SoFi Checking & Savings: Earn Up to 3.80% APY + Up to $300 with Direct Deposit, terms apply
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SoFi® is offering up to $300 with direct deposit, terms apply. Up to 4.60% -> now 4.50% -> now 4.30% -> now 4.20% -> now 4.00% -> now 3.80% (as of 1/23/2025) annual percentage yield (APY) on savings and 0.50% APY on checking. No account fees.
The Direct Deposit Promotion will begin on 12/7/2023 at 12:01AM ET and end on 1/31/26 at 11:59PM ET.
Details/Features:
After Opening a New Account and setting up Direct Deposit, wait for your direct deposit to hit your account (typically 2-4 weeks).
Amount of Direct Deposit Cash Bonus depends on Total Direct Deposit amount in 30-day Evaluation Period :
$1,000 - $4,999 Total Direct Deposit: $50 Cash Bonus
$5,000 or more Total Direct Deposit: $300 Cash Bonus
SoFi will credit members who meet qualification criteria within seven business days of the end of the Evaluation Period.
No overdraft fees. No minimum balance fees. No monthly fees. Plus, 55,000+ fee-free ATMs within the Allpoint Network.
Up to 2-day-early-paycheck
Organize your money, set savings goals, and save your change with Vaults and Roundups.
You'll earn up to 4.60% -> now 4.50% -> now 4.30% -> now 4.20% -> now 4.00% -> now 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and up to 0.50% APY on checking balances.
There is no minimum direct deposit amount required. However, please note that there is a minimum direct deposit required for No-Fee Overdraft Coverage ($1,000).
Up to $300 Bonus Tiered Disclosure
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 Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible 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 with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.80% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. 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.
APY disclosures
SoFi members who enroll in SoFi Plus with Eligible Direct Deposit or by paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee every 30 days or SoFi members 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 Eligible 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. 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. If you have satisfied Eligible Direct Deposit requirements for our highest APY but do not see 3.80% APY on your APY Details page the day after your Eligible Direct Deposit arrives, please contact us at 855-456-7634. 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.
Fee Policy
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/.
Additional FDIC Insurance
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.
ATM Access
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
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.
Overdraft Coverage
Overdraft Coverage is limited to $50 on debit card purchases only and is an account benefit available to customers with Eligible Direct Deposits of $1,000 or more during the current 30-day Evaluation Period as determined by SoFi Bank, N.A. The 30-Day Evaluation Period refers to the "Start Date" and "End Date" set forth on the APY Details page of your account, which comprises a period of 30 calendar days (the "30-Day Evaluation Period"). You can access the APY Details page at any time by logging into your SoFi account on the SoFi mobile app or SoFi website and selecting either (i) Banking > Savings > Current APY or (ii) Banking > Checking > Current APY. Members with a prior history of non-repayment of negative balances are ineligible for Overdraft Coverage.
SoFi® is offering up to $300 with direct deposit, terms apply. Up to 4.60% -> now 4.50% -> now 4.30% -> now 4.20% -> now 4.00% -> now 3.80% (as of 1/23/2025) annual percentage yield (APY) on savings and 0.50% APY on checking. No account fees.
The Direct Deposit Promotion will begin on 12/7/2023 at 12:01AM ET and end on 1/31/26 at 11:59PM ET.
Details/Features:
After Opening a New Account and setting up Direct Deposit, wait for your direct deposit to hit your account (typically 2-4 weeks).
Amount of Direct Deposit Cash Bonus depends on Total Direct Deposit amount in 30-day Evaluation Period :
$1,000 - $4,999 Total Direct Deposit: $50 Cash Bonus
$5,000 or more Total Direct Deposit: $300 Cash Bonus
SoFi will credit members who meet qualification criteria within seven business days of the end of the Evaluation Period.
No overdraft fees. No minimum balance fees. No monthly fees. Plus, 55,000+ fee-free ATMs within the Allpoint Network.
Up to 2-day-early-paycheck
Organize your money, set savings goals, and save your change with Vaults and Roundups.
You'll earn up to 4.60% -> now 4.50% -> now 4.30% -> now 4.20% -> now 4.00% -> now 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and up to 0.50% APY on checking balances.
There is no minimum direct deposit amount required. However, please note that there is a minimum direct deposit required for No-Fee Overdraft Coverage ($1,000).
