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For the fourth year, we’re pleased to present the winners of our annual Readers’ Choice Awards. In a survey we conducted on Kiplinger.com in January and February, more than 4,200 readers rated the financial products and services they use in 13 categories, from credit cards and banks to brokers, wealth managers and annuity providers. The results here offer valuable insight into the everyday experiences that Kiplinger readers have with their financial providers.
Respondents made their judgments on such criteria as their interactions with customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the product or service to others, and their overall satisfaction with it. They also had the option to leave comments about their providers, and we have shared some of them here (remarks may be lightly edited for length and clarity).
For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest total score as well as other providers that earned above-average ratings for the various criteria that readers assessed. Our thanks to all of you who participated in the survey.
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Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards: Internet Banks
Generally, internet banks offer higher savings yields and lower fees than their brick-and-mortar counterparts, and customers can manage their accounts online or through a mobile app. Survey respondents judged these institutions on customer service, how likely they would be to recommend the bank to others and how satisfied they are overall with the bank.
OVERALL WINNER: Charles Schwab Bank
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Charles Schwab Bank, which has claimed the number-one spot among internet banks in three of the four years we’ve run the Readers’ Choice Awards, is particularly attractive for customers who want to streamline their banking and investment services. “Costs nothing and works well,” says one reader. “Also nice that everything is connected to your investment accounts.”
Schwab’s free checking account is built for investors, allowing you to transfer money instantly between it and your Schwab brokerage account. There are no foreign-transaction charges when you use your debit card overseas, and you get unlimited refunds of out-of-network ATM surcharges worldwide.
Account holders also get free standard checks and 24/7 customer support. “Absolutely the best in customer service, hands down!” a reader remarks. “I can’t see anyone beating them in convenience and service!”
Ally Bank
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Many Kiplinger readers are pleased with Ally Bank’s solid customer service and low-cost accounts. “Best online banking available. Comprehensive account choices. Prompt, accurate transactions. Live, knowledgeable and thorough customer service agents,” says one respondent.
With Ally’s free checking account, you have access to 75,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide, and you’re reimbursed up to $10 monthly in out-of-network surcharges.
Ally also offers a savings account, money market deposit account and certificates of deposit with no minimum balances required. The one-year High Yield CD recently featured a 3.7% rate, and the savings and money market accounts offered a 3.2% yield.
Capital One
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Although Capital One still has brick-and-mortar branches, it also operates a popular internet bank. One reader summed up its capabilities this way: “App is easy to use and functional. Love the ability to see all accounts, including credit cards, in one place. Easy to deposit checks virtually and transfer money between accounts. Bill pay is also effective.”
Capital One’s 360 Checking requires no monthly fee or minimum balance, and customers have access to more than 70,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide. The 360 Performance Savings account recently yielded 3.2%, and CD rates were as high as 4.1%, for an 11-month term, with no minimum deposit required.
USAA
Outstanding for:
USAA offers a full suite of financial products, including a free checking account that reimburses up to $10 in monthly out-of-network ATM surcharges, savings accounts, and CDs, recently yielding as much as 2.25%. USAA also offers a youth checking and savings account, which is fee-free, and they come with parental controls and the flexibility to transition to an adult account at age 18.
USAA membership is open to military servicemembers and veterans, as well as the spouses and children USAA members.
Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards Categories
- Readers’ Choice Wealth Management
- Readers’ Choice Cash-Back Credit Cards
- Readers’ Choice Travel Rewards Credit Cards
- Readers’ Choice Airline Credit Card Rewards Programs
- Readers’ Choice Hotel Credit Card Rewards Programs
- Readers’ Choice National Banks
- Readers’ Choice Internet Banks
- Readers’ Choice Auto Insurance Companies
- Readers’ Choice Homeowners Insurance Companies
- Readers’ Choice Annuity Providers
- Readers’ Choice Tax Software
- Readers’ Choice Peer-to-Peer Payment Services
How Readers Chose the Winners
Kiplinger readers were invited to take the Readers’ Choice Awards survey on Kiplinger.com between January 22 and February 19, 2026. The survey asked respondents to choose the financial product or service that they most frequently use in 13 categories: brokerage firms, wealth managers, IRA providers, cash-back credit cards, travel rewards credit cards, airline credit card rewards programs, national banks, internet banks, annuity providers, homeowners insurers, auto insurers, tax software and peer-to-peer payment services.
We asked readers to rate each provider they selected on a scale of one to 10 based on a few criteria. In many categories, readers rated the strength of customer service, how likely they would be to recommend the product or service to others, and how satisfied they are overall with the provider. In some categories, we included more nuanced criteria. With wealth management firms, we asked respondents to rate the trustworthiness of a firm’s advisers and the quality of its financial advice and retirement-planning services. For IRA providers, respondents assessed the mix of investment choices available to them. For peer-to-peer payment apps and tax software, respondents evaluated ease of use, and for auto and home insurance companies, readers judged the competitiveness of rates and strength of the claims experience.
We calculated an average (mean) score for each criterion with each provider. We also calculated an overall mean score for all providers for each criterion we asked readers to judge. We compared individual provider mean scores with the overall mean, and the three highest-scoring providers that had a score above the overall mean won an “outstanding” accolade; in cases of a tie, more than three providers are named, and if fewer than three qualifying providers achieved an above-average score, only those providers are named “outstanding.” In each category, providers are generally listed in descending order by the number of criteria for which they received the “outstanding” designation — so a product or company that is deemed “outstanding” in three areas, for example, is listed before a provider with one or two “outstanding” awards.
To choose an overall winner in each category, we added together the mean scores for each criterion rated for each product or service. The provider with the highest total score in each category took the prize for overall winner.
