"I've Been Beating Banks With Bonus Accounts for 10 Years: Here's the System That Earned Me Thousands"

"“Definitely worth it, but what you didn't mention is the best practice is to keep these accounts open at least 6 months,” he said. “This makes you look like a more real customer and makes it more likely the bank will keep offering these things.”"

"“This makes you look like a more real customer,” Pete said. Banks track “bonus churners” and quietly blacklist them. Sitting in the account half a year preserves your eligibility for the next offer at that same institution two or three years out."

"“You do need to keep very good records. I have a spreadsheet with multiple tabs for each year as I continue to do these, and I've been doing it since 2016,” Pete explained."

"“Wow, your 10th anniversary of beating the banks at their own game.”"

Bank account bonuses can outperform low risk-free returns on idle cash when real yields are thin. A key practice is keeping bonus-eligible accounts open for at least six months so the customer appears more legitimate and remains eligible for future offers. Banks monitor “bonus churners” and may restrict repeat bonus seekers, so holding the account helps preserve eligibility. Another pillar is maintaining strong records using a spreadsheet with multiple tabs for each year, tracked since 2016. Typical bonuses provide a fixed payout for meeting requirements like direct deposits and maintaining a minimum balance, and holding the funds for six months can make the bonus far larger than what comparable savings interest would earn.

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