Bounty

Alliant High-Rate Checking bonus: is $100 worth it?

What it adds over what your cash earns now, tier by tier. Change the rate to yours.

+$97: more than leaving it at 4.15%
With the bonus162.22%
Leave it where it is4.15%

Yearly rate on $500 while it's there, bonus included.

The math

Compared with leaving $500 at 4.15%

Bonus
+$100
Interest while it's there
No interest assumed
$0
What it'd earn at home
$500 at 4.15% for 45 days
−$3
Extra
+$97
Works out to 162.2% a year on that cash, vs 4.15% at home.

Deposit $500 in new money within 1 day · Get $500 in direct deposits within 30 days · Make 5 debit card purchases within 45 days · Keep $1,000 there until day 45. Terms checked Oct 10, 2026.

About this bonus

What it takes

  1. 1Deposit $500 in new money within 1 day
  2. 2Get $500 in direct deposits within 30 days
  3. 3Make 5 debit card purchases within 45 days
  4. 4Keep $1,000 there until day 45
Ends
No end date listed
Where
Nationwide
Monthly fee
None
Closing early
$10 within 90 days
Cash stays
About 45 days
Bonus paid
Usually within 45 days of finishing
Credit check
A ChexSystems inquiry (not your credit score)

Similar bonuses

The same kind of account, ranked by what each adds at 4.15%.

Questions

Is the Alliant High-Rate Checking bonus worth it?

At 4.15%, about what T-bills or a money market fund pay (as of Oct 12, 2026), the $500 tier adds +$97: the $100 bonus, minus the $3 that cash would have earned in 45 days. At a different rate the answer changes; the calculator on this page works it out for yours.

What are the requirements?

Deposit $500 in new money within 1 day; get $500 in direct deposits within 30 days; make 5 debit card purchases within 45 days; keep $1,000 there until day 45. Open nationwide.

When does it end?

No end date is listed. The terms were last checked Oct 10, 2026.