If you’re looking for free money, the great news is that there are plenty of companies and apps that are willing to pay you to try them out.
However, one massive downside of a lot of sign up bonus apps is that they require significant direct deposits to get paid. So, if you’re short on cash or don’t want to reroute your deposits elsewhere, these methods don’t work.
That’s why in this post, I’m covering some of the best sign up bonus no deposit account offers you can use to snag free money without any deposit requirements.
The Best Instant Sign Up Bonus No Deposit Bank Account Offers
There are a lot of reward apps, investing apps, and banks out there with instant sign up bonuses. And the great news is that many of them don’t require setting up direct deposit to earn:
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1. Upgrade
If you’re on the market for a new U.S. rewards checking account, then you need to check out Upgrade.
With Upgrade, you can get $200 for free if you open a rewards checking account and make three debit card transactions within 60 days. That’s right: there’s no direct deposit requirement or cash balance requirement.
Plus, the Visa-powered Upgrade card comes with other perks, including no annual fees, unlimited 1.5% cash back, and credit lines from Upgrade.
Ultimately, you can make $200 fast through Upgrade if you’re on the market for a new rewards checking account. And the company has other products and accounts you can also explore.
2. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a leading rewards website that lets you earn PayPal cash and gift cards in your spare time.
I’ve been using Swagbucks for years since my phone farming days in college. And it’s one of the most popular get-paid-to sites out there.
I also like Swagbucks since it offers plenty of ways to make money, including:
- Answering surveys for money
- Shopping online
- Playing games for cash
- Surfing the web
- Downloading apps
Plus, Swagbucks has a nice sign up bonus with no deposit bank account requirement. You can usually get $5 to $10 for signing up and earning a certain amount of Swagbucks in your first 30 days.
3. Fundrise
Another no direct deposit bonus you can test out comes from Fundrise, a leading real estate investing platform.
With Fundrise, you can invest in income-generating real estate properties starting with just $10. You then earn dividend payments from properties and from potential appreciation.
The platform is completely hands off for investors, so it’s a popular passive income idea. And Fundrise often has a $10 sign up bonus for new members.
You only need to make a starting deposit to get the bonus, so there’s no direct deposit requirement. Plus, you can reinvest your bonus and future capital to get more shares.
Historically, Fundrise returns about 8% annually. You pay 1% in annual management fees, making Fundrise a pretty cost-effective way to make money on autopilot.
Note: This is a Fundrise endorsem*nt and we receive compensation if you sign up with the provided links.
4. Banks & Credit Unions
Some of the highest-paying bonuses with no direct deposit requirement come from banks and credit unions.
Generally, you have to open a new account with these companies and then makeonecash deposit to meet minimum balance requirements. The more you deposit, the more you generally earn.
Some of the top banks and companies with instant sign up bonuses with no deposit requirements include:
- Yotta: This bank account pays out up to $1 million per day in free prizes to members!
- Axos: Get up to $250 as a welcome bonus.
- Citi: Earn up to $2,000 as a new customer with a large enough cash deposit.
- Discover: Earn up to $200 as a welcome bonus.
- Wells Fargo: Enjoy a $300 bonus by meeting deposit requirements.
- Capital One: Get up to $1,000 as a new customer.
- Alliant: Get a $100 sign up bonus.
This is just scratching the surface. Banks like Huntington Bank, Fulton Bank, TD Bank, and hundreds of regional and nationwide banks and credit unions all have bonuses. So, do a search in your area to see what promotions are going on.
Again, it takes moving some money around to complete these types of sign up bonuses. But if you have some idle cash, this is one of the most lucrative categories of instant sign up bonuses out there.
Note that you can also explore various credit card bonuses that pay you free money for signing up. Companies like Amex, Bank of America, TD, and others pretty much always have some type of sign up bonus for new customers.
5. Survey Bonuses
Some of the easiest no deposit sign up bonuses come from survey sites. These sites let you earn cash and gift cards by sharing your opinion, and I’ve used them since my time in college to make money.
Several leading sites that also have instant bonuses include:
- Branded Surveys ($1)
- InboxDollars ($5)
- Prime Opinion ($5)
- Kashkick ($1)
- MyPoints ($5)
Between these sites, you can easily get over $20 in instant bonuses with no requirements. And from there, you can earn more rewards by completing some surveys in your spare time.
Try out Branded Surveys, my favorite survey site!
6. Rakuten
Rakuten is a leading shopping extension that pays you to shop at thousands of partners. It’s completely free to use, and I’ve been earning cash back with it for years since my time in college.
I like using Rakuten since it works with thousands of stores, including popular retailers like Best Buy, Macy’s, Nike, and Walmart. Plus, Rakuten also has a $30 sign up bonus. All you have to do is sign up and spend at least $30 on a qualifying shopping offer to earn.
This is a spending requirement, but not a direct deposit requirement. And Rakuten pays you with free PayPal cash or check every quarter.
Get $30 for free with Rakuten!
7. Ibotta
If you do most of the shopping for your household, another easy no bank deposit sign up bonus you can use comes from the Ibotta app.
