Your cookie choices

We use necessary cookies to make this site work. With your permission, analytics cookies help us understand usage and marketing cookies support advertising.

You can reject non-essential cookies and still use the site. Change your choices anytime in Cookie settings.

Cookie settingsCookie policy

Upgrade review

Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

Upgrade suits US customers who want everyday banking and card rewards from one provider, with a rewards checking account that charges a monthly fee of $0. The essentials credit card then adds cash back on everyday spending, plus travel and fraud perks, which is where the value sits.

Key facts

Best for
US residents who want fee-free everyday banking with cash back on the same account.
Monthly fee
$0↗
Currency conversion fee
3%↗
Free ATM withdrawals
$0↗
Card type
Debit↗
Cashback rate
2%↗
Card network
Visa↗
Legal entity
Upgrade, Inc.↗
Headquarters
United States↗
Support channels
Email, Phone, Help-centre↗
Features
Rewards
Official website
upgrade.com

Credit cards

Annual fee
$0↗
Rewards type
Cashback↗
Rewards rate
3% cash back on gas, groceries, streaming and monthly subscriptions, and utilities; 1% on everything else, uncapped↗
Perks
Visa Zero Liability protection, Travel and Emergency Assistance Services, Roadside Dispatch, Upgrade Shopping offers, Rewards do not expire, 24/7 fraud monitoring and real-time alerts, Flexible payment options Pay Now, Pay in 4, Pay Over Time (coming soon)↗
Card kind
Credit↗
Pricing model
No annual fee

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 5 sources

Apps and profiles

Get the app
App StoreGoogle Play
Elsewhere
WikidataWikipediaXLinkedIn

Pros and cons

Pros

  • A monthly fee of $0 on the checking account and an annual fee of $0 on the essentials card.
  • Cash back of 2% on the rewards checking, with a higher rate on gas, groceries, streaming, subscriptions and utilities and the rest uncapped.
  • Visa Zero Liability protection, Travel and Emergency Assistance Services and Roadside Dispatch includes Visa Zero Liability protection, roadside help and fraud monitoring with real-time alerts.
  • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so email and phone are both there when a payment goes wrong.

Cons

  • The currency conversion fee is 3%, among the higher charges in this set.
  • Free ATM withdrawals are not part of the account: the allowance is $0.
  • It is a US provider, headquartered in the United States, so it does not serve UK or euro account needs.
Upgrade

Ready to try Upgrade?

Scored 8.9 / 10 by SumCue.

Visit

Who it suits

  • US residents who spend on gas, groceries, streaming, subscriptions and utilities and want that spend rewarded.
  • Anyone who wants fraud alerts and card liability protection without an annual charge.
  • People who want a checking account and a rewards card with the same provider, on the visa network.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Wise, for readers who spend abroad often, since Upgrade's currency conversion fee is 3%.
  • bunq, for euro account holders: its monthly fee is €0 and Upgrade is a US provider in the United States.
  • Starling Personal Account Debit Card, for a UK current account, with a monthly fee of £0.

Where it sits among rivals

Upgrade ranks 1 of 422 brands on monthly fee, putting it among the cheapest accounts in the set. It falls much further down on free ATM withdrawals, at 44 of 124, and on the currency conversion fee, at 221 of 258. Travellers feel that gap first.

How Upgrade compares

Where Upgrade is available

Available
United States

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

What does the Upgrade checking account cost?+

The monthly fee is $0, and that is the running cost of keeping the account open. The card attached to it is a debit card on the visa network, so it is accepted wherever Visa is. Help runs through email, phone and help centre if a payment needs chasing.

What does spending abroad cost on the Upgrade card?+

Spending in another currency is charged a conversion fee of 3% on the debit card. The median across the cards compared here is 1%, so Upgrade sits well above the middle. Anyone paying a foreign bill each month will notice that gap.

Can I withdraw cash free from an ATM?+

The free ATM withdrawal allowance is $0, so this account does not carry free withdrawals. Upgrade ranks 44 of 124 on that measure among the brands here. If cash is part of your week, price the withdrawal charge before opening the account.

What cash back does Upgrade pay?+

The rewards checking account pays 2% in cash back. The essentials card pays more on gas, groceries, streaming, monthly subscriptions and utilities, and less on everything else, uncapped. The rewards are cashback, and the card's rewards do not expire.

What protection comes with the Upgrade card?+

The card carries Visa Zero Liability protection, travel and emergency assistance, roadside dispatch and shopping offers, all set out in Visa Zero Liability protection, Travel and Emergency Assistance Services and Roadside Dispatch. Fraud monitoring runs with real-time alerts around the clock, so a blocked or flagged payment tends to surface early.

Is the checking account the same thing as the essentials card?+

They are separate products. The checking account is a debit account with a monthly fee of $0, while the essentials card is a credit card with an annual fee of $0. Both pay cash back, and the card carries the longer list of travel and protection perks.

Can I open an Upgrade account outside the US?+

The provider is headquartered in the United States and the legal entity behind it is Upgrade, Inc.. That makes it a US product, and the monthly fee of $0 is quoted in US dollars, so readers in the UK or the eurozone should weigh a local account instead.

Sources

  • upgrade.com checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Legal entity, Card network, Support channels

    “Copyright 2026 Upgrade, Inc. All rights reserved.”

  • upgrade.com/about checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Headquarters

    “San Francisco Headquarters”

  • upgrade.com/atm-network checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Free ATM withdrawals

    “There is no fee to use an AllPoint® ATM. There is a $2.50 fee for cash withdrawals at out-of-network ATMs.”

  • upgrade.com/credit-card/onecard-essentials checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Annual fee, Card kind, Features, Pricing model, Perks, Rewards rate, Rewards type

    “Upgrade OneCard Essentials has no annual fee.”

  • upgrade.com/rewards-checking-preferred checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Card type, Cashback rate, Currency conversion fee, Monthly fee

    “Rewards Checking Preferred - The debit card with up to 2% cash back on purchases ... use your Upgrade Visa® Debit Card for purchases”

Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Protection.

Upgrade

Upgrade

US residents who want fee-free everyday banking with cash back on the same account.

8.9/10Visit