Up to $300 Bonus Tiered Disclosure
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 Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible 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 with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.80% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. 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.
APY disclosures
SoFi members who enroll in SoFi Plus with Eligible Direct Deposit or by paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee every 30 days or SoFi members 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 Eligible 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. 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. If you have satisfied Eligible Direct Deposit requirements for our highest APY but do not see 3.80% APY on your APY Details page the day after your Eligible Direct Deposit arrives, please contact us at 855-456-7634. 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.
Fee Policy
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/.
Additional FDIC Insurance
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.
ATM Access
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
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.
Overdraft Coverage
Overdraft Coverage is limited to $50 on debit card purchases only and is an account benefit available to customers with Eligible Direct Deposits of $1,000 or more during the current 30-day Evaluation Period as determined by SoFi Bank, N.A. The 30-Day Evaluation Period refers to the "Start Date" and "End Date" set forth on the APY Details page of your account, which comprises a period of 30 calendar days (the "30-Day Evaluation Period"). You can access the APY Details page at any time by logging into your SoFi account on the SoFi mobile app or SoFi website and selecting either (i) Banking > Savings > Current APY or (ii) Banking > Checking > Current APY. Members with a prior history of non-repayment of negative balances are ineligible for Overdraft Coverage.
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Don't recommend this bank for serious users unless your goal is just to earn the signing bonus. I had SoFi for roughly 6 months, used them for direct deposit and bill pays as I normally did with other banks. One day I got an email saying my account was locked and needed to call their 800 number. I called multiple times and their CSRs were not only clueless but also rude by hanging up on customers if they didn't have answers. When asking to speak with their manager, their standard answer was "this is the highest escalation point". They could not tell you any reason why the account was locked, nor a timeline when the so-called internal review would be completed. During that review period, all scheduled payments will be declined and they are not responsible for any consequences. I filed complaints with CFPB, OCC and BBB, and got the restriction removed in a week or so. SoFi finally sent me a letter stating that "Regrettably, it was found that our system flagged your account in error, which caused the restriction. We offer our deepest apologies for the error and delay". As soon as the lock was removed, I closed my accounts and advised my family members and friends to do the same, because you never know when SoFi would decide to lock down your access to your own money without reasons and timelines.
any tricks for the direct deposit? will a bank transfer qualify?
NM, I read the fine print.
Bonus Terms: In order to qualify for eligibility for a bonus, SoFi must receive at least one Direct Deposit (as defined below) from an Eligible Participant, the first of which must be received on or after 12/7/2023. Direct Deposits are defined as deposits of $1,000.00 or greater from an enrolled member's employer, payroll, benefits provider, or government agency via ACH deposit. Deposits that are not from an employer, payroll, benefits provider, or government agency (such as check deposits; P2P transfers such as from PayPal or Venmo, etc.; merchant transactions such as from PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.; and external bank ACH transfers not from employers) do not qualify for this Direct Deposit Promotion. The amount of the bonus, if any, will be calculated during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period as described and defined below.
SoFi is great but they still have some common FinTech limitations that are annoying.
- You can only link other bank accounts using Plaid. If you don't agree to Plaid terms you are pretty much out of luck.
- Email notifications are very limited, they try to only use push notifications which are not nearly as good for keeping history and you have to keep the app on your phone.
- They do have a website at least, but it's very basic and similar to the app.
On the good side though
- The debit card is great, no foreign transaction fees, and many free ATMs
- You can keep all money in savings account and auto-draft to maximize interest
- Vaults are good for securing and saving money
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Agree. Good luck with getting any money back if your account is ever compromised- they will simply determine they were not at fault and leave u screwed with no recourse unless filing complaints which gets them to act.
That's how these scam banks offer high rate checking/savings - by pinching customers on all the other basics. Simple as.
Any recommendations on a bank that has a good high yields savings account that doesn't require regular direct deposits or a checking account created?
As a 4 year SoFi customer, let me tell you: what a letdown. They take away features left and right, force you to sell investments they don't want to support anymore, even if they're down, they terminated crypto support after screwing over a lot of people via forced sales, and they've put an end to ATM fee reimbursements.
I'm in process of moving everything away from them.
