Wells 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!
How To Earn The Bonus
The Wells Fargo Personal Checking promotion requires you to set up eligible direct deposits in order to earn the $325 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
- This offer is for new checking customers only.
- All Wells Fargo consumer checking accounts are eligible for this offer.
- You must use your bonus offer code at account opening. The offer code will be auto applied if you apply through the offer landing page. If you open an account in-branch, you need to submit your contact information first to receive a code, then use that when opening.
- You are not eligible for this offer if you are a current owner of a Wells Fargo consumer checking account, have received a bonus for opening a Wells Fargo consumer checking account within the past 12 months, or if you are a Wells Fargo employee.
- Limit one bonus per customer/account.
Open a Personal Checking account before the bonus expires on January 7, 2025
How does this personal checking offer from Wells Fargo compare?
To help you determine how this bonus stacks against the rest, here are some of the most popular offers available right now:
BMO
Smart Advantage Checking Account
- Bonus
- $300
- Account Type
- Personal Checking
- Expires In
- 44 days
- Requires
- Direct Deposit
TD Bank
Beyond Checking
- Bonus
- $300
- Account Type
- Personal Checking
- Expires In
- 130 days
- Requires
- Direct Deposit
Discover
Discover® Cashback Checking
- Bonus
- up to $360
- Account Type
- Personal Checking
- Expires In
- Limited Time
- Requires
- Card Spend
Why Wells Fargo Bank?
No matter how you look at it, Wells Fargo is huge. It's the fourth largest national bank in the United States and the 26th largest corporation of any kind.
With 13,000 ATM locations and 5,300 full-service branches, Wells Fargo has more brick and mortar locations than any other financial institution in the country. The bank also operates internationally, with a presence in 35 countries and over 70 million global customers.
Wells Fargo is based out of San Francisco, California, and offers bank accounts, credit cards, investment and retirement accounts, personal loans, wealth management services, and more.
Learn more in our Wells Fargo Bank review
Clear Access Banking℠
Clear Access Banking, formerly called Opportunity Checking, is a good option if you often worry about overdrawing your account. It’s a checkless account, meaning you can’t write checks, and all transactions are made digitally or with a debit card. The best part is that there there are no overdraft fees.
There’s a $25 minimum opening deposit, as well as a $5 monthly maintenance fee. The fee can only be waived for account holders that are 13 to 24 years old, making it a good teen checking option for younger people looking to open their first account.
Fees
Clear Access Banking℠ does charge a monthly maintenance fee of $5, but there are ways to get this waived:
- Be between the ages of 13 and 24 years old.
Everyday Checking
The Wells Fargo Everyday Checking account is Wells Fargo’s most popular option for checking. You can open this account with a minimum deposit of $25, and it comes with all of the staples of a good checking account, including a debit card, checks, and access to online banking.
Fees
Everyday Checking does charge a monthly maintenance fee of $10, but there are ways to get this waived:
- Maintain a daily balance of $500.
- OR, receive $500 or more in total qualifying direct deposits.
- OR, have a linked Wells Fargo Campus ATM or Campus Debit Card.
- OR, be between the ages of 17 and 24 years old.
Prime Checking
Prime Checking is one of Wells Fargo's premium checking accounts. With it, you'll earn interest on your deposits, as well as a relationship rates on linked CDs and savings accounts and new loans.
With Prime Checking, it's also easier to avoid fees. For example, there is no incoming wire transfer fee, and you'll receive ATM fee reimbursements.
Like all Wells Fargo checking accounts, Prime Checking requires a $25 opening deposit.
Fees
Prime Checking does charge a monthly maintenance fee of $25, but there are ways to get this waived:
- Have $20,000 or more in statement-ending qualifying linked bank deposit account balances (checking, savings, CDs, or FDIC-insured IRAs) and investment account balances.
Premier Checking
Premier Checking is Wells Fargo's most exclusive checking account and comes with a bunch of premium benefits.
With it, you'll earn interest on your deposits, as well as a relationship rates on linked CDs and savings accounts and new loans.
Premier Checking also comes with the most fee waivers. For example, there is no wire transfer fees, no fee for cashier's checks or money orders, no fee for stop payment requests, and more. You'll also receive unlimited ATM fee reimbursements.
Like all Wells Fargo checking accounts, Premier Checking requires a $25 opening deposit.
Fees
Premier Checking does charge a monthly maintenance fee of $35, but there are ways to get this waived:
- Have $250,000 or more in statement-ending qualifying linked bank deposit account balances (checking, savings, CDs, or FDIC-insured IRAs) and investment account balances.
Apply now for a Personal Checking account to earn the $325 bonus offer
Share Your Thoughts or Questions
There have been 26 comments about the Wells Fargo Personal Checking $325 Bonus.
BOB
March 11Hey Everyone, how long does this account need to be opened? Normally it is 180 days, Grant, do you know?
ReplyReply to BOB
Jill M
January 17How many days after bonus hits do you have to keep account open to avoid any fees?
ReplyReply to Jill M
carmela Zeiser
November 17, 2023Well this was easy! My bonus was delivered to my checking account today. Direct deposits went thru without a hitch, no fees for checking account, low starting balance to open account, plus Wells Fargo has a lot of branches to choose from for banking. I opened my account online with great ease.
I couldn’t be happier, and I’m $325.00 richer.
Reply to carmela Zeiser
Rebecca
November 17, 2023I'm awaiting my second bonus from Wells Fargo now. $325 is generous bonus, and it is straightforward/easy to get. I am keeping $500 in to avoid a monthly fee. They are very professional with their communication/marketing materials. I also have their credit card, which has a 2% cash back, with no annual fee!
