Update 8/20/26: $500 Bonus Extended to 12/18/26
$1K Bonus linked below is extended to 11/6/26. Hat tip to reader Kyle
Extended to August 21, 2026. Terms now state:
You must have received a personalized $500 Business Banking promotional offer letter directly from KeyBank.2. Open a new KeyBank Basic Business Checking® or KeyBank Business Reward Checking® account between 1/20/2026 and 12/18/2026 with the same business name and/or the same business address listed on your promotional offer letter.
So marking as targeted.
Update 10/4/25: Extended to January 16, 2026
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $500
- Availability: In branch only, all branches are in AK, CO, CT, ID, IN, MA, ME, MI, NY, OH, OR, PA, UT, VT, or WA
- Direct deposit required: None
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Mixed DP, most likely does. Also reports of being ChexSystems sensitive.
- Credit card funding: Can fund up to $50
- Monthly fees: $5, avoidable
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household limit: None listed
- Expiration date: October 3, 2025
The Offer
- Keybank is offering a $500 bonus when you open a new business checking account in branch and complete the following requirements:
- Schedule an appointment with a banker to open your KeyBank Basic Business Checking or Key Business Reward Checking® account by October 3, 2025
- Make the $25 minimum opening deposit and a total of $5,000 or more within 30 days. Maintain a minimum daily balance of $5,000 or more for the first 90 days.
- Your bonus will be deposited into your account within 60 days of meeting the requirements.
The Fine Print
- To receive the $500 Key Business Checking offer, open a new KeyBank Basic Business Checking® or KeyBank Business Reward Checking® account with marketing code MDN12025 by 10/3/2025.
- Accounts are subject to approval. Offer only available if the business entity (SSN/TIN) has not had a KeyBank commercial or business savings or a KeyBank commercial or business checking account during the past 12 months.
- Make a total of $5,000 or more in deposits into your new qualifying checking account within 30 days of account opening.
- You must then maintain an end-of-day balance of at least $5,000 from the date you first reach this balance in the new checking account for at least 90 consecutive days.
- If the balance deposit amount decreases below the threshold during the 90-day period, your checking account will no longer qualify for the promotion.
- Your $500 bonus will be deposited into your new KeyBank Basic Business Checking or KeyBank Business Reward Checking account within 60 days of meeting all requirements.
- The minimum opening deposit for a KeyBank Basic Business Checking or KeyBank Business Reward Checking account is $25.
- Limit one account-opening offer per qualifying account.
- Limit one account-opening offer per business entity (SSN/TIN).
- The value of your account-opening offer will be reported on Form 1099-INT.
- Account must not be closed at the time of gift payment.
- This account-opening offer is subject to cancellation without notice.
- Valid Social Security Number and/or Taxpayer Identification Number and U.S. address required to qualify for offer.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
KeyBank Basic has a $5 monthly fee this is waived if either are met:
- The Average Ledger Balance in your KeyBank Basic Business Checking account was $1,000.00 or more during the monthly statement period; or
- The total of the following was $10,000.00 or more: 1) the combined cycle-to-date Average Ledger Balance in any combination of business checking (excluding certain business accounts opened for the benefit of others), business savings, and business certificates of deposit accounts within two business days prior to your KeyBank Basic Business Checking account statement cycle date; and/or 2) the outstanding balance of all commercial loans and lines of credit including your Business Cash Reserve credit account(s) (excluding balances past due 60 days or more) as of no more than five business days prior to your KeyBank Basic Business Checking account statement cycle date.
Early Account Termination Fee
Our Verdict
Think this is the first business bonus we have seen from KeyBank, they do have a $300 personal checking bonus. Will add this to our list of the best business checking bonuses, please share your experiences in the comments below.
Hat tip to ShawntheShawn
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
- PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
- Introduction To ChexSystems
- Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
- What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull ChexSystems?
- How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
- Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
- How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
- Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
- Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank
- Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
- Bank Bonus Posting Times








This bank takes too much time to pay and have to go to bank for $500 bonus. I like banks that pay fast.
William Charles $500 Bonus Extended to 12/18/26 $1K Bonus linked below is extended to 11/6/26
I didn’t get the biz bonus… that account got shut down by the back office 😒
It’s completely YMMV I feel. If you remember Pickle Rick got his bonuses for personal as well as business I guess. It’s some of the states and their branches maybe having this vigilante disease where they check and flag OOS accounts.
Super Pirate formerly SP Were you notified of the closure when this happened, or were you just unable to log in one day? I am planning to try for the $1,000 bonus ( https://www.key.com/small-business/promo/bb-1000-offer.html ) for a family member at a branch in MI that said it was willing to open for OOS businesses. The family member’s business is in IL, but IN branches absolutely refuse to help, so trying MI. But now I am concerned that the account may get shut down. I guess one does not have to fund for 30 days, so we can wait 3.x weeks to see what happens before depositing the big bucks. Anyway, it’s weird how much this varies geographically. I had no issue at all opening in Denver for a CA-based business.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/complete-list-of-ways-to-close-bank-accounts-at-each-bank/#KeyBank
To be clear, the targeted $500 bonus is still around as well — but this is a better option.
