You’re probably familiar with the usual ways to earn money from your bank accounts, such as interest on your deposits and cashback rewards for spending. These are all things you should be taking advantage of.
But there’s also free money waiting for you in the form of new account bonuses, and all you have to do is open a new checking or savings account.
It's true! Many banks, credit unions, and brokerages offer a financial incentive to attract new customers (and their deposits!).
Keep reading to learn more about these new account offers or to compare the best bank bonuses available today.
25 Best Bank Promotions and Bonus Offers
These are our absolute favorite bank promotions right now.
Why?
Because the requirements necessary to earn each bonus are in line with the reward (please don't require us to deposit $500k to earn $150 🙄) and they're from reputable banks and institutions that are available nationwide.
Best checking account promotions
- U.S. Bank: up to $800 bonus
- Citi®: up to $2000 bonus
- Discover: up to $360 bonus
- Upgrade: $200 bonus
- Chase: $200 bonus
- BMO: $400 bonus
- Huntington: $800 bonus
- TD Bank: $300 bonus
- SoFi: up to $250 bonus
- Wells Fargo: $325 bonus
- Bank of America: $200 bonus
- Truist: $300 bonus
Best savings account bonuses
- Discover: up to $200 bonus
- Citi®: 4.45% APY
- Alliant: $100 bonus
- TD Bank: $200 bonus
- Regions: up to $100 bonus
Best business bank account bonuses
- U.S. Bank: up to $800 bonus
- Chase: $300 bonus
- Axos: up to $400 bonus
- BMO: up to $600 bonus
- PNC: $200 bonus
- Bank of America: $200 bonus
- Amex: 50,000 MR bonus points
- Huntington: $1000 bonus
Note: If you're hungry for even more new account offers, you can use our tool to explore the full list of bank promotions
A closer look at the top consumer checking account bonuses
If you're looking for a new personal checking account, here are the banks offering the best checking account bonuses:
Bank | Bonus Details | Learn More |
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U.S. Bank U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking |
U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking: up to $800 bonus offerU.S. Bank is offering up to an $800 bonus for opening a new U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking and Standard Savings account. This is back towards the high end of bonuses we've seen from U.S. Bank. This is a multipart bonus, meaning the more activities you complete, the more you can earn. The direct deposit threshold for the checking bonus is steep, at a minimum $5,000 to earn a checking bonus, but if you have the income, this is an easy bonus. You'll have 90 days to reach this target, but keep in mind that unlike some banks that let you hit the bonus in a single transaction, U.S. Bank requires at least two direct deposits to qualify for this promotion. The second part of the bonus is for opening a Standard Savings account and maintaining a minimum balance. Again, be ready for very steep requirements with $25,000 being the minimum balance to earn this portion. Earn a $100 kicker for completing both!
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Apply Now at U.S. Bank |
Citi® Citi Priority Relationship Tier |
Citi Priority Relationship Tier: up to $2000 bonus offerCiti® is offering up to a $2,000 cash bonus when you open a new Citi Priority Relationship Tier account with activities. Like most Citi promotions, this is a tiered offer based on the amount you're able to deposit and maintain in your new checking account. Citi recently added a lower tier to this bonus, making it easier for more people to participate. However, some of the middle tier requirements have increased. All told, the bonus amount ranges from $200 for depositing $10,000, up to the full $2,000 for depositing $300,000. Depending on when you deposit the cash (it needs to be there by the 20th day), the bonus represents an effective rate of roughly 4-11% on your savings. The $200 offer nets you the best effective rate, but every offer is significantly more than what you can find on most savings accounts. So if you have the cash, this is a great way to put it to work, risk-free. It's important to note that this offer is available in most, but not all states.
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Learn More at Citi® |
Discover Cashback Debit |
Cashback Debit: up to $360 bonus offerDiscover Bank, member FDIC, has a cool twist on the old-fashioned debit card: cash back rewards. Open an account online, and they'll give you 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month, for up to $360 each year as a bonus to your normal spending. See website for details.
