I’ve been reviewing bank promotions & helping readers finding all the best bank promotions for over 12 years. To take advantage of the sign-up bonuses, you must set up direct deposit in order to meet their requirements.
The terms and conditions usually state that Direct Deposit must be an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security) from your employer or the government. However, banks don’t always enforced this rule and knowing what will trigger direct deposit can save a lot of time since changing your paycheck is very frustrating and time consuming.
Also, there are many people who don’t have the option employer’s paycheck or governments benefits. The list below will help readers to meet direct deposit requirement to earn free money from bank promotions.
ACH Transfers: Most if not all bank accounts have Automated Clearing House (ACH) Transfers which is a free way to transfer money between financial institutions. You’ll find this method to be the most popular, usually within 2 business days, to do an ACH transfers to meet direct deposit requirement. Other methods include Person2Person payment e.g. Chase Quickpay, PayPal, Amazon Payments, Bluebird, etc.
Based on the reported experiences of the many consumers online from sites such as FicoForums, Slickdeals, CreditBoards, Flyertalk, etc, we’ll put together the most extensive list of Banks(alphabetically) on alternative method of direct deposit to trigger a bank bonus.
Click on Review to read more in-depth explanation for each bank bonus such as account type, expiration date, hard or soft pull, credit card funding, geographical restrictions, additional bonus requirements, and early closure fee.
Important: Please help us update our list with your own personal experience by commenting below. If you recently opened a bank account and were able to trigger a direct deposit requirement other than from your employer or the government, let us know by commenting below with the alternative method you used. Thank you.
Disclaimer: We make no promise the information below is 100% correct since banks can change what count as direct deposit often.
What Banks Count As Direct Deposits
| Bank | Reportedly Triggers Direct Deposit | Doesn't Trigger Direct Deposit | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Source Bank | Charles Schwab, Chase | Review | |
| 3Rivers Federal Credit Union | Keybank | Review | |
| Adventure Credit Union | Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Amalgamated Bank | BMO Harris | Review | |
| American Express Bluebird | Amazon Payment | Review | |
| American Express Serve | Ally, Paypal, CapitalOne 360, Santander ACH push | Review | |
| Anchor Bank | Discover ACH | Review | |
| Andigo Credit Union | Amex Bluebird, Charles Schwab brokerage, Fidelity | Capital One | Review |
| Associated Bank | Ally, PNC ACH | Review | |
| Avidia Bank | Capital One 360 ACH | Review | |
| Bank & Trust | Alliant, Ally, American Express Serve, Capital One, Charles Schwab Checking, Chase | Review | |
| Bank of America | Amex Serve, Baxter Credit Union, Connexus, Emigrant, E*Trade, PurePoint Financial, and Robinhood | Ally, Amazon, Bluebird, Capital One, Chase, Charles Schwab, Discover, Fidelity, HSBC, Paypal, Vanguard | Review |
| Bank of New York | HSBC | Review | |
| Bank of the West | BMO Harris, Capital One 360, Discover, Emigrant, Paypal, Schwab, USAA | Review | |
| BankWell | Charles Schwab | Review | |
| BB&T | Charles Schwab Brokeage | PayPal, PNC | Review |
| BBVA Compass | Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Merrill Edge, Paypal, Provident Credit Union, TD Ameritrade | Ally, Chase, Robinhood | Review |
| Blue Federal Credit Union | BMO Harris | Review | |
| Blue Hills Bank | Discover Checking | Discover Savings | Review |
| BMO Harris Bank | Alliant , Ally, Amex Serve, Chase Biz Checking, Discover, Robinhood, Schwab, & UFCU | Amex Bluebird, Capital One 360, Chase, Fidelity, Paypal, USAA, Vanguard | Review |
| BOKF | Capital One 360, Chase, Charles Schwab | Review | |
| Bridgeview Bank Group | Ally, Gusto | Charles Schwab, Capital One 360 | Review |
| Camden National Bank | Capital One | Review | |
| Capital Bank | Alliant, Ally, Capital One, Paypal | Charles Schwab, Chase | Review |
| Capital One | Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Capital One 360 | Alliant, Ally, Charles Schwab, E*Trade, Fidelity, Fifth Third Bank, Goldman Sachs, PNC, Robinhood, TD Ameritrade, Vanguard | Ally, Chase, Discover, Elements, Santander, Stripe, TIAA Direct, Wells Fargo, USAA | Review |
