Bank Bonuses
Banks pay you to open accounts. The table ranks recently source-checked bonuses by payout, with the requirements, fees, pull type and repeatability rules that decide whether it is worth your time. Looking for the account itself rather than the payout? Browse the full bank accounts database — every checking, savings and business account with fees, APYs and plan tiers.
What Counts as Direct Deposit for Bank Bonuses?
Learn how payroll, ACH transfers and payment apps differ under bank-bonus rules, and why a fee waiver or savings-rate requirement can use a different definition.
Soft Pull vs Hard Pull: Does Opening a Bank Account Hit Your Credit?
Opening a checking or savings account almost never touches your credit score. But almost never is not never, and the exceptions can sting. This page explains what banks actually check, which situations trigger a hard inquiry, and what to do if ChexSystems gets in your way.
Funding Bank Accounts With a Credit Card
Some banks let you make your opening deposit with a credit card. When the charge codes as a purchase, you just bought credit card spend for free. This is one of the oldest tricks in the bank bonus game, and it still works, but it demands one safety step before you try it.
Hub Accounts: The Churner's Home Base
Bonus accounts come and go. Your hub account stays. A hub is the one stable account that moves money in and out of everything else, and picking a good one is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade in bank bonus churning.
Bank Bonus Churning: The Meta-Game
Individual bonuses are easy. The meta-game is everything around them: when you can repeat a bank, when you can close an account, what the IRS takes, and how fast you can move without tripping alarms. Learn these rules once and every bonus after that gets simpler.
| Bonus | Account | Requirements | Fee | Pull | Repeatable? | Checked | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 $50 at $2,500, $100 at $5,000, $500 at $25,000, $2,000 at $100,000 in net deposits with promo code SWEETBONUS | tastytrade Individual Brokerage brokerage |
| $0, no account fees | Soft | New tastytrade users only: never opened or funded a tastytrade account and never received a new-account bonus. | 2026-10-12 | HistoryOpen |
| $1,000 $100 at $25k, $300 at $50k, $500 at $100k, $1,000 at $500k via referral code | Charles Schwab Schwab Starter Kit / Referral Offer brokerage |
| $0, no account fees | Soft | New Schwab clients only. One offer per account and no more than one enrolled account per client. | 2026-10-12 | HistoryOpen |
| $1,000 10 free fractional shares for a $100+ initial deposit; Premium members also earn a 1% IRA transfer match, $1,000 shown assumes a $100,000 transfer | Webull Individual Brokerage brokerage |
| $0 account fees; Premium is a paid subscription after the free month | Soft | The free-share deposit offer is for new accounts. Webull labels it limited-time but publishes no end date; check the terms before funding. | 2026-10-12 | HistoryOpen |
| $1,000 Uncapped 1% match on IRA transfers and 401(k) rollovers; $1,000 shown assumes a $100,000 transfer | Robinhood Robinhood Retirement IRA brokerage |
| $0; Robinhood Gold is $5 per month for the 3% contribution match | Soft | Match pays on each new transfer, so additional rollovers keep earning. Elevated 2% to 3% transfer windows recur periodically; the last ran January 8 to April 30, 2026. | 2026-10-12 | HistoryOpen |
Best High-Yield Savings Rates
Where idle cash should sit between bonuses. Rates move; each row shows our last check.
| APY | Bank | Minimum | Notes | Checked | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00% | Openbank by Santander High Yield Savings | $500 to open | 4.00% standard variable APY with a $500 opening minimum; an eligible new-customer boost of 0.35 percentage point can raise it to 4.35% for six months (offer listed as valid through November 3, 2026). Availability restrictions apply; confirm eligibility on the official opening flow. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.75% | CIT Bank Platinum Savings | $100 to open; $5,000 balance for the top rate | Variable standard APY: 3.75% on the entire balance at $5,000 or more, 0.25% below. $0 monthly maintenance fee. The separate BOOST50 promotion has eligibility and enrollment conditions; see the account review. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.65% | Barclays Tiered Savings | None; top tier requires $250,000 | Tiered Savings advertises up to 3.65% APY; the top tier requires $250,000. Lower balances earn a lower variable rate. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.60% | Robinhood Gold High-Yield Cash Sweep | None | Requires Robinhood Gold, $5 per month or $50 per year. Uninvested brokerage cash sweeps to partner banks for FDIC coverage. Rate moves with the Fed; raised from 3.35% to 3.60% in a September 2026 hike. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.55% | Wealthfront Cash Account | $1 | Cash management account, not a bank. Base rate is 3.55%; a 0.65% three-month new-client boost and a separate 0.25% direct-deposit-plus-investing incentive can raise it further. FDIC coverage is through program banks. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.50% | Marcus by Goldman Sachs Online Savings | None | 3.50% APY as of October 12, 2026 with no minimum deposit and no fees. Referrals add a 1.00% APY boost for 3 months for both parties. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.30% | SoFi Checking and Savings | None | 3.30% standard savings APY requires eligible direct deposit, a paid SoFi Plus subscription, or $5,000 in qualifying monthly deposits. New members can earn up to 4.40% for six months with a 1.10% promotional boost. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.20% | Ally Online Savings | None | 3.20% variable APY across all published balance tiers, checked October 23, 2026. No monthly maintenance fee or minimum opening deposit; certain withdrawals and transfers are limited to ten per statement cycle. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.20% | American Express High Yield Savings | None | 3.20% variable APY checked October 22, 2026. No monthly fee or minimum balance to earn the disclosed APY; deposit holds and transfer conditions apply. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 3.20% | Capital One 360 Performance Savings | None | 3.20% variable APY on all published balance tiers, verified October 23. No monthly maintenance fee; service fees can apply. | 2026-11-02 | |
| 1.30% | Bluevine Business Checking | None | Business checking, not a consumer HYSA. Standard tier pays 1.3% on balances up to $250,000 when monthly activity goals are met; Plus pays 1.75% and Premier pays 3.0% on all balances with waivable monthly fees. | 2026-11-02 |
Only bonus amounts and rates checked within the last 45 days appear here. Older records are withheld until a new official-source review. Bank bonuses are taxable interest income; expect a 1099. Read the churning rules before you start stacking.