ReplyReply to Rebecca
Joseph Lee Robbins
November 17, 2023Easy bonus to get I got it last year and am about to sign up for round two! We started chasing bank bonuses to cover Travel Credit Card annual fees and vacation spending! Now we are two years into it! It is a lot of fun having extra money to spend on vacations as well!
ReplyReply to Joseph Lee Robbins
Tom
November 16, 2023Easy Bonus! Wells Fargo will let you get bonuses every year. Most any ACH transfer will count as a direct deposit, so you may not have to use your employer DD. They pull Early Warning Services report. They usually have CC bonuses, so check your dashboard and see if there are any while you are doing the checking bonus. The checking bonus should pay out around day 90 from opening date.
ReplyReply to Tom
BOB
March 11 Replying to TomHey Tom, or Grant, or anyone. What did you mean exactly when you said - They pull Early Warning Services report. Does that mean they are checking that you do not close the account too soon OR does that mean that they check that you do not open a new account every 12 months and CHURN to get new bonuses? Thanks for any guidance.
ReplyReply to BOB
Jake
November 16, 2023The best part of this bonus for me was that I got a checking account bonus from Wells Fargo in July 2022 and I was still eligible for this one because the fine print says you can't have received a bonus from WF within the last 12 months. It has worked for me. Going to try again in December 2024 if they have a similar bonus available!
ReplyReply to Jake
Jamon
November 13, 2023I was able to open the account in person at a branch after being denied online. I had to make an appointment, and their hours are inconvenient for someone working an office job. Once account was opened, it was easy. They then offered me a credit card with 2% cash back, and now this is my primary credit card, even though I no longer have the checking account.
ReplyReply to Jamon
Bill B
November 11, 2023I earned the Wells Fargo $200 bonus in mid 2023. I had a weird administratvie delay getting the account opened (about a week!) but then everything after that was smooth sailing. I definitely recommend this bonus.
ReplyReply to Bill B
Lee
November 11, 2023Thanks to BankBonus.com posting of the Wells Fargo Bank: Personal Checking
$325 offer, I signed up, and received my $325 bonus payout in just under 90 days from Wells Fargo. Thanks BankBonus for providing an invaluable resource to help me earn a nice amount of extra spending money.
Reply to Lee
Jon Snow
November 8, 2023I was able to open the account in person at a branch after being denied online. Banker printed the bonus confirmation for me to have. Seems like an easy bonus based on my research. Only thing is that it takes around 90 days after account opening for the bonus to be paid while some other banks are quicker to pay.
ReplyReply to Jon Snow
Jackie
November 7, 2023Wells Fargo is easy to deal with and you can't beat the bonus. We were about to sign up thru their site for $300 when we saw $325 on BB.com. Easy to open the account, especially since we already hold a credit card.
ReplyReply to Jackie
Klaus Pohlmann
November 6, 2023Wells Fargo seems to offer incentives regularly. I was able to take advantage of the $325 for Everyday Checking. It was as easy as making Direct Deposits of $1,000 within 90 days. That’s it! Keep in mind you have to keep a balance of $500 to waive the monthly maintenance fees. Also of note, transfers from this account to other banks shows up as an ACH!
ReplyReply to Klaus Pohlmann
Den
November 7, 2023 Replying to Klaus PohlmannThank you for your note on ACH. I will try to use this soon!
ReplyReply to Den
Ruby
November 5, 2023Took advantage of this offer thanks to Bank Bonus! Was an easy bonus. Love this site!
ReplyReply to Ruby
D
November 5, 2023A very easy bonus to achieve, with USAA and Lending Club xfers. I do their bonuses every 18 mnths or so. There's also credit cards to get with bonus offers.
ReplyReply to D
Erin
November 5, 2023I paired this bonus with two Wells Fargo credit card offers, the double cash and autograph cards. Direct deposits sent to the checking were easily transferred to pay the credit cards. There were no hassles when it came to getting the bonus or closing the account. Thanks Grant for sharing these offers! I'm enjoying the new podcast as well.
ReplyReply to Erin
BarbaraC
November 3, 2023This bonus was very easy to achieve and it paid out quickly. I have found transfers in and out of Wells Fargo have been seamless with no issues. Highly recommend this one!
ReplyReply to BarbaraC
Nicholas
November 3, 2023As much as I dislike Wells Fargo, this bonus is a lot better than most others. The requirements are simple to understand, and it’s easy to avoid monthly fees on the account. I plan on doing this one as often as possible.
ReplyReply to Nicholas
Ankit Jain
November 3, 2023This is a churnable bonus every 12 months from the date you have last received the bonus. Make sure to track the date when the bonus hit the account and do not forget to close the account as you get ready to open it next year.
ReplyReply to Ankit Jain
Stevie
November 3, 2023Easy bonus to earn and quickly paid out. I did a Wells Fargo credit card for a $300 bonus at the same time and I'm waiting for that bonus (in points) to appear. I have just met the $1500 spending requirements yesterday.
ReplyReply to Stevie
Wayne
November 3, 2023This is an easy bonus. Chase was used to successfully trigger the direct deposit requirements. Another benefit to Wells Fargo is I have around 10 other banks I can send to or pull from set up as transfers. As I close an account I delete it off of Wells Fargo and add another in it's place.
ReplyReply to Wayne
Liz
November 20, 2023 Replying to WayneSo you didn't have to use your payroll direct deposit- rather you did a transfer from your Chase bank account- and that succesfully triggered the "direct deposit" requirement for this bonus?
ReplyReply to Liz
BOB
March 11 Replying to LizGreat Question Liz. I would also like to know that because normally the fine print is very strict about what a DD is and a ACH transfer is usually not acceptable. At least that is what I have found. Does anyone know if Wells Fargo is more lenient than other banks and they accept an ACH transfer, in lieu of a true DD?
ReplyReply to BOB
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