| Charles Schwab | Wells Fargo Business | Review | |
| Charter One | Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Chase | Acorns, AirBnB, Amazon Payments, American Express Redcard, Ameritrade, Circle Pay, CIT Bank, Connexus FCU, Consumers Credit Union, Discover Savings, DoorDash, Dosh, Dwolla, Elements, E*Trade, Fidelity EFT, First Green Bank, First Technology Credit Union, Goldman Sachs, Google Adsense, Gusto, Keesler Federal, MarketForce Payroll, Merrill Edge, M1Finance, Motif Investing, Mountain America Credit Union, M&T Bank, M1 Finance, Northern Bank, Payooner, Provident Credit Union, SchoolFirst, Standford FCU, TD Ameritrade, Uber, University Federal Credit Union, Upwork, Vanguard Brokerage, Wealthfront, Wisebanyan | Alliant, Ally, American Express Savings, Barclay Savings, Bank of America, Capital One, Capital One 360, Charlies Schwab, Citi ACH, Discover, FNBO, IRS, Robinhood, Square Cash.me, TopCashBack, U.S. Bank, USAA, Venmo, Wells Fargo | Review |
| Chime | American Express Serve, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover | Review | |
| CIBC US | Venmo | Review | |
| Citibank | Amazon Payment, Capital One 360, Chase, Discover, Emigrant Direct, Fidelity, Paypal | Barclays, Schwab, TD Ameritrade | Review |
| Citizens Bank | ACH, Alliant, Amex Savings, Bank of Guam, CardCash, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover, Fidelity, Huntington Bank, IRS refund, Paypal, Santander, TD Bank, Topcashback, Wells Fargo, Vanguard, Venmo | Capital One 360 | Review |
| Clearview Federal Credit Union | Discover Trial Deposits | Review | |
| Columbia Bank (NJ) | Capital One 360, Chase, Citizens Bank, Discover, Fidelity, Robinhood, TD Bank, Vanguard, & Venmo | Review | |
| Columbia Bank (WA, OR, ID) | Chase | Review | |
| Commerce Bank (MA) | Paypal, Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Compass Bank | Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Connexus Credit Union | Ally, BMO Harris | Review | |
| Consumers Credit Union | BMO Harris | Review | |
| Credit Union One | Chase, Discover, PayPal | Review | |
| Discover Bank | Ally, Amazon Seller Disbursements, Bank of America Business ACH, Capital One 360, Fidelity, Paypal, Serve, TD Ameritrade | Review | |
| Dollar Bank | Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Elements Financial | Alliant, Ally, American Express Serve, Capital One 360, Discover, Goldman Sachs savings, Incredible Bank, Wells Fargo | Charles Schwab | Review |
| E*Trade | Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union | Alliant, Initial CC Funding, Chase, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Fifth Third Bank | Ally, American Express Serve, Bank of America, Capital One 360, Chase, Chase business, Citizens, Discover, PayPal, Serve, USAA | Huntington Bank, PNC | Review |
| FirstBank | American Express Serve, First Tech Federal Credit Union, TD Ameritrade | Capital One 360 | Review |
| First Mark Credit Union | ACH, Alliant, Ally | Review | |
| First Merchants Bank | Ally, Goldman Sachs | Review | |
| First National Bank (FNB) | Chase | Review | |
| First National Bank (NE) | Charles Schwab Trial Deposits | Review | |
| First Niagara Bank | Alliant, Ally, AmEx Savings, Bank of America, Capital One, Capital One 360, Chase, Discover, HSBC, Paypal, State Farm | Review | |
| First Tennessee Bank | ACH, Alliant, Capital One, Capital One 360, Capital One Savings, Charles Schwab, Discover, First Citizens Bank, Paypal, Santander, Schwab Brokerage, USAA, Wells Fargo, Venmo | Ally, Chase | Review |
| First Trade Union Bank (FTUB) | Capital One 360 | Ally, Chase | Review |
| First United Bank | KickFurther | Review | |
| Five Star Bank | Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Flushing Bank | Amex Serve, Charles Schwab | Review | |
| Fulton Bank | Capital One 360, Citi, Discover, Huntington, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| GoBank | Alliant, BMO Harris, Chase | Review | |
| Great Lakes Credit Union | ACH, Chase | Review | |
| Hancock Whitney | Chase | Review | |
| HomeStreet Bank | Citibank, Paypal, Provident Credit Union | Review | |
| Horizon Bank | Chase | Review | |
| Huntington Bank | ACH Transfers, Alliant, Ally, Amazon Payment, Amex BlueBird, Capital One, Chase, PNC | Review | |
| IC Federal Credit Union | Santander | Review | |
| Incredible Bank | Charles Schwab, Chase, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Investor Bank | Charles Schwab, Fidelity | Ally | Review |
