Bounty

Empire State Bank Free Personal Checking bonus: is $250 worth it?

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

+$250: more than leaving it at 4.15%
With the bonus365000%
Leave it where it is4.15%

Yearly rate on $25 while it's there, bonus included.

The math

Compared with leaving $25 at 4.15%

Bonus
+$250
Interest while it's there
No interest assumed
$0
What it'd earn at home
$25 at 4.15% for 1 day
$0
Extra
+$250
Works out to 365000% a year on that cash, vs 4.15% at home.

Deposit $25 in new money within 1 day · Get $2,500 in direct deposits within 90 days. Terms checked Oct 10, 2026.

About this bonus

What it takes

  1. 1Deposit $25 in new money within 1 day
  2. 2Get $2,500 in direct deposits within 90 days
Ends
No end date listed
Where
New York
Monthly fee
None
Cash stays
About 1 day
Bonus paid
Usually within 90 days of finishing

Similar bonuses

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

Questions

Is the Empire State Bank Free Personal Checking bonus worth it?

At 4.15%, about what T-bills or a money market fund pay (as of Oct 12, 2026), the $25 tier adds +$250: the $250 bonus, minus the $0 that cash would have earned in 1 day. At a different rate the answer changes; the calculator on this page works it out for yours.

What are the requirements?

Deposit $25 in new money within 1 day; get $2,500 in direct deposits within 90 days. Open to residents of New York.

When does it end?

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