Interest Desk

Chase Says Zelle Doesn't Count. Citi Counts It.

What counts as a qualifying direct deposit for a bank bonus — Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Capital One and Truist terms read in full (August 2026)

The video for this episode is not published yet. Everything it covers is on this page, with the sources.

The question everyone is asking

The two biggest videos on this rule teach you to work around it. Neither one quotes it.

The loosest rule we found

Truist: “an electronic credit via ACH deposited to your account.” No employer required.

The strictest rule we found

Chase names Zelle, external transfers and micro-deposits as things that do not count.

The same network. The opposite answer.

Citi counts Zelle, Venmo and PayPal — but only when they arrive as ACH.

It was never about the app

Citi excludes “payment apps not via the ACH Network.” The rail decides, not the logo.

One sentence you cannot safely read once

Capital One's definition says ACH counts — and the next sentence lists ACH credits as not counting.

The same three words, at six banks

Account GovernsEmployerZelle
Truist One Fee waiver No Not named
Citibank Checking Fee waiver No Counts, if ACH
Wells Fargo Everyday $400 bonus No Excluded by name
Capital One 360 $250 bonus Either Not named
U.S. Bank Smartly® $250–$450 Yes Excluded
Chase Total Checking $400 bonus Yes Excluded by name

What Wells Fargo's $400 is actually worth

Advertised bonus Wells Fargo Everyday Checking, offer page read 2026-08-06; offer ends 2026-08-25 $400
Monthly service fee, months two and three $15/mo; waived per fee period by $500+ in qualifying deposits — the bonus needs $1,000 once, the waiver needs $500 every month -$30
Federal tax at 22% Wells Fargo: “We will report the bonus as income to tax authorities, as required by applicable law.” -$88
What you keep $282

Read your bank's definition. Only your bank's.

The rule that governs your money is the one on your bank's page — not the one from a video about a different bank.

Interest Desk has no affiliate relationship with any bank named in this video and was paid nothing to make it. Every figure and every quotation was read from the bank's own published terms on the date shown on screen.

Sources

Read these yourself before you apply. A bank can change an offer the day after it is read here.