The account opening bonus is back up to $450! This round expires on September 8, 2026. The direct deposit requirement for the $450 bonus is extremely easy to meet, and I’ve also compiled the latest Fake DD methods. You can knock out the requirements and get paid, and it may also help with future credit card applications. After you close the account and wait 12 months, you can earn the bonus again, so time it well and grab it multiple times.

Here are the specific requirements for the checking account bonus:

  • Complete at least 2 direct deposits within 90 days of account opening. The bonus depends on the total amount: earn $250 for $3,000-$4,999; $350 for $5,000-$7,999; and $450 for $8,000 or more.
  • Enroll in U.S. Bank online banking within 90 days of account opening; simply log in online or in the app.
  • Deposit $25 within 30 days of account opening (a regular deposit is fine; it does not need to be a direct deposit).

If you don’t want to use payroll, or don’t have payroll available for the direct deposit requirement, you can use some unofficial transfer (ACH) or withdrawal methods below to satisfy it. The basic idea is to add U.S. Bank as an external bank at another bank, then initiate an ACH transfer from that other bank. Or add U.S. Bank to a brokerage or PayPal account and simply withdraw money to it. U.S. Bank is one of the easiest banks when it comes to coding transfers as direct deposit—almost all of them count—and U.S. Bank also has a bonus tracker, so you can often tell yourself whether you’ve met the requirement. Be sure not to use instant transfers, and remember it needs to be two direct deposits, not one.

  • Bank ACH: Ally Bank, Alliant Credit Union, American Express, Axos Bank, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Charles Schwab Bank, Discover Bank, PNC Bank, SoFi Bank, T-Mobile Money, Tech CU, Wells Fargo, etc.
  • Brokerage withdrawals: Charles Schwab, E*Trade, Fidelity, Robinhood, TreasuryDirect, Vanguard, Wealthfront
  • P2P payment app withdrawals: Apple Cash, Cash App, Novo, PayPal, Relay, Square Cash, Venmo

This is a very solid bonus, and we’ve added it to our best bank bonus list:

This account has become especially important after the changes to the Smartly 4% cash back credit card, so it is still worth applying for together.

About U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank provides banking, investment, mortgage, trust, and payment services to individuals, businesses, government entities, and other financial institutions. It primarily operates in the western and Midwestern United States, with 3,106 branches and 4,842 ATMs. The company also owns Elavon, a processor for merchants’ credit card transactions, and Elan Financial Services, a credit card issuer that provides card products for banks and other financial institutions in the U.S.

One notable feature of U.S. Bank is that once you have a checking or savings account with them, getting approved for their credit cards can be easier. Cards like the Altitude Reserve used to require an existing U.S. Bank relationship (that is no longer necessary). I’ve used them for several years and found them pretty hassle-free. One month I got hit with a monthly fee because I wasn’t paying attention, but customer service waived it after I asked, which was nice.

U.S. Bank Smartly Checking

Account opening bonus

See the beginning of this article for the checking account bonus details and requirements.

You can check in “my progress” to see whether you have completed the bonus requirements.

For people who have had this account before, the restriction has been loosened a bit. It used to be that you could not get the bonus again if you had a checking account within the past 24 months or had received an account opening bonus within the past 24 months; now it has been shortened to 12 months. So time it carefully and apply while this offer is available. To be eligible for the bonus, you need to meet these two conditions:

  • You do not have a U.S. Bank personal checking account at the time of opening.
  • You have not received an account opening bonus within the past 12 months.
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.

This 12/24-month rule is indeed being enforced, so be careful and don’t count on getting lucky. If you plan to time it, the fastest approach is to note the date after receiving the $450 bonus, then close the account around this time next year and apply again. More aggressively, you could close the account right after receiving the bonus, but that’s generally not ideal.

direct deposit

If you don’t want to use payroll, or don’t have payroll available for the direct deposit requirement, you can use some unofficial transfer (ACH) or withdrawal methods below to satisfy it. The basic idea is to add U.S. Bank as an external bank at another bank, then initiate an ACH transfer from that other bank. Or add U.S. Bank to a brokerage or PayPal account and simply withdraw money to it. U.S. Bank is one of the easiest banks when it comes to coding transfers as direct deposit—almost all of them count—and U.S. Bank also has a bonus tracker, so you can often tell yourself whether you’ve met the requirement.

  • Bank ACH: Ally Bank, Alliant Credit Union, American Express, Axos Bank, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Charles Schwab Bank, Discover Bank, PNC Bank, SoFi Bank, T-Mobile Money, Tech CU, Wells Fargo, etc.
  • Brokerage withdrawals: Charles Schwab, E*Trade, Fidelity, Robinhood, TreasuryDirect, Vanguard, Wealthfront
  • P2P payment app withdrawals: Apple Cash, Cash App, Novo, PayPal, Relay, Square Cash, Venmo

This account opening bonus is taxable and is generally issued on a 1099INT as interest.

