PNC Checking up to $400 Bonus

Available Nationwide (digitally), or in person at branches across 28 states, PNC is back with a competitive welcome bonus for opening a personal checking account online and meeting direct deposit requirements within the first 2 months.

This is a tiered offer with the entry level Virtual Wallet® offering $100 or $400 for opening a Virtual Wallet® with Performance Select - all with qualifying direct deposit requirements.

Assuming you don't have an account with PNC (and haven't within the last 12 months or received a prior consumer checking signup bonus in the past 24 months), we definitely recommend grabbing this easy bonus.

How To Earn The Bonus

The PNC Checking promotion requires you to set up eligible direct deposits in order to earn the up to $400 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

• Offer is contingent on product availability and may vary based on where you open your account and the Zip code of your primary address.
• A qualifying Direct Deposit for this offer, is defined as a recurring Direct Deposit of a paycheck, pension, Social Security or other regular monthly income electronically deposited by an employer or an outside agency into the Spend account of a Virtual Wallet with Performance Select, or Virtual Wallet.
• Credit card cash advance transfers, wire transfers, person to person transfers, transfers from one account to another or deposits made at a branch, ATM, mobile device or through the mail do not qualify as qualifying Direct Deposits.
• You will not be eligible for this offer if you or any signer on the new account has an existing PNC Bank consumer checking account, have closed an account within the past 12 months, or if you have been a primary signer on a consumer checking account that has received a PNC promotional premium in the past 24 months
• After you open a checking product, you must remain in that product to receive the corresponding reward; changing your checking product after account opening could result in your offer eligibility, terms, and corresponding reward amount

Open a PNC Checking account now to earn the up to $400 bonus

How does this personal checking offer from PNC compare?

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

BMO

Personal Checking

Bonus

$400 Cash Bonus*

Account Type

Personal Checking

Expires In

87 days

Requires

• Direct Deposit

Full Details

Chase

Chase Total Checking®

Bonus

$400

Account Type

Personal Checking

Expires In

68 days

Requires

• Direct Deposit

Full Details

Bank of America

Advantage Banking Account

Bonus

up to $500

Account Type

Personal Checking

Expires In

114 days

Requires

• Direct Deposit

Full Details

Why PNC Bank?

PNC Bank is the 7th largest in the U.S., with over 60,000 ATMs and approximately 2,300 physical branches across the country. This includes the former BBVA locations, which they acquired in 2021.

PNC offers "Spend, Reserve and Growth" virtual wallets. Spend is for day-to-day activity, Reserve is for short term planning, and Growth is a long term savings account. A single fee covers the trio of accounts and, like most linked accounts, it's easy to transfer money between the three (plus offers 2-layers of fee-free overdraft protection).

Ultimately, however, PNC isn't our top pick if you're shopping for a new bank. Typical of the big national brands, their interest rates are low in many markets. And while they offer online and mobile banking with all of the major features, their apps feel more dated than competitor products (and definitely more than the tech-based banks).

Learn more in our PNC Bank review

Virtual Wallet®

Virtual Wallet® comes with budgeting tools to track spending and upcoming bills, but offers no interest on your balance.

All Virtual Wallet accounts come with 2-layers of overdraft protection, access to PNC's online and mobile banking tools, and in-person service in one of their branches.

Fees

Virtual Wallet® does charge a monthly maintenance fee of $7, but there are ways to get this waived:

• At least $500 in direct deposits to the account each month
• OR, maintain a $500 monthly balance in combined average monthly balance in your Spend and/or Reserve accounts|OR, account holder is older than 62

Virtual Wallet® with Performance Select

At PNC, a personal checking account is called a Spend account, and is intended for day-to-day spending. It pairs with short-term planning account (called Reserve) and a long-term savings account (called Growth) to fill out your "Virtual Wallet".

Virtual Wallet with Performance Select is PNC's premium offer (with a matching premium maintenance fee), but offers PNC's highest interest rates on your checking balance.

All Virtual Wallet accounts come with 2-layers of overdraft protection, access to PNC's online and mobile banking tools, and in-person service at one of their branches.

Fees

Virtual Wallet® with Performance Select does charge a monthly maintenance fee of $25, but there are ways to get this waived:

• At least $5,000 in direct deposits to the account each month
• OR, maintain a $5,000 monthly balance in combined average monthly balance in your Spend and/or Reserve accounts
• OR, maintain a monthly balance of $25,000 in all PNC consumer and/or investment accounts

Open a PNC Checking before the bonus expires on February 26, 2026

Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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