Citi Regular Checking (formerly known as Citi Basic Banking Package) