How long does a bank bonus take to post after I qualify?

It depends on the offer, and the number is printed in the terms. Chase says within 15 days of completing the requirements, and Wells Fargo says within 30 calendar days. Until that period has passed the bonus is not late, so start counting from the day the last qualifying deposit posted, not from the day you opened the account.

Can the bank refuse the bonus after I met the requirements?

It can refuse if a requirement was not met as the terms define it, and it can reverse a bonus it believes was earned by promotional abuse. Both Chase and Wells Fargo also require the account to be open and unrestricted when the bonus is paid, so closing early forfeits it.

Who do I complain to if the bank will not pay?

Start with the bank in writing and ask for the specific condition it says you failed. If the answer contradicts the offer terms, file with the CFPB, which routes the complaint to the company and reports that companies generally respond in 15 days. For a national bank or federal savings association, the OCC's HelpWithMyBank.gov is the other route.

Does closing the account after the bonus posts cause a clawback?

Some offers carry an early-closure fee or a clawback window after the bonus is paid, and some do not. The Chase and Wells Fargo terms we read require the account to be open at payout and reserve the right to reverse a bonus for abuse, but neither prints a fixed clawback window. Read your own offer for the number before you close anything.

Why Hasn't My Bank Bonus Posted? A Checklist

A bank bonus that has not posted has almost always failed one condition written into the offer: the deposit was not the kind the bank counts, the total fell short, the window was measured from a different day than you assumed, or the payout period has not run out yet. Check those four in that order before you call, because the bank will check them in the same order.

You did the deposits, the window closed, and the balance has not moved. Before you call the bank, run the checks below in order, because the person who answers will run the same ones and the first failure ends the conversation.

Has the posting window actually passed?

Not until the number printed in the offer has run out. Chase pays the Total Checking bonus "within 15 days" of completing the requirements. ¹ Wells Fargo deposits its Everyday Checking bonus "within 30 calendar days" of the requirements being met. ²

Count from the day the last qualifying deposit posted to the account, not from the day you opened it or the day the deposit left your employer. If you are inside that period, there is nothing to chase yet.

Was the deposit the kind the bank counts?

This is where most bonuses die. Chase defines a direct deposit as "an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security) from your employer or the government", and it excludes person-to-person payments such as Zelle, micro-deposits, external transfers from a bank, brokerage or investment account, tax refunds, dividends and retirement distributions. ¹ Wells Fargo excludes "transfers from one account to another, mobile deposits, Zelle, or deposits made at a branch or ATM". ²

Open the account activity and look at the label the bank gave each credit. A qualifying deposit carries the employer or agency name and a payroll or benefits description. A credit labelled as a transfer was not counted, whatever it was in reality, and the bank's coding is what the bonus system reads. The full comparison is in what counts as a direct deposit.

Did the total reach the threshold inside the window?

Both offers require $1,000 or more within 90 days. ¹ ² Two details decide close cases.

The window starts on the day the terms say, which is "within 90 days of offer enrollment" at Chase and "within 90 calendar days of account opening" at Wells Fargo, so a Chase enrolment a week before the account was fully open started the clock at enrolment. ¹ ²
Only qualifying deposits count toward the total, so three payroll deposits of $300 and one $400 transfer is $900 of qualifying deposits, not $1,300, and it fails. Add up only the credits with a payroll or benefits label, and check the date of the first one against the day the window opened.

Is the account still open and unrestricted?

Chase requires that "the enrolled account must not be closed or restricted at the time of payout". ¹ Wells Fargo says the account "must stay open through the time we attempt to deposit the bonus". ²

A restriction can be silent. A hold placed after a large mobile deposit, a returned item, or an identity check that stalled can leave the account open on your screen and restricted in the bank's system. Ask directly whether the account carried any restriction on the payout date.

Did you enrol in the offer, or only open the account?

Some offers are attached to an enrolment code or a link, and opening the account through a different door leaves you with the account and no offer. Chase's terms refer throughout to the "enrolled account", which means enrolment is a separate fact from opening. ¹ Find the enrolment confirmation email or the coupon acknowledgement and keep it with the offer page.

What to say to the bank

Ask one question: which specific condition of the offer does the bank say was not met? Do not accept "you did not qualify" as an answer, because the terms are a list and the bank has to name an item on it. Get the answer in writing, in secure messaging or by email, so the reason cannot change between calls.

If the reason names a condition you can show you met, reply with the evidence: the offer page with its date, the enrolment confirmation, and the deposit labels with their dates. Banks reverse decisions on documents, not on tone.

Where to escalate

If the bank refuses in writing and the terms are on your side, two routes exist and both are free.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accepts complaints about checking and savings accounts, sends the complaint to the company, and states that "companies generally respond in 15 days", with a final response in 60 days where the company says it is still working. ³
For a national bank or a federal savings association, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency runs HelpWithMyBank.gov, which "provides information and assistance for customers of national banks and federal savings associations" and takes complaints online or by phone. ⁴

A complaint with the offer terms and the deposit labels attached is a different thing from a complaint that says the bank was unfair. Attach the documents.

What to do next time

Send one qualifying deposit in the first two weeks and check its label before sending the rest. Write down the day the window opened, using the bank's definition, and the last day a deposit can post. Keep the account open and untouched until the bonus has landed and the posting window has passed.

CardLab tracks an enrolled bonus against those three facts: the qualifying total so far, the days left in the window as the bank measures it, and the earliest date the account can be closed without forfeiting anything.

Why hasn't my bank bonus posted?