| JSC Federal Credit Union | Fidelity | Review | |
| Key Bank | Alliant, Amex Serve, Capital One 360, Chase, Discover, E*Trade, Oregon Community Credit Union, Paypal, Santander, Stripe Transfer, TD Ameritrade, USAA, Wells Fargo, Venmo | Ally, Charles Schwab | Review |
| Lake Michigan Credit Union | ACH | Review | |
| LegacyTexas | Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Liberty Bank (CT, MA, RI) | Chase | Review | |
| Mango | Alliant, Amazon Payments, Bluebird, Capital One 360, Fidelity, PayPal | Review | |
| M&T Bank | ACH trial deposits, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Discover, HSBC, Paypal, Paypal, PNC | Review | |
| MB Financial Bank | Capital One, Fidelity | Review | |
| Memory Bank | Discover | Review | |
| MidFirst Bank | Ally | Review | |
| My Banking Direct | Capital One 360, Schwab Brokerage | Review | |
| Nationwide Bank | American Express Serve, Capital One 360, Fidelity, Paypal | Ally | Review |
| NorthWest Savings Bank | ACH, Ally, Capital One, Discover, Paypal, PNC, Schwab, USAA | Review | |
| NuVision Federal Credit Union | Amazon Payments, Ameritrade, Schwab Brokerage | Review | |
| NYCB Family Of Banks | BMO Harris | Review | |
| Old Missouri Bank | BMO Harris | Ally | Review |
| Old National Bank | Initial credit card funding, Fidelity, PNC, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Old Second Bank | Capital One, Venmo | Review | |
| OneWest Bank | Chase | Review | |
| PNC | Alliant, AmEx Serve, AmEx Redbird, Bank of America, Barclays, BB&T, Chase, Chase Business, Discover ACH, FCB South County Bank, Fidelity Cash management, Fifth Third, Huntington, M&T, Navy Federal, Paypal, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Schwab, Transferwise, USAA, Vanguard, Venmo, Wells Fargo | Ally, Amex Savings, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, Tech CU | Review |
| PeoplesBank (MD & PA) | Ally, Charles Schwab, PNC, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| People’s United Bank | Alliant, Amex Bluebird | Fidelity | Review |
| Pinnacle Titans Bank | Discover, PayPal | Review | |
| Popular Community Bank | Capital One 360, Chase, Citibank, Discover, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Presidential Bank | ACH | Review | |
| Principal Bank | Capital One 360, HSBC | Review | |
| Regions Bank | ACH, Ally, Amazon payments, American Express Serve, Ally, Bank of America, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, Chase, First Tennessee, PenFed | Review | |
| Salem Bank | E*Trade | Review | |
| Salem Five | Alliant, Capital One | Review | |
| Santander Bank | Alliant, Amex Bluebird, Amex Serve, BMO Harris, Chase, Charles Schwab brokerage, Fidelity, Wells Fargo, Venmo | Capital One 360, Charles Schwab Checking, Discover, TD Ameritrade, USAA | Review |
| Sandy Spring Bank | American Express Serve | Review | |
| SchoolsFirst FCU | Capital One 360 | Review | |
| Seacoast Bank | American Express Serve, Discover | Review | |
| Security Service Federal Credit Union | Paypal | Review | |
| Stoneham Bank | Capital One 360, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| SunTrust | ADP, Ally ACH, Alliant, Adventure Credit, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, Navy Federal Credit Union, TCF, Wells Fargo | PayPal, PNC | Review |
| Synovus Bank | Capital One, Chase | Review | |
| Talmer Bank & Trust | Capital One, Chase, Venmo | Review | |
| TCF Bank | Alliant, Ally, Capital One 360, Chase, First Tech, Discover Savings, Fidelity | Review | |
| TD Bank | ACH, Ally, Alliant, American Express Savings, Bank of America, Barclays Saving, Capital One, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover Savings, E*Trade, Fidelity, Paypal, PNC, Tax refund, Vanguard, & Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Tech CU | Ally, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, Chase, Citi, Discover, PNC, Schwab, Synchrony | Review | |
| Thrivent Federal Credit Union | American Express Bluebird, Discover | Review | |
| TIAA Direct | Capital One, Capital One 360, Chase, Chase business, Discover, Fidelity, Fidelity CMA | Review | |
| Town Bank | Capital One | Review | |
| TruMark Financial | PayPal | Review | |
| TruStone Financial | American Express Serve | Review | |
| TruWest Credit Union | Vanguard | Review | |
| Unify Financial Credit Union | Alliant, Capital One, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover checking, Fidelity, Ticketmaster | Review | |