William Charles Bonus is up to $1,000 for $25k deposited for 90 days, and no longer targeted, so definitely worth reposting. Expires 7/24/26. Link in Jack’s post above. ETA: apparently it’s been up to $1,000 since April, and we all missed it: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/ak-co-ct-id-in-ma-me-mi-ny-oh-or-pa-ut-vt-or-wa-in-branch-keybank-500-business-checking-bonus/#comment-2310033
https://www.key.com/small-business/promo/bb-1000-offer.html
Also my variation only needs $2500, not $500
Received the mailer today, I think if you have an LLC registered (even in a different state) then try applying online for personal with chex frozen, it may trigger a mailer. Hoping they’ll let me apply with my sole prop instead, as my LLC was formed in another state and I was going to just let it lapse.
01/09 Opened in branch as sole prop with $25 02/02 Pulled $4,975 from Fidelity CMA 05/07 Pushed $4,000 to Fidelity CMA 05/11 $500 bonus posted
Anyway to close this online or have to call? Possibly have to visit branch?
03/25: Opened with $100 deposit in branch 04/28: P ush $5001 from Sofi personal checking 05/11: $500 bonus post
1/05: Opened with $25 in branch 1/28: $5k balance 1/30: $5 service fee and refund 4/29: Withdrew to $1k 5/11: $500 gift from Key Bank for Recent Offer
You’re on the wrong page. This is for the biz bonus. But to answer your question, no.
Does a customer with an existing Hassle-Free account qualify for this offer, upon opening a Smart Checking or higher product?
I called a couple of branches and they had an in branch offer for a 1k bonus if you have 25k in the account for 90 days and it expires July 24th. I have not opened the account so I do not have any other information other than that. No links or pictures of the offer. Neither branch mentioned anything about the offer being targeted.
I wasn’t able to sign up online (can’t verify identity) when I don’t have that problem on almost all cards. I went in to a branch, got signed up but he couldn’t add the code for the bonus and sent in a ticket to support. After more than a week and a half and a couple of calls to check status to the branch guy that signed me up, he finally called me and said he got the bonus code attached to my account. I checked the android app and it now said I just needed to deposit $60k over 12 months (not $5k deposits over first 30 days) in order to get the bonus and it doesn’t say what that bonus amount is. $5k in 30 days could also be equivalent to $60 over 12 months so maybe that’s just how the app words it? I called the guy back, he assured me that the right code was put in and to basically not to worry about it. He gave me his email address after I asked to send screenshots (since he didn’t understand why I was seeing that in the app), but his email address bounced (and so did several others that I tried just in case I had it wrong). I don’t know if I want to deposit the required $5k for the bonus while the app says it needs to be $60k of deposits over 12 months for the bonus. Anyone else seen anything similar?
This is the biz checking promo page.
No, for personal checking. Bbb
Is that for business account?
I can’t tell you what banks will do because I have no idea what their approval criteria are. All I can say is that for EWS banks I keep accounts open for 6+ months, I maintain savings accounts where it’s reasonable, and anecdotally I’ve never been declined for EWS.
So safest route is just closing the accounts at 6 months no? At least for the first few churns? I imagine what you are saying applies once you start hitting numbers where the banks will decline you. Wondering as I just did my first wave of churns with multiple institutions and was just gonna close out the accounts.
To be clear, I’m not recommending anything. I’m just saying what I do. Each bank/account has its own intricacies and you have to decide what works for your own situation. However, it most common for checking promos to exclude current checking account holders, and savings promos current savings account holders. You need to do your own research and form your own plan, and know that promo terms can always change.
1/9/26 – Account opened online 1/14/26 – Funded with mobile deposit 1/15/26 – $2000 push from Coinbase 1/28/26 – $2000 push from Coinbase 2/25/26 – $1100 push from Coinbase 3/9/26 – $500 bonus posted, description “Gift From Key Bank For Recent Offer” 4/17/26 – Downgraded account to Smart Checking Applied without Chex frozen, no inquiry. Applied on Chrome normally and had no verification issues.
Wait so you recommend keeping an open savings account at each of the big EWS banks? Wouldn’t that affect churns since banks have the “customer could not have owned any accounts for past 12 months” or related language? Pickle Rick🔗
That depends on your state. If your sole prop is operated under your own name and SSN as opposed to a DBA, it avoids other paperwork in PA or OH, which are the states I’m familiar with. In that case, ID and SSN are the only things you need. Just keep in mind the banker will ask you a variety of questions regarding what you sell, expected income, when it was formed, etc.
what business documents are required for Sole Prop? Except ID and SSN If we have very small/nigligible ebay sells
3/30 $500 Bonus received. 3/20 DD $1700 3/6 DD $1700 2/20 DD $1700 2/07 Opened