[Targeted NH, MA, RI, CT, DE, NY, NJ, PA, or FL] Santander $400 Checking Bonus

Update 10/1/24: Extended to 12/31/2024

Update 6/27/24: extended to 9/30/24

Update 3/31/24: Extended to 7/1

Update 2/21/24: Deal is back and valid until 3/31/2024. Hat tip to reader Gadget

extended to 3/31/2024

Extended until 1/31/23

Extended until 12/28/2023

Offer at a glance

  • Maximum bonus amount: $400
  • Availability: NH, MA, RI, CT, DE, NY, NJ, PA, or FL
  • Direct deposit required: Yes, $5,000+
  • Additional requirements: See below
  • Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
  • ChexSystems: Yes
  • Credit card funding: None
  • Monthly fees: $3 – $10 avoidable
  • Early account termination fee: $25, 90 days
  • Household limit: None listed
  • Expiration date: 10/03/2023

The Offer

Direct link to offer

  • Santander is offering a $400 checking bonus when you open a Santander Select checking account and complete the following requirements:
    • have $5,000 or more in direct deposits within the first 90 days

The Fine Print

  • Get $400 when you open a new Santander Select® Checking, Simply Right® Checking, or Santander® Private Client Checking account ($25 minimum opening deposit on all) by 10/03/2023 and have direct deposits totaling $5,000 or more post to this account within the first 90 days.
  • Account must be opened in a branch.
  • The 90 day period begins the day of account opening, unless the account is opened on a weekend or holiday, in which case the period begins on the first business day after account opening.
  • Offer is transferable until redeemed by the addressee and we reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to limit the number of times this Promotion Code may be used. You must be 18 years or older.
  • Offer is not available if any account owner is a current checking customer of Santander or had a Santander checking account in the last 12 months prior to account opening.
  • Offer cannot be combined with any other bonus offer.
  • Promotion Code must be entered at new account opening to be eligible for this offer, and cannot later be added to an account, or changed, unless it is presented and applied within 14 days of account opening.
  • The account must remain open in an eligible account type until payment of bonus, which will occur within 30 days thereafter.
  • In addition, the account must remain open and in good standing to be bonus eligible. Bonus is considered interest and will be reported to the IRS on Form 1099-INT.
  • If multiple accounts are opened with the same signer, only one account will be eligible for the bonus.
  • For new checking account customers only.
  • Offer is only available to residents of NH, MA, RI, CT, DE, NY, NJ, PA, or FL (Florida Eligibility: This offer is only eligible online in ZIP codes within Miami Dade, Monroe, and Broward Counties, including ZIP code 34141).
  • Offer expires 10/03/2023. This offer is subject to change at any time.
  • Offer is only valid with use of a Promotion Code. Promotion of this offer may end at any time.
  • Qualifying Direct Deposits include your paycheck, pension, government benefits (such as Social Security), or other eligible regular monthly income from your employer or the government electronically deposited to your checking account. Direct Deposits do not include teller deposits, wire transfers, debit card transfers, ATM, Online and Mobile Banking transfers or deposits, person to person transfers (such as Zelle® or Venmo), or a merchant advancing payroll using a debit card.
  • All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

  • Simply Right has a $10 monthly Fee, waived with one transaction* – a deposit, withdrawal, transfer, or payment – posted during the calendar month.

Early Account Termination Fee

$25 if closed within 90 days

Our Verdict

Not as good as the last $500 bonus. Although the direct deposit requirement is lower for the $400 tier. In any case a lot of people try to cycle these santander bonuses so if you’re eligible it’s probably worth just taking this bonus as I doubt we will see anything better in the short term.We will add this to our list of the best bank account bonuses. If you have issues with applying try using firefox.

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

View Comments (416)

  • Account opened 9/20/24
    $2000 push from Fidelity 9/27/24
    $3005 push from Fidelity 9/30/24
    Evaluation date 12/19/24
    $400 bonus pending 12/20/24

  • Although I do not have any active accounts with Santander, I was able to login with my previous login credentials during the online application. Info was prefilled. No Chex inquiry and immediate approval.

  • I closed my Santander account on 12/20/2023. Would I be eligible for another bonus if opens the account on 12/21/2024 or should I want till Jan 1, 2025. Any chance this would get extended?

    • It's certainly possible that it will be extended. However, If I was you, I wouldn't take that chance. You are fine to apply on 12.21.24 or afterwards.

  • Opened 9/3/2024
    Wells Fargo personal checking push 1 $2501 – 9/13
    Wells Fargo personal checking push 2 $2501 – 9/20
    Email w/subject "Kevin, only 30 days left to earn your bonus" and eval date of 12/2 - email received 11/5
    No update from Santander, no bonus yet. 

    WF pushes coded as DDA to DDA. Verified WF account with trial deposits. I don't advise using WF personal checking for this - something changed since earlier DPs. I couldn't find any *successful* WF DPs that mention deposits coding as DDA TO DDA.

    For reference, a separate small test push from Discover coded as "DISCOVER BANK PREARRANGE"

    Will be closing in the next few weeks and will try again, probably with real DD, in ~12 months or so, if there is a $400+ offer available.

  • DP:
    Opened 09/15/2024
    Chase standard push 2k 09/20/2024
    Push back to Chase 2k 09/21/2024
    Chase standard push 3k 09/25/2024
    Push back to Chase 3k 09/26/2024
    Evaluation date: 12/15/2024
    Bonus 400 posted 12/17/2024

  • Anyone this year had success with deposits that show up in Santander as" SCHWAB BROKERAGE MONEYLINK" or "FID BKG SVC LLC MONEYLINE" in the transaction history? Success as in ended up being counted as direct deposit

    It doesn't say direct deposit explicitly anywhere in the santander transaction history, but how do I do know if it coded as direct deposit or not?

    Trying to figure out whether to leave the 5000 USD in there in hope of getting the bonus or give up and pull out

    • Those are just data fields that Schwab/Fidelity provide in their ACH file. Neither have changed any time recently, and every bank that displays that specific data in your TX history will display the exact same thing.

      If you search the comments, there is a DP of Schwab working early this year, and a very recent DP of Fidelity working last month.

  • I am going to churn this for the second time. Any thoughts on going to the same branch to do this?

    • Just go for it, you need to have some shamelessness to succeed in this hobby. (Also a banker in another branch will still see your account history.)

  • Opened 8/10
    Wells Fargo push $2500 - 8/20
    Wells Fargo push $2500 - 8/22
    No bonus yet, my evaluation date was 11/10/24

    WF pushes coded as DDA to DDA. Technically they have another week or so, but I am assuming the DD did not work. Most DPs seem to pay within 1 or 2 days of the evaluation date.