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.
Yearly rate on $25 while it's there, bonus included.
The math
Compared with leaving $25 at 4.15%
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
- 1Deposit $25 in new money within 1 day
- 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.