If you've been looking for a reason to switch checking accounts, American Express is sweetening the deal.
For a limited time only, new Amex Rewards Checking customers can score a pretty good welcome bonus: Earn $300 after opening an account by July 30, 2026, and receiving a total of $7,500 or more in qualifying direct deposits within the first 90 days. You can't have previously held an Amex Rewards Checking account, and the $300 will be deposited within up to eight to 12 weeks of satisfying the requirements.
Here's more on the Amex Rewards Checking.
American Express® Rewards Checking Account
Monthly maintenance fee
$0
Minimum deposit to open
$0
Minimum balance
Min balance to open = $0
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
1.00% as of 06/24/2024
Free ATM network
37,000+ MoneyPass® ATMs
ATM fee reimbursement
None
Overdraft fee
N/A
Mobile check deposit
Yes
Terms apply.
Click here to view terms and conditions.
Pros
- Free ATM network
- No monthly fees
- ATM fee reimbursement
- No minimum deposit to open an account
- No overdraft fees
- Can transfer rewards
Cons
- Only available for existing Amex cardholders who've had a card account open for at least three months
What else Amex Rewards Checking offers
Beyond its welcome offer, the Amex Rewards Checking is also a no-fee account. There's no fee to open an account, no monthly fees and no minimum balance requirements.
Checking account holders earn 1.00% APY, which is actually a pretty good return for a checking account; the national average is just 0.07% APY, for comparison.
The Amex Rewards Checking account is available only to consumers who have had an Amex credit card, savings account or CD for at least five days.
Offers in this section are from affiliate partners and selected based on a combination of engagement, product relevance, compensation, and consistent availability.
3.00% APY as of 7/9/2026
Min balance to open = $0
1.00% APY as of 06/24/2024
Min balance to open = $0
With this checking account, you'll earn 1 Membership Rewards® point for every $2 of eligible purchases on your debit car, with no cap on how many points you can earn. Usually, checking accounts don't come with spending rewards like that. If you have an Amex credit card that earns Membership Rewards, you can link to your debit card so that all points earned on both accumulate together.
The Amex Rewards Checking debit card offers zero liability fraud protection for unauthorized charges, as well as purchase protection. Purchase protection is seen as more of a credit card feature where purchases made with your card are protected from accidental damage or theft up to a certain amount of days.
You can make unlimited, fee-free ATM withdrawals with your Amex Rewards debit card at over 70,000 Allpoint® and MoneyPass® ATM locations nationwide.
More checking account bonuses
If you already have the Amex Rewards Checking, here are some other bonuses worth checking out (no pun intended):
The SoFi Checking and Savings* account offers $50 if you receive between $1,000 and $4,999 in direct deposits within the bonus period, or $400 if you receive $5,000 or more. Meanwhile, the Capital One 360 Checking account is offering a $250 cash bonus when you open a new account and receive two direct deposits of $500 or more each within 75 days of opening.
Offers in this section are from affiliate partners and selected based on a combination of engagement, product relevance, compensation, and consistent availability.
Sign-up bonus of $50 or $400
No account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings.
*Click here for important disclaimers and disclosures.
SoFi Bank, N.A. is a Member FDIC.
Earn $250 with code CHECKING250 and complete the required steps. Terms apply.
No account, service or maintenance fees.
*Click here for important disclaimers and disclosures.
Capital One Bank is a Member FDIC.
And, for a limited time, new Chase Total Checking® account holders can get a $400 bonus when making at least $1,000 in direct deposits within the first 90 days.
- No minimum deposit to open an account
- Access to over 4,700 branches and 15,000+ ATMs nationwide
- Monthly service fee can be waived by meeting direct deposit or minimum balance requirements.
- Overdraft assistance available
- No APY
- $34 overdraft fee
- No reimbursement for out-of-network ATM fees
How to avoid the monthly fee:
- Electronic deposits made into this account totaling $500 or more,
- or a balance at the beginning of each day of $1,500 or more in this account
- or an average beginning day balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of this account and linked qualifying Chase checking, savings and other balances
Information about Chase Total Checking® has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
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At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed financial decisions. Every banking article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of checking and savings accounts. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
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*New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received within 25 calendar days of your first Eligible Direct Deposit of $1 or more) OR $400 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received within 25 calendar days of your first Eligible Direct Deposit of $1 or more). Cash bonus amount will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit received within 25 calendar days of your first Eligible Direct Deposit of $1 or more. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 5/15/2026 and will be available through 12/31/26. See full bonus and annual percentage yield (APY) terms at sofi.com/banking/checking-offer/SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.
