Direct Deposit$100 to $900 per bonus
Fintech ACH pushes that actually code as direct deposit
Not every ACH transfer counts. Pushes from Chime, Varo, Fidelity CMA (via BillPay in ACH mode), Ally, and Wealthfront cash reliably trigger DD requirements at Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, and most credit unions. SoFi, US Bank, and BofA are pickier and often require a real employer payroll or an SSA/pension deposit. Test with a small push first, then send the qualifying amount.
Source: Doctor of Credit DD Matrix + r/churning DP threads
Timing & Payout$200 to $700 per bonus
The 60-day direct deposit clock starts on account open, not funding
Most bonuses count days from the day the account opens, not the day you fund it. Open on day one, wait until you know DDs will hit within the window, then trigger the payroll switch. Opening the account and then dragging your feet on the DD switch is the number one reason bonuses miss.
Source: Compiled from bank-specific T&C reviews on DoC
ChexSystems & 5/24
ChexSystems-friendly banks for anyone with a rough report
If ChexSystems has flagged you, focus on credit unions and second-chance banks that either soft-pull or ignore Chex entirely: Chime, Varo, Current, GO2bank, Bellco CU, PenFed, Alliant, Consumers Credit Union, and Securityplus FCU. Stack these to earn bonuses while your Chex report ages off (typical five year cycle).
Source: DoC ChexSystems master list
ChexSystems & 5/24$800 to $2,000 in points value
The Chase 5/24 rule in one paragraph
Chase will auto-deny most Sapphire, Ink, and co-brand card apps if you have opened 5 or more personal credit cards across any issuer in the last 24 months. Business cards from Chase, Amex, Capital One, and Citi typically do not report to personal bureaus and do not count. Check your count on Credit Karma or annualcreditreport.com. Get under 5/24 before applying for Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or any Ink card.
Source: r/churning wiki
Credit Cards
Amex once-per-lifetime language is real. Read the pop-up.
Amex will let you apply for a card you've had before, take the hard pull, and quietly disqualify you from the welcome offer. If a pop-up says you are not eligible for the welcome bonus, back out. NLL (no lifetime language) offers on cards like the Business Platinum come and go through referrals and CardMatch; those override the standard rule.
Source: r/awardtravel + DoC Amex tag
Funding Tricks$50 to $250 per cycle
Brokerages that let you fund with a credit card
Robinhood, Public, Moomoo, Webull, and M1 accept debit card funding but not credit. SoFi Invest and Fidelity accept ACH only. For credit card funding, use Kroger/Safeway money orders bought with an OG Amex Blue Cash or a category-bonus card, then deposit at the receiving bank. This is how experienced churners meet minimum spend with brokerage funding.
Source: r/churning DP threads on MS
Timing & Payout$100 to $900 saved from clawback
Hold times are usually longer than the T&C says
A bank that promises a bonus 30 days after requirement completion often pays 45 to 60 days out in practice. Withdraw the trigger funds too early and you can claw back the whole bonus. Wait until the bonus posts, wait another statement cycle, then move the money.
Source: DoC clawback tracker
Taxes & 1099s
1099-INT vs 1099-MISC changes your tax bill
Bank bonuses issue a 1099-INT (interest) if paid on a deposit account, and a 1099-MISC (other income) if paid on a checking account with no interest attached. Both are taxable, but 1099-INT interest can be offset against investment interest expense. Brokerage bonuses are almost always 1099-MISC. Set aside 25% of every bonus for federal + state tax if you are in a middle bracket.
Source: IRS Pub 550 + DoC tax posts
Credit Cards20k to 75k extra points
Time credit card signups for elevated offers
Sapphire Preferred jumps to 80k-100k roughly every 6-9 months. Ink cards run at 90k-120k around Chase's fiscal year end and each spring. Amex Platinum hits 150k-175k on referral/CardMatch a few times a year. Never apply for the base offer if you can wait 4 to 8 weeks for the elevated one to appear.
Source: Frequent Miler + DoC offer history
BrokeragePreserves cost basis; often $1,000+ in avoided cap gains
Brokerage bonuses: transfer positions, do not sell first
Every major brokerage (Fidelity, Schwab, Chase Invest, Merrill, Etrade) will accept an ACATS transfer of your existing positions to qualify for the deposit bonus. You keep your cost basis, your lots, your holding period. Selling everything and rebuying creates a tax event you didn't need. Ask for a full ACATS.
