What is bank account churning?

Bank account churning is the community's nickname for earning bank sign-up bonuses. The basic process is to choose a publicly advertised offer, open the account, and meet the bank's requirements. The bank pays because bonuses are customer-acquisition spending, and you are the customer the promotion was designed to attract.

The term came from the credit card world, where people have used it for decades. Bank bonuses tend to be more beginner-friendly. Most bank applications use soft pulls that don't touch your credit score, the requirements are usually simple, and the accounts are either free or easy to keep free.

The math is real. We currently track around 100 active bonuses on this site, and most pay between $200 and $600. Four to six offers in a year can add up to $1,200 to $2,500 in bonuses. The money counts as taxable income, so plan on keeping roughly 70 to 80 cents of each dollar after federal taxes. You do not need to manage several bonuses at once. Start with one offer and learn the process.

Here is what earning one offer looks like, using the Chase Total Checking bonus as an example. You open the account online, send a qualifying direct deposit of $1,000 or more within 90 days, and wait for the bonus to post. Keep the account open through its hold period and any early-closure window. After those windows pass, you may keep the account or close it. Chase uses a 24-month one-bonus-per-customer window for checking bonuses. That future eligibility rule is sometimes called rechurning, but it does not change the steps for earning the current offer.

Is it allowed? Yes. Banks publicly advertise these offers and write the terms themselves: one bonus per customer per 12 or 24 months, direct deposit requirements, and a hold period before the money is yours. Follow the terms and you are using the promotion exactly as advertised. The realistic risks are forfeiting a bonus, having it clawed back, or paying an early termination fee because you closed the account too soon.

A few things to watch as you get going: some banks charge a $25 to $50 fee if you close within the first 90 to 180 days, a long streak of new accounts can show up in ChexSystems, and every bank defines direct deposit a little differently. All three are manageable with a calendar and a little reading. Browse available bonuses to find your first offer, sorted by how easy the requirements are.