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Apply Now at Discover |
Upgrade Rewards Checking Plus |
Rewards Checking Plus: $200 bonus offerUpgrade is offering a $200 welcome bonus when you open a new Rewards Checking Plus account and make 3 debit card transactions. To qualify for this promotion, you'll first need to sign up for any Upgrade Card (for example, the Triple Cash Card), which is a blend of a credit card / line of credit. Then, you'll need to open a free Rewards Checking Plus account. Finally, you'll need to make just 3 purchases using your new debit card. What's more? If you choose The Triple Cash Rewards Visa card you'll earn 3% on purchases in Home, Auto, and Health categories and 1% on all other purchases. There are no annual fees, no late fees, and no foreign transaction fees.All in all, this is an easy bonus to earn. Overall, it's rare to find a cash offer this high that does not require a direct deposit, minimum balance, or a monthly fee. Check it out!
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Apply Now at Upgrade |
Chase Chase Total Checking® |
Chase Total Checking®: $200 bonus offerChase Total Checking® is the most popular account from one of the nation's best banks. You'll have access to more than 4,700 branch locations and 16,000 ATMs, along with a top-rated mobile app. Your new account can be opened easily online, and earning the bonus is super straightforward: receive a qualifying direct deposit into your new account within 90 days, and Chase will reward you within 15 days. Keep in mind that Chase Total Checking® does charge a $12 monthly maintenance fee, but there are several ways to have this waived, including maintaining a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or making at least $500 in electronic deposits each month. Assuming you can keep the account free, we definitely recommend taking advantage of this easy cash bonus from Chase!
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Apply Now at Chase |
![]() BMO Personal Checking |
Personal Checking: $400 bonus offerBMO Harris Bank is giving you 4 months to accumulate $4,000 in direct deposits to earn a $400 welcome bonus for opening a new BMO Smart Advantage Checking or BMO Smart Money Checking account. This is $100 higher than previous versions. What's even better? They're also offering a $5/month kicker if you save regularly. It's now available nationally, so now's a good time to open an account online and grab that cash.
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Apply Now at BMO |
Huntington Platinum Perks Checking |
Platinum Perks Checking: $800 bonus offerHuntington is offering a couple of welcome bonuses to customers opening new personal checking accounts. This promotion offers $800 for a $25,000 deposit into their premium Platinum Perks Checking account. They're also running a similar deal for new Perks Checking accountholders, which is their middle-tier personal checking product. That one offers $400 for a direct deposit, in case you don't have the cash to meet this promotion's terms.
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Apply Now at Huntington |
TD Bank Beyond Checking |
Beyond Checking: $300 bonus offerTD Bank is offering a $300 welcome bonus for opening a personal checking account and using direct deposit within the first 2 months. What's more, you can maximize this promo by also opening a new personal savings account — stacking an extra $200 on top of this offer for a total of $500. If the $2,500 in direct deposit is too high, they're also running a smaller offer with only a $500 deposit requirement. While this isn't available nationwide, it is open to a healthy list of states, and is no longer targeted to select customers. If you're eligible, we definitely recommend claiming this easy bonus. Offer is available in these states: CT, DC, DE, FL, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT
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Apply Now at TD Bank |
SoFi SoFi Checking and Savings |
SoFi Checking and Savings: up to $250 bonus offerSoFi is offering new and existing SoFi Checking & Savings customers up to a $250 bonus. You'll need to set up direct deposit, but you'll have until the promo ends to complete one. From there, you'll have 25 calendar days (or until the end of the promotion, whichever happens first) to accumulate direct deposits towards the total that will be used to determine your bonus. This is still setup as a tiered bonus, the more you direct deposit, the more you'll earn.
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Apply Now at SoFi |
Wells Fargo Personal Checking |
Personal Checking: $325 bonus offerWells Fargo is offering new personal checking account customers a $325 bonus. To be eligible, you'll first need to open a new Clear Access Banking℠, Everyday Checking, Prime Checking, or Premier Checking account, and then you'll have 3 months to receive $1,000 in direct deposits in order to qualify for the promo. This is a pretty easy bonus that's available nationally without restriction. Plus, the deposit requirement has been cut in half (from $2,000 to $1,000), and the reward amount bumped up: from the $200 default offer. Can't complain about that!
