SoFi promotions and bonus offers of January 2025

One of SoFi’s most popular bonuses comes from opening a SoFi Checking and Savings account and setting up direct deposit to earn up to $300, depending on your deposit amounts. But that’s not all it has to offer — there are also referral bonuses for nearly all its lending options.

All SoFi banking bonuses at a glance

• SoFi terms and conditions

  New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at sofi.com/banking. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.
  SoFi members with Direct Deposit can earn 4.00% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 4.00% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Direct Deposit will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/3/2024. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.
  
  SoFi members with Direct Deposit or $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 4.00% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Only SoFi members with direct deposit are eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/3/24. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.
  
  We do not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. We do charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Our fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Checking & Savings Fee Sheet for details at sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/.
  
  SoFi Bank is a member FDIC and does not provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per legal category of account ownership, as described in the FDIC’s regulations. Any additional FDIC insurance is provided by the SoFi Insured Deposit Program. Deposits may be insured up to $2M through participation in the program. See full terms at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/termsSee list of participating banks at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/receivingbanks
  
  We’ve partnered with Allpoint to provide you with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs within the Allpoint network. You will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third-party fees incurred when using out-of-network ATMs are not subject to reimbursement. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.
  
  Early access to direct deposit funds is based on the timing in which we receive notice of impending payment from the Federal Reserve, which is typically up to two days before the scheduled
  payment date, but may vary.

SoFi’s best bonus offer

In our opinion, the best SoFi bonus offer is the SoFi Checking and Savings account direct deposit bonus. You can earn $50 or $300 simply by setting up direct deposit and meeting the amount requirements.

With the SoFi bank account open, you can also send referrals to friends and family to earn $75, and they can earn $25 — however, it’s not cold hard cash. The SoFi bank account referral bonuses are paid out in reward points, which you can use with a SoFi Active Invest® account, SoFi Credit Card account, SoFi Travel purchases and other SoFi loans. You can only receive up to $10,000 in referral bonuses, but that limit would take a lot of work to reach.

Compare more bank account bonuses

SoFi offers a lot of bonuses, but they are mostly referral bonuses. If you already have a SoFi bank account, you could take advantage of its bank account referral bonuses, but the rewards you earn are rewards points to be used toward other SoFi products. If you’re a new SoFi customer, take advantage of its direct deposit bonus to earn $50 or $300 by meeting deposit requirements.

If you’re not sold on SoFi just yet, compare more bank account bonus offers.

Frequently asked questions

Are there banks with immediate signup bonuses?

Most signup bank bonuses aren’t immediate. Generally, you’ll need to meet some type of requirement, often a direct deposit, balance or activity requirement. After you meet the requirements, you’ll likely receive the signup bonus within 30 to 90 days, depending on the bank.

Is SoFi a real bank?

Yes, SoFi is an FDIC-insured online bank. SoFi received its bank charter in early 2022.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Bethany Hickey

Editor, Banking

Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio

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