Wells Fargo $400 Checking Account Bonus

Wells Fargo is offering a $400 bonus for opening up a checking account and set up a direct deposit for 3 months. This is one of the best bank bonuses that can be done over and over again. We recommend you do this whenever you become eligible.

For more current bank offers, see our bank bonuses page. The most popular offers are from Chase BankSoFi, and Fifth Third Bank.

Ninja Update: Offer has expired. For current Wells Fargo offers, see our Wells Fargo promotions page.

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.

Wells Fargo $400 Checking Bonus

You can get a $400 welcome bonus when you open a new Wells Fargo checking account!

To earn the $400 bonus, you’ll need to complete the following three requirements:

  • Open an Account: Open an Everyday Checking account online
  • Deposit $25: Fund your account with a minimum initial deposit of at least $25
  • Receive Direct Deposits: Within 150 days of opening your account, receive three consecutive monthly direct deposits of $3,000 each month

The $400 bonus will be deposited into your account as soon as you complete all three requirements.

Wells Fargo $400 bank account sign-up bonus banner
(Image from Wells Fargo)

Where do I enroll?

You can enroll directly at the promotion page Wells Fargo set up for this special offer:

Direct Link

Related:

Who qualifies for the bonus?

You’re eligible once every 12 months unless:

  • You are a current owner of a Wells Fargo consumer checking account
  • You are a current employee of Wells Fargo

What are the offer details?

Availability: Nationwide
Expiration: 12/31/2019 03/31/2022
Household Limit: None (everyone in your family can get the bonus!)
Direct Deposit Required: Yes (see what counts as a direct deposit)
Early Account Termination Fee: None

You can either apply directly online, or enter your email address and Wells Fargo will send you a coupon which you bring with you to redeem at a Wells Fargo branch.

When will I receive the bonus?

Wells Fargo usually pays the bonus as soon as you complete the requirements. For this promotion, my bonus came right after I met the terms and conditions on the third month:

Wells Fargo $400 checking bonus
(Image from Wells Fargo)

Avoiding Fees

The checking account has a monthly fee of $10, which can be waived if you do ONE of the following:

  • Have direct deposits totaling $500 each month
  • Keep a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or more
  • Make 10 debit card purchases and/or payments during each monthly statement cycle
  • Link your checking account to a Wells Fargo Campus ATM or Campus Debit Card

If you have a mortgage with Wells Fargo, you can also call them and possibly have them give you a higher level account with no fees.

The Bottom Line

This is the best promotion Wells Fargo has offered to the public. The monthly direct deposits of $3,000 is higher than their normal promotion, but the additional bonus is worth it if you can swing it.

For direct deposits, be sure to check out other ways that count as a direct deposit. If you’re going to do it the traditional way (paycheck deposits), remember you don’t have to deposit the $3,000 monthly requirement all at once.

One strategy if you get paid b-weekly is to transfer $1,500 per pay period. You don’t have to keep the money in your Wells Fargo account either! Once it comes into your Well Fargo checking account, you can just withdraw it back out to you regular bank account wherever it may be. It will still count for that month!

I’ve done this for 3 years now, and between 4 family members, this is an easy $1,600 in free money every year!

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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DELIA MARURI
DELIA MARURI
1 year ago

YO QUIERO EL BONUS $400 de WELLS FARGO. Need help to get the code to bring a branch, I don’t know too much how to navigate in computers.

Paul Chang
Paul Chang
2 years ago

Is this offer only can applied online? I went to a nearby local branch, the person I talked to doesn’t seems to know of this offer and asks for the coupon as a special invitation to apply. Knowing nothing about also Pushing as a direct deposit either.

MSA
MSA
4 years ago

Hello!

Thanks for this info. About to try my first “Bonus Hacking.” Just to be clear, despite this being on Wells Fargo’s website:

“A qualifying direct deposit is a direct deposit of your salary, pension, Social Security, or other regular monthly income, electronically deposited through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network by your employer or an outside agency.

Transfers from one account to another, mobile deposits, deposits made at a banking location, or ATM do not qualify.”

This is not necessarily true, right? I can “push transfer” using one of these methods?

PayPal
PNC Bank
Robinhood
Santander Bank
USAA
Venmo transfers

Thank you!

MSA
MSA
4 years ago
Reply to  John Pham

Thank you for the response Money Ninja! The link is no longer working. Do you know if there is a new link for this bonus. I have an email copy of the bonus so can go into a branch if I need to.

pattiwymark
pattiwymark
4 years ago

I got the bonus for the second time with Wells Fargo. Waiting to be considered a “new customer” again.

rudyt
rudyt
4 years ago

Bonus confirmed. I did my deposit by pushing Fidelity into Wells.

Lena Sherman
Lena Sherman
4 years ago

How do you do it yearly if you have to have your account opened for 6 months? Do you close it right at the 6 month mark? Also, what’s the age minimum to open an account as you said all your family members do this? My kids don’t make money yet 😂

Johnny
Johnny
4 years ago
Reply to  Lena Sherman

Where do you see that you have to keep the account open for 6 months? TMN says you’ll get the bonus in 3 months and there’s no early account closing fee. Close the account the month after you get the bonus and wait 12 months to sign up again.

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
5 years ago

Thank you! I love these bank bonuses! We used to open bank accounts for convenience or smaller gifts. I think Santander gave us a BBQ set one summer.