If you have $10,000, $50,000, or even more than $100,000 in idle cash, simply looking at APY is often not the highest-yielding approach. This article compares bank and brokerage account opening bonuses and converts them into an equivalent annualized return, so your larger cash balances can potentially earn more.

Among the offers currently worth prioritizing, Moomoo, TradeUP, HSBC, and Raisin all have new bonuses in September; E*TRADE Saving runs through September 30, Chase Private Client through October 14, Citi through October 26, while Barclays, CIT Bank, and E*TRADE Brokerage continue through October 31. Below, we compare them using the same framework based on how long your funds are tied up and the equivalent annualized yield, so you can arrange them according to your available liquidity.

This article is fairly long, so here is a summary table first. The focus here is on accounts and opening bonuses that require a relatively large amount of capital. Bonus tiers, funding periods, and yields can vary, so just pick what fits your situation. We only include account opening bonuses that can be done with $10,000 or more.

Name Funding requirement How long funds are tied up Equivalent annualized yield Application link
Moomoo $10,000-$100,000 60-180 days About 6.0%-29.1% (NVDA + stock card + Cash Sweep) Sign-up link
TradeUP $10,000-$1,000,000 About 2 months-2 years About 3.1%-28.8% (NVDA bonus shares + Cash+) Sign-up link
E*TRADE Saving $20,000 About 45-75 days About 13.6%-20% Application link
Citibank Checking $30,000-$200,000 About 45-90 days Up to about 13.3% Application link
HSBC Premier $50,000-$500,000+ 3 full calendar months About 5.4%-11% Application link
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed $25,000-$250,000+ About 45-90 days Up to about 8.1% (opening bonus + Money Market Fund) Application link
Capital One Saving $20,000-$100,000 About 90-105 days About 8.1%-9.0% Offer link
E*TRADE Brokerage $20,000-$5,000,000+ Up to about 67 days About 1.1%-8.2% Application link
Barclays Select Savings $40,000 120 days About 7% Application link
Raisin $10,000-$200,000+ 90 days Up to about 6.1%+, depending on the selected account APY Application link
CIT Platinum Savings $5,000+ 6 months 4.10% APY Application link
Marcus Savings No minimum requirement No restriction 4.40% APY for the first three months Application link
Chase Private Client $150,000-$500,000+ About 45-90 days About 2.4%-6.4% Application link

Many banks and brokerages now offer very high account opening bonuses, but these bonuses often require a large amount of capital. Comparing the bonus amount directly is not fair: depositing $10,000 for two months to get $400 and depositing $500,000 for three months to get $3,000 are completely different in terms of capital efficiency. So this article mainly uses “equivalent annualized yield” to compare different offers.

  • Equivalent annualized yield ≈ (account opening bonus ÷ required funds) ÷ (months funds are tied up ÷ 12) + the account’s own deposit interest rate

Note: The “equivalent annualized yield” here is only for easier comparison. It simply annualizes a one-time account opening bonus based on how long the funds are tied up, then adds the account’s own interest. It is not the APY officially published by the bank or brokerage. Actual returns may also be affected by the exact deposit date, bonus payout date, variable interest rates, taxes, and changes in the value of stock rewards.

For example, suppose a savings account offers a $1,000 opening bonus, requires a $20,000 deposit for six months, and the account itself has a 3% APY:

  • Equivalent annualized yield = ($1,000 / $20,000) ÷ (6 / 12) + 3% = 13%

If you currently have a sizable amount of liquid cash, you can sequence offers based on expiration dates and how long the funds need to stay in each account, using the same funds for different bank and brokerage bonuses one after another. Compared with simply leaving cash in a regular savings account long term, this approach may significantly improve your actual return.

This article does not cover ordinary bank bonuses that must be triggered by Direct Deposit. It only compares bonuses that can mainly be earned by depositing funds, maintaining assets, or transferring assets.

