Read this first. Bonuses change often and the terms are the bank's, not ours. We update this table regularly, but always open the bank's offer page and read its terms before you apply. We do not earn anything from the links on this page; see our affiliate disclosure for how the site makes money.
Current bank and brokerage bonuses
12 live offers, each confirmed on the bank's own offer page and one independent source on October 5, 2026. "Cash needed up front" is money you have to park in the account. A paycheck you redirect is listed separately because you keep spending it.
12 offers
| Bank | Bonus | What you must do | Cash needed up front | Time to bonus | Fee risk | Ends | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChaseTotal CheckingChecking | $400 | Get $1,000 or more in direct deposits within 90 days of enrolling in the offer.Not for current Chase checking customers, anyone who closed one in the last 90 days, or anyone with a negative balance closure in the last 3 years. One checking bonus every 2 years.Some trackers still list an October 14, 2026 end date. Chase's own offer page showed January 27, 2027 when we checked. | $0 parked. Route $1,000 of pay through it | Up to 90 days, then paid within 15 days | Medium $15 a month unless you get $500+ in electronic deposits, keep $1,500 at the start of each day, or average $5,000 across linked accounts. The account must be open and not restricted when Chase pays the bonus. | Jan 27, 2027 | Second source: Slickdeals Money |
| Wells FargoEveryday CheckingChecking | $325 | Open with the offer code, then get $1,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits within 90 days.Not if you got a Wells Fargo checking bonus in the past 12 months. | $25 opening deposit. Route $1,000 of pay through it | Up to 90 days, then paid within 30 days | Medium $15 a month unless you get $500+ in electronic deposits, keep a $1,500 daily balance, hold $5,000 in linked balances, or the owner is 17 to 24. The account must stay open until the bonus posts. | Oct 13, 2026 | Second source: NerdWallet |
| Capital One360 Checking, code CHECKING250Checking | $250 | Open with code CHECKING250 and receive 2 direct deposits of $500 or more within 75 days.Nationwide. Not if you had a 360 Checking, Simply Checking or Total Control Checking account on or after January 1, 2024. One code per person. | $0 parked. Two paychecks of $500+ | Up to 75 days, paid within 135 days of opening | Low No monthly fee and no minimum balance. The account must be open and in good standing when the bonus posts. | No end date published | Second source: Frequent Miler |
| Capital One360 Checking, code DEBIT250Checking, no direct deposit | $250 | Open with code DEBIT250 and make 20 debit card purchases of $10 or more within 75 days. No direct deposit needed. You can use this code or CHECKING250, not both.Nationwide. Same 2024 rule as above. ATM withdrawals, Zelle, Venmo and ACH payments do not count as purchases. | $0 parked. About $200 of normal debit card spending | Up to 75 days, paid within 135 days of opening | Low No monthly fee and no minimum balance. The account must be open and in good standing when the bonus posts. | No end date published | Second source: BankBonus.com |
| SoFiChecking and SavingsChecking | $50 or $400 | Set up direct deposit. SoFi adds up what arrives in the 25 days after your first one: $1,000 to $4,999.99 earns $50, $5,000 or more earns $400.Nationwide. New members and existing members who have never set up direct deposit with SoFi. Payroll, pension or government deposits only; Venmo, PayPal and bank transfers do not count. | $0 parked. $5,000 of pay for the top tier | About 25 days, then paid within 7 business days | Low No account, service or maintenance fees. Wires and instant transfers can cost extra. Checking must be open and in good standing when SoFi pays. | First deposit by Dec 31, 2026 | Second source: Finder |
| CitibankRegular CheckingChecking | $325 | Make at least 2 Enhanced Direct Deposits totaling $3,000 or more within 90 days. Citi counts ACH payroll and also Zelle, Venmo and PayPal payments sent over ACH.New Citi checking customers only, applying from the offer page. Products and pricing depend on your ZIP code. | $0 parked. $3,000 in deposits | Paid between day 90 and day 120 | Medium $15 a month unless you get $250+ in Enhanced Direct Deposits that month or qualify for a Relationship Tier. Keep the account open and in good standing until the bonus posts. Citi may close accounts that sit at $0 for 90 days. | Oct 26, 2026 | Second source: MoneysMyLife |
