Upgrade offers a variety of banking and lending products, including the Upgrade card with credit lines up to $25,000 and cash back on purchases — a perk typically reserved for credit cards. Currently, Upgrade has a $200 welcome bonus for getting the card and opening a new checking account.
All Upgrade bonuses at a glance
Bonus type
Bonus amount
Requirements
Learn more
Upgrade Card welcome bonus
$200
Open and fund a new Rewards Checking Plus account and make three qualifying debit card transactions using the Upgrade Card within 60 days of opening.
To qualify for the bonus, you need to be a new Rewards Checking Plus account customer and get the Upgrade Card. You need to make at least three qualifying debit card transactions within 60 days of meeting the requirements. Keep your account in good standing to receive the funds.
What does Upgrade consider a qualifying transaction?
Upgrade does not consider the following transactions as qualifying for bonuses or rewards:
ATM transactions
In-store cash withdrawals or cashback transactions
Transactions identified by a merchant as not eligible for rewards
How does the Upgrade Card work?
The Upgrade Card sort of works like a credit card and personal loan in one. The card will have a limit between $500 and $25,000, and you have predictable monthly payments with a fixed interest rate. The card can earn up to 1.5% cash back on all purchases. If you have an owed balance, your cashback rewards are applied to the Upgrade Card balance after your next scheduled payment. If you don’t have an owed balance, you can elect to have the cash back sent to a bank account on file.
Compare more bank account bonuses
Upgrade is a fintech that provides bank accounts, credit cards and other financial products through its partner, Cross River Bank. Its savings account offers a strong 4.14% APY if you maintain a balance of $1,000, and its checking account comes with a cashback card.
But you must be comfortable with an all-digital banking process as Upgrade doesn’t have physical branches. Plus, it doesn’t allow cash deposits. If Upgrade isn’t right for you, compare more bank account bonuses to earn some extra cash when you’re switching banks.
New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at sofi.com/banking. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.
SoFi members who enroll in SoFi Plus with Direct Deposit or by paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee every 30 days or with $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either SoFi Plus or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Only SoFi Plus members are eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. See the SoFi Plus Terms and Conditions at https://www.sofi.com/terms-of-use/#plus.
We do not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. We do charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Our fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Checking & Savings Fee Sheet for details at sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/.
SoFi Bank is a member FDIC and does not provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per depositor per legal category of account ownership, as described in the FDIC’s regulations. Any additional FDIC insurance is provided by the SoFi Insured Deposit Program. Deposits may be insured up to $3M through participation in the program. See full terms at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms. See list of participating banks at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks.
We’ve partnered with Allpoint to provide you with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs within the Allpoint network. You will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third-party fees incurred when using out-of-network ATMs are not subject to reimbursement. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.
Early access to direct deposit funds is based on the timing in which we receive notice of impending payment from the Federal Reserve, which is typically up to two days before the scheduled payment date, but may vary.
Frequently asked questions
Are there banks with immediate signup bonuses?
Unfortunately, most banks don’t pay signup bonuses immediately. Most bonuses have specific conditions to meet, such as spending a certain amount within a designated period. After meeting those conditions, most banks will issue the signup bonus within 30 to 90 days, provided your account remains open and in good standing.
Holly Jennings is an editor and updates writer at Finder, working with writers across all niches to deliver quality content to readers. She’s edited hundreds of financial articles ranging from credit cards to investments. With empathy at heart, she especially enjoys content that breaks down complex financial situations into easy-to-understand information. Prior to her role at Finder, she collaborated with dozens of small businesses to maximize the reach and impact of their blog posts, website copy and other content. In her spare time, she is an award-winning author for Penguin Random House, writing about virtual reality worlds, magical girls and lasers that go pew-pew. See full bio
Holly's expertise
Holly has written 21 Finder guides across topics including:
SoFi Checking and Savings is our top pick for the best joint bank account. Other top banks include Relay, Zeta, Ivella, Ally, Discover and Quontic.
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