Futu Moomoo (equivalent annualized yield about 6%-29%)

Offer overview

Now register for Moomoo through this site's exclusive link. If you meet the deposit requirements, you can get up to four stackable rewards! Exclusive $150 reward + $1,000 NVDA + $100 trading coupons + idle cash earning an ultra-high 8.1% APY, plus one free year of Moomoo Engine premium features. The four bonuses below can be stacked, so you can look at them one by one. I think the best value is to deposit $2,000 and get $350. If you have enough funds, you can go up to $10,000 and get $450. Idle cash also earns 8.1% APY

First bonus: exclusive to new users on this site, first cumulative deposit of $1,000 gets a $150 stock card + one free year of Moomoo Engine

  • During the promotion period (before September 30), make a cumulative deposit of $1,000
  • The stock cards you receive are three $50 cards, for a total of $150, and they unlock after your deposit has been maintained for 60 days
  • You can only use the stock card when trading U.S. stocks in the Moomoo app (Stocks, REITs, and ETFs all qualify)
  • After the $50 stock card is unlocked, any trade of $50 or more will automatically deduct $50

Second bonus: new user deposit reward, get up to $1,000 in NVDA

  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $500 and receive $30 worth of NVDA stock -> 60-day lock-up
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $2,000 and receive a cumulative $100 worth of NVDA stock -> 60-day lock-up
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $10,000 and receive a cumulative $200 worth of NVDA stock-> 60-day lock-up
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $50,000 and receive a cumulative $400 worth of free NVDA stock -> 120-day lock-up (release $200 after 60 days and the remaining $200 after 120 days)
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $100,000 and receive a cumulative $1,000 worth of free NVDA stock -> 180-day lock-up (release $200 after 60 days, $400 after 120 days, and the remaining $400 after 180 days)

You can use your deposit to trade, or simply leave it there to earn interest. If you do trade, I recommend depositing a bit more so you don't end up below the threshold after losses!

Third bonus: trading coupon reward, after new users deposit $100, get 10 $10 trading coupons

  • Each $100+ trade can use one, which is basically encouraging you to trade more (if you just want to cash out and buy SGOV, that's fine)
  • Also, if you refer a friend to register for Moomoo, you'll get another $10*10 trading coupons (but then your friend won't get this site's $150 stock card reward)

Fourth bonus: high interest for new users, account-opening bonus Cash Sweep up to 8.1% APY

  • New customers can join cash sweep as soon as they open an account. The coupon will be sent to the account and needs to be activated in the app.
  • Idle cash can earn 3.35% APY + a 2-month 4.75% APY booster (supports deposits and withdrawals anytime + automatic trade settlement). This 8.1% APY applies only to the first $20,000 in cash deposits.

Note: This article covers Moomoo U.S. benefits and product feature information. If you apply with an SSN or ITIN and enter a U.S. address, you can still receive the bonus normally.

Return calculation

Moomoo currently lets you stack the deposit stock bonus, our exclusive $150 stock card, and the high-yield Cash Sweep, so all three parts should be included when calculating the equivalent annualized yield.

The earlier $500 and $2,000 tiers involve relatively small amounts, so we will not go into them here. Starting from the $10,000 tier, the capital efficiency of the main current tiers is roughly:

  • $10,000 tier: equivalent annualized yield about 29.1%
  • $50,000 tier: equivalent annualized yield about 7.6%
  • $100,000 tier: equivalent annualized yield about 6.0%

The $10,000 tier is the best value. A simple calculation:

  • Deposit $10,000 and maintain it for about 60 days
  • You can receive $200 in NVDA + our exclusive $150 stock card, for about $350 in rewards total
  • $350 ÷ $10,000 = an actual 3.5% reward; annualized over about two months of tied-up funds, that is about 21%
  • In addition, the full $10,000 falls within the first $20,000 eligible for the Cash Sweep Booster, which currently can earn up to about 8.1% APY for the first 60 days
  • Stacking the two parts, the current equivalent annualized yield is about 29.1%

In actual dollar terms, this is more intuitive: leave $10,000 for two months, earn roughly about $135 in Cash Sweep interest, plus $350 in NVDA and the stock card, for a total value of about $485.

Although the $50,000 and $100,000 tiers have higher total rewards, the extra Cash Sweep Booster only applies to the first $20,000, and the full stock bonus requires maintaining the funds for 120 days or 180 days. As a result, the more capital you put in, the lower the overall equivalent annualized yield gradually becomes.

