First Horizon Checking Account Review 2025
Checking accounts make it easy to pay bills, send money to friends and family, and buy the things you need with your debit card. If you’re looking for a new checking account, you might be wondering whether it makes sense to choose a traditional bank or an online bank.
If you’d prefer a brick-and-mortar banking experience combined with the convenience of a robust online banking experience, First Horizon is worth your consideration. There are three checking accounts to choose from, which are designed to meet different needs.
Our First Horizon checking account review offers a closer look at the features and benefits.
First Horizon Bank Checking Account At-a-Glance
First Horizon Bank offers three checking account products: FirstView checking, TotalView checking, and SmartView checking.
Here are some of the main highlights of these accounts.
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Pros & Cons of First Horizon Bank Checking
Checking accounts aren’t all alike, and that’s true of the three options offered by First Horizon. When comparing bank accounts, it’s helpful to consider their advantages and disadvantages to decide if they’re right for your needs.
Pros
- Multiple checking account options tailored to different spending and saving styles
- No monthly fee, which you don’t always find at other traditional banks
- TotalView Checking offers an interest bonus on account balances, along with ATM and wire transfer fee rebates
- SmartView Checking comes with a complimentary money market savings account and a chance to earn interest on checking balances
- Foreign ATM fees and surcharges can be refunded with TotalView and SmartView accounts
- $50 to open any of First Horizon’s checking accounts
Cons
- Doesn’t have a sizable ATM network, and branch locations are limited
- You’ll need to maintain a higher minimum balance with TotalView and SmartView to avoid a monthly fee
- FirstView accounts don’t earn a great rate
Overall Impression
First Horizon’s checking account options are comparable to other checking accounts offered by traditional banks.
A minimum deposit requirement of $50 makes them relatively easy to open, and the fact that the FirstView Checking account doesn’t charge a monthly fee is a nice bonus for people who prefer to keep banking simple.
If you’re interested in saving, you can do that here as well with a linked savings or money market account. Overall, First Horizon could be a good fit if you’re interested in traditional checking with branch banking access.
Compare to Other Checking Accounts
First Horizon Bank is one checking option you might consider. If you’re interested in what else is available, here are there other banks for comparison.
American Express®, Member FDIC Checking Account
American Express®, member FDIC, offers an FDIC-insured checking account with no monthly fees and no minimum deposit requirements.
These accounts earn a competitive APY on balances, and you can also earn membership rewards on eligible debit card purchases.
Since this is an online checking account, your options for managing your money are limited to online and mobile banking. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re interested in branch banking. You can, however, withdraw cash fee-free at more than 37,000 MoneyPass ATMs nationwide.
Read our full American Express Checking Account review.
Citi Priority Checking Account
Citi’s Priority Checking account is designed for people who want something more than just a basic checking account. This account includes preferred banking benefits, such as fee waivers, higher limits on ATM withdrawals, no foreign exchange fees, and investment benefits from Citi Wealth Management.
There’s no minimum deposit requirement. However, you’ll need to maintain a minimum balance of $30,000 to avoid a monthly service fee. There are more than 600 Citibank branches to choose from, along with an ATM network of more than 65,000 locations worldwide.
Read our full Citi Priority Checking Account review
Bundling your Citi Priority checking account with a Citi savings account is convenient and easy. Learn more about Citi Savings.
BMO Checking Account
BMO offers multiple checking account options, including Smart Advantage, which has no monthly maintenance fee. There’s also the Smart Money account, which has no overdraft fees, and the Premier account, which comes with relationship banking benefits.
Customers can access funds online, through the BMO mobile app, at a branch, or at more than 40,000 ATM locations. Depending on which account you choose, you might be able to unlock benefits like mortgage discounts or unlimited foreign ATM fee refunds.
Read our full BMO Checking Account review.
SoFi® Checking and Savings
SoFi offers checking and savings in one convenient package without a monthly maintenance fee. You can open your accounts online with no minimum deposit requirement and earn a highly competitive APY on balances.
SoFi also offers other benefits, like getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit, no overdraft fees, and cash back rewards on debit card purchases. The only catch is that this is an online-only account, so you won’t be able to manage your money at a branch. You can, however, withdraw cash at more than 55,000 Allpoint ATMs.
Read our full SoFi Checking and Savings review
How First Horizon Bank Works
First Horizon checking accounts work by allowing you to deposit money and withdraw it using a linked debit card.
The FirstView account is a no-frills checking option with no monthly service fee. The TotalView and SmartView accounts charge a monthly service fee but allow you to waive it by meeting a minimum balance requirement. Both of these accounts also offer a chance to earn interest on balances, though the rate is relatively low.
