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Citibank has a $475 bonus for opening a new Checking and Savings account if you complete some additional activities. If that link doesn’t work, there is also this $325 bonus link for a new Checking only Current offer expiration date is January 11, 2027.

You must open the accounts through the offer page, and you can’t have owned a Citi checking account in the last 365 days. Within 45 days of opening the Regular Checking account, you need at least two “Enhanced Direct Deposits” totaling $3,000 or more. You must also open a Citi Savings account within 45 days, and keep a balance of at least $5,000 in it every day from day 46 through day 90.

“Enhanced Direct Deposit” is much more inclusive than a normal paycheck deposit. It specifically includes ACH transfers and payments received from another financial institution and payments from Zelle® and other payment apps like Venmo or PayPal when processed as ACH transfers. Basically, this promo does not need a direct deposit as long as you can move some money around via ACH transfer.

There is a checking-only version of this promotion pays $325 for the same $3,000 in deposits. So the savings part is worth an extra $150 for keeping $5,000 parked for about six weeks. That’s 3% over roughly 45 days, which annualizes to 24%. So it’s worth going for it if you have the cash.

Regular Checking has a $15 monthly fee, waived with $250+ in Enhanced Direct Deposits each month ($1,000+ starting January 1, 2027.) Citi Savings has $4.50 monthly fee, waived with a Citi Checking account or with a $500+ Average Monthly Balance.

Updated. CIT Bank has a limited-time Platinum Savings APY Boost Promotion, offering a boosted interest rate of 4.35% APY for 6 months on their Platinum Saving account that is 0.60% APY above the standard APY (currently 3.75% APY) for balances of $5,000 and above. Thankfully, this offer is available to both new and selected existing customers that activate the promotion.

New customers will need to sign up for a new CIT Bank Platinum Savings account using the promo code BOOST60 to qualify. There is a $100 minimum balance required to open, and you will need a $5,000 minimum balance to get the higher interest rate on this tiered account. There are no monthly service fees.

Existing customers with a Platinum Savings account opened prior to the promotion must enroll via the enrollment web page using promo code BOOST60. You will not get the 6-month boost automatically. From the fine print:

CIT Bank Customers with an account prior to the promotion: This Platinum Savings APY Boost promotion is valid for a Primary account owner with an existing account with a CIT Bank User ID before the start of the promotion, provided that the following requirements are met:

– Customers without a Platinum Savings account open prior to the Promotion must open a new Platinum Savings account via the enrollment web page using Promo Code BOOST60.
– Customers with a Platinum Savings account opened prior to the promotion may enroll their current Platinum Savings account into the Platinum Savings Boost promotion via the enrollment web page using Promo Code BOOST60.
– Customers who are not the Primary account owner on a Platinum Savings account may open a new Platinum Savings account as the primary account owner via the enrollment web page using Promo Code BOOST60.
– Accounts opened or enrolled during the program period without the Promo Code are ineligible to receive the APY boost.
– There is a limit of one Platinum Savings APY Boost promotional offer per account and per Primary customer. If multiple Platinum Savings accounts are opened, only one account per primary account owner is eligible.

Note that the terms also add the following:

Customers are ineligible to participate in the Platinum Savings APY Boost promotion if:

– They are earning an APY over the standard rate.
– They participated in a cash bonus promotion in the past 6 months.

Still, I am appreciative that some existing customers are again eligible for this promotion, as most other banks will only allow new customers to participate.

Note that if the base rate on the Platinum Savings account changes, during the promo you will maintain a 0.60% APY interest rate boost above the standard interest rate.

1APY disclosure for Platinum Savings:

Platinum Savings is a tiered interest rate account. Interest is paid on the entire account balance based on the interest rate and APY in effect that day for the balance tier associated with the end-of-day account balance. *APYs — Annual Percentage Yields are accurate as of July 1, 2026: 0.25% APY on balances of $0.01 to $4,999.99; 3.75% APY on balances of $5,000.00 or more. Interest Rates for the Platinum Savings account are variable and may change at any time without notice. The minimum to open a Platinum Savings account is $100. Fees could reduce earnings on the account.

