Ally Bank's headline checking cash bonus is not available in September 2026 — the bank now publishes a page titled "Ally Bank Checking Bonus Has Ended." What is still live is the customer referral bonus: a referred new customer can earn $100, with the program's personal referral links set to expire 12/31/26. That reframes the question for anyone shopping Ally right now. The realistic reasons to open an account this month are the referral bonus (if you qualify), a $500 offer tied to closing an Ally Home loan, or simply the savings rate — which Ally lists at 3.00% APY as of 09/14/26.
Table of Contents
- The checking bonus has ended — what happens if you already enrolled
- The $100 referral bonus, and who is locked out of it
- The mechanics that quietly break a referral bonus
- What Ally counts as a "qualifying direct deposit"
- Expired offer codes, and why old archives mislead
- With no checking bonus, does the rate carry the account?
- Frequently Asked Questions
The checking bonus has ended — what happens if you already enrolled
Ally's own checking bonus wind-down page confirms the offer is closed to new enrollments and explains what existing enrollees can expect. If you enrolled before it ended, Ally says you still get paid within 30 days of your second consecutive monthly qualifying direct deposit, provided the account stays open and in good standing.
Two conditions in that sentence do real work. "Consecutive" means a skipped month restarts the clock, and "good standing" means closing or overdrawing the account before payout can cost you the bonus. If you enrolled and the deposits have landed on schedule, the practical move is to do nothing — leave the account open and wait out the 30-day window rather than transferring the balance elsewhere the moment the second deposit posts.
The $100 referral bonus, and who is locked out of it
The live offer is ally's customer referral program. Under the referral terms and conditions for new friends, a referred new customer receives a $100 welcome bonus paid into the new eligible account within 30 days of the qualifying direct deposit. The exclusion is broader than most people assume.
You are ineligible if you have held any type of Ally Bank deposit account since January 1, 2024 — as either the primary owner or a non-primary joint owner. That sweeps in customers who closed an Ally savings account last year, and it sweeps in anyone who was merely added to a partner's joint account. The deadline is 12/31/26: personal referral links expire that date and enrollment must be completed by then. Ally also reserves the right to end the program early at its sole discretion, so a December plan is not a safe plan.
The mechanics that quietly break a referral bonus
Referral bonuses fail on tracking far more often than on eligibility. The terms name two specific tripwires: That last point deserves its own check, because Ally's definition is narrower than the everyday meaning of the phrase.
- Open the eligible account within 30 days of enrollment. Enroll through the link, then sit on it for six weeks, and the bonus does not attach.
- Use the same email address at account opening that you used at enrollment. A work address at enrollment and a personal one at signup are two different people to the tracking system.
- Confirm your direct deposit meets Ally's definition before you count on it.
What Ally counts as a "qualifying direct deposit"
Across Ally's bonus terms, a qualifying direct deposit is an electronic deposit from an employer payroll, a payroll provider, or a benefits payer such as Social Security or military pay. The Get300 offer terms spell out the same definition Ally applies elsewhere. What does not count is the part that catches people.
Zelle and other person-to-person payments do not qualify. Neither does an ACH push you initiate from an outside bank, and neither does an internal transfer between your own Ally accounts. The workaround people try — pushing money in from another checking account and calling it a direct deposit — is exactly the transaction type these terms exclude. If your income does not arrive through an employer or benefits payer, assume you cannot meet the requirement.
Expired offer codes, and why old archives mislead
Offer-code pages stay online after they stop working, which is how stale bonus listings survive. The $300 Get300 offer required opening by 11/10/25, then $1,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits each month for two consecutive months, paying out within 30 days of hitting the second month. The earlier Get200 code paid $200 for a new Spending Account but demanded at least $2,000 per month for three months.
Compare those two: Get200 asked a higher deposit bar over a longer period for a smaller payout than Get300. Offer codes are not interchangeable, and an archived code is not a discount you can still apply. One separate offer is still posted and targets borrowers rather than savers. Offer code "allyhome1" pays a $500 cash bonus to a new Ally Bank customer who opens an eligible account and then closes a new Ally Home loan — relevant only if you were already taking out a mortgage.
With no checking bonus, does the rate carry the account?
For most readers in September 2026, the yield is the decision, not the bonus. Ally's rates page lists the Savings Account at 3.00% APY and the Money Market Account at 0.10%–0.25% APY, both stated as of 09/14/26. That spread is wide enough to matter.
Money parked in the money market account at 0.25% earns roughly a twelfth of what the same balance earns in savings, so anyone holding a money market balance for check-writing convenience is paying a steep price for it. Rates are variable and change without notice, so treat 3.00% as today's number rather than a year's return. If you are eligible for the $100 referral bonus, get a referral link from an existing Ally customer before opening the account — you cannot apply it retroactively once the account exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still get the Ally checking bonus if I enrolled before it ended?
Yes. Ally says enrolled customers are paid within 30 days of their second consecutive monthly qualifying direct deposit, as long as the account stays open and in good standing.
I closed my Ally savings account in 2025. Can I claim the $100 referral bonus?
No. The terms exclude anyone who has held any type of Ally Bank deposit account since January 1, 2024, including as a non-primary joint owner.
Will a Zelle payment or a transfer from my other bank trigger the bonus?
No. Ally counts only electronic deposits from an employer payroll, a payroll provider, or a benefits payer such as Social Security or military pay.
How long do I have to act on the referral offer?
Personal referral links expire 12/31/26 and enrollment must be completed by then, but Ally can end the program earlier at its sole discretion.
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