How checking accounts cost you more

Interest checking even less interesting

With some exceptions, interest checking continues to become less attractive for account holders. Yields were down for the fifth consecutive year. The average monthly maintenance fee for an interest-bearing checking account jumped 8.5 percent. Avoiding those fees is mostly about keeping lots of money stored at your bank, earning a minuscule interest rate.

Tip: If you want to earn interest on your checking account balance, and you tend to make a lot of debit card transactions, you might want to look into high-interest checking accounts, McBride said.