2 Discloser on multipliers:

Based on comparison to the national average Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on savings accounts as published in the FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps, accurate as of October 23, 2026.

* Platinum Savings APY Boost Promotion Terms and Conditions

This is a limited time offer available to New and Existing customers who meet the Platinum Savings APY Boost promotion criteria.

Accounts enrolled in the Platinum Savings Annual Percentage Yield (APY) Boost promotion will receive a 0.60% APY boost on the Platinum Savings current standard APY tiers for 6 months following the opening of a new account or when an existing Platinum Savings account is enrolled in the promotion. The Platinum Savings APY boost will be applied on account balances up to $9,999,999.00. Account balances above $9,999,999.00 will earn the standard APY. If the standard-published APY should change during the promotion period, the APY boost will move with it, offering an account APY above the standard rate.

The Promotion begins on November 3, 2026, and ends December 15, 2026. Customers enrolled in the promotion prior to the end date will receive the APY boost for the 6-month period outlined in the terms and conditions.

The promotion can end at any time without notice.

For complete list of account details and fees, see the CIT Bank Personal Account disclosures.

Bank of America has a up to $500 checking account promotion depending on the total direct deposit within the first 90 days.

You must open a new eligible checking account through the offer page by January 31, 2027, then have qualifying direct deposits land in it within 90 days of opening. The bonus is based on the total of those deposits. Three accounts are eligible: Advantage SafeBalance, Advantage Plus, and Advantage Relationship Banking. You can’t have had open BofA personal checking accounts within the last 12 months.

The Advantage Plus monthly fee can be waived either with minimum daily balance of $1,500 or more, or if you have at least 1 qualifying direct deposit of $250 or more made to your account per month.

$10,000 over 90 days is $3,333 a month, so if your net pay is around that or higher, you’d reach the top tier just by switching your deposit. I would not keep a high balance in BofA checking as the account pays no interest.

These days, most payroll systems will let you change your direct deposit bank online with no physical paperwork. There are alternative ways to “simulate” a direct deposit with other ACH transfers, but I simply always try to have my real direct deposit earning some sort of bonus at some bank, fintech, or credit union. Megabanks love paying zero interest, but that often makes these bonuses bigger to attract new customers.

November 2026 Update. Savings I Bonds bought from November 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027 will have a fixed rate of 1.40% and an inflation rate of 4.08% (annualized), for a total composite rate of 5.51% for the first 6 months. Folks have noted this is the highest fixed rate in a long time, but I must point out that TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities) are currently yielding a significantly higher real yield at a wide choice of maturities.

Every existing I Bond will earn this new inflation rate of 4.08% eventually for 6 months, starting whenever your bond hits its next six-month reset. You will need to add your own fixed rate that was set based on the initial purchase month. You can look up your own fixed rate here. Your bond rate = your specific fixed rate (based on purchase month) + variable rate (total bond rate has a minimum floor of 0%).

Savings I Bonds are a unique, low-risk investment backed by the US Treasury that pay out a variable interest rate linked to inflation. With a holding period from 12 months to 30 years, you could own them as an alternative to bank certificates of deposit (they are liquid after 12 months) or bonds in your portfolio.

Tips on purchase and redemption. You can’t redeem until after 12 months of ownership, and any redemptions within 5 years incur an interest penalty of the last 3 months of interest. A simple “trick” with I-Bonds is that if you buy at the end of the month, you’ll still get all the interest for the entire month – same as if you bought it in the beginning of the month. It’s best to give yourself a few business days of buffer time. If you miss the cutoff, your effective purchase date will be bumped into the next month. (You should always sell at the very beginning of the month.)

Unique features and benefits! There are definitely reasons to own Series I Savings Bonds, including inflation protection, tax deferral, exemption from state income taxes, and potential tax benefits if used toward qualified educational expenses.

