Wells Fargo: $400 / $825 Bonus for New Business Checking Account (no direct deposit required)

Wells Fargo has launched an excellent promotion for new business checking account customers. There are two different offers and both are available online or in branch. The first awards a $400 bonus when depositing $2,500 and maintaining that balance for ~30 days. The second requires a $25,000 deposit, but also gives a larger bonus of $825. Both versions expire on 6/30/25.

These are excellent options for folks with cash on hand. This is a deal that I’ll be taking advantage of. (h/t: DOC)

The Deal

• Wells Fargo is offering a $400 bonus when opening a new savings account, depositing $2,500 and maintaining that balance for a minimum of 31 days.
  • Expires 6/30/25

Direct Link to $400 Offer

• Wells Fargo is offering a $825 bonus when opening a new savings account, depositing $25,000 and maintaining that balance for a minimum of 31 days.
  • Expires 6/30/25

Direct Link to $825 Offer

In order to receive the bonus you must:

Terms and Conditions

• This offer is for new business checking customers only. All account applications are subject to approval. Only the business entity is eligible for this offer.
• The bonus offer code must be used at account opening.
• Only a Wells Fargo Initiate Business Checking®, Navigate Business Checking® or Optimize Business Checking® account is eligible for this offer.
• A business entity is not eligible for this offer if:
  • The business entity is a current owner of a Wells Fargo business checking account or has closed a Wells Fargo business checking account in the past 90 days.
  • The business entity has received a bonus for opening a Wells Fargo business checking account within the past 12 months.
  • The business entity is owned in whole or in part by a Wells Fargo employee.
• Once the 60-day qualification period has ended, we will determine if you have met the offer requirements and will deposit any earned bonus into your new business checking account within 30 days.
• The new business checking account must remain open throughout the qualification period and be open at the time we attempt to deposit any earned bonus payment. Please note that an account with a zero balance may be closed by us without prior notice, as further described in the Deposit Account Agreement.
• You are responsible for any taxes due on the bonus. We will report the bonus as income to the tax authorities, as required by applicable law. If you are subject to backup withholding at the time of payment, we may withhold the required amount and remit to the tax authorities. For additional information, consult your tax advisor.
• Offer cannot be Paid without a valid U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number (Form W-9 for U.S. persons including a resident alien). Non-resident aliens signing Form W-8 are not eligible for the offer.
• The monthly service fee for the Initiate Business Checking account is $10. The minimum opening deposit is $25. Avoid the monthly service fee with one of the following each fee period:
  • $500 minimum daily balance
  • $1,000 average ledger balance

Quick Thoughts

Based on the terms, you only have to leave $2.5K or $25K in the bank for ~31 days to get the bonus. This is because you have to deposit $25 initially and then add the remainder by 30 days from account opening. Then, you have to maintain that balance for 60 days after account opening.

It’s important to note that the net upside is a bit lower than $400 or $825. There are plenty of ways to get ~4-5% interest right now with savings accounts, CDs and T-bills, so you’re effectively losing 31 days of interest on the money that you put in. Given that, the opportunity cost is ~$100 for the $25K option (or ~$10 for the $2.5K), making the incremental gain closer to $725 than $825.

That said, the larger bonus still corresponds to a ~40% annual interest rate, an incredible return. At the same time, there’s minimum time commitment and more flexibility with your money. The smaller version is simply a no-brainer if you have $2,500 that you can free up for a month.

Wells Fargo runs a very similar promotion periodically with it’s personal Way2Save accounts, but the bonus is only $525 for a $25K deposit requirement AND you have to keep the money in the account for 61 days instead of 31. This business checking offer is vastly superior.

Do note that there is a $10 monthly fee that can only be waived by having a $500 minimum daily balance (or a $1K average ledger balance). That’s obviously not an issue when you have the required amount in the account, but remember to factor it in to the deposit or add $500 initially to avoid the fee being taken off in the first month.

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