Citi

Is Citi worth it for people earning bank bonuses?

Citi advertises $325 for opening Regular Checking and up to $4,000 on a new Citigold checking account, and Regular Checking carries a monthly fee unless you meet a waiver. You are the customer here, and Citi pays the bonus into your account.

Citi sign-up bonus requirements

Citi's home page headline for Regular Checking reads "Open. Deposit. Earn $325." Its Citigold page advertises a bonus of up to $4,000 with required activities. Both are Citi's own claims about what you can earn. Citi doesn't publish what a typical customer receives or how many customers qualify, so read each amount as a maximum.

Finder, a third-party reviewer, reported on Oct 2, 2026 that the $325 offer requires a new Regular Checking account opened by Oct 26, 2026 with direct deposit set up. Finder also describes a second Regular Checking offer that pays $500 or $1,500, depending on the balance, with new money due within 45 days and the balance held a further 45 days. Those descriptions come from Finder and aren't verified on a Citi page, so confirm the current terms on Citi's offer page before you open an account.

The monthly fee can cut into what you keep, so check the waiver rule as well as the bonus. Citi's Citigold page also advertises a $200 referral reward; that's a Citigold offer, not part of the Regular Checking bonus.

How to sign up for Citi

Citi's application has three stages: select the account type, choose benefits or a Relationship Tier, and fund the account. Online, you enter basic information such as your address and SSN, choose a funding option, then wait for an approval email. Citi says phone and branch applications are also available.

Is Citi legit?

Citi is a U.S. bank with a regulatory record you can check. thejoe.com, an aggregator of CFPB public data, counts 19,850 checking or savings complaints against Citibank, N.A. over all time. A complaint count shows volume, and the aggregator's page is undated and isn't the CFPB's own.