Source: r/churning + Bogleheads
Direct Deposit
Public.com now codes deposits as DD at many banks
Public's cash sweep pushes are being reported as direct deposits at Chase, US Bank, and Truist as of late 2025. This is a fresh channel that many DD-heavy bonuses accept. Verify with a small test before pushing the qualifying amount.
Source: r/churning DP thread, Q4 2025
Fee Avoidance$100 to $900 saved from clawback
The 6-month early-close rule most churners forget
Most bonus T&Cs contain a clause: close the account before 6 months and the bonus is clawed back. Some banks (Chase, Wells Fargo) go further and blacklist you from bonuses for 12 to 24 months. Keep the account open for 6 to 7 months minimum, then close from a branch or secure message so you have a paper trail.
Source: DoC clawback + bank T&C reviews
Fee Avoidance
Avoid monthly maintenance fees without doing the direct deposit
Most checking accounts waive the $12 to $25 monthly fee if you maintain a minimum daily balance (often $1,500 to $5,000) or do 10 debit transactions. If the DD requirement is already done for the bonus, the balance waiver is usually the cheapest path for the 6-month keep-open period. Chase Total Checking waives at $1,500 average, BofA at $1,500, Citi at $1,500.
Source: DoC account fee waiver posts
Credit Cards$50 to $300 per card
Referral welcome offers often beat public ones
Chase, Amex, Discover, Capital One, and many credit unions publish two offers: the public one on their homepage, and a slightly better referral one that only exists on refer-a-friend links. Referrals typically add 10k to 30k points or $50 to $150 cash on top. Always click through a referral link when applying, even if you do not know the person, as long as the offer is at least as good as the public one.
Source: Frequent Miler + DoC referral tag
Direct Deposit$900
US Bank Business Elite $900: the ACH loophole
US Bank's Business Elite $900 requires $30k in monthly qualifying deposits for two months. Wire transfers and ACH pushes both count. Push $30k from an external brokerage or savings, let it sit 3 days, push it back. Repeat next month. Bonus posts 60 days after month 2 closes.
Source: DoC US Bank offer notes
Direct DepositUp to $850 stacked
SoFi bonus stack: personal loan + checking + invest
SoFi offers three separate bonuses that stack: $325 for checking with a $5,000 DD, $25 for a $10 SoFi Invest deposit, and up to $500 on a personal loan. If you already need a small personal loan, take the SoFi one; the bonus alone often beats the interest cost.
Source: DoC SoFi tracker
Timing & Payout$300 every 2 years
Chase checking bonuses repeat every 24 months per SSN
Chase resets checking-bonus eligibility 24 months after your last bonus posts (not after account close). If you earned a $300 Chase Total Checking bonus in June 2024, you are eligible again in July 2026. Set a calendar reminder; Chase runs this offer nearly year-round.
Source: DoC Chase bonus history
Credit Cards
Meet minimum spend without buying anything new
Prepay quarterly estimated taxes with the card (Pay1040, 1.75% fee, but often below the reward rate on a bonus card). Prepay utilities. Buy Amazon gift cards you know you'll use. Load a Venmo balance and send to your own bank if the card codes Venmo as purchase. Meeting a $6,000 Ink spend in 3 months without changing your lifestyle is standard practice.
Source: r/churning wiki + Milesalot
ChexSystems & 5/24
One-time charge-off does not permanently ban you
If you have an unpaid balance in ChexSystems, most banks will still open an account after you pay it off, wait 30 days for it to update, and then apply. The record stays on your Chex report for 5 years but is far less damaging once marked paid. Chime, Varo, and PenFed will open through an unpaid record. Chase and BofA will not.
Source: DoC ChexSystems dispute posts
Credit Cards$150 to $2,000/year in points
Amex Refer a Friend: check every card you hold monthly
Log into americanexpress.com > Membership Rewards > Refer a Friend. Every card in your wallet has its own referral link and its own referral bonus (typically 10k to 20k MR points per approval, up to 55k to 100k per year). Post your links here or on r/churnfriends. This is passive income if you have any Amex cards.