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Apply Now at Wells Fargo |
Bank of America Advantage Banking Account |
Advantage Banking Account: $200 bonus offerBank of America is offering a $200 bonus for opening a new personal checking account. The offer applies to any of their Advantage Banking accounts: Bank of America SafeBalance®, Bank of America Advantage Plus®, or Bank of America Advantage Relationship®. Recent versions of this bonus had a direct deposit requirement of $1,000, but this time around Bank of America has increased the ask to $2,000. With that said, they've also DOUBLED the bonus, and you do have 90 days to meet that total in cumulative deposits. Overall, a fairly easy bonus from a nationwide bank, so worth checking out.
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Apply Now at Bank of America |
Truist One Checking |
One Checking: $300 bonus offerTruist, has a very solid offer for a new One Checking account, but $100 less than when it was previously offered. Available mostly along the East Coast and Southern states with the ability to open online, Truist is offering a $300 welcome bonus when you open a new One checking account and set up direct deposit.
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Apply Now at Truist |
A closer look at the top savings account bonuses
Here are the banks and credit unions offering the best sign-up bonuses for opening a new CD, money market, or high-yield savings account:
Bank | Bonus Details | Learn More |
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Discover Online Savings Account |
Online Savings Account: up to $200 bonus offerDiscover – one of our top picks for online banks – is currently offering up to $200 for opening your first Online Savings account. You'll need to deposit $25,000 to earn the full amount, but $15,000 only results in a loss of $50. One perk to this bonus is that Discover doesn't have a requirement for how long you need to keep the cash in the account; however, with interest rates soaring, it makes a great place to stash some cash. Doesn't get much easier than that!
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Apply Now at Discover |
Citi® Citi® Accelerate Savings |
Citi® Accelerate Savings: 4.45% APY offerCiti offers a really competitive APY rate in their Citi® Accelerate Savings account, a high-yield savings product. You can find slightly higher rates elsewhere, but nearly all of those will have balance limits. In other words, you'll earn a great rate on the first $15k, but then the rate drops considerably. Citi, on the other hand, has no limit. So for those who have sizable savings they'd like to keep liquid, Citi® Accelerate Savings will often win out. There's no opening deposit minimum or ongoing balance requirements, but do keep in mind that having a $0 balance for longer than 3 months could cause your account to be closed.
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How To Earn |
Alliant Ultimate Opportunity Savings Account |
Ultimate Opportunity Savings Account: $100 bonus offerBack for 2023, Alliant Credit Union has partnered with Suze Orman to encourage people to make saving a priority. To that end, they've launched “The Ultimate Opportunity Savings Account” promotion, where you can earn a $100 welcome bonus by opening a new savings account and making the commitment to deposit $100 each month. Keep in mind that these deposits don't need to be made via direct deposit, as is common with many bank bonuses. Instead, regular transfers each month will work. The first transfer will need to be made within 30 days of opening the account, and while it does take a full 12 months to satisfy the requirements, the ROI on your cash is impressive. This is a nationwide bonus from one of the best credit unions, so definitely check it out!
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Apply Now at Alliant |
TD Bank Personal Savings Account |
Personal Savings Account: $200 bonus offerTD Bank is offering a $200 welcome bonus if you open a new savings account by November 30st, 2023. It works out to effectively be an interest rate of about 4%. What's more, you can maximize this promo by also opening a new personal checking account — stacking an extra $300 or $150 on top of this offer for a total of up to $500. While this isn't available nationwide, it is open to a healthy list of states, and is no longer targeted to select customers.
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Apply Now at TD Bank |
Regions LifeGreen Savings |
LifeGreen Savings: up to $100 bonus offerThe main draw of LifeGreen Savings is its bonus offer, which pays out up to $100 per year when you set up automated transfers (in addition to the normal APY). If you transfer at least $10 into the account per month, you'll get a 1% savings bonus at the end of the year (up to $100). The best part of this offer is that it isn't a one-time cash back deal. LifeGreen Savings bonuses are eligible each year that the account is in good standing.