| HuntingtonPerks CheckingChecking | $400 | Open with the offer code, receive $500 or more in direct deposits of new money within 90 days, and keep the account open 90 days.Residents of AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, WV and WI. Not for current Huntington checking customers or anyone who closed one in the last 12 months.Older write ups list September 30, 2026 as the end date. Huntington's own page showed January 15, 2027 when we checked. | $0 parked. $500 of pay | 90 days, then paid within 14 days | Medium $10 a month unless you have $1,000 in total monthly deposits or $5,000 in total balances with Huntington. The account has to stay open at least 90 days. | Jan 15, 2027 | Second source: Danny Deal Guru |
| HuntingtonPlatinum Perks CheckingChecking, no direct deposit | $600 | Open with the offer code, deposit $25,000 or more in new money within 90 days, and keep the account open 90 days.Same 21 states and rules as Perks Checking. You can earn one Huntington checking bonus, not both. | $25,000 of new money | 90 days, then paid within 14 days | Higher $25 a month unless you keep $25,000 in total Huntington balances. The account has to stay open at least 90 days. | Jan 15, 2027 | Second source: Danny Deal Guru |
| PNCVirtual Wallet with Performance SelectChecking | $400 | Open online and get $5,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits within 60 days. The basic Virtual Wallet pays $100 for $500 in direct deposits.Where PNC offers Virtual Wallet (enter your ZIP). Not if you have PNC checking now, closed one in the last 12 months, or got a PNC checking bonus in the last 24 months. | $0 parked. $5,000 of pay | 60 days, then paid 60 to 90 days later | Higher $25 a month on Performance Select ($7 on basic Virtual Wallet) unless you meet PNC's waiver rules, which include qualifying direct deposits. The account must be open when the reward is credited. | Jan 7, 2027 | Second source: The Motley Fool |
| BMOSmart Advantage CheckingChecking | Up to $600 | Get $1,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits each month. BMO pays $100 for each month you hit it, for up to 6 months in a row.Primary applicant must live in AZ, CA, CO, FL, IA, IL, IN, MN, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA or WI. Not for current BMO checking customers or anyone who closed one in the last 12 months. | $25 opening deposit. $1,000 of pay each month | First $100 in about 2 months, all 6 in about 7 months | Low Smart Advantage has no monthly fee. Smart Money ($5) and Relationship ($25) Checking also qualify. The account must be open, in good standing and above $0 each time a bonus is paid. | Dec 15, 2026 | Second source: CNBC Select |
| E*TRADEPremium SavingsSavings, no direct deposit | $400 or $800 | Deposit $20,000 or more of new money within 30 days, then keep an average of at least $20,000 from day 31 to day 75.U.S. residents. One savings bonus at a time and two in a lifetime. | $20,000 of new money ($100,000 for $800) | About 75 days, then paid within 30 days | Low No monthly fee in the offer terms. The money also earns the account's interest. Drop below the tier during the 45 day hold and you get the lower bonus, or none. | Jan 10, 2027 | Second source: Doctor of Credit |
| E*TRADEBrokerage account, code OFFER26Brokerage, no direct deposit | $50 to $300 | Open a new brokerage account with code OFFER26, move in $1,000 or more of new money within 60 days, and leave it there 12 more months. Bigger deposits earn bigger tiers.New E*TRADE clients, one account. Retirement accounts use a separate code. | $1,000 for $50, $5,000 for $150, $20,000 for $300 | Paid 7 business days after day 60; money stays 12 more months | Low No account fee. You can hold the money as cash; anything you invest can lose value. Take the money out in the first 12 months after funding and E*TRADE can take the bonus back. | Oct 31, 2026 | Second source: Brokerage Review |
No offer matches all of those. Turn a filter off to see more.
Left out on purpose: U.S. Bank, Bank of America and Chime. Their last public offers ended in August or September 2026 and we could not find a live replacement on their own sites. Offers that pay in stock instead of cash are not listed.
How bank bonuses work
A bank pays you to become a customer, then hopes you stay. You earn the bonus by doing one specific thing inside a set window.
Direct deposit means pay
Most offers need a direct deposit: an electronic ACH deposit of your paycheck, a pension or government benefits, sent by the employer or agency. Change where your pay goes in your payroll app or with HR. Splitting part of each check works at most banks.