I, like many other slickdeals patrons, thought this would be a slick deal to get $300 and 4.6% on savings account. I set up my direct deposit, got my debit card and set up biometric login with the mobile app. Within 60 days of account opening, my account was hacked and $50K was siphoned from the account in one day. When you call customer service, it is likely a non-US based customer service representative. They can lock your account, but they are unable to assist with any security specialists to start the process of returning stolen funds to you. It took an additional 72+ hrs to have a US based security specialist for SoFi to contact you and assist with the process of locking account, investigating the fraud and eventually returning funds to you. It took about 7-10 business days for everything to shake out and thankfully have the funds returned. You can imagine, I transferred the funds back to my normal bank account and closed the SoFi account immediately after funds cleared. The security analyst was unable to say how the fraudsters got into my account or accessed it from >3000 miles away. The bank the perpetrators used was TD Bank and interestingly, I was able to speak to their security department immediately and they were able to tell me that the TD Bank account was created through identity theft and they had flagged the account as "fraudulent" within a day and the money funneled from my SoFi account was not allowed to leave TD Bank. They further were able to tell me that they have been waiting for SoFi to contact them for a few days to return my money. They also gave me helpful tips to lock my identity down to prevent further fraud from occurring. They advised me to file a police report, an identity theft report with the FTC and also looking into an ic3 report. They said to lock my SSN and get an IRS pin. They were very very helpful and spotted the fraud before SoFi did. I think the mobile app is how the thieves got in but in the end SoFi couldn't tell. I also think the recent AT&T hack with the leaking of my SSN didn't help at all as all the identity theft occurred during 2nd week of March just as the AT&T leak was being reported. Be careful out there my Slickdeals friends. There is going to be a lot of identity theft going on now that SSN's got leaked. On a darkweb monitoring search, I have been in >15 data leaks but none involved my SSN until this recent AT&T data leak per the darkweb report. Consider freezing your credit with the big 3 and the minor 4 (ChexSystems, Lexis Nexis, Innovis and NCTUE) and also freezing your SSN with e-verify.gov and gettng an IRS pin so no one files for a refund with your SSN. Good luck. I would avoid SoFi, the headache and pain was not worth the bonus or the increased savings APY in my opinion.
Just so I'm understanding it correctly, to get 4.65% I need to set up a direct deposit with my employer and it can be any amount. And to get the $300 bonus, I need to add $5K within the timeframe by either transferring the money from another bank account and/or direct deposited from my employer. Is that right?
I, like many other slickdeals patrons, thought this would be a slick deal to get $300 and 4.6% on savings account. I set up my direct deposit, got my debit card and set up biometric login with the mobile app. Within 60 days of account opening, my account was hacked and $50K was siphoned from the account in one day. When you call customer service, it is likely a non-US based customer service representative. They can lock your account, but they are unable to assist with any security specialists to start the process of returning stolen funds to you. It took an additional 72+ hrs to have a US based security specialist for SoFi to contact you and assist with the process of locking account, investigating the fraud and eventually returning funds to you. It took about 7-10 business days for everything to shake out and thankfully have the funds returned. You can imagine, I transferred the funds back to my normal bank account and closed the SoFi account immediately after funds cleared. The security analyst was unable to say how the fraudsters got into my account or accessed it from >3000 miles away. The bank the perpetrators used was TD Bank and interestingly, I was able to speak to their security department immediately and they were able to tell me that the TD Bank account was created through identity theft and they had flagged the account as "fraudulent" within a day and the money funneled from my SoFi account was not allowed to leave TD Bank. They further were able to tell me that they have been waiting for SoFi to contact them for a few days to return my money. They also gave me helpful tips to lock my identity down to prevent further fraud from occurring. They advised me to file a police report, an identity theft report with the FTC and also looking into an ic3 report. They said to lock my SSN and get an IRS pin. They were very very helpful and spotted the fraud before SoFi did. I think the mobile app is how the thieves got in but in the end SoFi couldn't tell. I also think the recent AT&T hack with the leaking of my SSN didn't help at all as all the identity theft occurred during 2nd week of March just as the AT&T leak was being reported. Be careful out there my Slickdeals friends. There is going to be a lot of identity theft going on now that SSN's got leaked. On a darkweb monitoring search, I have been in >15 data leaks but none involved my SSN until this recent AT&T data leak per the darkweb report. Consider freezing your credit with the big 3 and the minor 4 (ChexSystems, Lexis Nexis, Innovis and NCTUE) and also freezing your SSN with e-verify.gov and gettng an IRS pin so no one files for a refund with your SSN. Good luck. I would avoid SoFi, the headache and pain was not worth the bonus or the increased savings APY in my opinion.