Source: r/churning Amex referral thread
Brokerage
Fidelity CMA is the free debit-card churner's HYSA
The Fidelity Cash Management Account pays 4%+ APY (SPAXX sweep), reimburses every ATM fee worldwide, has no monthly fee, and codes as a brokerage for some bonuses and as a bank for others. It's the perfect parking spot for the money that has to sit during a bonus lockup.
Source: Bogleheads Fidelity CMA thread
Data Points
The three sentences to read in every bonus T&C
Search the T&C PDF for: (1) 'direct deposit' - see what qualifies, (2) 'maintain' - the balance you must keep, (3) 'close' - the early-close clawback window. If those three sentences check out, the bonus is safe. Skip banks that leave any of them vague.
Source: Churnables playbook
Direct DepositThe bonus itself
Change the DD memo/name to look like payroll
When pushing from a fintech, edit the ACH memo/description field to something like 'PAYROLL' or 'DIRECT DEP'. Many banks' bonus systems match on the memo string, not the actual funding source code. This is why a Fidelity push that says 'FIDELITY' often codes as DD while one that says 'TRANSFER' doesn't.
Source: r/churning DP thread on memo matching
ChexSystems & 5/24
How to join any credit union in the country
Most 'restricted' CUs let you in through a $5 to $25 membership to a partner nonprofit: American Consumer Council for Consumers CU, Financial Fitness Association for PenFed, Foster Care to Success for Signature FCU. Once you're in, you keep membership forever, unlocking their bonuses.
Source: DoC CU membership guide
Brokerage$75 to $125 per transfer
The receiving broker will reimburse ACAT fees
Fidelity, Schwab, Robinhood, Public, and Chase will refund the $75 to $125 ACATS transfer-out fee your old broker charges - just ask their chat team and reference the transfer confirmation. Free money on top of the transfer bonus.
Source: r/personalfinance + broker chat DPs
Credit Cards
Capital One's unofficial credit-card velocity limit
Capital One will auto-deny if you have applied for two personal credit cards (any issuer) in the last 30 days, or three in the last 90 days. Business cards do not count. Space out your Cap One apps accordingly.
Source: r/churning Cap One DP thread
Timing & PayoutAvoid $0-bonus opens
Wells Fargo blacklists after 3 bonuses in 5 years
Wells Fargo tracks personal bonus history at the SSN level and quietly denies new bonuses after your third payout in a rolling 5-year window. The account still opens but no bonus posts. Get all your Wells bonuses (Everyday, Premier, and any promotional) done in one 12-month sweep, then wait 5 years.
Source: DoC Wells Fargo tag
Funding Tricks
The Kroger money order manufactured spend loop
Buy Visa/MC gift cards at Kroger, Fred Meyer, or Stater Bros. with a category-bonus credit card. Liquidate at Walmart or the grocery store's own service desk to a money order, deposit at the bank. Nets you the credit card reward rate minus about $1.50 per money order. Works cleanly under $1,000 per store per day.
Source: r/churning MS wiki
Credit Cards
Citi's 8/65/95 rule
Citi's unofficial app rules: max 8 personal cards, max 1 new personal card per 8 days, max 2 personal cards per 65 days, no bonus if you've earned one on the same card family in the last 48 months. AA cards, ThankYou cards, and Costco Anywhere each have their own 48-month clock.
Source: DoC Citi rules post
Data Points
SoFi will re-issue a missed bonus if you nicely ask in chat
If your SoFi DD posted correctly but the bonus never landed, open in-app chat, reference the T&C paragraph you satisfied, and be polite. About 70% of the time they'll add the bonus manually within 48 hours. Works at Chase, Wells, and BofA too, but requires the branch instead of chat.
Source: r/churning missed-bonus recovery DPs
Direct DepositUp to $1,000 stacked
The BMO $500 checking + $500 savings stack
BMO's checking bonus ($350 to $500) and savings bonus ($200 to $500) stack for the same customer, both funded from a single external ACH push. Meet the checking DD, park the savings min balance, and collect both in the same 60-day window.
Source: DoC BMO tracker