Financial

First Merchants Bank offers up to $600 for new personal checking customers who live in Indiana, Ohio or Michigan. The offer has no listed expiration date. $300 for setting up at least $500 in direct deposits per month within the first 90 days Another $300 for keeping a $15,000 minimum daily balance during the qualification period Enroll with promo code FMBSEM26 online or ask a banker Soft credit pull; ChexSystems is checked $25 monthly fee, avoidable; closing within six months forfeits the bonus One per household; existing or recently closed FMB checking customers are not eligible

Mercury, a banking platform for startups and small businesses, is offering a $500 bonus to new business checking customers who deposit $5,000 within the first 90 days. Available nationwide No direct deposit requirement and no monthly fees No expiration date listed Bonuses are taxable income Open an account

Axos Bank is offering a $300 cash bonus (paid out as $50/month over six months) when you open a new CashBack Checking & Best Savings bundle account by December 10, 2026. How to Earn the Bonus Visit the Axos Bank offer page and open a new CashBack Checking & Best Savings bundle. Enter promo code AX300 during signup. Set up a qualifying direct deposit of at least $1,500/month into your Axos Checking account each monthly statement cycle. Maintain an average daily balance of at least $5,000 each monthly statement cycle. Meet all requirements for up to six consecutive months to collect the full $300. Key Details Bonus amount: Up to $300 ($50 per qualifying month) Availability: Nationwide Monthly fees: None Credit inquiry: Soft pull only Credit card funding: Not allowed Household limit: None Early closure fee: Up to $300 if account is closed before 120 days Things to Note The account must remain open and in good standing when each monthly bonus is paid. Bonus cash is considered taxable income and may be reported on IRS Form 1099-MISC. Customers who have held a primary Axos Bank checking account within the past 12 months may be ineligible. Stacking with other promotions (e.g., Swagbucks) is not officially permitted per the terms, though it has worked for some users in the past.

Citibank is currently running multiple cash bonus tiers for new checking account holders, ranging from $325 all the way up to $4,000 depending on your deposit level. Bonus Tiers Tier 1 – $325 Bonus (Enhanced Direct Deposit) Open a new Citi checking account and enroll directly through the offer page Complete at least 2 Enhanced Direct Deposits totaling $3,000 or more within 90 days of account opening Tier 2 – $500 / $2,000 / $4,000 Bonus (New Funds Deposit) Deposit new-to-Citibank funds within 45 days of account opening Maintain the required minimum balance for an additional 45 days (days 46–90) $30,000 minimum → $500 bonus $200,000 minimum → $2,000 bonus $1,000,000 minimum → $4,000 bonus Key Requirements & Notes Must not have held a Citi checking account in the past 365 days Must be at least 18 years old Available nationwide Uses a soft pull only (no hard credit inquiry) Monthly fee is $12, waived each month with $250+ in Enhanced Direct Deposits (note: rising to $1,000 effective January 1, 2027) No early account termination fee Account can be funded with up to $1,000 via debit card Bonus is considered taxable income Referral Bonus Existing Citi customers can refer friends and earn $100 per successful referral. The referred person still qualifies for the standard bonus. Savings Account Stacking (Select States) In states like NY, CT, NJ, DC, VA, MD, CA, and NV, you may be able to pair this offer with a Citi savings account earning competitive APY through the Citi Premium Boost program: 3.50% APY for Citi Priority 4.00% APY for Citigold 4.35% APY for Citigold Private Client Offer Tracker Track your progress in the Citi app: Services → Rewards & Upgrades → Explore Rewards → Select checking account

Charles Schwab is offering new Investor Checking account holders a cash bonus of up to $1,000 when they deposit qualifying new funds. The promotion runs through November 10, 2026. Bonus Tiers: Deposit $25,000–$49,999 → earn $250 Deposit $50,000–$99,999 → earn $500 Deposit $100,000+ → earn $1,000 Key Requirements: Open a new Schwab Investor Checking account linked to a Schwab One brokerage account Funds must be new-to-Schwab (transferred from an external institution) Account must be funded by November 10, 2026 Qualifying balance must be maintained through December 25, 2026 Available to new checking customers only (both new and existing brokerage clients eligible) No direct deposit required, no monthly fees, no early termination fee Credit check is a soft pull only Things to Keep in Mind: The Schwab checking account earns only 0.01% interest, so the bonus is the primary return Funds tied up for ~50–60 days translate to roughly 6.25%–7.5% APY equivalent Deposited funds must come from outside Schwab; internal transfers do not qualify The bonus is paid within 1–2 statement cycles after requirements are met May be reported on an IRS Form 1099; consult a tax advisor The Schwab checking account is also well-regarded for unlimited ATM fee reimbursements worldwide

