American Express Rewards Checking
Our take
- This is a strong $300 offer with no monthly fee, but it is only attractive if routing $7,500 of qualifying direct deposits within 90 days is realistic for you.
- Confirm your eligibility before opening: you need a qualifying existing American Express relationship, and anyone who has ever held Rewards Checking is excluded from the bonus.
- Payroll isn't your only option—several alternative DD methods are confirmed to work here, so check the DD methods section below if you don't have qualifying payroll to route.
- The bonus may arrive within days, but American Express allows 8–12 weeks after you qualify, so do not treat an immediate payout as guaranteed.
Requirements
Receive qualifying direct deposits totaling at least $7,500 within 90 days of opening the account.
Direct deposit methods
Confirmed6
Chase Business Checking
Use the paid employee/vendor ACH payment flow; the free transfer flow may not trigger the bonus. Payroll-style memo text has worked.
Fidelity CMA
Set up the American Express account as belonging to someone else and send by EFT/ACH. This flow has triggered the bonus and typically posts as an online transfer/payment credit.
Kraken
Standard ACH cash-outs have triggered the bonus, often shortly after the deposit posts.
Relay Business Checking
Payroll payments from Relay have triggered the bonus; a payroll-style memo is the recurring execution detail.
Discover Checking
Pushes from a Discover Checking account have triggered the bonus.
Discover Savings
Pushes from a Discover Savings account have triggered the bonus.
Possible2
Fidelity
Results are mixed when the Fidelity account type is not identified. The transfer-to-someone-else flow appears to be the key execution detail.
Wise
Results are mixed. ACH transfers with a payroll-style memo have worked, but other recent ACH transfers did not trigger the bonus.
Does not work5
American Express High-Yield Savings
Internal transfers from an American Express High Yield Savings Account are excluded by the offer terms.
Capital One 360 Checking
A $7,500+ transfer posted as an online transfer/payment credit but did not trigger the bonus.
Charles Schwab Checking
A $7,500+ push did not trigger the bonus.
SoFi Savings
A $7,500+ push did not trigger the bonus.
Vanguard Brokerage
A current-offer transfer attempt did not trigger the bonus.