Note that the $150 stock card is not cash that can be withdrawn directly. It must be used in the Moomoo app for eligible trades of U.S. stocks, ETFs, or REITs. Here, we count the stock card at its face value of $150 when calculating the bonus value. If you were planning to buy stocks anyway, you can basically value it at $150.

Also, the Cash Sweep APY is a variable rate, and the terms for the free-stock promotion and stock card may change. Therefore, the effective annualized returns above are estimates based on the current promotion and current rates.

TradeUP (Tiger Brokers) (effective annualized return about 3.1%-28%)

Promotion overview

The promotion has been extended through October 31, 2026. If you already opened an account before but never deposited funds, you can still participate. TradeUP has now fully updated its account opening bonus: register through our channel and make a deposit or transfer assets, and you can get up to 50 NVDA shares (worth about $196 each). In addition, you can also get the existing 5-stock raffle and 3% transfer bonus.

  • TradeUP sign-up link (if you have an SSN/ITIN, choose USA; if not, choose other country and just enter a U.S. address)

The best-value setup is to deposit $2,500, which gets you 1 NVDA share + 3 raffle entries + 4% APY. If you have enough funds, you can deposit $10,000 to get 2 NVDA shares + 4 stock draws. You can either deposit funds or transfer assets. The reward tiers are below, and they can all be stacked:

  • 【Site-exclusive bonus】Open a TradeUP account, deposit funds, and keep the funds there for a certain number of days to receive additional NVDA shares. Up to 50 NVDA shares.
  • 【Stock raffle】When you open an account, you can draw up to 5 stocks, each worth up to $1,800. For net deposits of $100-$4,999, you get 2 draws; $5,000-$9,999, 3 draws; $10,000-$99,900, 4 draws; and $100,000+, 5 draws. The odds are 95% for $10-$10; 3% for $20-$30; 1% for $30-$50; 0.8% for $50-$100; and 0.2% for $1,800.
  • 【3% transfer bonus】If you can fund your account by transferring assets, you can also activate a transfer bonus of up to 3% (see the transfer section below for details).
  • 【High APY】The cash account offers a high APY for the first three months (it may fluctuate slightly over time).
  • Once you meet the requirements, the stocks will be distributed according to the table below.

【Note】Except for users in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as users who do not have an SSN and cannot provide a U.S. mailing address, compliant users in other regions can claim the stock bonus. This brokerage account can be opened with an SSN/ITIN as long as you have a U.S. address. You can provide a utility bill, credit card statement, bank statement, or other document showing the address you entered as proof.

Note that the NVDA shares are not distributed all at once. The specific distribution rules are below (terms). Please note that different tiers require you to keep the funds in place for different lengths of time, with the longest being 2 years. Also, if you withdraw funds and drop below the required tier during the reward period, later rewards will not be issued.

Based on common questions discussed in the chat group, here is a summary to help everyone open an account, deposit funds, and claim rewards. FAQ:

  • If you transfer in from another brokerage via ACATS, can you still participate in the new-user NVDA bonus and the transfer bonus? Yes! You can also activate the random stock draw. So if you have another brokerage, transferring via ACATS is best — it’s like a triple dip! (details)
  • Do I need to separately sign up for the high-interest cash account? Yes. After opening the account, enroll on the promotion page.
  • Also, if your first deposit is very small, you can contact customer service and ask them to help you apply for additional stock-draw entries.

Return calculation

This TradeUP promotion mainly gives NVDA shares. At the same time, idle cash in the account can also participate in the TradeUP Cash+ Program to earn interest. So if you deposit funds but do not buy stocks right away, the two sources of return can be combined.

Based on the current NVDA price of about $219.74/share, the value of the free shares at each tier is roughly:

  • Deposit $10,000: get 2 shares of NVDA, current value about $439
  • Deposit $50,000: get 5 shares of NVDA, current value about $1,099
  • Deposit $200,000: get 12 shares of NVDA, current value about $2,637
  • Deposit $500,000: get 24 shares of NVDA, current value about $5,274
  • Deposit $1,000,000: get 50 shares of NVDA, current value about $10,987

TradeUP also currently has the Cash+ Program. After joining, the APY on idle cash is 0.10% for the first 15 days, currently 3.15% APY from days 16-105, and then tiered rates based on the idle cash balance in the account after day 106. Cash+ rates may change with market conditions, so the estimates here simply use the current rates.

