If you’re considering the Chase $900 checking and savings bonus in 2026, this guide shows exactly how the promotion works, who can qualify, and which transfer mistakes can slow down your payout. You’ll learn how to trigger the $300 checking bonus, the $200 savings bonus, and the extra $400 stackable offer if you open both accounts together.
Key Takeaways
- The full $900 payout requires both eligible accounts and completion of all checking and savings requirements.
- Qualifying direct deposit must be an electronic payroll, pension, or government benefit deposit.
- New savings money must be $15,000 or more, and it must stay on deposit for 90 days.
- The savings account pays a very low APY, so this offer is mainly about the bonus, not long-term yield.
How do you qualify for the full $900 Chase bonus?
The offer is built in layers. You can earn $300 for opening Chase Total Checking and receiving a qualifying direct deposit within 90 days, plus $200 for opening Chase Savings and depositing at least $15,000 in new money within 30 days while maintaining that balance for 90 days. If you complete both offers at the same time, Chase adds an extra $400.
That structure matters because timing drives eligibility. The checking and savings accounts must be opened together if you want the extra $400, and the savings funding has to be new money, meaning funds already held at Chase or its affiliates do not count.
What counts as a qualifying direct deposit?
For the checking bonus, Chase says the deposit must be an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension, or government benefits such as Social Security. Person-to-person transfers like Zelle do not qualify, and micro-deposits used for verification do not count either.
If you are trying to meet the requirement cleanly, route one normal payroll deposit or benefit payment into the account instead of trying to force a workaround. That is usually the simplest way to avoid delays in bonus tracking.
How should you fund the savings account without missing the bonus?
The savings portion is the part most likely to trip people up. Chase requires $15,000 in new money within 30 days, then a 90-day maintenance period with at least that balance still in the account. Moving funds into checking first and then transferring them into savings may create avoidable confusion, so direct funding is the safer path.
For context, the savings account is not designed as a high-yield parking place. Chase lists a 0.01% APY for the account, so the real value is the promotional payout rather than the interest earned while you wait.
How can you avoid fees while the bonus is pending?
Fees can eat into the value of a bank bonus, so it helps to know the waiver rules before you open. Chase Total Checking typically has a monthly service fee of $10 to $12, which can be waived by having at least $500 in monthly direct deposits, keeping a minimum daily balance of $1,500, or maintaining an average daily balance of $5,000 across qualifying Chase balances.
Chase Savings has a monthly service fee of $5, which can be waived with a $300 minimum daily balance, a repeating automatic transfer of at least $25 from a Chase checking account, or a linked premium Chase checking relationship. New accounts are not charged a monthly service fee for at least the first two statement periods, which gives you some breathing room.
Is this bonus worth pursuing if you’ve banked with Chase before?
It can be, but eligibility rules are strict. Existing Chase checking customers are not eligible for the checking offer, and existing savings customers are not eligible for the savings offer. Chase also limits new account opening bonuses to one every two years from the last coupon enrollment date, so check the date you opened your last account, not the date the old bonus paid out.
Chase says the offer is subject to approval, uses a soft pull, and does not list a ChexSystems inquiry for this promotion. That makes the application process lighter than many bank bonus offers, but you should still apply only if the deposit and balance requirements fit your cash flow.
What happens at tax time?
Chase treats these bonus payments as interest and reports them on IRS Form 1099-INT. If you want the official reporting framework, the IRS official Form 1099-INT guidance explains how interest income is reported by financial institutions.
If the offer fits your timing, open both accounts together, send the direct deposit to checking, fund savings with fresh money, and keep your balance records until both payouts land. That sequence gives you the cleanest path to the full bonus without creating fee surprises or eligibility issues.
