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Dora Financial has a strong free checking account. The Dora Financial Everyday Checking Account might be appealing if your native language is Spanish or you currently struggle to open an account due to your bank account history. It also has one of the best second chance bank accounts out there.
Pros and Cons
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Dora Financial Dora Financial Everyday Checking Account Review
no monthly service fee
None
$0
- Bank On certified bank account
- No minimum opening deposit
- No monthly service fees
- No credit check
- No overdraft fees
- Early direct deposit
- App fully in English or Spanish
- $1 out-of-network ATM fee
- Limited customer service support
- Access to 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs
- The Everyday Checking Account serves as a second chance bank account, so it won't allow you to overdraw from your account
- NCUA insured through US Alliance Financial
Dora Financial's Dora Financial Everyday Checking Account is a great choice if you're looking for an online free checking account. The account is Bank On certified, which means it meets the non-profit program's requirements of low costs and low fees.
It also serves as a second chance bank account, so your banking history won't affect your ability to open an account.
How Dora Financial Works
Dora Financial is an online banking platform with a free Bank On certified checking account. You can open an individual or joint account.
Dora Financial is sponsored by five organizations: Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union, Digital Federal Credit Union, Inclusiv, Service Federal Credit Union, and USAlliance Financial.
Customers have access to over 30,000 ATMs through the USAlliance Financial and SUM ATM networks.
Customer service is only available through the banking platform's mobile app or email. If you prefer calling customer service, you might consider a different banking platform.
Dora Financial's mobile app is rated 4 out of 5 stars in the Apple store and 3.9 out of 5 stars in the Google Play Store. The platform's mobile is available in English and Spanish, which is a unique perk.
Dora Financial's checking account is federally insured through USAlliance Financial. You may securely store up to $250,000 in an individual bank account.
Dora Financial Trustworthiness and BBB Score
USAlliance Financial — through which Dora Financial's checking is federally insured — hasn't been involved in any recent public scandals.
We also include scores from the Better Business Bureau, which assesses businesses by how they respond to customer issues. USAlliance Financial has an D- rating from the BBB because it hasn't responded to several customer complaints.
Dora Financial vs. OneUnited
OneUnited is a Black-owned bank. Branches are located in California, Florida, and Massachusetts, but you may open an account online if you don't live in one of these states.
Below we've reviewed OneUnited and Dora Financial, so you can determine which one might be better for you.
Dora Financial and OneUnited both have second chance checking with early direct deposit.
You might lean more toward Dora Financial if you don't want to make initial deposit, or if you want an app that's also available in Spanish.
If you prefer to open a savings account or multiple bank accounts, OneUnited Bank will be the more compelling choice. Dora Financial currently only offers a online checking account.
OneUnited might also be a better choice if you want savings tools. The bank's checking accounts come with an AutoSave feature, which lets you round up debit card purchases and put the extra change in a savings account.
Dora Financial vs. Liberty Bank
Liberty Bank is a Black-owned bank with branches in AL, IL, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, and MS. The bank also has online accounts that can be opened from anywhere in the US.
See how Liberty Bank matches up with Dora Financial.
If you're searching for a checking account with minimal bank fees, the Dora Financial Dora Financial Everyday Checking Account is a fee-free account. There's zero monthly service fees or overdraft fees.
The Liberty Bank Personal Checking Account may not be as easy to manage as Dora Financial's checking account since you'll need to maintain at least $500 to avoid a $10 monthly service fee.
Liberty Bank might be more compelling if you'd like to earn interest on a bank account, though. The bank's CDs pay higher rates than most brick-and-mortar banks. Meanwhile, the Liberty Bank Personal Savings Account has rates that vary by region.
Why You Should Trust Us How We Reviewed Dora
We rate bank accounts on a scale from one to five stars. For Dora's checking account we used our bank account ratings methodology.
We assign each category a rating between 0 and 5, and star ratings can be anywhere from one to five stars. We use a weighted average to get our star rating, which means we weigh certain features, like interest rates and fees, at a higher weight percentage than others. We understand that these areas can more heavily impact a person's overall banking experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dora Financial is a banking platform with an online checking account.
Dora Financial is sponsored by five organizations, including Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union, Digital Federal Credit Union, Inclusiv, Service Federal Credit Union, and USAlliance Financial.
Bank On is a program led by the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. The non-profit organization works to help unbanked or unbanked communities gain access to banking products and services.
To be Bank On certified, a bank account must have easy opening requirements and minimal bank fees.