Know what does not count
Transfers from your own bank, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, mobile check deposits and tiny test deposits usually do not count. Citi is the exception on this list. When a page is unclear, assume only real payroll counts.
Holding periods
Savings and brokerage offers ask you to park money for a while. E*TRADE Premium Savings measures your average balance from day 31 to day 75; the brokerage offer wants the money left for 12 months after funding. Pull it early and the bonus shrinks or disappears.
It is taxable interest
Banks report checking and savings bonuses as interest, usually on Form 1099-INT, in the year they pay it. Put some aside for tax. Our tax guide covers keeping records of side income.
How to do it safely
Track every date
Write down the open date, the deposit deadline, the expected payout and the earliest safe close date. A calendar reminder for each one is enough. Missing a window by a day usually means no bonus.
Avoid the monthly fee
The Fee risk column shows what it costs if you slip. Keep the waiver going (often the same direct deposit) until you close the account, or the fees eat the bonus.
ChexSystems and too many accounts
Banks check ChexSystems, a report of your banking history. Lots of new accounts in a few months, or any account closed with a negative balance, can get you denied. One or two offers at a time is a sensible pace.
Never borrow to qualify
Do not use a loan, a credit card cash advance or money you need for bills to meet a deposit rule. Only use pay you already get and savings you can leave alone for the whole holding period.
Close carefully
Move your direct deposit back first, wait until the early closure window passes (often 90 days to 6 months), then empty and close the account in writing or in the app.
One bonus per bank
Most banks allow one checking bonus per person in a set period, often 12 or 24 months. Opening a second account at the same bank rarely earns a second bonus.
Bonus per dollar of cash tied up
A big headline bonus is not always the better deal. When an offer needs parked money, compare the bonus to how much cash it locks up and for how long.
The simple math
Bonus divided by cash parked, then scaled to a year: bonus ÷ cash × 365 ÷ days held.
- E*TRADE Premium Savings: $400 on $20,000 for about 75 days is 2% for the hold, roughly 9.7% a year, plus the account's own interest.
- Huntington Platinum Perks: $600 on $25,000 kept about 90 days is 2.4% for the hold, also roughly 9.7% a year.
- E*TRADE brokerage: $50 on $1,000 held about 14 months is 5%, roughly 4.3% a year. That is close to what a good savings account pays, so it only makes sense for money you were moving anyway.
Direct deposit offers tie up almost no cash. Your pay lands, and you can move it back out after it posts, so a $400 Chase or Huntington bonus costs you mostly time and attention. Before tax, every figure here is the bank's published amount, not a promise of what you will end up with.
Bank bonus questions
Are bank bonuses taxable?
Yes. Banks treat a checking or savings bonus as interest, so it is taxable and usually shows up on a 1099-INT for the year it was paid. Chase and Huntington both say so in their terms. Brokerage cash credits can be reported differently, so check the form you get.
Does opening bank accounts hurt my credit score?
Most checking and savings accounts use a soft check plus a ChexSystems report, which does not touch your credit score. A few banks do a hard pull, and turning on overdraft lines can trigger one. Read the application screen before you submit.
What counts as a direct deposit for a bank bonus?
Usually an ACH deposit of pay, a pension or government benefits sent by an employer or agency. Transfers from your own bank, Zelle, Venmo and mobile check deposits normally do not count. Citi is an exception for this offer and counts some Zelle, Venmo and PayPal payments sent over ACH.
How many bank bonuses can I do at once?
As many as you can track without missing a date. Most people do one or two at a time so their paycheck can cover each direct deposit rule. Opening a lot of accounts in a short window can get you denied through ChexSystems.
Can I close the account after I get the bonus?
Usually, but wait. Some banks charge an early closure fee or take the bonus back if you close within 90 to 180 days. Keep the account open at least six months unless the terms clearly allow sooner, and switch your direct deposit back first.
How often do you update this table?
We recheck every offer against the bank's own page and one independent source, and the Checked column shows the date. Offers change without notice, so open the bank's page before you apply. Its terms are the ones that count.
Written by Nate Sterling, contributing writer. Published and last checked October 5, 2026.