Bounty

Columbia Bank Personal Checking bonus: is $250 worth it?

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

+$219: more than leaving it at 4.15%
With the bonus33.8%
Leave it where it is4.15%

Yearly rate on $3,000 while it's there, bonus included.

The math

Compared with leaving $3k at 4.15%

Bonus
+$250
Interest while it's there
No interest assumed
$0
What it'd earn at home
$3,000 at 4.15% for 3 mo
−$31
Extra
+$219
Works out to 33.8% a year on that cash, vs 4.15% at home.

Get $3,000 in direct deposits within 90 days · Average $3,000 from day 1 to day 90 · Enroll in online banking within 90 calendar days of account opening; promo must be…. Terms checked Oct 10, 2026.

About this bonus

What it takes

  1. 1Get $3,000 in direct deposits within 90 days
  2. 2Average $3,000 from day 1 to day 90
  3. 3Enroll in online banking within 90 calendar days of account opening; promo must be…
Ends
No end date listed
Where
California
Monthly fee
None
Cash stays
About 90 days
Bonus paid
Usually within 45 days of finishing

Similar bonuses

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

Questions

Is the Columbia Bank Personal Checking bonus worth it?

At 4.15%, about what T-bills or a money market fund pay (as of Oct 12, 2026), the $3,000 tier adds +$219: the $250 bonus, minus the $31 that cash would have earned in 90 days. At a different rate the answer changes; the calculator on this page works it out for yours.

What are the requirements?

Get $3,000 in direct deposits within 90 days; average $3,000 from day 1 to day 90; enroll in online banking within 90 calendar days of account opening; promo must be…. Open to residents of California.

When does it end?

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