Account opening requirements

  • You must be in a state with U.S. Bank branches to open the account online. (Lookup link; just filter for branches.)
  • You must deposit at least $25 when opening the checking account.

During the application process, you can use a credit card to fund the initial deposit, up to $250. According to Doctor of Credit’s roundup, most AMEX, Chase, Barclays, and Citi cards do not code as cash advances. If you’re concerned, you can also fund it via bank transfer.

If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can still open the account online, though you may need to provide additional documents, such as a driver’s license/State ID, student visa, passport, credit card statement, and so on. In the past, a dedicated representative would call and ask you to send in specific documents.

Dear xxx

Thank you for your application for a new U.S. Bank account.

Upon review of your application, it has been determined that we are in need of further identifiable information and are requesting a copy of your Driver's License/State ID and one of the following Resident Alien card, Work Visa , Student Visa or Work Authorization card. Please make sure you send over front and back of the requested documentation . Please email or fax the copies to my attention at 1-877-691-8492 (if you could please enlarge and lighten the copy so that it might be transmitted clearly it would be appreciated) .

*We may require verification of your current address if your Driver's License/State ID does not have the same current address as the application then I will need additional address verification in the form of a recent utility bill, pay stub, cable bill, cell phone bill , mortgage/credit card, statement from another bank. Please fax or email the full page of the statement.

Once received, we will proceed processing your application. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Please note, this information must be received in order to proceed with your request for a new account.
If we do not receive your information within 30 days we will consider your application withdrawn.

If there is no US Bank branch in your area

If there is no physical US Bank branch in your state, you generally cannot open a checking account online. One workaround is to first have any existing US Bank product. Then, when you apply, you can simply log in and the system will automatically pull your personal information, bypassing the state verification restriction. For example, any one of the following may solve the problem:

  • Apply for a US Bank credit card first, and then you may be able to apply online. However, US Bank cards can be somewhat difficult to get approved for if you do not already have a checking account, and people without a strong credit history may be denied.
  • Open a US Bank investment account first, and then you may be able to apply for a checking account online. Although the investment account requires your SSN, it does not result in an HP on your credit report. It is also fine if you do not actually deposit money to invest. Choosing Self-directed investing is the best option.
  • You can also use the application link from the US Bank and Statefarm partnership. You need to enter the promo code yourself in order to receive the account opening bonus. If you see an error saying the user cannot be found, you can try getting a quote from Statefarm for any insurance product first (you do not need to actually buy it), and then try again afterward.
  • You can open a US Bank business checking account; this one also does not have the ZIP restriction.
  • You can also open a US Bank CD. This requires at least $1,000 to be deposited for five months, but the advantage is that it can be opened from any state.
  • A US Bank savings account can also work; some readers have reported success.

Fees

There have been some important updates to US Bank checking accounts. The monthly fee is increasing from $6.95 to $12. In addition, the benefit that waived the monthly fee just for holding a US Bank credit card is also being discontinued. These changes take effect on May 19. If you have still been relying on a credit card to waive the monthly fee, try to meet one of the requirements below as soon as possible; keeping $1,500 in the account is the easiest option.

  • Total direct deposits of at least $1,500 per month
  • Have a US Bank small business checking account
  • Be a higher-tier client
  • Maintain an average account balance of $1,500
  • Belong to special eligible groups such as seniors, teens, military members, etc.

There is no early closure fee, which means that in theory, once you receive the account opening bonus, you can close the account.

Customer tiers

In addition, US Bank's customer tier system has changed. Smartly Checking customers now automatically receive Bronze Tier benefits.

US Bank Savings Account (No Bonus Currently)

Account Opening Bonus

Monthly Fee

This savings account has a $4 monthly fee, but it can be waived in any one of the following ways:

  • Maintain a daily balance of at least $300 (details)
  • Maintain an average monthly balance of $1,000 (details)
  • Have a joint account with a minor

Automated Investor Account (No Bonus Currently)

The requirements are as follows:

  • You must not have opened an automated investing account within the past 24 months
  • Open the account between March 1 and April 15
  • Deposit $1,000 within 30 days of account opening and keep it there for 120 days without withdrawing it (only the principal counts; later gains or losses do not matter)

If you meet the requirements, the account opening bonus will be paid within 5-8 months after opening the account. If you factor in that 120-day holding period, it is roughly about 1 month after you complete the requirement. This bonus is taxed as interest, and you will receive a 1099INT.

Applying with an ITIN

Based on reader data points, it is also possible to apply for a US Bank checking account and savings account using an ITIN together with a U.S. address. You can try using my link. Please see the detailed post for more information. There are also many experienced hobbyists in the Knowledge Planet community, and if you share the same interests, you are welcome to join.

My Take

This is a very solid bonus. If you are interested in other bank account bonuses, you may also want to check out the following:

The checking account opening bonus is taxable. The bank will send a 1099INT the following year, and you can report it as interest income.

Application Links