with Huntington: It’s a full-service financial institution.
Huntington Voice Credit Cards
Choose from two Voice Credit Cards through Huntington National Bank.
The 3x Rewards Credit Card lets you customize how your rewards work, allowing you to select one of 10 categories each quarter to earn 3x the reward points. This card has no annual fee. A linked Voice Credit Card (meaning it is linked to an existing checking account) can earn additional bonus points, though promotions for a Linked Voice Credit Card can vary.
On the flip side, you can opt for the Lower Rate Credit Card. While this credit card has, well, a lower interest rate, it lacks rewards. If you are a responsible spender who pays off your credit card in full each month, opt for the 3x Rewards Credit Card.
Certificates of Deposit
If you can afford your cash to be a little less liquid, Huntington National Bank offers certificates of deposit (CDs). CD terms range from one month to 72 months (six years), with interest rates starting at 0.01% for a one-month deposit of $1,000 to $9,999. The current best CD interest rate at Huntington is 0.10% for any amount under $100,000 for at least six months. As most banks do, Huntington is offering a promotional 14-month CD rate of 4.25% for a limited time.
The minimum deposit is $1,000. Huntington labels these interest rates as competitive, but simply put, they are not. Find CDs with much higher interest rates elsewhere. Better yet, find basic savings accounts with better interest rates elsewhere.
The rates for deposits of $100,000+ aren’t any better.
Investments
You can work with Huntington National Bank on your investment portfolio, including stocks, bonds, trusts, asset management, retirement and more. You can even open a Money Market IRA with Huntington. For most, contributing to a traditional or Roth IRA will be the better option. Consider working with a robo-advisor platform for your retirement.
Loans
In addition to credit cards, you can rely on Huntington National Bank for mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans and auto loans. Always shop around for personal loans, auto loans and even home loans to get the best rate; you do not need to stay loyal to your personal bank.
Military Banking
While Huntington does not offer specific accounts for members of the military, the bank does participate in the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (capping interest rates on loans and lines of credit at 6%) and offers VA home mortgages.
If you’re an active duty military member or a veteran, review our full list of the best military banks and credit unions.
Student Banking
Similarly, Huntington National Bank does not have specific accounts for students, but because of its partnership with area colleges, the bank makes sense for students attending the University of Minnesota, Ohio State, Walsh University, the University of Toledo, Cleveland State University and Michigan State University. You can even get customized debit cards for those schools.
Alternatively, consider one of these banks that we’ve rated to be the best for students.
Business Banking
Huntington offers both business checking and savings account options. Like the personal accounts, these are nothing to write home about, given their low APYs.
Among the business checking options are:
- Unlimited Plus Business Checking
- Unlimited Business Checking
- Business Checking 100
Among the business savings options are:
- Business Premier Plus Money Market Account
- Business Premier Savings
Insurance
In addition to typical bank accounts and investment accounts, Huntington National bank offers various types of insurance. Contact Huntington to discuss rates for health insurance, home insurance, life insurance, motor vehicle insurance and residential title insurance.
Huntington Bank Mobile App
Digital banking is growing increasingly common. And while Huntington does offer physical branch locations, you can bank with Huntington without ever stepping foot into a brick-and-mortar space by managing your account online
In fact, J.D. Power has ranked Huntington Bank’s mobile app #1 in Customer Satisfaction with Mobile Banking Apps among Regional Banks three years in a row (2019, 2020, and 2021). The app is known for its security, with biometric options like Touch ID, Face ID, and Fingerprint Login.
You can set up push notifications on the Huntington Bank mobile app to get real-time alerts about your account. Use the app to quickly check your balance, transfer funds, send and receive money with Zelle, make mobile check deposits, find branch and ATM locations and even pay bills.
At the time of publication, Huntington’s mobile app had a 4.8 out of 5 star rating on the App Store (based on more than 171,000 reviews) and a 3.7 out of 5 star rating on Google Play (based on more than 32,000 reviews).
The actual Huntington website includes great educational resources for personal finance, with content on navigating core bank accounts like checking and savings, loans and credit cards; additional personal finance resources include budgeting and spending tools, investment and retirement resources and planning resources for those entering college or the workforce.
About Huntington National Bank
The Huntington National Bank was founded in 1866; today, it is officially incorporated as Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. For over a century and a half, Huntington National Bank has been headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
Huntington Bank continues to grow. In 2021, Huntington joined with TCF National Bank. Together, the newly formed “mega bank” boasts $175 billion in assets, $142 billion in deposits and $116 billion in loans.
Throughout the Midwest, you can find more than 1,100 physical branches for this regional bank, as well as 1,700 Huntington National Bank ATM locations.
Pros and Cons of Huntington
So what are the pros of Huntington National Bank, and do they outweigh the cons? Below, we’ve compared the pros and cons of Huntington Bank to help you navigate your decision.
Pros
- Asterisk-Free Checking has no monthly maintenance fee and no minimum deposit amount.
- Certain accounts have unlimited ATM fee reimbursement.
- If you live in the Midwest, you’ll have an easy time finding a physical location. Huntington has 1,100.
- The mobile app is top rated and, simply put, one of the best in the industry.
Cons
- Across the board — savings, checking, money market and CDs — APYs are lower than others out there.
- Though all monthly maintenance fees are waivable, some accounts come with high fees that are more challenging to waive.
- Huntington has not done away with overdraft fees. You can avoid them by covering them with funds in your linked savings.
- At just 1,700, the number of in-network ATMs is low.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Huntington Bank
Still have questions after reading our Huntington Bank review? We’ve rounded up the most common questions about Huntington and provided the answers in one convenient place.
Huntington is a full-suite bank with multiple checking and savings account options. While it is not the top bank by our standards (due to noncompetitive APYs and sometimes difficult-to-waive fees), its entry-level checking and savings options can benefit beginners, and its physical presence in the Midwest can be beneficial to those who live there.
Your money is safe with Huntington. Huntington carries insurance with the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), which protects your funds up to $250,000. In addition, Huntington’s mobile app and online platform are highly safe, with biometric options for logging in, such as thumbprint and face ID. Huntington’s website includes a library of content on online banking security, and you can even sign up for free fraud alerts from Huntington.
There’s a lot to love about Huntington. It’s got physical branches for those who need in-person banking, but its mobile app and online platform are strong enough to treat Huntington as a digital-only bank if you don’t care to visit a brick-and-mortar location. Huntington offers interest on its checking accounts, usually has a sign-up bonus for new customers, and offers a full lineup of other banking products, including credit cards, loans, insurance and retirement accounts.
We have awarded Huntington 3.5 out of 5 stars: More specifically, checking accounts 3.5 stars; savings 3 stars; Huntington’s fees 3 stars, and customer experience 5 stars. Huntington’s highly rated mobile app is a large reason this bank fares well. The app has 4.8 out of 5 stars on the App Store and 4.6 out of 5 stars on Google Play. J.D. Power has named Huntington #1 in Customer Satisfaction with Mobile Banking Apps among Regional Banks for the last four years.
Timothy Moore covers bank accounts for The Penny Hoarder from his home base in Cincinnati. He has worked in editing and graphic design for a marketing agency, a global research firm and a major print publication. He covers a variety of other topics, including insurance, taxes, retirement and budgeting and has worked in the field since 2012 with publications such as The Penny Hoarder, Debt.com, Ladders, WDW Magazine, Glassdoor and The News Wheel. Freelancer Kent McDill contributed to this report.
