KeyBank Key Smart Checking® $300 Bonus

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KeyBank : Key Smart Checking®

$300

4.2

BankBonus.com score

Availability

Ease

Amount

Fees

Offer Expires In

How To Earn The Bonus

  1. Open a no-monthly-maintenance-fee Key Smart Checking® account online with at least $10 by May 16, 2025.
  2. Within 60 days, make 1 single eligible direct deposit of at least $1,000.
  3. Bonus will be credited to your account within 60 days of meeting requirements.
  4. Account must not be closed at the time of gift payment.

Available in Your Area?

No

Monthly Fees?

No

Open Online?

Yes

Credit Pull?

No

KeyBank logo

Apply Now

at KeyBank

KeyBank is back with their personal checking bonus and is offering $300 to new Key Smart Checking® account customers after qualifying activities.

You'll need to make the minimum opening deposit of $10, plus one eligible direct deposit of at least $1,000 within the first 60 days of account opening.

While this isn't quite nationwide, the bonus has a wide footprint and is redeemable online. Check it out!

How To Earn The Bonus

The KeyBank Key Smart Checking® promotion requires you to set up eligible direct deposits in order to earn the $300 bonus (step-by-step breakdown is listed above!).

As with any offer, don't forget to read the fine print before opening your new account. It's where the bank will clearly state who is eligible for the deal along with any nuances you'll want to be aware of.

The fine print

Please refer to the institution's website for any terms and conditions that may apply.

How does this personal checking offer from KeyBank compare?

To help you determine how this bonus stacks against the rest, here are some of the most popular offers available right now:

TD Bank

Beyond Checking

Bonus
$300
Account Type
Personal Checking
Expires In
51 days
Requires
  • Direct Deposit

BMO

Personal Checking

Bonus
$400 Cash Bonus*
Account Type
Personal Checking
Expires In
121 days
Requires
  • Direct Deposit

Discover

Discover® Cashback Checking

Bonus
up to $360
Account Type
Personal Checking
Expires In
Limited Time
Requires
  • Card Spend

Why KeyBank?

KeyBank has more than 1,000 physical branches across 15 states. They offer no-frill deposit and loan products, and are best known for their emphasis on investing in diversity and local, under-served communities. They're an 11x Civic 50 award winner, along with a long list of diversity-focused awards: Best Places to Work for LGBTQ, Leading Disability Employer, Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index, Military-Friendly Employer, and more.

While you can feel good about banking with a value-focused company, their rates aren't particularly impressive. But they do offer 24/7 customer support, a good digital experience, and the ability to earn better interest rates on savings and money market accounts, more cash back, loan discounts and more with KeyBank's Relationship Benefits.

Key Smart Checking®

Key Smart Checking® is a no monthly maintenance fee checking account for your everyday needs. You'll also have access to 40,000+ KeyBank and Allpoint® ATMs and be able to enroll in automatic overdraft protection transfers from a linked KeyBank savings or credit account.

Fees

Key Smart Checking® does not charge a monthly maintenance fee.

Share Your Thoughts or Questions

There have been 11 comments about the KeyBank Key Smart Checking® $300 Bonus.

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BOB

March 17

Today I tried to apply for my father and he was denied! Then I tried to apply for my wife and the system said that she can not open this type of account, for the promo, but rather, another type of checking account. What nonsense! She has not had an account with Key since 2018! So now, she cant do this promo at all, but I guess it was worth trying.....Going back to my dad's denial, I called Key Bank and the guy was very good. He said wait a few days to get an email from them and MAYBE my dad could still be approved by their back office, but they may require more info, etc... I said a branch is over an hour away from us so do we need to go there and he said NO, because it would defeat the purpose cuz he understood that we wanted to open this account for the promo, but again, the promo is only valid if the new account is fully opened online! These banks are getting tough and if they leave it all up to CHEX, then, the SYSTEM, denies you, often with no recourse to appeal....
This used to be an easy bonus years ago and if I am local, then I stop in at the branch to increase the odds of getting the accounts open. But this is an ONLINE ONLY bonus. Good luck everyone. Hope this helps.
Note - $300 Bonus, but this time you need to have 1 single DD that is over $1k, not a few DDs combined to total $1k

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Leo

November 12, 2024

How long after account opening can the $10 be deposited and still satisfy the minimum opening balance requirement?

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Joe

November 2, 2024

Unless you make bank or get paid biweekly, this seems kinda junk. I get paid weekly and the $1000 in a single deposit is BS. They should've made a minimum amount to reach within 60 days like most banks.

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Matt Bundrick Author

March 17 Replying to Joe

Easier requirements are always nicer, for sure, but we disagree that the $1k deposit makes this a junk bonus. $300 for a $1,000 direct deposit on a free account is a pretty solid offer.

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Jake

November 16, 2023

This bonus was easy to get. It was very easy for me to get 1 direct deposit of the small amount of $500 or more. I received the $200 within 10 days.

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David Hoevener

April 2, 2024 Replying to Jake

What did you use as a source for the $500 direct deposit? I ask because I am self-employed.

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Dane King

November 16, 2023

I did this offer it was one of the easiest bank bonus offers. Colorado only and they do pull Chex.

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BOB

February 13, 2024 Replying to Dane King

Can you please tell me what CHEX is? Is that the Bank's Soft Pull?

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Matt Bundrick Author

December 13, 2024 Replying to BOB

Here's a helpful article that explains what ChexSystems is: https://bankbonus.com/basics/chexsystems/

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mjonis

November 14, 2023

I didn't see (perhaps I missed it) the requirements for how long a previous account had to be before you can be considered a "new" account. (ie: This offer not available if you have or have had an account in the past 180 days, etc.)

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BOB

September 8, 2024 Replying to mjonis

Their website says - Offer not available to individuals who were a primary account owner of a KeyBank personal checking account in the last 12 months.

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