Citibank is offering a $750 or $1500 bonus for (1) opening a checking account, (2) depositing at least $30,000 or $200,000, respectively, by the 45th day after account opening, and (3) maintaining the required balance from the 46th to the 90th day (that is, total hold time of 45 days).
Promotion link
https://banking.citi.com/cbol/OM/checking/citigold/featured-offer/default.htm
Promotion details
- Expiration date: October 26, 2026
- Availability locations: AA, AE, AK, AL, AP,AR, AS, AZ, CO, DE, GA, GU, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MP, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VI, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY, select markets in Florida and Illinois
- Account type: Regular Checking
- Promote code: auto applied
- Direct deposit needed: No
- New customer only: Yes. Must have not owned a Citibank checking account in the last 365 days
- Min. opening deposit: $25
- Monthly fee avoidable: Yes. $15 fee waived if receive an Enhanced Direct Deposit (EDD) of at least $250. Note that a regular ACH transfer into the account would count as EDD
- How long to keep account open: 120 days
- Bonus post date: 90-120 days after opening
- Others: Must deposit at least $30,000 ($750 bonus) or $200,000 ($1500 bonus) by the 45th day after account opening and maintain that minimum balance from the 46th to the 90th day
The Bonus Reward Portal Experience
The application process took about 10 minutes. There is an online bonus tracker (found under the menu option “Rewards and Offers” >> “Offers for You”) to keep you apprised of your progress toward the bonus. Here’s our timeline for this offer:
- Early October 2025: account opened (email confirmation of promotion enrollment is received a few days after opening)
- Early November 2025: deposited required funds into account (~38 days after account opening)
- Early January 2026: transferred funds out of account (~98 days after account opening)
- Early January 2026: bonus posted to account (~100 days after account opening)
Note that the Regular Checking account pays no interest. Assuming the alternative of stowing the funds in a savings account with 4% interest for about two months, you would incur an opportunity cost of ~$200 for the $30,000 tier and ~$1333 for the $200,000 tier by participating in this promotion. Therefore, the $30,000 tier is definitely more attractive.
