Update 7/11/25: Available again until September 16. Hat tip to reader orange
Update 5/1/25: Deal is back through through June 26. View best shopping portals here.
Update1/22/25: This is up to $100 on Swagbucks now and 17,000 (around $107) on Mypoints. Plus the $450 from U.S. Bank.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $450 + $100
- Availability: Nationwide (excludes NY & FL and any other state without a branch unless you have an existing relationship)
- Direct deposit required: Yes
- Additional requirements: None
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- ChexSystems: Mixed data points
- Credit card funding: Can fund up to $250 with a credit card
- Monthly fees: $6.95, avoidable
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date:
September 26, 2024December 30, 2024April 17, 2025
Contents
The Offer
- U.S. Bank is offering a $450 bonus when you open a new Smartly checking account. Requirements are as follows:
- Checking bonus:
- Earn $250 when the combined total of your direct deposits is between $2,000 and $4,999.99
- Earn $350 when the combined total of your direct deposits is between $5,000 and $7,999.99.
- Earn $450 when the combined total of your direct deposits is $8,000 or more.
- Checking bonus:
You must complete two or more direct deposits within 90 days totaling the above-mentioned amount.
The Fine Print
- U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking bonus: To be eligible, you or any owner(s) on your new Bank Smartly Checking account cannot have an existing U.S. Bank consumer checking account, had a U.S. Bank consumer checking account in the last 12 months or received other U.S. Bank consumer checking bonus offers within the past 12 months.
- You must also use the promo code 2024JUL at account opening. To receive the bonus, you must open a new U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking account with a minimum deposit of $25 either online, in a branch or over the phone from July 9, 2024 through and including September 26, 2024.
- Additionally, you must enroll in the U.S. Bank Mobile App or online banking within 90 days of opening your account.
- You must also complete two or more direct deposits within 90 days of opening your account that total: $2,000 to $4,999.99 to earn the $250 bonus, $5,000 to $7,999.99 to earn the $350 bonus, or $8,000 or more to earn the $450 bonus.
- A direct deposit is an electronic deposit of your paycheck made through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network or an electronic deposit of your government benefits, such as Social Security, from your employer or the government.
- Other electronic deposits or person-to-person payments are not considered a direct deposit. Your checking bonus (“adjusted interest”) will be credited to your new checking account within 60 days following the end of the calendar month during which you completed all the offer requirements.
- Account must be open and have a positive balance to receive the bonus. Bonus will be reported as interest earned on IRS form 1099-INT, and recipient is responsible for any applicable taxes. Offer may not be combined with any other checking account bonus offers.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
U.S. Bank Smartly has a $6.95 monthly fee, this is waived if you do any of the following:
- Have combined monthly direct deposits totaling $1,000 or more
- Keep a minimum average account balance of $1,500 or more
- Hold an eligible U.S. Bank credit card
- Qualify for one of the four Smart Rewards™ tiers (Primary, Plus, Premium or Pinnacle)
- Be a military member (requires self disclosure)
- Be under the age of 24 or over the age of 65
Early Account Termination Fee
There is no early account termination fee to worry about
Our Verdict
Not as good as the recent $500 bonus unfortunately. That being said this bonus is churnable (can’t have had an account within the past 12 months) meaning it’s probably worth resetting that clock as soon as possible rather than waiting for a marginally bigger bonus to potentially return. Because of that we will add this to our list of the best bank account bonuses.
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
- PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
- Introduction To ChexSystems
- Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
- What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull ChexSystems?
- How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
- Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
- How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
- Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
- Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank
- Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
- Bank Bonus Posting Times
Offer History:
- Update 1/10/25: Swagbucks is back for $80 at this link. Total is $450 + $80 = $530.
- Update 1/7/25: Offer is back through 4/17/25 at this new link. You can also get $25-$30 back from Swabbucks/MyPoints, if targeted.
- Note: You can also get another $25+ via portal. Portals don’t always show this amount so if not a big offer I’d recommend waiting.
- Update 11/5/24: Extended to 12/30
- Update 10/13/24: Stacking with a portal is more difficult now, can try to follow these directions. (see also this comment)
- Update 9/23/24: Extended to 10/31
- Update 9/1/24: Back to $101 on MyPoints.
- Update 7/17/24: Anti churning language is now 12 months instead of 24. Hopefully this is a permanent change going forward.
I completed my bonus but my wife was not approved. She opened a savings first to establish a relationship (I followed same process and was approved for checking). Would using the same address be the reason she was denied?
No. There is no household rule or restriction.
You didn’t say what the denial message said, so I’m just going to take a guess. Online identity verification can sometimes be tricky. Try using a mobile device to apply for the checking account with Wi-Fi turned off. You could also call the bank and see what the reason for the denial, but they may or may not be helpful.
EN
It just said “Thank you for your interest in US Bank, but your application was not approved.” It could be identity verification. She’s going to call in tomorrow. She also transitioned away from her maiden name in the last 1-2 years so maybe that has an impact.
And how soon can she redo the application? Same day? Any guidance?
Because U.S. Bank has started pulling Chex for online applications, it’s best to retry the same day so the inquiries merge after a couple of days. However, that’s not always possible, like when you get the denial message too late to retry.
Also, since they would be applying over a “different channel” (online vs phone), it might not merge regardless. Applying in person, some banks use the address of the branch for the inquiry, and also would not merge.
Tried again, same day. Denied again. Will call in the morning for clarity or to reapply.
I received the bonus and now working on P2. Used the same process of opening savings account first to establish relationship. My wife was approved for Sav but was not approved for checking. Has anyone had problems when opening P2 checking? Would using the same address as P1 be the reason?
July 7 account opened
July 11 $4000+ Schwab brokerage
July 13 $4000+ Schwab brokerage
July 18 $450
two Ally transfers hit on 7/8 and 7/14. Bonus posted on 7/16.
Yoooo, I’m upset with US Bank! My application for the checking account was DENIED! And of course no reason was given. Fuck these jackalopes!
lol
Super quick pay out. Cap One 360 pushes worked.
7/17 Opened account with $25
7/22 Pushed $4000 from Cap One 360
7/23 Pushed $4000 from Cap One 360
7/25 $450 bonus posted
at what point do you enter the promo code? At 38% percent complete with the next button being apply i have not seen a section to enter the promo.
It’s part of the URL now and there is no block to enter a promo code. You briefly see it flash in the URL field when you click on the promo link.
rasta
Thank you. So if i am understanding correctly, I need to click the link. Right?
“Use the Apply buttons above and we’ll apply the promotional offer to your application for you. If you apply for your checking account from a different page, you won’t be able to get the offer.”
Yes. As “AN” pointed out, it’s in the terms to just click the link and get the offer.
Not sure why they took the promo code field away, but I’d guess they are trying to make it user friendly and NOT have people changing the promo code.
rasta
For the tech savvy, there is a way to get into the webpage “coding” and verify/change the promo, but it’s beyond the technical scope of most people and not sure I would suggest it.
DP:
– 2nd churn (NY resident)
– opened checking account using existing U.S. bank relationship (mortgage) on 07/10
– 1st DD (pushed from SoFi) on 07/21
– 2nd DD (pushed from SoFi) on 07/23
– Bonus posted: 07/25
How long in between churns?
I created a USB account to try and get the $250 bonus. Im almost certain that i signed up using the offer on this page. However, I cant confirm in my emails or on my account dashboard that the offer was added to my account. Has anyone else been in a similar situation / DP?
P1 (2nd churn)
Opened: 7/11
$4k Chase Biz: 7/16
$4k Chase Biz: 7/19
Bonus Posted: 7/23
Super easy one