Using the most attractive $10,000 tier as an example:

  • 2 shares of NVDA are currently worth about $439, equal to 4.39% of principal
  • If the funds are maintained for about 2 months, the NVDA bonus alone works out to an effective annualized return of about 26.4%
  • Cash+ pays 0.10% for the first 15 days and 3.15% for about the next 45 days, which averages to an annualized return of about 2.4% over two months
  • Combined, the current total effective annualized return is about 28.8%

For the other tiers, capital efficiency gradually declines because the number of free shares, funding requirement, and required holding period are different. Based on the current NVDA share price and Cash+ rates, a rough estimate is:

  • $10,000 tier: total effective annualized return about 28.8%
  • $50,000 tier: total effective annualized return about 7.3%
  • $200,000 tier: total effective annualized return about 3.9%
  • $500,000 tier: total effective annualized return about 3.1%
  • $1,000,000 tier: total effective annualized return about 3.1%

So from a capital-efficiency perspective, the $10,000 tier is still clearly the best deal right now. Keeping the funds for two months not only gets you 2 shares of NVDA, but idle cash can also continue earning Cash+ interest during that period. This also does not include any other potentially stackable rewards, such as stock drawings.

Note that both NVDA’s share price and Cash+ rates can change. The effective annualized returns above are only estimates based on the current share price and current Cash+ rates. Also, Cash+ only applies to idle Settled Cash in the account. If you use the funds to buy stocks or other investment products, those funds can no longer be counted as earning the Cash+ rate.

E*TRADE Savings (effective annualized return about 13.6%-20%)

Promotion overview

E*TRADE currently offers 4.00% APY on a new Premium Savings Account for six months. After six months, the rate reverts to the standard rate at that time; the current Base APY is 3.50%. In addition, if you deposit at least $20,000 in New Money within 30 days of opening the account, you can also earn an extra $400 bonus. The promotion ends on September 30, 2026.

The main requirements are as follows:

  1. Open a new Premium Savings Account on etrade.com by 9/30/2026 using promo code SAVING26.
  2. Add funds to earn a boosted 4.00% APY for 6 months. Plus, you'll earn a cash bonus when you deposit at least $20,000 of qualifying new money within the first 30 days of account opening.
  3. Maintain the required average daily balance for 45 additional days after the 30-day funding period ends to earn the cash bonus.

Return calculation

The $400 bonus is equal to 2% of the $20,000 principal. After opening the account, there is a 30-day Funding Period, followed by a 45-day Maintenance Period. If most of the funds are transferred in toward the end of the Funding Period, the actual time that the large cash balance is tied up can be close to 45 days. The bonus portion then annualizes to about 16%, and adding the 4.00% Promotional APY brings the maximum effective annualized return to about 20%.

If you deposit the full $20,000 very soon after opening the account, the actual time the funds are tied up could be close to 75 days, in which case the effective annualized return would drop to about 13.6%. So the biggest advantage of this promotion is that the Funding Period is relatively long, allowing you to choose the deposit timing based on your own cash-flow situation.

E*TRADE Brokerage (effective annualized return about 1.1%-8.2%)

Promotion overview

E*TRADE is now offering up to a $10,000 bonus for a new Brokerage Account. You need to deposit or transfer in the specified amount during the 60-day Funding Period after account opening. The promotion ends on October 31, 2026, and the promo code is OFFER26.

According to the official terms, the bonus will be paid within 7 business days after the 60-day Funding Period ends. Note that moving funds or securities that have already been transferred into the account out of the account during these 60 days may lower your bonus tier or even disqualify you from the bonus, so do not transfer assets out casually during the promotion period.

Return calculation

The bonus tiers are below. The ad landing page mainly advertises up to $1,500, but the full promotion tiers go up to $10,000 for larger balances.