I think the theft is not SSN related, it is ACH related. Recently, I made a ACH link between two banks, I entered routing number and account number, linked without two trial deposits needed.
Can someone explain?
My understanding is, the bonus period (25 days) begins as soon the first direct deposit hits not the day I open account? Meaning as soon as first direct deposit hits I have 25 days from that day to deposit 5K to get $300 bonus.
Evaluation period starts from the day your opened the bank account. Better to open the account just 3 or 4 days before paycheck .
Great bank, using for 2 years, initially signed up for the HYSA but really like the idea of having everything in one app, specially during the tax season so moved everything from various accounts to SoFi and am happy with it. I do compliment it with my Wells Fargo, which I have kept since there is a physical branch next to me and use to pay bills. Chase and Capital One got the boot, I never liked capital ones app and Chase is eager to charge fees for smallest things.
Great bank, using for 2 years, initially signed up for the HYSA but really like the idea of having everything in one app, specially during the tax season so moved everything from various accounts to SoFi and am happy with it. I do compliment it with my Wells Fargo, which I have kept since there is a physical branch next to me and use to pay bills. Chase and Capital One got the boot, I never liked capital ones app and Chase is eager to charge fees for smallest things.
My GF and I have started using SoFi for a joint account for paying bills etc, as well as the savings account for the interest rate while we are saving for a house. We also use their CC for groceries etc for the cashback.
Very happy overall with Sofi, the website and layout is all clean. Only downside is that, we both liked SoFi so much we wanted to open individual checking and savings accounts but we aren't allowed a 2nd account with SoFi. Not a big deal I still bank with my old credit union and usually rotate a few banks each year collecting the direct deposit bonuses.
Reading some of the financial woes here isn't great, but in the big scheme of things our money's insured and we've had great experiences with SoFi.
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NM, I read the fine print.
Bonus Terms: In order to qualify for eligibility for a bonus, SoFi must receive at least one Direct Deposit (as defined below) from an Eligible Participant, the first of which must be received on or after 12/7/2023. Direct Deposits are defined as deposits of $1,000.00 or greater from an enrolled member's employer, payroll, benefits provider, or government agency via ACH deposit. Deposits that are not from an employer, payroll, benefits provider, or government agency (such as check deposits; P2P transfers such as from PayPal or Venmo, etc.; merchant transactions such as from PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.; and external bank ACH transfers not from employers) do not qualify for this Direct Deposit Promotion. The amount of the bonus, if any, will be calculated during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period as described and defined below.
- You can only link other bank accounts using Plaid. If you don't agree to Plaid terms you are pretty much out of luck.
- Email notifications are very limited, they try to only use push notifications which are not nearly as good for keeping history and you have to keep the app on your phone.
- They do have a website at least, but it's very basic and similar to the app.
On the good side though
- The debit card is great, no foreign transaction fees, and many free ATMs
- You can keep all money in savings account and auto-draft to maximize interest
- Vaults are good for securing and saving money
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
That's how these scam banks offer high rate checking/savings - by pinching customers on all the other basics. Simple as.
I'm in process of moving everything away from them.
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thank you
I think the theft is not SSN related, it is ACH related. Recently, I made a ACH link between two banks, I entered routing number and account number, linked without two trial deposits needed.
My understanding is, the bonus period (25 days) begins as soon the first direct deposit hits not the day I open account? Meaning as soon as first direct deposit hits I have 25 days from that day to deposit 5K to get $300 bonus.
Evaluation period starts from the day your opened the bank account. Better to open the account just 3 or 4 days before paycheck .
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Very happy overall with Sofi, the website and layout is all clean. Only downside is that, we both liked SoFi so much we wanted to open individual checking and savings accounts but we aren't allowed a 2nd account with SoFi. Not a big deal I still bank with my old credit union and usually rotate a few banks each year collecting the direct deposit bonuses.
Reading some of the financial woes here isn't great, but in the big scheme of things our money's insured and we've had great experiences with SoFi.