Capital One 360 Checking Referral Bonus - Step By Step Guide

Capital One is offering new customers a $300 checking account bonus when you open a new Capital One 360 Checking account and complete the following:

Use a referral link to open a new Capital One 360 Checking Account (here’s my referral link if you’d like to support the blog).
Set up and receive at least 2 qualifying direct deposits, each of $500 or more, within 75 days of account opening.

If you’ve been looking for a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, this is one of the better offers available right now because the requirements are relatively straightforward and the account itself has no monthly fees (which makes it an easy account to manage).

In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to earn the Capital One 360 Checking referral bonus and cover the key things you should know before opening your account.

Capital One 360 Checking Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide

At the moment, Capital One is offering a $300 bonus when you open a new 360 Checking account using a referral link and complete the qualifying requirements. Here’s the step-by-step process to earn the bonus.

1. Open A New Capital One 360 Checking Account Using A Referral Link

Your first step is to open a new Capital One 360 Checking account using a referral link. Here’s my Capital One 360 referral link if you’d like to support this blog.

When you open your account with this link, you’ll be directed to a page that shows it’s a referral page and that you’ll earn $300 after completing qualifying activities.

The page will also have all the requirements you’ll need to meet to earn the bonus, so you’ll want to make sure to write the requirements down or screenshot the page. I usually set up a checklist in Evernote with all the requirements, which I cut and paste directly from the bank’s website. I then check off each requirement as I meet it. If you’re doing a lot of bank bonuses, I highly recommend having checklists like this so you can stay organized and know what you need to do.

2. Receive Two Qualifying Direct Deposits of $500 Or More

After opening your account, you’ll need to receive at least two qualifying direct deposits of $500 or more each within 75 days of opening the account.

Capital One defines qualifying direct deposits as recurring deposits, such as:

Payroll deposits
Pension payments
Government benefit payments
Other eligible ACH deposits from an employer or outside institution

The most direct way to complete this requirement is to temporarily update your payroll direct deposit at work. If your employer lets you split direct deposits, you can direct a portion of your paycheck into the Capital One account until you meet the bonus requirements.

For most people, though, changing your payroll direct deposit won’t be easy or might not be possible. In that situation, you’ll need to find a way to trigger the direct deposit requirement using a “fake” direct deposit. Based on recent datapoints, it appears that an ACH push from many banks will trigger the direct deposit requirements. Based on a cursory search, it looks like ACH pushes from banks like SoFi, Chase, and Ally have worked to trigger the bonus. Pushes from brokerage accounts like Fidelity also seem to work. My recommendation is to do multiple $500 ACH pushes from various banks to make sure that one of them works and triggers the bonus.

3. Wait For The Bonus To Post

Once you complete the direct deposit requirements, Capital One says the $300 bonus should be deposited into your account within about 60 days after the second qualifying direct deposit posts.

In many cases, people report receiving the bonus sooner than that, but I’d still plan around the official timeline. Basically, your bonus should post within about 2 months. Note that since it takes a while for the bonus to post, if you’re doing a “fake” direct deposit, it’s a good idea to do multiple ACH pushes from different banks if you can, just to make sure that whatever you do triggers the direct deposit requirement.

Important Things To Know

Before opening the account, there are a few important details worth paying attention to.

You Must Use The Referral Link

This bonus is specifically tied to the referral offer, so make sure you open the account through the correct referral page and verify that the promo code appears during signup. If you use a referral link, you’ll know since the page will say that you got referred by a friend.

Direct Deposits Need To Qualify

Not all transfers count as direct deposits, so if you’re doing an ACH push from an external bank account, either confirm that others have made it work with that bank account or do multiple ACH pushes from different banks to cover your bases.

The Offer Can Change At Any Time

Like most bank bonuses, Capital One reserves the right to modify or end the offer whenever they want. Because of that, it’s usually best not to wait too long if you’re already considering opening the account.

Is The Capital One 360 Checking Account Worth It?

Even beyond the bonus, I think the Capital One 360 Checking account is a solid checking account. The big thing is that it has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements, so it’s an easy account to manage.

I also like that Capital One has physical café and branch locations in some areas, which gives it a bit more flexibility than fully online-only banks.

Final Thoughts

The Capital One 360 Checking referral bonus is one of the easier bank bonuses available right now. As long as you can complete the two qualifying direct deposits, earning the $300 bonus is pretty straightforward.

What makes this offer especially nice is that the account itself is useful and easy to manage. Since there are no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements, it’s an easy account to keep around even after earning the bonus.

If you feel like supporting this blog, you can open an account using my referral link. Let me know if you have any questions.

This post may contain affiliate links.

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:

Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

M1 Finance ($75) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $75 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
US Bank Business ($400/$1200) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $400/$1200 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $75 for opening an account.
Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.

Feel free to send Kevin a message here.