Continuing with a relatively conservative approach, assume the funds are transferred in early in the promotion and that the cash is tied up for about 67 days. Under that assumption, the effective annualized returns for different tiers are approximately:

  • $1,000: about 27.2%
  • $5,000: about 16.3%
  • $20,000: about 8.2%
  • $100,000: about 3.3%
  • $200,000: about 2.7%
  • $500,000: about 1.6%
  • $1,000,000: about 1.6%
  • $1,500,000: about 1.8%
  • $2,000,000: about 1.6%
  • $5,000,000: about 1.1%

If the funds are not transferred in until near the end of the 60-day Funding Period, the actual time the funds are tied up may be shorter, so the annualized return calculated in practice could be higher. However, this type of “annualized return” is only used to compare the capital efficiency of account-opening bonuses; it is not an investment return officially offered by E*TRADE.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing (maximum effective annualized return about 8.1%)

Promotion overview

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing currently offers a cash bonus of up to $1,000 for opening an account. The promotion runs through October 21, 2026. You need to transfer in new cash or securities from outside the Chase / J.P. Morgan system, and the final bonus tier is determined 45 days after account opening.

The details are as follows:

  • Transfer in $5,000-$24,999: $50 bonus
  • Transfer in $25,000-$99,999: $150 bonus
  • Transfer in $100,000-$249,999: $325 bonus
  • Transfer in $250,000 or more: $1,000 bonus

Return Calculation

The default idle cash rate in Self-Directed Investing is not very high, but you can buy Money Market Funds in the account. Chase currently shows an average 7-Day SEC Yield of about 3.24% for money market funds, so if you do not plan to buy stocks right away, you can temporarily put the transferred cash into a money market fund and continue earning yield while completing the account-opening bonus requirements.

Using the standard in this article of mainly comparing funds above $10,000, the $25,000 tier has the best capital efficiency. A simple calculation:

  • Transfer in $25,000 and you can receive a $150 cash bonus
  • There is a 45-day Funding Period after account opening; the bonus tier is determined on day 45, and the funds need to be maintained until day 90 of offer Enrollment
  • If you arrange for most of the funds to be transferred in during the latter part of the Funding Period, the actual time the large amount of funds is tied up can be close to 45 days
  • $150 ÷ $25,000 = 0.6% actual bonus, which is about 4.9% simple annualized over 45 days
  • Adding the current money market fund yield of about 3.24%, the effective annualized return can be as high as about 8.1%

If you transfer the full $25,000 very soon after opening the account, the actual time the funds are tied up is close to 90 days. In that case, the account-opening bonus portion annualizes to about 2.4%, and after adding the money market fund yield, the overall effective annualized return is about 5.7%.

For the other main tiers, assuming the large amount of funds is actually tied up for close to 45 days and adding the current money market fund yield of about 3.24%, a rough estimate is:

  • $25,000 tier: up to about 8.1%
  • $100,000 tier: up to about 5.9%
  • $250,000 tier: up to about 6.5%

So if you are doing this only for the account-opening bonus, the $25,000 tier is relatively efficient. If you already hold a sizable stock portfolio at another brokerage, you can also transfer securities directly via ACATS to qualify for a higher tier; you do not necessarily need to prepare hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

Note that 3.24% is the average 7-Day SEC Yield for money market funds shown on Chase’s current page. It is not the cash rate automatically provided by Self-Directed Investing, nor is it a guaranteed return. You need to buy a Money Market Fund yourself, and fund yields will change with market interest rates.

Citi Checking (effective annualized return up to about 13.3%)

Offer Overview

Citi’s current Regular Checking account-opening bonus is up to $1,500, and the offer runs through October 26, 2026.

The deposit requirements are relatively simple:

  • Deposit at least $30,000 in New-to-Citibank Funds within 45 days after account opening. If the day-45 balance reaches $30,000-$199,999, you can receive $500.
  • If the day-45 balance reaches $200,000 or more, you can receive $1,500.
  • Starting on day 46, you also need to continue maintaining the corresponding minimum balance for 45 days.

Return Calculation

This offer is not simply “deposit for 45 days.” After account opening, there is first a 45-day Funding Period. The bonus tier is determined on day 45, and then you still need to maintain the balance for another 45 days.

If you deposit all the funds immediately after opening the account, the actual time the funds are tied up is close to 90 days. If you arrange for most of the funds to be transferred in near the end of the Funding Period, the actual time the large amount of funds is tied up can be compressed to close to 45 days. Using the latter calculation, the $500 bonus on the $30,000 tier has an effective annualized return of up to about 13.3%, while the $1,500 bonus on the $200,000 tier is up to about 6%.

