Regions Bank $400 Checking Bonus + $50 – AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, SC, TN & TX

Update 2/16/26: Deal is back until December 31, 2026. Hat tip to reader Chan

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $300
• Availability: AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, SC, TN & TX
• Direct deposit required: Yes, or ACH deposit $1,000+ 
• Hard/soft pull: Soft
• ChexSystems: Unknown
• Credit card funding: Up to $125 (and another $125 when you open a free savings account). Only Visa accepted.
• Monthly fees: $11, waive-able
• Early account termination fee: $25 if closed within 180 days
• Household limit: None mentioned
• Expiration date: May 1, 2025

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Regions Bank is offering a $400 bonus when you open a new LifeGreen Preferred Checking account and complete the following requirements:
  • Register by December 31, 2026
  • Open a new personal LifeGreen Checking account by January 31, 2027.
  • Enroll in Online Banking4 within 90 days of opening your account.
  • Make $1,000 or more of qualifying ACH direct deposits to your new LifeGreen Checking account that must post within 90 days of account opening

The Fine Print

• Persons who had a personal Regions checking account within one year prior to new account opening are ineligible for this offe
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

Update: LifeGreen Preferred is no longer needed. LifeGreen checking has an $8 monthly fee with eStatements or $11 without. Waived with the following:

• Direct deposit of at least $500 or combined direct deposits of at least $1,000 per statement period

LifeGreen Preferred Checking has a $18 monthly fee. This is waived if you do any of the following:

• Avoid the monthly checking account fee by doing one of the following:
  Maintain a $5,000 average monthly statement balance in your LifeGreen Preferred Checking account. OR
• Have $25,000 in combined minimum deposit balances from all your Regions checking, savings, money markets, CDs and IRAs. OR
• Have $25,000 in combined minimum outstanding loan balances from your Regions personal installment loans, lines of credit, equity lines of credit, equity loans, direct loans and credit cards in good standing. OR
• Have certain qualifying first-lien home mortgage loans in good standing

Early Account Termination Fee

There is an early account closure fee of $25 if you close your account within 180 days of account opening.

Referral Bonus $50

There is also a referral bonus you can receive in addition to this $400 bonus (bringing the total to $450). This has worked in the past, but it is no guarantee to work this time around. Do not share your referrals in the comments below, they can be found and shared here.

Our Verdict

This is better than the standard $300 bonus that is available, downside is that it requires an account that is more difficult to keep fee free. If you’ve got the $5,000 to keep this fee free most people will prefer the extra $100 (although it’s borderline compared to just keeping that in a 5% account). We will add this to our list of the best checking bonuses.

Hat tip to Laura

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