Head-to-Head
Bluevine Business Checking
Online SMB checking with tiered APY, waivable paid plans, and $3M sweep FDIC — weak on cash, strong on ACH/invoicing
VS
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
Monthly Fee
Standard $0; Plus $30; Premier $95
$10.00/month
Checking APY
Standard 1.3% (first $250k, monthly activity test); Plus 1.75% (to $250k); Premier 3.0% (no cap per interest terms)
Tiered variable share dividends — progressive bands by balance (site Sep 2026)
Rating
8.4/10
7.7/10
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Bluevine Business Checking | Chartway Premium Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Standard $0; Plus $30; Premier $95 | $10.00/month |
| Fee waiver | Plus waived if avg daily balance ≥ $20,000 AND ≥ $2,000 card spend (excl. ATM). Premier waived if avg daily balance ≥ $100,000 AND ≥ $5,000 card spend. Balance across main + sub-accounts. | 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 per-item excess fees; unlimited transaction count subject to dollar caps (see limits) | Hybrid limited analysis — not classic earnings-credit. No published excess fees for ACH batches, teller visits, checks written, or electronic items. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft; $0 NSF (returned deposited items: customer owes item amount) | 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 | MoneyPass in-network $0; out-of-network $2.50 + operator surcharge (no rebate). Daily cash-out cap $2,000. | 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 all plans. Outgoing domestic: $15/$12/$7.50. Incoming intl: $15/$12/$7.50. Outgoing intl USD: $25/$20/$12.50. Outgoing intl FX: $25+$1.5% / $20+$1.25% / $12.50+$1.0%. Standard ACH $0. Same-day ACH: $10/$8/$5. | Outgoing domestic wire $25. Incoming domestic, incoming/outgoing international, ACH origination per-item/monthly fees not disclosed on business fee PDF. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Bluevine Business Checking | Chartway Premium Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | Standard 1.3% (first $250k, monthly activity test); Plus 1.75% (to $250k); Premier 3.0% (no cap per interest terms) | Tiered variable share dividends — progressive bands by balance (site Sep 2026) |
| Savings APY | N/A — single checking product with tiered APY | 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 $250,000 at Coastal Community Bank; sweep program up to $3,000,000 across Program Banks (pass-through, aggregation caveats apply) |
Features & Access
| Metric | Bluevine Business Checking | Chartway Premium Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. 37,000+ MoneyPass surcharge-free ATMs for withdrawals. | ~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 | Google Play ~4.2/5 (~2.2k reviews, Apr 2026); iOS ~4.7 cited in secondary reviews | 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 | Included — physical + virtual debit cards with spend/ATM controls; up to 50 cards | Not disclosed |
| Opening deposit | $0 | $100 membership share |
| Eligibility | U.S. owners: sole prop, LLC, corp, partnership, nonprofit corp. International owners: U.S. LLC or corp only (25 supported countries). | Sole prop, GP/LP, LLC (SMLLC may use SSN), corporation (incl. incorporated nonprofit), unincorporated association/club. Beneficial ownership required. |
Pros & Cons
Bluevine Business Checking
Pros
- Standard is $0 monthly with $0 overdraft/NSF and free standard ACH plus incoming domestic wires
- Premier 3.0% APY with no interest cap in March 2026 terms — rare for SMB checking
- Advertised sweep FDIC up to $3M at Program Banks (with aggregation caveats)
- Sub-accounts (5/10/50), up to 50 cards, and role-based AP with bill-pay approvals
- Built-in invoicing, Stripe Tap to Pay, and QuickBooks sync without separate banking subscription
Cons
- Plus/Premier waiver requires balance AND card spend — miss either and $30/$95 posts
- Cash deposits priced ($1+0.5% or $4.95) and capped at $7,500/30 days — poor for cash businesses
- Default $100,000/30-day combined outgoing wire+ACH ceiling unless raised
- No branches; support weekday 8am–8pm ET only
- Standard APY drops to 0% any month the activity test is missed; recurring freeze/hold complaints
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
Bluevine Business Checking
Bluevine Business Checking is an online interest-bearing SMB account from fintech Bluevine Inc., with deposits at Coastal Community Bank and optional sweep to Program Banks for up to $3M FDIC coverage. Three plans: Standard ($0, 1.3% APY with monthly activity test), Plus ($30 waivable, 1.75% to $250k), and Premier ($95 waivable, 3.0% uncapped APY). Strengths are yield, free Standard ACH/incoming wires, sub-accounts, 50 cards, invoicing, and QBO sync. Weaknesses are priced/capped cash deposits, $100k/30-day outgoing cap, weekday-only support, and documented freeze/hold patterns. Best compared to Chase for digital-first businesses that prioritize APY over branches.
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.