Ibotta is a leading shopping app that pays you for buying groceries and everyday essentials and then uploading photos of your receipts to the app.
I’ve been using Ibotta for years, and the app is similar to apps like Fetch and Receipt Hog, although you find higher-paying deals and way more of them with Ibotta.
Cash back you earn is redeemable for PayPal cash and dozens of gift cards once you earn at least $20. And right now, Ibotta has a $10 sign up bonus when you sign up and spend at least $30 on an online shopping offer. But the app has no deposit bonuses ranging from $5 to $20 all the time.
Apps like Ibotta won’t make you a millionaire. But in my opinion, these types of reward apps are a nice way to get free cash for your regular shopping.
8. Cash App
Cash App is one of the most popular payment processing apps alongside competitors like Venmo and PayPal. But did you know it also has an instant sign up bonus with no deposit bank account requirement?
That’s right: you can get free Cash App money if you leverage the app’s referral bonus program.
All you have to do is sign up for Cash App and invite your friends to join as well. If they enter your Cash App code and spend $5 within 14 days, you also get a fast $5 for your efforts.
This sign up bonus isn’t going to make you rich by any means. But if you’re already using Cash App, you might as well get free money by sharing the app with some friends.
9. M1
M1 is a popular online broker that lets you invest in ETFs and stocks without paying commission. And, it also has a robo-advisor style investing platform that helps people invest for income.
And right now, M1 is also paying up to $500 if you open an account and make a certain investment amount.
Here are M1’s different reward tiers for this promotion:
- Invest $10,000 – $29,999:Get $75.
- Invest $30,000 – $49,999:Get $150.
- Invest $50,000 – $99,999:Get $250.
- Invest $100,000+:Get $500.
Granted, this bonus takes some capital, so it’s not the best sign up bonus with no deposit bank account offer. But if you’re looking for a new broker, you can consider transferring your funds to M1 to take advantage of the promotion.
10. Acorns
Acorns is a leading investing app that helps people build good habits and invest on autopilot.
With Acorns, you can round-up the spare change from your daily purchases and invest that money into portfolios of ETFs and bonds that match your investing goals.
For example, if you spend $15.45 on dinner, Acorns can round-up that purchase to $16 and invest the additional money automatically for you.
Additionally, Acorns often has a $5 or $10 sign up bonus for new members. And if that’s not ongoing, you can usually get a $5 bonus by inviting your friends to join Acorns.
Learn more about investing with Acorns!
11. Stock Broker Bonuses
Like banks and credit cards, another way to get no deposit sign up bonuses is to open accounts with different stock brokers.
The investing world is competitive. So, plenty of brokers are willing to pay sign up bonuses if you give them a try. Some of the leading broker bonuses you can consider include:
- SoFi: Get up to $100 or more for trying SoFi’s different products.
- Robinhood: Get free stock for opening a new account.
- Webull: Get 6 free shares for opening an account and investing at least $100.
- Moomoo: Score up to 15 free stocks as a new customer.
Again, you generally have to connect your bank account and potentially make a certain investment to get these bonuses. But you don’t have to set up direct deposit or recurring investments.
12. Nielsen Panel
One final no deposit bank account bonus you can try if you live in the United States comes from Nielsen Panel.
This popular passive income app pays you $50 or more per year for sharing data about how you surf the web. It’s also run by Nielsen, one of the largest market research companies that’s been in business for decades.
All you have to do is download the Nielsen Mobile Panel on your phone and begin sharing your data. You then earn credits which are redeemable for cash and other merchandise.
You can also install the Nielsen Panel on your computer. But this route just pays you with sweepstake entries for cash giveaways, not guaranteed money.
If you’re comfortable sharing your data to earn, you can also try similar apps like MobileXpression and Panel App to earn even more!
Extra Reading – The Best $100 Sign Up Bonuses.
Tips For Getting These Bonuses
Now that you know some of the best instant sign up bonuses with no deposit requirements, here are some tips that I find helpful to help you get paid:
- Check The Fine Print: Always check terms and conditions of sign up bonuses and make sure you avoid anything that voids getting paid.
- Follow Steps Carefully: A lot of bonuses require following several steps, like inviting friends to join or making certain one-time deposits. Make sure you follow each step carefully to earn the bonus!
- Try Several Bonuses: Stacking several promotions is a nice way to get a lot of cash in a short amount of time. I even have friends who move money around to new banks or brokers all the time to keep getting bonuses.
Extra Reading – The Best Instant $50 Sign Up Bonuses.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide helps you score some quick cash without much effort. Personally, I love this type of bonus-churning side hustle. After all, companies should pay you if they want your business!
Just remember to follow steps carefully and to read the fine print. As long as you do, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy some free money while trying out new products and services.
Looking for more money-making ideas? Checkout:
- How To Get $25 Instantly.
- How To Make $1,000 In 24 Hours.
Tom Blake
Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and the gig economy. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Investor Junkie, and more. This Online World is all about providing people with honest ways to make and save more money by using technology. To learn more about Tom, read his About Page!
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