| Union Bank & Trust | Alliant, Ally, American Express Business Plus, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover, Merrill Edge | Review | |
| USAA | Capital One 360, Navy Federal ACH | ACH, Paypal | Review |
| US Bank | ACH, Alliant, Ally, Charles Schwab, Chase, Fidelity, Paypal, Tech CU, Venmo | Review | |
| Wells Fargo | Amex Serve, Bank of America, BECU, Citibank, Dwolla, E-Trade, Fidelity, HSBC, Huntington, KeyBank, PenFed Trial Deposits, PNC, Robinhood, Santander, Schwab, USAA | Alliant, Ally, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover, PayPal | Review |
| Wesbanco | Keybank | PayPal | Review |
| Valley National Bank | Capital One, Chase, NFCU | Review | |
| VantageWest | PayPal, Wells Fargo | Review | |
| Varo Money | Alliant, Ally, Bank of America, Capital One, Charles Schwab, Chase, Discover, Santander, Square cash, USAA | Goldman Sachs, Vanguard | Review |
| Vista Bank | Charles Schwab | Chase | Review |
 | HSBC Premier checking account: Get a $750 Welcome Deposit for eligible new customers who open an HSBC Premier Checking Account with qualifying activities. To earn the bonus, open your new HSBC Premier checking account online, deposit a minimum qualifying balance of $100,000 or more in new money, & maintain at least the minimum qualifying balance for 90 calendar days. Member FDIC Terms |
 | TD Bank Checking Bonus: Earn $300 with the Beyond Checking account when you receive direct deposits of $2,500 or more within 60 days of opening your account. Earn $150 with the Convenience Checking account when you receive direct deposits of $500 or more within 60 days of opening your account. Apply Now---TD Bank Checking Review |
 | Chase College CheckingSM: Get $100 as a new Chase checking customer when you open a Chase College CheckingSM account, enroll in paperless statements and complete 10 qualifying transactions within 60 days of account opening. The account comes with free Chase Debit Card, Mobile Check Deposit, Banker guidance, Text banking and QuickPay with Zelle. Get Coupon---Chase College Checking Review |
 | Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM – Earn $300 bonus when you open a new Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM account and set up direct deposit. The Chase Premier Checking account comes with free Chase Debit Card, free Online Banking and Online Bill Pay, free Mobile Banking, free Account Alerts, and free access to 16,000 Chase ATMs & nearly 5,000 branches. Apply Now---Chase Premier Plus Checking Review |
Tony Tran says
May 21, 2019 at 4:08 amNavy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) transfers to Wells Fargo is counted as Direct Deposit.
Rose D says
April 28, 2019 at 2:57 pmBECU (Boeing Employees Credit Union) recently offered me $75 if I made two direct deposits of more than $250. I used Paypal to make two separate transfers one week apart and I’m happy to report that I just received my promo money.
tl;dr BECU accepts Paypal as a direct deposit source
Ben Dachling says
February 18, 2019 at 8:08 pmdoes bank of america count coinbase as dd?
also, i have heard of accounts being closed because of coinbase purchases
do they allow coinbase deposits (withdrawal from coinbase deposited into account)
Daniel says
September 21, 2018 at 4:23 pmDoes Amex personal savings trigger the DD or is it only transfers from Amex Serve?
Carter says
September 5, 2018 at 7:05 pmI just opened a Chase Total Checking account for me and one for my husband. I sold two small amount gift cards to ABC Gift cards.com and had each ACH deposited to each account and about 5 days later we both had our $300 sign up bonuses in our accounts
KY L says
June 4, 2018 at 12:53 pmVenmo and PayPal counts for Chase DD
Taylor L says
July 17, 2018 at 4:56 pmYou sure? I called and they said only employer direct deposit or gov. like social security count. I’m not sure if that’s just what they say publicly though. Trying to get the $150 signup bonus.
gobucks821 says
August 17, 2018 at 8:07 amI regularly use PayPal (almost daily)–including their debit cards and regular EFTs to fund PayPal, aside from withdrawals to Chase–and Chase still just hit me with their first $12 fee in YEARS. I’ve been with them since ~2008 and never had a fee until today. So I’m not convinced that inbound ACH from PayPal qualifies for Chase (unless there’s a very large amount that they accept). I’m in in the process of clarifying now with Chase about what went wrong. Aside: I know I was fine when I was making inbound/outbound ACHs with Fidelity in the past.