The Discover it Cash Back card is currently offering one of its strongest welcome packages, combining three benefits for new cardmembers: $200 sign-up bonus after spending $500 within the first 3 months Unlimited Cashback Match for the entire first year — Discover doubles every dollar of cash back you earn, including the 5% rotating category rewards 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers How the rewards stack up: Earn 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter) Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases With the first-year match, those rates effectively become 10% and 2% respectively Potential earnings if you max out the 5% categories: $200 from the sign-up bonus Up to $600 from rotating category cash back (or as much as $950 if you apply mid-quarter and capture 5 quarters of 5% rewards) Card highlights: No annual fee Cashback Match applies automatically — no enrollment needed Match is credited within two billing periods after your first 365 days Apply for the Discover it Card here

E*Trade is offering a $400 cash bonus when you open a new Max-Rate Checking account and meet the direct deposit requirements. This is an increase from the previous $300 offer. How to earn the bonus: Visit the offer page and open a new Max-Rate Checking account online. Enter promo code MAXRATE26 at account opening. Set up and receive at least two direct deposits of $1,500 or more each within 90 days of opening. The $400 bonus will be deposited into your account once both requirements are fulfilled. Key details: Available nationwide to U.S. residents No monthly fees on the Max-Rate Checking account No minimum initial deposit required to open Account must be funded within 90 days to remain open Not eligible if you have or had a checking or Max-Rate Checking account with E*Trade in the last 12 months For joint accounts, only the primary account holder qualifies for the bonus Cannot be combined with other checking offers Offer expires January 10, 2027 Note: Bank account bonuses are considered taxable income. E*Trade also currently has a separate $400–$800 savings bonus available.

New SoFi Checking & Savings account holders can pocket up to $737 in combined signup bonuses by stacking two separate offers. How the bonus breaks down: $400 from SoFi — earned by setting up a qualifying direct deposit of $5,000+ within the 30-day evaluation period $337 from Swagbucks — available when you open a new SoFi account through the Swagbucks offer page SoFi Direct Deposit Bonus Tiers: | Direct Deposit Amount (30-day window) | Cash Bonus | |---|---| | $1,000 – $4,999 | $50 | | $5,000 or more | $400 | Key requirements: Must be a new SoFi Checking & Savings customer First deposit must be a qualifying direct deposit (from employer, payroll, or benefits provider via ACH) of at least $400 Account must be opened within 45 days of starting the offer Cannot be combined with other enrollment bonuses or referral rewards Swagbucks bonus will show as pending for 32 days SoFi bonus is credited within 14 days after the 30-day evaluation period ends Account perks: Up to 3.80% APY with qualifying direct deposit 1.00% APY without direct deposit No monthly maintenance fees Nationwide availability Soft credit pull only The SoFi bonus offer expires 12/31/2026. Be sure to follow all tracking and direct deposit requirements carefully to qualify for both bonuses.

New Apple Card applicants can earn a $100 cash bonus by spending $100 within the first 30 days of account opening. This is a publicly available offer with a dedicated landing page — no invite required. How to get it: Apply for a new Apple Card through the offer page Get approved and activate your card Spend at least $100 within the first 30 days Receive $100 in Daily Cash bonus Card highlights: No annual fee No foreign transaction fees 3% Daily Cash back at Apple and select partner retailers 2% Daily Cash back on purchases made with Apple Pay 1% Daily Cash back when using the physical card Apple Card historically has not offered public signup bonuses, making this a noteworthy opportunity for anyone considering the card.

Chase is offering a combined bonus of up to $900 when you open both a new checking and savings account. Here's how the bonus breaks down: $300 for opening a Chase Total Checking account and receiving a qualifying direct deposit within 90 days $200 for opening a Chase Savings account, depositing $15,000 or more in new money within 30 days, and maintaining that balance for 90 days $400 extra when you complete both the checking and savings requirements above How to get started: Visit the Chase offer page (try incognito mode) Open both a Chase Total Checking and Chase Savings account simultaneously Set up a qualifying direct deposit to the checking account within 90 days Deposit $15,000 in new funds directly into the savings account within 30 days and keep it there through day 90 Bonuses are paid within 15 days of completing each requirement Key details to know: Available nationwide, online or in-branch No minimum direct deposit amount required for the checking bonus Only a soft credit pull — no impact on your credit score Chase does not pull ChexSystems Monthly fee for checking is $12 (waivable with $500/month in direct deposits, $1,500 daily balance, or $5,000 average combined balance) Monthly fee for savings is $5 (waivable with $300 daily balance or a recurring $25+ auto-transfer from Chase checking) Bonus is taxable and reported on IRS Form 1099-INT Must wait 2 years from last coupon enrollment date before doing this again Offer expires January 27, 2027 Tips: Deposit the $15,000 directly into the savings account — transferring from checking first may put the savings bonus at risk. You can safely close the accounts after receiving the bonuses, as there is no early termination fee.