Unique drawbacks! You can only buy new savings bonds through TreasuryDirect.gov, which is limited in its customer service resources and features. There is also no option for paper tax forms nor statements (or even online monthly statements), so your heirs may never know they exist! If they do find it, it may take them several months and a lot of effort to close out all the estate paperwork. If you forget your password, it may take weeks or longer to unlock your account.

If you become a victim to theft or fraudulent activity, they will not replace any lost or stolen savings bonds. They explicitly accept no liability:

§ 363.17 Who is liable if someone else accesses my TreasuryDirect ® account using my password?

You are solely responsible for the confidentiality and use of your account number, password, and any other form(s) of authentication we may require. We will treat any transactions conducted using your password as having been authorized by you. We are not liable for any loss, liability, cost, or expense that you may incur as a result of transactions made using your password.

The juice may not be worth the squeeze when you can own individual Treasury bonds or TIPS within any full-service brokerage account. It’s sad that they’ve basically let this investment decay away due to neglect.

I also used to believe that the government would not tamper or attempt to politically influence these BLS CPI statistics that are at the core of many important functions, including Social Security inflation adjustments, TIPS, and these Savings Bonds. Now I’m not so sure. I found this guest article from TIPSWatch to offer some perspective: A historical look at political influence over the BLS.

Personally, I sold all my savings bonds in 2024 and do not plan to buy any more. I’m older now and I feel the small potential benefit just doesn’t outweigh the small possibility that I could lose the entire amount due to estate-handling mistakes or online hack. I’d rather own TIPS and US Treasuries directly in a full-service brokerage account. As a long-term holder, I have been able to lock in between 2.5% to 3.5% (!) real yield with longer term TIPS bonds.

Annual purchase limits. The annual purchase limit is now $10,000 in online I-bonds per Social Security Number. For a couple, that’s $20,000 per year. You can only buy online at TreasuryDirect.gov, after making sure you’re okay with their poor service. (No more tax refund savings bonds.) Technically, the purchase limits are per Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number. For those looking for another way to expand their purchasing power, that means you can also buy for a child, grandchild, LLC, or a trust.

Bottom line. Savings I bonds are a unique, low-risk investment that are linked to inflation and only available to individual investors. You can now only purchase them online at TreasuryDirect.gov. They have both unique benefits and drawbacks. For more background, see the rest of my posts on savings bonds.

[Image: US Savings Bond advertisement – source]

Shopping cashback portal Rakuten is offering a new account bonus the Synchrony Bank High Yield Savings Account, which has no minimum balance and currently pays a relatively competitive (but not top) rate of 3.75% APY.

The bonus may fluctuate as with all their payout rates, but right now it is a $100 bonus with relatively easy requirements. You just need to deposit $1,000+ of new money within 55 calendar days of opening the account. No minimum hold period is listed. Notably, it also does not have to be a payroll direct deposit. The Rakuten page says it takes “a few months” for the bonus to post. You could technically take your money out immediately, or even leave your money in there until it posts and the effective APY would still be in the neighborhood of 40% APY. Synchrony Bank also offers competitive CDs rates from time to time, so you might actually use the account later.

New to Rakuten? If you don’t have an account yet, you can open a new Rakuten account through my referral link for an extra $50 bonus after you spend your first $50 through the portal. You could make a purchase from eBay or select categories of merchants like Target or Sam’s Club.

Fine print:

Cash Back is only available for new Synchrony Bank accountholders who do not have any active Synchrony Bank deposit accounts and all funds deposited must come from an external source and not from any funds currently on deposit at Synchrony Bank. Rakuten member must click and apply directly through the Rakuten link, open a new Synchrony Bank High Yield Savings account and fund the account with a minimum of $1,000.00 within 55 calendar days of opening the account to qualify. Cash Back reward is limited to one per Rakuten member. Synchrony Bank account will be reviewed to determine eligibility for Cash Back. Account application is subject to approval by Synchrony Bank. Synchrony Bank reserves the right to discontinue or modify the terms of the Synchrony Bank High Yield Savings account promo at any time without prior notice.