HSBC Premier (effective annualized return up to about 11%)

Offer Overview

HSBC has updated its new Premier Checking account-opening bonus. New customers can now receive up to $3,000, and a minimum deposit of $50,000 can earn $1,000. The offer does not require Direct Deposit. You only need to transfer in new funds from outside HSBC, or transfer eligible investment assets, and maintain them for the required period. The offer ends on December 31, 2026.

The best value is the $50,000-for-$1,000 tier. Assuming the funds are maintained for 3 months, the annualized equivalent return from the account-opening bonus itself is about 8%, making it the most worthwhile tier this time. The specific bonus tiers are below, calculated using the minimum funding amount for each tier and maintaining the funds for 3 full calendar months:

  • $1,000 bonus: deposit or invest $50,000–$99,999. The account-opening bonus equals a 2% return, with an annualized equivalent return of about 8%; adding the savings account’s current 3.00% APY, the combined annualized equivalent return is about 11%.
  • $1,500 bonus: deposit or invest $100,000–$249,999. The account-opening bonus equals a 1.5% return, with an annualized equivalent return of about 6%; adding the savings account’s current 3.00% APY, the combined annualized equivalent return is about 9%.
  • $2,000 bonus: deposit or invest $250,000–$499,999. The account-opening bonus equals a 0.8% return, with an annualized equivalent return of about 3.2%; adding the savings account’s current 3.00% APY, the combined annualized equivalent return is about 6.2%.
  • $3,000 bonus: deposit or invest $500,000 or more. The account-opening bonus equals a 0.6% return, with an annualized equivalent return of about 2.4%; adding the savings account’s current 3.00% APY, the combined annualized equivalent return is about 5.4%.

Also, according to a previous data point from a reader, it may be possible to apply directly for U.S. HSBC Premier while in China. You can select China as your current location and complete the application using a China address, passport, national ID card, and proof of address. However, a hard requirement is being an HSBC Premier customer in China.

Return Calculation

If you put eligible cash in HSBC Premier Relationship Savings, the current Relationship APY is 3.00%. After opening a new Premier Relationship Savings account and linking it to an eligible Premier Checking account, you will automatically receive the Relationship APY for the remainder of the account-opening month and the following 3 months.

Note that if you put the Qualifying Balance in a securities investment account rather than Premier Relationship Savings, you cannot simply add this 3.00% APY to the bonus.

Capital One Saving (effective annualized return about 8.1%-9.0%)

Offer Overview

Capital One 360 Performance Savings currently offers an account-opening bonus of up to $1,500, and the account itself currently offers 3.00% APY.

Return Calculation

The current bonus tiers are:

  • Deposit $20,000-$49,999.99: $300 bonus
  • Deposit $50,000-$99,999.99: $750 bonus
  • Deposit $100,000 or more: $1,500 bonus

After account opening, there is a 15-day Initial Funding Period. The full 90-day Hold Period does not begin until those 15 days have ended. In other words, if you deposit the funds on the first day after opening the account, the actual time your funds are tied up is about 105 days; if you complete the main deposit close to the end of the Funding Period, it is close to 90 days.

The account-opening bonus is 1.5% for all three tiers. Annualized simply over 90 days, that is about 6%. Adding the current 3.00% APY, the highest effective annualized return is about 9%; if the funds are transferred in earlier and are effectively tied up for close to 105 days, it is around 8.1%.

Barclays Select Savings (effective annualized return about 7%)

AARP and Barclays currently have a promo-code Savings promotion. New customers who deposit at least $40,000 within 30 days after opening the account and maintain at least $40,000 for 120 consecutive days can receive a $400 bonus.

Select Savings currently offers 4.00% APY on its own. The $400 bonus is equivalent to 1% of $40,000. Keeping the funds for 120 days works out to roughly an extra 3% annualized, so the combined effective annualized return is about 7%. The promotion ends on October 31, 2026.

This account requires AARP membership to apply. Although AARP’s name is the American Association of Retired Persons, applicants do not have to be of retirement age; users who meet its membership requirements can join normally.

