This deal has expired, click here for the best bank account bonuses.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $300
- Availability: Enter zip code to see eligibility (Baltimore, MD; Denver, CO; Richmond-Petersburg, VA; Norfolk, VA; Portland, OR; Seattle-Tacoma, WA; Washington, DC-MD, Raleigh, NC; San Diego, CA)
- Direct deposit required: Yes
- Additional requirements: None
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- ChexSystems: Mixed reports, likely doesn’t pull
- Credit card funding: Can fund up to $50 online
- Monthly fees: $10-$15, waivable
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date: November 22, 2017
Contents
The Offer
- Receive a sign up bonus of $300 when you open a new Everyday or Preferred checking account with Wells Fago and have $1,500 direct deposited into the account for three consecutive months within 150 days of account opening
Geographic Eligibility
Enter your zip code to check eligibility.
The following areas are eligible: Baltimore, MD; Denver, CO; Richmond-Petersburg, VA; Norfolk, VA; Portland, OR; Seattle-Tacoma, WA; Washington, DC-MD, Raleigh, NC; San Diego, CA
The Fine Print
- Not eligible for bonus if you are: 1) a current owner on a Wells Fargo consumer checking account; 2) a Wells Fargo team member; 3) a recipient of a consumer checking bonus in the past 12 months (limit 1 bonus per customer)
- All consumer checking accounts except Teen Checking are eligible for the $300 bonus when opened in a branch. Only certain checking accounts are available when opened online.
- Bonus available in-branch or online
- Initial deposit of $25 required during account opening
- Offer cannot be paid without providing a valid (W-9) and U.S. taxpayer ID number
- Offer can not be combined with any other consumer deposit offer
- Bonus will post to your new checking account within 45 days after eligibility and qualifications have been met
- You are responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes due on your bonus and we will report as income to the tax authorities as required
- A qualifying direct deposit: Your salary, pension, Social Security, or other regular monthly income, electronically deposited (by an employer, the government or an outside agency) to the account opened for this offer. A non-qualifying deposit: Transfers from one account to another, deposits made at a branch or ATM, and deposits from payments for the sale of goods or services.
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fee
The Everyday Checking account comes with a $10 monthly fee. Get the fee waived with one of the following:
- 10 debit card purchases and/or payments each statement cycle from this checking account, OR
- Direct deposits totaling $500 or more each statement cycle, OR
- Maintain a $1,500 minimum daily balance, OR
- Link checking account to a Wells Fargo Campus ATM or Campus Debit Card
The Preferred Checking account comes with a $15 monthly fee. Get the fee waived with one of the following:
- $10,000 in combined deposits, OR
- $1,000 monthly direct deposit, OR
- A linked Wells Fargo mortgage, OR
Early Account Termination Fee
There is no early account termination fee.
Our Verdict
$300 is excellent and well-worth jumping on if you can satisfy the direct deposit requirement. Previous data points indicate that most ACH transfers count as direct deposit for Wells Fargo. Let us know if it works this time.
There are currently three Wells Fargo bonuses available:
- The bonus discussed in this post which is $300 and has a 3 x $1,500 direct deposit requirement
- There’s a $200 bonus available nationwide which has a lower 3 x $500 direct deposit requirement
- There’s a $200 offer in select areas; that one doesn’t have a direct deposit requirement, just an easy debit card usage requirement
- (There’s also a $300 business checking offer for in-branch opening at Wells Fargo)
We’ll add this to our list of Best State-Specific Bank Bonuses.
Hat tip to jenncheer on r/churning
I used ACH transfers for OCT, NOV, and DEC. reps said to wait. Now they say that those do not count. If they had mentioned it in January I could have used my employer DD. oh well…
From which banks, etc. did you transfer?
Well, no bonus for me due to me opening a second account within 12 months. Here is what they said:
To receive the $300.00 promotional credit to your primary Wells Fargo
checking or savings account you cannot be:
A current owner on a Wells Fargo consumer checking account.
A Wells Fargo team member.
A recipient of a consumer checking bonus in the past 12 months (limit
one bonus per customer).