You can manage your First Horizon accounts online or through mobile banking. You can also visit a branch or ATM if you need to withdraw cash.
Like other traditional banks, First Horizon charges various fees. Its accounts are FDIC-insured, and in addition to checking, you can open savings accounts, money market accounts, or CD accounts.
Who Is First Horizon Bank?
First Horizon Bank is a traditional bank that opened its first branch in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1864. The bank’s footprint is concentrated in the Southeastern United States, with branches located in Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas, among other states.
The company has an estimated $85 billion in assets under management, making it one of the larger regional banking operations. In addition to checking accounts, First Horizon offers savings accounts, money market accounts, CDs, mortgages, loans, business banking services, and wealth management services.
Who Is First Horizon Bank For?
First Horizon Bank is suited to people who live in the Southeastern U.S. and want to be able to access their money at a branch. You might consider opening a checking account here if you:
- Are interested in a no-fee checking option with FirstView.
- Would like to get a checking and savings account or money market account in a single package.
- Can meet the higher minimum balance requirements to avoid monthly fees with TotalView or SmartView checking.
- Typically don’t use your ATM card out-of-network.
- Would like to be able to visit a branch if needed.
On the other hand, First Horizon may be less appealing to people who want access to a larger ATM network or want to earn a competitive rate on balances.
Rating the Features
Understanding how a checking account’s features compare is important when deciding where to bank. Here are some of the finer points about First Horizon’s checking account options.
User Experience
First Horizon Bank’s website is easy to navigate, though you will have to do a little digging to find detailed information about fees and interest rates. In terms of the account opening process, you can open an account online in minutes, assuming you live in an eligible area.
If you don’t, then you’ll need to visit a branch to open your account.
Fees
As mentioned, First Horizon does charge some banking fees, but that’s typical of any traditional bank. You can get no-fee checking with the FirstView account, but you’ll pay a monthly fee for TotalView or SmartView checking unless you’re able to meet minimum balance requirements to waive it.
The other fees, including overdraft fees, wire transfer fees, and stop payment fees, are comparable to what other brick-and-mortar banks charge. The excess withdrawal fee for savings accounts is lower than what you’ll pay at other banks.
Rates
TotalView and SmartView checking offer an opportunity to earn what’s essentially a relationship rate on balances. You can also earn interest on traditional savings accounts or money market accounts that you link to either account.
Rates are tiered for money market accounts, while savings accounts earn the same APY, regardless of balance. In terms of how good the rates are, the best rates apply to money market savings accounts with a higher balance. The traditional savings account APY is slightly higher than what you’ll get with most traditional banks but well below the rates you might find offered at online banks.
Minimum Deposit
One nice thing about First Horizon’s checking accounts is that you don’t need a lot of money to open them. The minimum deposit requirement is just $50. Of course, it’s possible to find online checking accounts with a $0 minimum deposit.
Tools, Extras
First Horizon offers a few tools and resources to help you manage your money. They include:
- Credit card calculators
- Mortgage and loan calculators
- College planning calculators
- Car loan calculators
- Cash flow calculators
These tools are designed to answer some of the biggest questions you might have about managing your finances more efficiently. You won’t find things like automatic round-ups to savings offered here, and there are no savings buckets either. The savings account is pretty basic overall compared to what you might find at online banks.
Customer Support
If you can’t get to a branch, First Horizon accepts customer support requests submitted online through secure messaging or via email. You can also call 1-800-382-5465 for help if you’d like to talk to a person. There is no live chat support available.
Access
First Horizon offers branch banking access at more than 400 locations, as well as online and mobile banking access. Branches and more than 600 ATMs are available in these states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Florida
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
You can also open an account if you live in selected areas of New York, including the Bronx, Kings, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester. First Horizon serves customers in New Jersey as well, in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Ocean, and Union counties.
Safety and Security
First Horizon Bank takes numerous steps to protect customer information and accounts, including the use of encrypted data and secure messaging. You can also protect yourself by setting up account alerts to notify you of any new activity and enabling two-factor authentication for online and mobile banking.
How to Get Started
If you’d like to open a First Horizon Bank checking account, you can start the process online. You’ll need to choose which account you want to open, then provide the necessary information, including:
- Your name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Phone number and email address
- Mailing address
You’ll also need to link a checking or savings account from a different bank to make your opening deposit. If you’re opening an account at a branch, you can make your deposit via cash or check.
The process itself isn’t that difficult, and there’s no need for a follow-up call. You don’t have to visit a branch unless you don’t live in one of the areas mentioned above where First Horizon offers its services.
