Wells Fargo $500 Checking Bonus

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Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $500
• Availability: Nationwide
• Direct deposit required: Yes, $1,000+
• Additional requirements: None
• Hard/soft pull: Soft
• ChexSystems: Mixed reports, likely doesn’t pull
• Credit card funding: None
• Monthly fees: $15, avoidable
• Early account termination fee: None, don’t close account straight away please
• Household limit: None
• Expiration date: October 6, 2026

The Offer

Direct link to offer (can also login here to confirm offer was attached. Won’t work if you need manual approval)

• Wells Fargo is offering a $500 bonus when you open a new Everyday Checking account and complete the following requirements:
  • Receive a total of $1,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits to the new checking account within 90 calendar days from account opening (the qualification period)

The Fine Print

• To be eligible: Offer is for new consumer checking customers only and is available only to the primary owner of the new checking account. The primary account owner is the owner whose Taxpayer Identification Number, such as a Social Security Number, is assigned to the account and has tax responsibility. Offer is not available to customers that received a bonus for a Wells Fargo consumer checking account within the past 12 months, are Wells Fargo employees, or are non-resident aliens or foreign entities signing any version of IRS Form W-8. Deposit accounts that are part of the Wells Fargo Private Bank experience are not eligible for this offer. 
• To receive the $500 bonus: you must use your bonus offer code when opening a new Wells Fargo consumer checking account, which is subject to approval, by October 6, 2026 and receive $1,000 or more in qualifying electronic deposits within 90 calendar days of account opening (the “qualification period”). A qualifying electronic deposit is a deposit of funds, such as your salary, government benefit payment, or other income, that has posted to your account and is (1) a direct deposit made through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network, (2) an instant payment processed through the RTP® network (real-time payment system) or FedNow℠ Service, or (3) an electronic credit from a third-party service that facilitates payments to your debit card using the Visa® or Mastercard® network (e.g., an Original Credit Transaction). Transfers from one account to another, mobile deposits, Zelle®, or deposits made at a branch or ATM are not considered a qualifying electronic deposit. An ACH direct deposit made available early with Early Pay Day does not count toward the bonus requirements until it posts to your account and is no longer pending (e.g., scheduled payment date). 
• Once you have met all requirements, we will deposit the bonus into your new account within 30 calendar days. Your new account must stay open through the time we attempt to deposit the bonus. We may close accounts with a zero balance without prior notice. You are responsible for any taxes due on the bonus. We will report the bonus as income to tax authorities, as required by applicable law. If you are subject to backup withholding at the time of payment, we may withhold the required amount and remit to tax authorities. 
• Other Terms: This offer may be discontinued or changed at any time without notice and cannot be combined with any other consumer deposit offer (limit one bonus per customer/account). Offer cannot be reproduced, purchased, sold, transferred, or traded. If we suspect bonus or promotional offer abuse, we may close or restrict the account and decline or reverse any bonus.
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

The Everyday Checking account comes with a $15 monthly fee.  According to this comment they do not charge the fee until at least the statement that closes 64 days or later from opening. Get the fee waived with one of the following:

• $1,500 minimum daily balance.
• 5,000 or more in qualifying deposit balances, investment balances, or both
• $500 or more in total qualifying electronic deposits1
• Primary account owner is 17-24 years old2
• A linked Wells Fargo Campus ATM Card or Campus Debit Card3
• A qualifying monthly non-civilian military direct deposit with the Wells Fargo Worldwide Military Banking program4

If you have a Wells mortgage, you might be able to get a higher-level account with no fees.

Early Account Termination Fee

There is no early account termination fee.

Our Verdict

At first it seemed like you needed to have received a mailer/targeted when logged in but this link doesn’t have terms that state that and people that have checked their eligibility after sign up all show as eligible. The requirements are the same as the $400 bonus, so this is just $100 better. We will add this to our list of the best bank account bonuses.

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

• A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
• 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 Calculate And Share Your ChexSystems Datapoints
• 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

F.A.Q’s

Am I eligible?

It seems like everybody is eligible for this bonus, but standard eligibility rules apply. . You can’t be a Wells Fargo employee, have a current Wells Fargo consumer checking account or have received a bonus for opening a Wells Fargo consumer checking account within the past 12 months.

Can I get matched to this higher $500 bonus?

As far as I know Wells Fargo won’t match checking bonuses so if you recently applied for the $400 bonus you can’t upgrade to this bonus.