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Apply Now at Regions |
A closer look at the top business account bonuses
Have a business? These banks and credit unions are running promotional offers if you open a new business checking or business savings account:
Bank | Bonus Details | Learn More |
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U.S. Bank Business Checking |
Business Checking: up to $800 bonus offerU.S. Bank is offering up to a $800 welcome bonus when you open and fund a new, eligible business checking account. This is a tiered bonus where you can earn more if you're able to deposit more. To earn the full $800 just deposit $25,000 in new money and maintain that balance for at least 60 days. This offer has increased since the last time it was offered to reward businesses with higher balances, so now might be a great time to jump on it if you've been considering U.S. Bank for your business banking needs.
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Apply Now at U.S. Bank |
Chase Chase Business Complete Checking® |
Chase Business Complete Checking®: $300 bonus offerChase Bank is offering business owners a $300 bonus to open a new Chase Business Complete Checking® account. The requirements are pretty easy to meet: deposit new money at least $2,000 and maintain it for 2 months, and complete just 5 qualifying transactions in the next 3 months. Several activities count as "qualifying transactions", including purchases on your debit card, deposits into the account, setting up a bill payment, and more. See the fine print for the full list, but needless to say, meeting that requirement should be painless. What's especially awesome about this bonus compared to other business checking account offers is that Chase recently launched the ability for customers to open an account online. Compared to the vast majority of business checking accounts which require you to visit your local branch, opening an account at Chase is significantly more convenient. If you prefer live help, however, you can still enroll in this offer by entering your email address on the bonus landing page to have an offer code sent to you. Just be sure to take that code with you when you visit a branch.
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Apply Now at Chase |
Axos Business Interest Checking |
Business Interest Checking: up to $400 bonus offerAvailable nationwide with the ability to open online, Axos is offering up to a $400 welcome bonus when you open a new Business Interest Checking account and maintain a minimum balance. You'll also need to use your debit card to qualify. This is double their previous offer (and quadruple one before that!) so now might be a good time to jump on it.
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Apply Now at Axos |
![]() BMO Business Checking |
Business Checking: up to $600 bonus offerAvailable in select states within their footprint, BMO Harris is offering up to a $600 welcome bonus when you open a new business checking account and meet the minimum balance requirements. This is a tiered bonus, the higher the balance, the more you can earn. It's worth noting that this bonus is higher than a recent one offered for similar tiers. What's more? You can earn an extra bonus up to $1,000 when you also open a new BMO Elite Business Money Market account with qualifying activities.
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Apply Now at BMO |
PNC Business Checking Account |
Business Checking Account: $200 bonus offerPNC is running a couple of welcome bonus offers targeting small business owners. For this one, you'll need to open either a Business Checking or Business Checking Plus account and then meet balance and debit card requirements. This is a straightforward, nationally-available bonus for business owners. If your company has higher balances or transaction volume, PNC is running a larger bonus for their enterprise checking accounts, so check those out, too!
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Apply Now at PNC |
Bank of America Bank of America® Business Advantage Banking |
Bank of America® Business Advantage Banking: $200 bonus offerIf you're a business owner in the market for a new checking account, be sure to check out this offer from Bank of America. They're offering a $200 cash bonus when you open a new Bank of America® Business Advantage Banking account and maintain qualifying deposits. See offers page more details. To qualify, you can choose between the Bank of America Business Advantage Relationship Banking or Business Advantage Fundamentals™ Banking accounts. Both have monthly fees that can be waived if minimum deposits amounts are met. See below for more details.. Then, you'll just need to deposit $5,000 into your new account. Pretty simple!
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Apply Now at Bank of America |
Amex Business Checking |
Business Checking: 50,000 MR bonus points offerAvailable nationwide with the ability to open online, Amex is offering a 50,000 MR Points welcome bonus when you open a new business checking account and make qualifying transactions. Previously, this was a cash offer (and about half as much), but Amex is now offering it as Membership Rewards points which means you can likely stretch it further if you redeem for travel. This is a rare offer from American Express and relatively easy to earn.
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Apply Now at Amex |
Huntington Unlimited Plus Business Checking |
Unlimited Plus Business Checking: $1000 bonus offerHuntington is offering a welcome bonus to those opening new business checking accounts. This one offers $1,000 for a $20,000 deposit. Don't have $20k? They're also running $100 and $400 offers for $2,000 and $5,000 deposits, respectively. While the account needs to remain open for 6 months to avoid forfeiting the offer, you will get the bonus within 2 weeks of meeting the requirement which is pretty great!