KY L says
June 4, 2018 at 12:43 pmChase counts Venmo Cash out as DD
T says
February 10, 2018 at 12:15 pmWhat is an ACH 1 or ACH 2? If there was once an explanation, it’s missing now.
Ann says
June 30, 2018 at 11:02 pmThat just means somebody posted some number of years ago on the now-closed Fatwallet forum that an ACH transfer pushed from an unspecified-in-their-post external bank met the requirements of the bank in question. Doesn’t help you know what worked to replicate it, just says that there’s a possibility of something other than a legit employer DD working.
pops says
January 31, 2018 at 11:52 amgraph is not optimized for my s8. most people needing it will be on phones.
in reference to comment, I’m wary of trusting the banks to tell us what will work
Jena says
January 30, 2018 at 12:59 pmI called BOA, and they said Cap 360 Zelle and ACH transfers won’t trigger?
M A says
November 13, 2017 at 4:53 pmACH from Fidelity brokerage satisfied TD Bank premier checking requirement for me.
Edward says
September 21, 2017 at 9:50 amWhen you put down Capital One 360 does that mean their ACH Transfer or does that mean their zelle P2P transfer?
M. says
June 5, 2017 at 4:45 pmHi everyone.
I signed up for a new Key account to get their promotion. Now they say I did not have a DIRECT DEPOSIT, I had a transfer from my boss to my personal account they say this is not qualifying.
Can someone help what I can do by now please?
Also what is the difference between the above?
Thank you.
c. n. says
February 11, 2017 at 11:04 pmExcellent info for all the listed banks for DD! Thank You!
Teresa says
February 9, 2017 at 2:28 pmBANK OF AMERICA seem to be saying online banking transfer do not count:
Direct Deposits
A direct deposit is an electronic fund transfer that results in a credit to a checking or savings account. For some checking accounts, we reduce the monthly maintenance fee for each statement cycle during which we receive at least one qualifying direct deposit to your account. Qualifying direct deposits are electronic deposits of periodic payments – such as salary, pension, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or other regular monthly income – made into your checking account through the automated clearinghouse (ach) by your employer or other payer. Other transfers and deposits do not qualify for the reduction in the monthly maintenance fee. Non-qualifying transfers and deposits include: teller deposits, wire transfers, non-periodic direct deposits (such as tax refunds or payments for the sale of goods or services), Online Banking transfers, telephone transfers, atm transfers and deposits, and other similar transfers or deposits.
radar says
October 10, 2017 at 9:32 ami got bank of america bonus after it counted my serve transfers as dds.
SA says
January 11, 2017 at 6:21 pmDoes anyone have any recent insights on DD to Regions bank?
radar says
October 10, 2017 at 9:31 ami read capital one 360 works. i made a transfer from capital one 360, now i shall wait and see.
Nina says
September 20, 2016 at 12:15 pmAny idea how to trigger DD for Chase in September 2016?
AA says
August 13, 2016 at 5:26 amI have some more data points. Sorry, some of these are older but might still be relevant.
• Amalgamated: Serve worked (6/16/2016)
• Chase: Serve worked (6/27/2016); Discover didn’t work (6/9/2016)
• Fifth Third: Huntington ACH worked (8/28/2015)
• Huntington: ACH from my local credit union worked (8/24/2015)
• Key Bank: Discover worked (11/3/2015)
• KeyBank: Serve worked (5/16/2016)
• Santander: Discover worked (1/25/2016)
• Technology Credit Union: Santander ACH worked (5/21/2016)
Anthony Nguyen says
August 13, 2016 at 2:34 pmThanks AA for all the information.
Jeff says
January 18, 2019 at 9:17 pmAnthony
Thanks so much for your work. I’ve been told that the DD doesn’t work if it’s coming from an account with the same name ie owner. How can you meet a dd requirement from a different place if you don’t have employer.
Janice says
April 6, 2016 at 9:01 amCan someone tell me if HSBC will consider ACH push direct deposit? I’d ask in a new question rather than reply but don’t see how to start a new query.
Robert Stackhouse says
February 5, 2016 at 7:37 pmI have seen nothing on here to use pop money does this work on any bonuses?