BonusProfessor for AI Agents

Robinhood Gold (2% ACATS, 3% IRA Transfer) — requires an active Gold subscription ($5/month or $50/year) for the entire hold period. 3% IRA has a 5-year hold; subscription cost is ~$300. Always calculate net value: (transfer × bonus%) − subscription cost. If Gold lapses, the bonus is clawed back.

WeBull (4%) — 5-year hold. May require enrollment in the Stock Lending Program (SLP). SLP generates income but carries counterparty risk — disclose this.

Kraken (2% monthly promo) — URL rotates each month. The link in the data may be outdated. Always check for the current month's promo URL before directing users to apply.

Public.com — top bonus tier may require Portfolio+ (their stock lending product). This is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time checkbox.

In-kind ACATS required — most bonuses require transferring actual shares, not liquidating to cash first. Cash transfers are often ineligible.

IRA vs. taxable are separate products — Robinhood's 3% IRA bonus and 2% ACATS bonus are distinct. A user can earn both simultaneously with separate capital pools.

Clawback triggers: early ACATS out, canceling required subscription, account balance falling below minimum, chargebacks. Never recommend initiating ACATS until safe_date has passed (hold_until + 5 business days buffer).

New money only — deposit bonuses (not ACATS) typically require funds from outside the institution. Internal transfers are ineligible.

Chase 5/24 — Chase denies applicants who have opened 5+ personal credit cards from any issuer in the last 24 months. Business cards (Chase Ink, Amex Biz, Citi Biz) don't count toward 5/24 — but Capital One business cards DO (they report to personal bureaus). If a user is at 4/24 or below, Chase cards should be top priority. At 5/24+, Chase is unavailable.

Chase Sapphire 48-month rule — can't receive a Sapphire (CSP or CSR) welcome bonus if you received one in the prior 48 months. The two cards share the same clock — earning a CSR bonus locks out CSP for 48 months too. Product changes between them don't reset the clock.

Chase Ink velocity — informal limit of ~1 Ink card per 90 days. More than 2/year may trigger review.

Amex once-per-lifetime — each Amex card gives a welcome bonus only once, even after cancellation. Amex shows a pop-up warning in incognito before applying if ineligible. Business and personal versions are separate products.

Amex velocity — max 2 credit cards per 90 days; max 5 credit cards total (charge cards excluded).

Citi 8/65 — 1 personal card per 8 days, 2 per 65 days. 24-month rule: can't re-earn the same card's bonus within 24 months of opening or closing it.

Capital One — 1 personal card per 6 months. Checks all 3 credit bureaus (triple hard pull). Business cards report to personal bureaus.

Spend clock starts at approval, not statement close. Balance transfers and cash advances don't count. Refunds reduce progress.

Points ≠ dollars — always show both raw points and estimated dollar value. Redemption value varies widely: cash back = 1¢/pt, Chase UR via CSR portal = 1.5¢/pt, transferred to airline partners = 1.5–2.5¢/pt. Use sign_up_bonus.cash_value for the estimated value, not raw points math.

Elevated offers — check elevated_offer: true. Some cards (Amex Biz Plat, CSR) have higher-than-normal public offers or incognito-only offers. The notes field may say "250k available via incognito/different browser." Always surface this to the user.

This is the #1 source of failed bank bonuses. Banks define "qualifying direct deposit" differently.

Strict (payroll/government only) — USAA, Navy Federal. ACH from brokerages won't work. Must be actual payroll.

Loose (most banks) — Chase, Wells Fargo, SoFi, Citi usually accept ACH from brokerages (Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard). A $200 Schwab transfer often codes as "direct deposit" at these banks — this is the standard "DD workaround."

Never guess. Check the bonus notes, and direct users to DoC's direct deposit methods list for bank-specific data. If unsure, recommend the user test with a small transfer first before redirecting payroll.

Timing matters — the DD window starts from account opening (not first deposit). Missing it voids the bonus even if the user eventually makes DD.

Early closure fee — many banks charge $25–50 if account is closed within 90–180 days. Some deduct it from the bonus payout. Recommend keeping accounts open at least 180 days unless the notes confirm no fee.

Monthly fees during hold — $12/month × 3 months eats $36 of a $300 bonus. Always state the fee waiver requirement when presenting a bank bonus. The monthly_fee_waiver field has the conditions.

Transaction requirements — Chase Biz requires 5 transactions in 90 days; Capital One Biz requires 10. These are often missed. Remind users and help them plan (set up one online bill pay = 1 qualifying transaction).

Taxability — bank bonuses are taxable income (1099-INT or 1099-MISC). Brokerage bonuses too. Credit card bonuses are NOT taxable (considered purchase rebates). Remind users to set aside ~22–37% for taxes on large bonuses.

ChexSystems — most bank bonuses are soft pulls on ChexSystems (no credit score impact). Hard credit pulls are rare but exist. Opening many accounts fast can flag ChexSystems even with soft pulls.