It’s a great time to shop for a new checking account for your small business. The first quarter is typically a time when many small businesses are shopping for financial services, so banks respond with lucrative new-account bonuses. And the amounts can be substantial. Four banks have bonuses of $1,000 or more, though it takes between $20,000 to $100,000 to qualify.
Even if you don’t have a 5-figure checking balance, you can still earn as much as $500 for a relatively modest balance of $2000 to $5000.
Choosing the best bank offer:
While it’s tempting to go with the highest dollar amount, those bonuses are just a one-time treat. Much more important is choosing a bank that meets your banking, payment and credit needs. And most businesses will want to choose one bank with branches in your area and a second one that offers the most convenient mobile and online banking. For more information on making a good choice see our previous post.
Caveats:
- Most banks require you to maintain this level of minimum deposit for at least 60 to 90 days to earn the bonus.
- We tried to only include offers available to businesses anywhere in the United States. However, you may find undisclosed geographic limitations when you apply.
New Account Offers by National Banks
| Company | Offer | BV (Bonus Value) | Product | Min Deposit | Min Days | Expires | Other fine print |
| Citibank | $2,000 | $1,137 | Checking | $200,000 | 45 | 7 Jul 25 | Varies by zip |
| Citibank | $1,500 | $1,068 | Checking | $100,000 | 45 | 7 Jul 25 | Varies by zip |
| Huntington Bank | $1,000 | $885 | Checking: Unlimited Plus | $20,000 | 60 | 10 Feb 25 | |
| PNC Bank | $1,000 | $741 | Treasury Management | $30,000 | 90 | 31 Mar 25 | |
| Citibank | $750 | $664 | Checking | $20,000 | 45 | 7 Jul 25 | Varies by zip |
| M&T Bank | $1,500 | $637 | Checking | $100,000 | 90 | 28 Mar 25 | |
| Associated Bank | $750 | $635 | Checking: Choice | $20,000 | 60 | 30 Jun 25 | |
| BMO | $750 | $606 | Checking | $25,000 | 60 | 1 Feb 25 | |
| Central Bank | $500 | $500 | Checking | $3,000 | 1 | 31 Mar 25 | |
| M&T Bank | $750 | $491 | Checking | $30,000 | 90 | 28 Mar 25 | |
| Chase | $500 | $471 | Checking | $10,000 | 30 | 2 Apr 25 | Min 5 trans |
| Huntington Bank | $400 | $386 | Checking: Unlimited | $5,000 | 30 | 10 Feb 25 | |
| PNC Bank | $400 | $383 | Checking | $2,000 | 90 | 31 Mar 25 | Min 20 trans |
| Associated Bank | $400 | $371 | Checking: Balanced | $5,000 | 60 | 30 Jun 25 | |
| M&T Bank | $500 | $371 | Checking | $15,000 | 90 | 28 Mar 25 | |
| BMO | $350 | $327 | Checking | $4,000 | 60 | 1 Feb 25 | |
| Chase | $300 | $294 | Checking | $2,000 | 30 | 2 Apr 25 | Min 5 trans |
| Citibank | $300 | $278 | Checking | $5,000 | 45 | 7 Jul 25 | Varies by zip |
| American Express | $300 | $271 | Checking | $5,000 | 60 | None |
Min 5 trans; Reward is 30,000 points
|
| M&T Bank | $300 | $257 | Checking | $5,000 | 90 | 28 Mar 25 | |
| Mercury | $250 | $249 | Checking | $10,000 | 1 | None | |
| Bank of America | $200 | $171 | Checking | $5,000 | 60 | 31 Dec 25 | |
| Huntington Bank | $100 | $94 | Checking 100 | $2,000 | 30 | 10 Feb 25 | |
| Associated Bank | $100 | $88 | Checking: Access | $2,000 | 60 | 30 Jun 25 | |
| Axos Bank | $300 | $12 | Checking | $25,000 | 120 | 31 Jan 25 | Min 10 trans |
| Axos Bank | $400 | -$175 | Checking | $50,000 | 120 | 31 Jan 25 | Min 10 trans |
Source: FintechLabs, 28 Feb 2025
*Bonus Value: We subtract 3.5% in potential foregone interest times the minimum time the initial deposit must stay in the account.
Disclosures: We may earn revenues from listed banks
Other Resources: Looking for digital banks, lenders, payment providers, insurance or digital accounting for small businesses? Check out our latest lists: Small Business (SMB) savings/treasury accounts (7) | SMB online lenders (33) | SMB challenger banks (15) | SMB insurers (15) | SMB credit cards/expense management (16) | Billpay & invoicing (16)| Payment processors (7) | SMB digital accounting/bookkeeping (21)
The FAB Score (Fintech Attention Barometer) is a proxy for the size and growth of fintech companies founded since 1999.