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Apply Now at Huntington |
Explore Bank Promotions and New Account Offers
We track bank bonuses and sign-up offers for opening everything from a new checking account or high-yield savings account, to a new credit card or brokerage account.
With hundreds of banks and credit unions offering these promotions, it can be tough to find and compare these deals. That's where BankBonus.com comes in.
There are more than 495 active bank bonuses in our database right now, and thousands more that have since expired.
Answer just a few quick questions and our tool will zip through all of these offers to find you the perfect one.
What Are Bank Promotions?
Banks and credit unions are always looking to attract as many new customers as possible.
The more new money that these financial institutions can bring in, the more overall profit they make.
One of the most popular ways that banks lure in new customers is by offering account opening bonuses, which are financial incentives you can get for opening a new account and meeting certain terms and conditions.
These new account offers are a win-win for the bank (or credit union) and customer.
They’re attractive to customers because it’s free money. And for banks, it’s a prime opportunity to bring in new customers, who are likely to stay on board for many years down the road.
How Can I Qualify For a Bank Account Bonus?
First, you typically need to be a new customer.
Next, you’ll have to meet requirements such as completing certain activities for a period of consecutive months after account opening.
These activities can be anything from meeting and maintaining a minimum balance or minimum deposit, making a qualifying direct deposit, using your debit card, enrolling in mobile banking, or a combination of several of these activities.
We’re intentionally vague here, because every new account bonus will come with different terms. Often, the more difficult the requirements, the higher the reward.
Requirements for checking account offers usually fall into four categories:
- Minimum Balance: Some bonuses will require you to transfer new money to the account and then maintain that balance for a certain period of time. How long will vary, but it’s typically from 30 to 90 days.
- Direct Deposit: Other offers will require you to receive qualifying direct deposits from your employer or government benefits such as social security. Often, the deposit will need to exceed a certain amount, and terms can vary from a single deposit to a recurring deposit that occurs over consecutive months.
- Debit Card Purchases: Sometimes the checking account bonus will require you to use your debit card to make a certain number of purchases. Keep in mind that ATM withdrawals won’t count.
- Account Features: The last common requirement involves using account features like Bill Pay, enrolling in eStatements, remote deposit capture, or logging into the mobile app.
Banks will outline exactly which of the above requirements – sometimes just one, sometimes a combination of several – are necessary to qualify for the checking account bonus.
In addition to meeting the initial requirements, you also usually have to stay in good standing with the bank or credit union for a certain number of days after account opening (the first three to six months is pretty typical).
This means that you either have to maintain an average daily balance, an average monthly balance, a specified combined balance, or a minimum balance as required by the bank.
It goes without saying, of course, that avoiding a negative balance is also critical, so don’t overdraft your account!
Ultimately, they’re putting the terms in place so that new customers don’t get the bonus and quickly close the account, which would result in a financial loss for the bank.
How are bank bonuses paid out?
Most of the time, it’s in the form of a cash bonus that the bank puts directly into your new account.
The bonus payment might also be handed out in other forms, such as a Visa Gift Card or rewards points that you can use to make online purchases.
Once you’ve met all the requirements, it’ll usually take a few business days for your cash to show up in your checking or savings account.
Most bank offers will clearly state when and how to expect your cash bonus, so again, read the fine print (we also call this out clearly in every offer we publish on BankBonus.com).
How much money can you get?
Sign-up bonuses typically range from a couple hundred to a thousand or more dollars, depending on the bank, how much money you deposit, or how “tough” the requirements are.
New account bonuses are typically offered for opening a traditional checking account, but you can also find them for opening a new business checking account, money market account, savings account, credit card, or investment account.
How do I avoid monthly fees?
A monthly maintenance fee is a fee charged by a financial institution simply for having the account. This is typically bundled with premium features such as interest on your deposit balance.
This is different from other account fees like atm surcharges, overdraft fees, or early account termination fees.
