Every once in a while, I run across a bank bonus that I think everyone should get in on if they can, especially because the requirements to earn the bonus are so easy. In this case, I stumbled on a bank bonus from U.S. Bank for their “Smartly” Checking Account. If you’re eligible and able to meet the requirements for this bonus, I highly recommend going for it.
The requirements for the U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account are as follows:
- Open a new U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account with a minimum deposit of $25 by June 26, 2025.
- Enroll in the U.S. Bank Mobile App or online banking within 90 days of opening your account.
- Complete two or more direct deposits within 90 days of opening your account that total $8,000 or more to earn the $450 bonus.
What makes this bonus particularly good is that the direct deposit requirement isn’t hard to meet and based on my experience, most normal bank transfers will trigger the bonus.
In this post, we’ll go over exactly what you need to do to earn the U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account bonus, as well as how to avoid fees and what to do with the account after you earn your bonus.
U.S. Bank Smartly Checking Account Bonus – Step-By-Step Directions
Here is exactly what you need to do to earn this bonus:
1. Open a U.S. Bank Smartly Checking Account by June 26, 2025. The first thing you’ll need to do is to open a U.S. Bank Smartly Checking Account. You can do so at this link (not an affiliate link). There is a promo code that you have to enter with your application, but if you open your account using the link above, it’ll automatically include the promo code when you fill out the application.
Opening the account is straightforward and should only take you a few minutes. Note that the account requires a $25 minimum opening deposit. However, U.S. Bank allows you to fund the account with up to $250 using a credit card, so I recommend doing that if you can. I funded my account with $250 on an American Express Business Platinum card that I had recently opened for the signup bonus.
2. Enroll in the U.S. Bank Mobile App or Online Banking Within 90 days of Opening Your Account. This requirement is self-explanatory and you’ll need to do it anyway, but make sure to set up your online account. I have my account set up on both the U.S. Bank app, as well as the website.
3. Complete Two or More Direct Deposits Within 90 Days of Opening Your Account That Total $8,000 or More. The most important step is to complete at least two direct deposits within 90 days of opening your account. The direct deposits need to total $8,000 or more.
There are two things about this direct deposit requirement that make it easy to meet. First, the direct deposit requirement doesn’t require a “real” payroll direct deposit. Instead, pretty much any ACH transfer into your U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account will trigger the direct deposit requirement. I did an ACH transfer from one of my Ally savings accounts into my U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account, which worked to trigger the bonus. Just remember to initiate the transfer from your external bank account, rather than from U.S. Bank.
Second, the $8,000 is a cumulative deposit requirement, which makes it a lot easier to meet if you don’t have a lot of extra cash to use. What this means is you can do multiple deposits of smaller amounts until you hit that $8,000 requirement. You can also deposit, withdraw, and redeposit the same money over and over, so even with a small amount of cash, it’s possible to meet the requirements for this bonus. When I did the bonus, I did two ACH transfers from my Ally account of $4,001 each. I had enough money on hand that I didn’t need to redeposit the same money, but I could have if I wanted to.
When You’ll Receive Your Bonus
The great thing about the U.S Bank Smartly Checking account bonus is that the bonus posts a day or two after you meet the requirements. This means if you aren’t doing a “real” payroll direct deposit, you’ll at least know if your ACH transfer triggered the direct deposit requirement soon after you complete it.
In the below screenshot, you can see that I initially funded my account with $250 using a credit card. I then linked my Ally account. To verify ownership of the account, Ally made two small deposits that I had to confirm in my Ally account. Interestingly enough, those two small verifying deposits counted towards the $8,000 total direct deposit requirement and counted as two separate direct deposits. You can also see that after making my two direct deposits of $4,001 each, the bonus was posted to my account just two days later.
U.S. Bank also has a progress tracker so you can keep track of every step of getting your bonus. This is a great way to make sure you’re not forgetting anything.
What To Do After You Earn Your Bonus
There are a few things to note about the U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account. First, it has a monthly fee of $12 that is waived if you have a direct deposit of $1,500 or more each month or maintain a minimum balance of $1,500 or more (it looks like it used to be $6.95 per month and a $1,000 direct deposit to waive the monthly fee, but this was changed to the higher $12 and $1,500 per month).
Second, there is no minimum time you need to keep the account open after you earn your bonus, so technically, you could close your account immediately after getting your bonus. That being said, my advice is to not close the account right away, as it’s generally better practice to keep accounts open for at least a few months before closing so as not to make the bank angry.
Since the fee is easily waived with an ACH transfer of $1,500 each month, I recommend doing that for a few months before closing the account. For my U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account, I’ve set it up so that at the beginning of each month, I transfer $1,500 from my Ally account to my U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account. A week later, that $1,500 is automatically withdrawn back to my Ally account. I’ll do this for a few months before I close the account.
Final Thoughts
The U.S. Bank Smartly Checking account is a very easy bonus that most people should be able to get. The main reason it’s so easy is that the direct deposit can be met with an external ACH transfer from most bank accounts. The deposits can also be cumulative, so you don’t need a large amount of money to get the bonus. Finally, the bonus posts quickly, and U.S. Bank even has a progress tracker that you can use to make sure you’ve met all the requirements. The fact it’s so easy to do means this is a bonus everyone should go for.
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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 ($100) – 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 $100 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.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- 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.
- Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- 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.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union 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 ($900) – 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.
- GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- 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 $900 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 $100 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.
Hi Financial Panther – I have a question. Do you know if the “direct deposit” would work by transferring funds using an account from a credit union? I’d hate to go through all the steps then to realize the transfer won’t work as a “direct deposit”. Thank you!
There’s no way to know except to try unfortunately. If you look in the comments on Doctor of Credit, you’ll see people listing data points of what worked for them. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/u-s-bank-450-100-checking-bonus/#comments