Huntington Bank Review 2026: Asterisk-Free Checking, 24-Hour Grace & Rates

Huntington Bank is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with a branch network concentrated in its Midwest core footprint — confirm the current full list of states directly at huntington.com. Its Asterisk-Free Checking is genuinely free — no conditions. The $50 Safety Zone and 24-Hour Grace overdraft policies, plus the Standby Cash line of credit, make it one of the more consumer-friendly regional banks for overdraft protection. Confirm current savings rates directly before assuming they’re competitive with online banks.

Huntington is best for: Midwest customers who value overdraft-friendly policies and no-fee checking.

Huntington Bank at a Glance

Checking Accounts

Asterisk-Free Checking (Flagship)

• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $0
• Direct deposit required: No
• $50 Safety Zone: No fee if overdrawn $50 or less
• 24-Hour Grace: Yes (free extra day to fix larger overdrafts)
• Standby Cash: $100–$1,000 at 0% APR (5% fee per draw)
• Best for: Most customers

Huntington 5 Checking

• Monthly fee: $5/month
• APY on checking: Confirm current rate directly with Huntington — historically applied to balances up to $5,000
• Overdraft: Same $50 Safety Zone and 24-Hour Grace protections as Asterisk-Free
• Best for: Customers who want to earn interest on a checking balance up to $5,000 and are confident the interest will exceed the $60/year fee at their typical balance — confirm the current rate before assuming it will

Huntington 25 Checking

• Monthly fee: $25/month (waived with $25,000 combined Huntington balance)
• Benefits: Premium rate savings, relationship discounts, complimentary checks
• Best for: High-balance customers wanting premium service

The Overdraft Advantage: $50 Safety Zone + 24-Hour Grace + Standby Cash

Huntington’s overdraft handling stacks several layers of protection:

$50 Safety Zone: No overdraft fee at all if the account is overdrawn by $50 or less.

24-Hour Grace: For overdrafts beyond $50, you have until midnight Eastern time the next business day to deposit enough to bring the balance to $0 or above — no overdraft fee charged.

Standby Cash: A $100–$1,000 revolving credit line that automatically covers overdrafts. 0% APR, 5% fee per draw ($5 on $100), repaid in 3 equal monthly installments. No separate application — Huntington makes it available to qualifying customers automatically.

If none of these apply: the overdraft fee is $15 per item, capped at 3 fees per day ($45/day maximum) — reduced from $36 per item in July 2022, per Huntington’s own disclosures and contemporaneous banking-industry reporting (Banking Dive).

Example: Account overdraws by $85 on Monday morning (beyond the $50 Safety Zone). Under 24-Hour Grace, you make a deposit by midnight Tuesday — no fee. If you don’t deposit in time and Standby Cash is available, it covers the shortfall for a $4.25 fee (5% of $85) — less than the standard $15 overdraft fee for this amount.

Huntington 5 Checking: Interest-Earning Checking

Huntington 5 Checking pays interest on balances up to $5,000 for a $5/month fee ($60/year). Confirm the current interest rate directly with Huntington, then compare the annual interest at your typical balance against the $60 annual fee to determine whether it’s worthwhile — do not assume it’s automatically profitable at a specific balance without checking the live rate.

Savings Rates

Confirm Huntington’s current standard savings APY directly at huntington.com — historically, Huntington’s standard savings rates have not been competitive with dedicated online high-yield savings accounts. See the Huntington savings account guide for a comparison strategy.

ATM Network

Huntington participates in the Allpoint network, which has approximately 40,000 ATMs in the United States (Allpoint’s 55,000+ figure is a worldwide count, not US-specific). Confirm Huntington’s current branded ATM count directly at huntington.com. Out-of-network ATM fee: $3.50 per transaction. No ATM reimbursement on Asterisk-Free or Huntington 5.

Huntington vs. Fifth Third

Fifth Third completed its merger with Comerica in February 2026, becoming the 9th-largest US bank with a significantly expanded footprint into Texas, Arizona, and California. See the full Huntington vs. Fifth Third comparison for current details on both banks’ fees, overdraft policies, and footprints.

Who Huntington Is Best For

• Customers in Huntington’s core Midwest footprint
• Those who have had overdraft issues — the $50 Safety Zone, 24-Hour Grace, and Standby Cash reduce fee exposure significantly
• Customers who want genuine no-fee banking without conditions

See also: Huntington checking account | Huntington savings account | Huntington routing number | Huntington vs. Fifth Third

Written by WealthVieu

WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.