Upon review of your account, an Everyday checking account was opened
earlier this year where you received a $250.00 bonus.
The promotional bonus will not be applied.
Thanks for the update Jeff. I appear to have also lost out on this bonus. Opened account #1 Feb 17, closed July 17. Opened account #2 10/19/17. Used legit payroll DD, no bonus as of 2/27/18. Doc did suggest 2 bonuses < 365 days was uncertain. Wells Fargo must now strictly enforce the bonus time. Time to close this account and prepare to open again noting my last bonus with them was March 17 ~11.25 months ago.
Do you think it is worth filing a CFPB Complaint? I mean you I am sure you received an email stating: “Your application has been approved, and your new account is eligible to receive a bonus offer. For more details, see the Bonus Offer Disclosure and Additional Requirements. Next Steps: ”
If they sent an email stating that, and you did the hard work to statify all the requirements based on that email, are they not obligated to grant you the bonus?
Sent a sm to WF yesterday asking if I had met the qualifications – last deposit on 1/3. They confirmed that I had met the qualifications and I should wait for 45 days. This is my second account in 12 months – with the recent DP’s of people receiving their bonus, I am thinking that maybe they closed the loophole.
11/1/17 Opened account
11/27 $1,505 Deposit from WF Business Direct Pay
12/26 $1,505 Deposit from WF Business Direct Pay
1/8 $1,505 Deposit from WF Business Direct Pay
1/31/18 $300 Bonus posted
Yes, Got 300 bonus.
Opened this account on 10/19. Paypal & Disc 1500+ in Oct, only discover in Nov & Dec, Only Paypal in Jan. Got the bonus on 1/17.
Damn, they are telling me that ACH from Chase, Paypal, and Discobery do not count. I filed a CPFB complaint.
same for me… complint did not work
Opened on 10/24 and transferred from discover bank which are categorized as Direct deposits and the bonus posted today and also I did not send any w9 form.
I’ve had an account within the past 12 months and have not received bonus. I’ve read that maybe they have caught on….
Also opened on 10/24 and my bonus posted today. Will transfer out funds then close the account. What’s the most convenient way to close? Do I need to go in person?
Have you had another account in past 12 months?
that’s good to know about Discover Bank.. did you use the Discover Savings? I’m curious if you sent one “direct deposit” each calendar month or one direct deposit each statement cycle month? thanks
how long after the third deposit did the bonus post?
Bonus posted today
How long was the duration of your bonus from the needed deposit?
Well I opened the account 10/18. First DD of $1501 on 10/31. Two DDs of same amount on each of Nov and Dec. Last DD was 1/12. Bonus posted today 1/19.
Did you receive any other WF bonuses in the last 12 months?
So give or take 20 days after last required deposit, thanks for the info Tom
So you had both 3 consecutive month AND 3 consecutive statement cycles,correct?
Dang, nothing for me yet. My final deposit was 1/3.
Did you receive a previous checking account bonus from WF in the last 12 months?
did you have to fill out a W9 form?
Emailed them, they said up to 45 days from my last deposit which was 1/3. They did not confirm that I was eligible. Wait and see mode.
Please post when you receive your bonus
I opened my account back in Oct and did legit DD from work since Nov. I sent an SM asking if I had met the requirements and after some back and forth they came back telling they can’t tell me anything about the bonus until I mailed the W-9 form. I already sent them the form first week of December…so they lost that form with my SSN in it. I am really pissed off.
Which address did you mail it too?
I used the enveloped they provided. Funny enough just got another response to my secure msg confirming they did receive the W-9 back in December but no answer to my original question as to whether or not I had already met the requirements for the bonus.
I was debating on using the address that my initial application came from, but I decided to use the dedicated Checking/Savings address. I would not worry because you used your REAL DD. I just used another bank account I had to spare which means my bonus is still TBD.
Why did they need the W9? I’m confused.. to prove that it was really a direct deposit??? or to verify something else?
If WF is asking us to show it’s a legit direct deposit.. that may be difficult for some of us. Thanks