Fortunately, most of the time, the monthly service fee can be waived by meeting certain requirements such as receiving qualifying direct deposits, or maintaining a minimum balance requirement.
If you can’t meet the thresholds necessary to waive the monthly fee, fear not.
Many banks offer a checking account bonus even for opening one of their totally free checking accounts.
How To Find A Bank Sign Up Bonus
Keep an eye out for promotional materials from local or national banks that advertise a new checking account or savings account bonus.
Banks are frequently sending these out over email, snail-mail, and through online and mobile app ads.
Chances are, you’ve come across more bank promotions than you even realize.
And, just from having searched and found this article, there’s a strong chance that you’ll be retargeted for new account bonuses as you browse the internet.
What Do The Best Bank Promotions Look Like?
The bigger, the better, right?
Yes, and no. Bonus offers vary quite a bit, and it isn’t necessarily as simple as finding the biggest number and going after it.
New checking and savings account bonuses are everywhere, but customers can most often expect to see them popping up at the bigger national banks or credit unions. Some of the most popular are:
- Chase Bank promotions
- Citi promotions
- Fifth Third Bank promotions
- Discover Bank promotions
- BMO Harris Bank promotions
- Alliant Credit Union promotions
- U.S. Bank promotions
- Wells Fargo promotions
- PNC Bank promotions
- TD Bank promotions
- HSBC Bank promotions
- Huntington Bank promotions
The best bank bonuses also have easy-to-reach requirements. For example, if the bank requires a $100,000 minimum opening deposit, most people wouldn’t qualify for that.
Another thing to watch out for is that if the bank charges a monthly maintenance fee for your new account. This could eventually wash out any bonus that you might get.
So, if you’re eyeing a $200 sign-up bonus, but then the bank charges an unavoidable $15 monthly fee, then your bonus offer gets washed out in about 13 months.
Ideally, the bank or credit union you decide to go with won’t charge you any fees, or there will be a way to get around them (such as monthly direct deposits).
The same goes for evaluating a credit card offer. The biggest account opening bonuses will come for cards with an annual fee. But this only makes sense if the card offers rewards and perks that you find genuinely valuable.
That way, you’ll be able to enjoy your cash bonus without giving it right back.
Calculator: Bank Bonus APY
If you’re eyeing a new savings, investment or checking account bonus, you may be wondering how to analyze some of the above factors to determine whether it’s a worthwhile offer.
It’s true that bank bonuses will very often give you an effective interest rate that is higher than most HYSAs, while still being low risk compared to the short-term volatility of say, the stock market.
But, as we said, that’s not the case for every offer, so we recommend you always run the numbers for yourself.
And, like always, we’re here to help with that.
If you have cash sitting in a savings account that you’re considering using to meet a minimum balance bonus requirement, this calculator will help you compare the APY of your savings account versus the cash reward.
Our Methodology
As you can see, there are several things to consider when vetting or ranking savings account and checking account offers.
We focused on the following criteria:
- Reasonable requirements compared to the cash payout
- Nationally available offers
- FDIC or NCUA insured, to protect your deposits
- Accounts with no or waivable monthly fees
New Bank Account Offers: The Fine Print
It’d be nice if it was as simple as signing up and cashing in, but there are few more things to consider.
First, make sure you understand the exact requirements, including what’s required of you and by when (not only when the offer expires, but also how quickly you’ll need to complete the tasks).
Also note whether there’s a promo or coupon code that needs to applied at the time you open the account to enroll in the promotion.
What’s more, sometimes you need to be targeted with a specific offer page or email to get in the door.
Next, make sure you’re eligible for the offer. Banks will often exclude current or former customers from a bonus offer, may require you to be of a certain age or live in a certain state or region.
Why a certain location? Bank offers are often regional, so your friend in Michigan might see a checking bonus that’s different than what you’re getting in Kentucky – even if it’s with the same bank.
Once you’re certain that you’re eligible for the checking account bonus or savings promotion, pay close attention to the requirements.
These will be clearly outlined, but still have nuances you’ll want to be aware of.
For example, banks may require that account holders make their initial deposit via a qualifying direct deposit, rather than transferring money from another account. Banks like direct deposits because they provide steady, guaranteed revenue coming into the bank.
