American Express Business Checking
No monthly fee + 1.30% APY on first $500k + Membership Rewards, online-only, no cash deposits
Chartway Premium Business Checking
Credit-union business checking with tiered dividends up to 4.00% APY and a $10 fee waived at $2,500 ADB
Costs & Fees
| Metric | American Express Business Checking | Chartway Premium Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | $0 — unconditional | $10.00/month |
| Fee waiver | N/A — no monthly fee to waive | Waived if average daily balance of $2,500 maintained during the month. Product page also markets 'No Minimum Balance' for ongoing operation. |
| Transaction fees | No excess-item fees; effectively unlimited electronic and paper items (operational limits may apply unpublished) | Hybrid limited analysis — not classic earnings-credit. No published excess fees for ACH batches, teller visits, checks written, or electronic items. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 NSF/stop pay/returns; overdrafting not a product — items exceeding balance generally refused | Overdraft Privilege $30/transaction (can cover up to $750 per fee schedule; ODP brochure cited $500 — conflict). NSF/returned item $30. Returned deposited item $20. Opt-in required. OD transfer from linked savings/MM $0. |
| ATM fees | Allpoint + MoneyPass in-network $0 Amex fee; out-of-network owner surcharge (no rebate). Daily ATM cash limit $1,000. | Chartway-owned / CO-OP Network $0 Chartway fee. Out of Chartway-owned and out of CO-OP: $1 inquiry + $1 transaction (owner surcharge extra; no rebate disclosed). |
| Wire/ACH | Incoming domestic wire $0. Outgoing domestic wire $25. Standard ACH $0. Same-day ACH $10 (cutoff 2:45 PM ET). Outgoing international wires not offered. | Outgoing domestic wire $25. Incoming domestic, incoming/outgoing international, ACH origination per-item/monthly fees not disclosed on business fee PDF. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | American Express Business Checking | Chartway Premium Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | 1.30% APY on first $500,000 per account (variable; no activity gate) | Tiered variable share dividends — progressive bands by balance (site Sep 2026) |
| Savings APY | N/A — single checking product | Business Money Market Plus separate — relationship APYs 1.25% ($10k) to 4.00% ($1M+) plus 1.00% relationship bonus with business checking and ≥$10k ADB in MM |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category at AENB (accounts aggregate) |
Features & Access
| Metric | American Express Business Checking | Chartway Premium Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. 70,000+ Allpoint + MoneyPass ATMs for withdrawals only (no cash deposits). | ~33–42 branches in VA/NC, Utah, Houston TX (2025 snapshot). CO-OP Network ~37k–50k surcharge-free ATMs plus Chartway-owned. Direct Teller ITMs expanding (~50 path cited). |
| Mobile app | Business Blueprint ~4.5/5 Google Play (~1.6k reviews); Amex app ~4.8–4.9 iOS cited | Chartway Mobile Banking iOS 4.5/5 (5.7K ratings); Android 4.2/5 (~2.7–2.8K reviews). General app, not separate business treasury app. |
| Virtual cards | Not marketed for business debit product | Not disclosed |
| Opening deposit | $0 | $100 membership share |
| Eligibility | Corporation, LLC, partnership, unincorporated association, sole prop. 25%+ owners must be U.S./territory residents with SSN/ITIN. | Sole prop, GP/LP, LLC (SMLLC may use SSN), corporation (incl. incorporated nonprofit), unincorporated association/club. Beneficial ownership required. |
Pros & Cons
American Express Business Checking
Pros
- $0 monthly fee, $0 opening deposit, $0 excess-item fee unconditionally
- 1.30% APY on first $500,000 per account with no balance or activity gate
- Membership Rewards on debit spend plus Redeem-for-Deposits into checking
- 24/7 specialist support — differentiator vs most online business banks
- 70,000+ Allpoint/MoneyPass ATM withdrawals at $0 Amex fee; up to 10 accounts at $0 extra
Cons
- Cash deposits not supported at all — need another bank for cash businesses
- No outgoing international wires; USD Fedwire domestic/territories only
- APY stops at $500k/account; FDIC remains $250k with no ICS/sweep
- Thin card/user toolkit vs Relay/Bluevine-style employee and virtual cards
- Beneficial owners must be U.S./territory residents with SSN/ITIN — blocks international founders
Chartway Premium Business Checking
Pros
- Official tiered checking APY up to 4.00% with no spend or direct-deposit gate (site Sep 2026)
- $10 monthly fee waived at relatively low $2,500 ADB
- NCUSIF insurance at federally chartered CU — not fintech/partner-bank stack
- Cash management (ACH origination + online wires) explicitly tied to Premium tier
- Loan origination and rate discounts for Premium holders; CO-OP ATM + shared-branch access
Cons
- 4% APY only at $500k+ — most SMBs earn 0.50–2.50% on lower bands
- Business fee PDF omits incoming, international, ACH origination, FX, and card replace prices
- Analysis fees on cash above $10k in+out and deposited checks above 250/month
- $250k NCUSIF only — no extended-insurance sweep for large balances
- Shared debit card number across authorized users; regional membership and branch footprint
Verdict
American Express Business Checking
American Express Business Checking is a single-tier online account issued directly by American Express National Bank — not a fintech wrapper. As of September 2026: $0 monthly fee, 1.30% APY on the first $500,000 per account (up to 10 accounts), standard FDIC $250k with no sweep. Strengths are unconditional $0 fees, decent APY without activity gates, MR on debit spend, QuickBooks, Zelle, and 24/7 support. Weaknesses are no cash deposits, no outgoing international wires, APY/FDIC gap above $250k, and limited multi-user debit tooling. Best for digital firms already in the Amex ecosystem; pair with a branch bank if the business handles cash.
Chartway Premium Business Checking
Chartway FCU Premium Business Checking is NCUSIF-insured share checking with $10/mo (waived at $2,500 ADB), $100 membership share, tiered APY to 4.00% at $500k+, and limited analysis on excess checks/cash. Outgoing domestic wires $25; many wire/ACH prices undisclosed. Treasury Management requires this tier. No ICS sweep above $250k NCUSIF. Strong for regional CU relationship and high-balance yield; weak for national digital-first SMBs and thin multi-user controls.