Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $850
- Availability: Nationwide, but must qualify
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $7,500+
- Additional requirements: None
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: Codes as a cash advance
- Monthly fees: $15-$25, avoidable
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household Limit: None
- U.S. Citizenship Required: Yes, for online applications. Resident alien and non-resident aliens now allowed online.
- Expiration date:
Contents
The Offer
- PNC is offering a checking bonus of up to $850. To be eligible you must give them access to your existing bank (via Yodlee) to see if you qualify. Additionally you must receive $7,500 in direct deposits within 60 days if you do qualify.
Qualifying
Based on this comment by reader Nicholas, it looks like they look at the following requirements (it only shows failed requirements):
- Previous Month Total Income
- Previous Three Months Average Income
- Previous Six Months Average Income
- Previous Six Months Minimum Income
- Ten Months of Income Check Failed
The Fine Print
- You will not be eligible for this offer if you or any signer on the new account have an existing PNC Bank consumer checking account, have closed an account within the past 12 months, or if you have been a primary signer on a consumer checking account that has received a PNC promotional premium in the past 24 months. If multiple accounts are opened with the same signers, only one account will be eligible for the premium. Trust, Estate, and other specialty titled accounts are excluded from this offer.
- You may earn an $850 reward if you open a new Virtual Wallet with Performance Select. If you change your Virtual Wallet product after account opening, the product that you have on the last business day of the month in which you opened your account will determine your offer eligibility, terms, and corresponding reward amount, if applicable.
- Offer is valid 1/6/2026 through 2/26/2026 and may be extended, modified, or discontinued at any time and may vary by market. PNC Bank may have other checking offers with different terms.
- To receive the reward:
- A) Open a new, eligible Virtual Wallet product online via the application links on this page. B) Set up and receive a qualifying direct deposit(s) within the first 60 days. A qualifying direct deposit for this offer is defined as a recurring direct deposit of a paycheck, pension, Social Security, or other regular income electronically deposited by an employer or an outside agency into the Spend account. The total amount of all qualifying direct deposits credited to your Spend account must be at least $7,500 for Virtual Wallet with Performance Select. Credit card cash advance transfers, wire transfers, person-to-person transfers, transfers from one account to another, or deposits made at a branch, ATM, mobile device or through the mail do not qualify as qualifying direct deposits.
- The reward will be credited to the eligible account 60–90 days after all conditions have been met and will be identified as “Credits Check Reward” on your monthly statement. The eligible account must remain open to receive the reward. The value of the reward may be reported on the appropriate Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms and may be considered taxable income to you. Please consult your tax adviser.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
This account has a $25 monthly fee. You can get this fee waived if you meet any of the following:
- Average monthly balance of $5,000 or more
- Qualifying direct deposits of $5,000 or more
- $25,000 in linked eligible account
Early Account Termination Fee
Our Verdict
Main issue seems to get qualified. Bonus itself is significantly better than the standard $200/$400 bonus and you get offered that if you don’t qualify for this. You can always unlink once linked as well, you need to do this within the settings of the account you link (usually under manage linked accounts). How you feel about linking your accounts is really more of a personal preference thing. Personally don’t have an issue with it, but understand why others would. Will add this to the best bank account bonuses. Hopefully we can work out what the unwritten requirements are.
Hat tip to readers No Name & DoC
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