Finally, don’t forget that checking account bonuses are considered income and will need to be claimed come tax time. Unlike credit card bonuses, which are viewed by the IRS as a rebate or discount, checking account bonuses are considered taxable income.
The good news is that, unlike applying for a new credit card, when you open a new bank account, there’s usually no impact on your credit score.
Bank Promotions FAQs
What banks give you a bonus for opening a new account?
Offers are constantly changing. At BankBonus.com, we’re constantly scouring and updating the best bank bonuses available, so be sure to check back often (seriously, new offers are added almost every day!).
With that said, even though the actual bonus terms tend to change over time, almost all banks offer some kind of perk for opening a new bank account.
Larger, national banks typically have the resources to pay out the best bank bonuses. But you can also find sign-up rewards at your local community bank or credit union.
Whichever bank you decide to go with, make sure that it’s a member FDIC (or NCUA, if it’s a credit union), which means that your deposits will be protected up to $250,000.
Are new savings and checking account bonuses worth it?
Some bonus offers are worth it, and some aren’t.
A $400 cash bonus might seem like an amazing deal, but if you’re moving funds over from a high-yield savings account that earns a significant Annual Percentage Yield (APY), you might be losing money in the long run.
Even in these times of rising interest rates, many deposit and savings accounts still don’t offer great interest rates – particularly those from big national banks.
So bank bonuses are very often a fantastic way to put your savings to work. Check out our Bank Bonus Return Calculator to determine for yourself the effective rate of a welcome offer and how it compares to your HYSA.
That tool also lets you factor in any fees that might come with your new account.
These might include a monthly maintenance fee or, in the case of free checking accounts, check writing or ATM fees that might exceed the value of the bonus you’re trying to get.
Why do banks have promotions?
Ultimately, bank account bonuses are a marketing tactic to attract new customers.
While most checking accounts are free (either by default or because you’re able to meet the requirements necessary to waive the fee), banks profit from you in other ways. Overdraft and other fees, add-ons like safe deposit boxes or checks, deepening their relationship with you through products like credit cards or loans, and more.
But even if you never pay your bank a single fee or a dime of interest, they still make money by having you as a customer.
How?
Bringing in new money gives banks lending power – which means they’re able to lend to other clients and earn interest (and origination fees!) from those loans.
So, to attract new customers (and their cash), many banks offer welcome bonuses to new customers.
Are bank bonuses taxable?
Yes, money you earn from a new account bonus will be reported to the IRS and taxed as income. Keep this in mind when you’re figuring out your total return on any given offer.
One exception to this are credit card sign up offers. Since most credit cards require you to spend a certain amount in order to qualify for a bonus, the reward doesn’t count as taxable income.
Do I need a checking account to get a savings bonus?
Sometimes. Banks love to get you in the door with as many products as possible, so some will require you to hold multiple accounts to earn a bonus.
Other promotions will give you a certain reward for opening a new checking account and meeting those requirements, and an extra cash reward for also opening a new savings account at the same time.
In either case, just because a bank is offering money as a sign-up bonus for opening a new account, you still want to be sure the new account makes sense for you.
There’s no limit to how many bank accounts you can hold, so this isn’t a huge issue, as long as an unwanted account doesn’t leave you paying fees.
With this in mind, if you need to add a checking account to get a bonus, make sure that it’s a free checking account that won’t penalize you for lack of use or a low balance.
The Best Bank Bonus For You
The key is to think of a personal checking account bonus as, well, a bonus. It’s a nice-to-have.
What you shouldn’t do is open an account that’s a poor fit for your financial position just to chase some extra cash.
That said, between national banks, online banks, credit unions, and fintech platforms, the options for where to stash your savings or deposits are endless.
With this in mind, there’s no reason to give a bank your business without getting something in return.
While functionality and low fees should always be your top priority, a nice savings account bonus or new checking account offer can get your balance moving in the right direction.
So, find exactly what it is that you’re looking for in a bank account, then narrow the list down based on which banks not only meet your needs but also incentivize you!
To learn more about how to find, track, and maximize bank promotions, sign up for the free 3-day email course below.
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