U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank Business Checking (Essentials / Gold / Platinum)
A genuinely free entry tier from a top-five branch bank
Insurance: FDIC insured up to $250,000 (U.S. Bank, N.A.)
Live Bonus
This account currently pays a $800 opening bonus: $400 Silver with $5,000 in deposits, $800 Platinum with $25,000 in deposits. See the full requirements.
Plan Options
Business Essentials (replaced Silver in 2025)
$0
- ▸No monthly fee with no waiver requirements
- ▸125 free transactions per statement cycle
- ▸Free cash deposits up to roughly $2,500 (25 units) per cycle
Gold Business Checking
$20, waived with $10,000 average collected balance or a U.S. Bank Payment Solutions merchant account
- ▸300 free transactions per cycle, then $0.45 each
- ▸100 free cash deposit units (~$10,000) per cycle, then $0.30 per $100
- ▸Discounts on additional banking services
Platinum Business Checking
$30, waived with $25,000 average collected balance or qualifying combined balances
- ▸500 free transactions per cycle, then $0.40 each
- ▸200 free cash deposit units (~$20,000) per cycle
- ▸Best per-item pricing for high-volume operations
Features
- ▸Free Essentials tier with no waiver requirements, rare among branch banks
- ▸Transaction tiers of 125 / 300 / 500 free items per cycle
- ▸Cash deposit allowances scale from about $2,500 to $20,000 per cycle
- ▸Recurring new-account bonuses on business checking
- ▸2,000+ branches across 26 states plus a strong mobile app
- ▸Merchant services integration can waive the Gold fee outright
Pros
- +Essentials is free with a real branch network behind it
- +Regular cash bonuses for opening business checking
- +Merchant-account path waives the Gold fee without parking cash
- +Clean tier ladder as volume grows
Cons
- −No interest on any tier
- −Essentials' 125-transaction and ~$2,500 cash caps are tight
- −Branch footprint is Midwest/West weighted; thin on the East Coast
- −Per-item overage fees add up fast if you straddle tiers
Our Take
U.S. Bank's Business Essentials is the best free entry account at any major branch bank, and the periodic sign-up bonuses sweeten an already fair deal. The Gold and Platinum tiers price competitively against Chase and BofA once your volume justifies them. The main check is geographic: if there is no branch near you, a fintech account does the free tier better.
Best for: Low-volume businesses in U.S. Bank's footprint that want free branch banking
Open at U.S. Bank →Last verified 2026-06-11
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