BMO Bank Promotions: $300 Checking Cash Bonus

Hereโ€™s all the details about the latest BMO Bank promotions; how to qualify, what are the best bonuses available and the offer requirements, when do the promos expire, and more!

BMO Bank is based in Chicago and is the 15th largest bank in the United States. It has over 900 branches located in 22 states, with most branches in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Arizona.

For more current bank offers, see ourย bank bonuses page. The most popular offers are fromย Chase Bank,ย SoFi, KeyBank, andย Axos Bank.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission at no cost to you if you decide to make a purchase through my links. Visit this page for more information. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.

Current BMO Bank Promotions

1. BMO Smart Advantage Checking Account โ€“ $300 Cash Bonus*

Open a new BMO Smart Advantage Checking account and get a $300 cash bonus* when you make a total of at least $4,000 in qualifying direct deposits within 90 days of account opening.

The BMO Smart Advantage Checking account is BMOโ€™s most popular personal checking account with no monthly maintenance fee and no minimum balance required when you opt into paperless statements.

Bonus Amount: $300
Availability: Nationwide
Expiration: February 3, 2025

Bonus Requirements:

  1. Open a new BMO Smart Advantage Checking account using the link below.
  2. Set up qualifying direct deposits totaling $4,000 or more within 90 days of account opening.
  3. Receive a $300 cash bonus* approximately 100 days after account opening if requirements are met.

*Conditions apply. BMO Bank N.A. Member FDIC.

2. BMO Smart Money Checking Account โ€“ $300 Cash Bonus*

Get a $300 cash bonus* when you open a new BMO Smart Money Checking account and have a total of at $4,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits within the first 90 days of account opening.

The BMO Smart Money Checking account is ideal for young customers because while it does have a $5 monthly maintenance fee, itโ€™s waived for those who are under the age of 25.

Bonus Amount: $300
Availability: Nationwide
Expiration: February 3, 2025

Bonus Requirements:

  1. Open a new BMO Smart Money Checking account using the link below.
  2. Set up qualifying direct deposits totaling $4,000 or more within 90 days of account opening.
  3. Receive the $300 cash bonus approximately 100 days after account opening if requirements are met.

*Conditions apply. BMO Bank N.A. Member FDIC.

Tips & Tricks for BMO Bank Promotions

Existing vs New Customers

BMO cash bonus offers are typically valid for new customers to each โ€œproduct familyโ€.

For example, personal checking accounts are considered a โ€œproduct familyโ€. You can only receive one personal checking account cash bonus and canโ€™t open multiple checking accounts to receive multiple cash bonuses, but you may still be eligible for a savings account cash bonus or a business checking account bonus since theyโ€™re considered a different โ€œproduct familyโ€.

You also:

  • Canโ€™t be an existing BMO personal checking account customer (including signers on joint accounts)
  • Your last BMO personal checking account (if you had one) had to be closed more than 12 months ago

Other product families (savings account, business checking account, credit cards) have similar terms and conditions, so be sure to read it carefully to determine if youโ€™re eligible for a welcome bonus.

BMO Promotions FAQs

Are bank sign-up bonuses taxed?

Yes, cash bonuses from bank account offers are taxable. Cash bonuses are not considered part of the opening deposit and will be reported to the IRS for tax purposes.

Expect to receive a IRS From 1099-MISC or 1099-INT from the bank at the end of the calendar year. Keep in mind that even if you donโ€™t receive a tax form, youโ€™re still required to self-report and pay taxes. Consult your tax advisor for further information.

Do BMO offers expire?

Yes. Most offers have an expiration date with the exception of the BMO Savings Builder account bonus (although BMO can decide to end the offer at any time).

If you want to take advantage of a promo, you need to open an account before the stated deadline.

How long does it take to receive my bank bonus from BMO?

Every bank cash bonus offer has its own timeline so I recommend that you read the specific promotion that youโ€™re intending to sign up for. Generally, BMO will deposit cash bonuses within 10 days of completing the offer requirements at the end of the promo period.

Can I take advantage of multiple BMO Bank promotions?

It depends. For example, once you receive a cash bonus for opening a BMO personal checking account, you wonโ€™t be eligible to receive another cash bonus on a different BMO personal checking account.

The Bottom Line

BMO Bank may be smaller than national banks like Bank of America, Chase Bank, and Wells Fargo, but they have great banking products for consumers and businesses.

I consider them to be a good bank with a strong and stable parent company. Their sign-up bonuses are very competitive too.

The only negative from my detective skills (googling) is that customer service tends to be a bit slow.

Iโ€™d definitely take up one of these BMO bonus offers and give their banking products a test drive, but I donโ€™t live in one of the states they operate in. When are you coming to the Northeast, BMO?!?

BMO Bank N.A. Member FDIC

About John Pham

John Pham is a personal finance expert, serial entrepreneur, and founder of The Money Ninja. He has also been fortunate enough to have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, and U.S. News & World Report. John has a B.S. in Entrepreneurship and a Masters in Business Administration, both from the University of New Hampshire.

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Sweepster
Sweepster
26 days ago

BMO has started accepting nationwide customers – at least they recently did for me, but it wasn’t easy. I live in NY (no branches here) and in July applied online for a now expired $350 bonus for $4K in DDs within 90 days. Declined. On a hunch I thawed my Big 3 credit reports FOR ONE DAY and called in to apply the next day. Accepted. Go figure. You should not have to check my credit for a deposit account, BMO! Whatever. Also know that they require a legitimate direct deposit – a regular EFT will not trigger the bonus.

Sweepster
Sweepster
25 days ago
Reply to  John Pham

I didn’t have to ask for an exception or to be manually approved because I live in NY. There were no states listed as eligible or ineligible for the offer, so that’s why I tried. In fact, the current bunch of BMO bonus offers do not list eligible states – so apparently they’ve started accepting apps nationwide. Check out all the small type here … no states are excluded: https://www.bmo.com/en-us/main/personal/checking-accounts/digital-offer/

Larry
Larry
8 months ago

I have tried more times than I can count to open a checking account with BMO but when I get to the ID verification step it always rejects my Licence picture as too Blurry and insists I try again. I Called to see if there was an alternate like emailing the image and there is not. Will have to give up on this effort. Very frustrating.

Daniel
Daniel
1 year ago

This is a pretty awesome bonus. They do pull ChexSystem report but not sure how sensitive. I had to apply in branch as well as a few other people I know as for some reason their system was unable to verify us. Definitely add this to your list of banks to open!