The Best New Checking Account Sign-Up Bonuses For 2019

Most people sign up for a new bank account in their early 20's, or after a big life event such as getting married, and never look back - keeping the same checking and savings accounts for the rest of their lives. While this may be comfortable and one less thing for that person to worry about, they are missing out on tons of opportunities for free money! With just a little time and effort, you can take advantage of the heated competition banks constantly engage in for new customers and earn some extra dollars by switching every 6-12 months.

Since most people are loyal to one bank their entire lives, banks are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars just to acquire a new customer. Similar to how job-hopping can often lead to a higher salaries for employees, bank-hopping can lead to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in free money over just a few years. We did the research for you and found these amazing sign-up bonuses you can take advantage of right away!

Top 2019 Checking Account Bonuses

Not all banks offer bonuses just for signing up and making your first deposit. Make sure you shop around and do your research online before committing to anything. Oftentimes online banks such as Ally and Discover will offer the highest sign-up bonuses because they have no brick and mortar building expenses and can afford to pay more for new customers. So always start there when you're checking to see what's available.

Here are a few of the easier sign-up bonuses to acquire for those who have a little bit of extra cash to move around between banks:

Discover Cashback Checking (Up To $360 Yearly)

This is one of the easiest bonuses to get that we have ever seen. All you have to do is open the account, deposit any amount, and start using your debit card to make daily purchases. You can get 1% cash back on up to $3,000 of purchases each month ($36,000 per year) and the amount goes right into your checking account. No strings attached, no gimmicks. Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of this one?!

Chase Total Checking ($200)

This is another one of the easiest sign-up bonuses you can come across. As you can see, banks are willing to dish out good money if you just spend a little time researching and signing up. For Chase's Total Checking offer, all you have to do is open a new account, deposit $25 and set up a direct deposit with 60 days. Then $200 will appear in your account within 10 business days and you're good to go!

Citibank Checking/Savings Account Package ($500)

Citibank offers one of the highest sign-up bonuses you can find for a checking account right now. Citibank is offering $500 for anyone who signs up for their checking/savings account package and meets the financial requirements. In order to earn the first $400, you have open the checking/savings account package and deposit $15,000 within with the first 30 days. If you leave the money in there for 60 days AND complete a direct deposit on one of the accounts in two consecutive months, they will credit your account with an additional $100, for a total of $500 in sign-up bonuses.

As you can see, banks often want to see cash come along with your new account opening, even if it's just a little bit or just for a short time. If you have some extra dollars to move around every 6 months or so, you can easily make hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars every year. Make sure to read all the fine print when signing up for these bonuses, since banks don't want to give away the money if they don't have to. Now that you know what to do, shopping around and take advantage today!

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