Raisin (highest effective annualized return about 6.1%+)

Promotion overview

Raisin’s current new-customer promotion uses promo code SUMMER26 and offers up to a $1,200 bonus. At the same time, some savings accounts on the platform currently offer up to about 4.15% APY. The promotion ends on August 31, 2026.

Raisin itself is not a bank; it is a savings-account platform. Users’ funds are actually held at partner banks or credit unions and are covered by FDIC or NCUA insurance depending on the relevant financial institution and account ownership structure.

Return calculation

The first deposit must be completed within the required timeframe, and the qualifying funds must be kept with a Raisin partner institution for 90 days. The Base Bonus tiers are as follows:

  • $50 bonus: deposit $10,000-$24,999
  • $125 bonus: deposit $25,000-$49,999
  • $250 bonus: deposit $50,000-$99,999
  • $500 bonus: deposit $100,000-$199,999
  • $1,000 bonus: deposit $200,000 or more

Each Base Bonus tier is roughly equivalent to a 0.5% return over 90 days, or about 2% annualized on a simple basis. If the platform account you choose currently earns about 4.15% APY, the two together can produce a highest effective annualized return of about 6.15%. Because APYs at different banks and credit unions on Raisin can change, do not treat 6.1% as a fixed long-term number.

In addition, the current promotion also allows you to earn an extra bonus by setting up a qualifying Recurring Deposit: it must be set up within 14 days after the initial funding and must be successfully completed at least twice within 90 days. The Base Bonus and Recurring Deposit Bonus can total up to $1,200.

CIT Platinum Savings (4.10% APY)

CIT Platinum Savings currently offers an extra 0.35% APY Boost for 6 months through promo code CITBOOST. When the balance is at least $5,000, the current maximum is 4.10% APY; after the 6-month Boost ends, the current standard rate is 3.75% APY. The promotion ends on October 31, 2026.

If the account balance is below $5,000, the current APY after the Boost is only 0.60%, so this promotion is mainly suitable for users who plan to deposit at least $5,000.

Standard FDIC insurance is usually up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per account ownership category; it is not simply calculated as “$250,000 per account.” Also, CIT Bank is a division of First Citizens Bank. If you already hold deposits at other parts of First Citizens under the same insured bank, you need to consider them together when calculating FDIC limits.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs Savings (4.40% APY for the first three months)

Marcus Online Savings currently has a regular rate of 3.40% APY. New customers who open an account through a referral can currently receive an extra 1.00% APY Rate Boost for 3 months, so the combined maximum for the first three months is 4.40% APY.

After the three-month Referral Rate Boost ends, the account will return to the then-current regular APY for Marcus Online Savings. The rate is variable, so if market rates change later, the numbers here will also need to be updated.

Chase Private Client (effective annualized return about 2.4%-6.4%)

Chase Private Client currently offers up to a $3,000 bonus, and the promotion ends on October 14, 2026. CPC Checking itself currently has only 0.01% APY, so the value of this promotion mainly comes from the account-opening bonus and Private Client banking services, not from the deposit rate.

Current bonus requirements:

  • Transfer $150,000-$249,999.99 in New Money within 45 days after opening or upgrading the account to receive $1,000.
  • Transfer $250,000-$499,999.99 to receive $2,000.
  • Transfer $500,000 or more to receive $3,000.
  • Eligible New Money must be maintained through day 90 after promotion Enrollment.

If you complete all funding very early, the actual time the funds are tied up is close to 90 days, and the effective annualized returns for the three tiers are about 2.67%, 3.2%, and 2.4%. If you arrange for the main funds to be transferred near the later part of the 45-day Funding Period, the actual time that the large balance is tied up can be close to 45 days, and the corresponding highest effective annualized returns can rise to about 5.3%, 6.4%, and 4.8%.

The current terms say that the Chase Private Client Checking New Money Bonus, J.P. Morgan Private Client New Money Bonus, or designated Savings Promotion can be received only once within 12 months after the previous Bonus Coupon Enrollment. It is not the same as what the original article stated, namely that you are automatically ineligible if you opened an account within 12 months or closed an account within 90 days.

Account-opening bonus roundup

The accounts below all have very solid sign-up bonuses. Pick the ones you like and earn some extra cash. Over time, those small amounts add up, and in a year you can make a good amount of money and travel funds from these financial accounts.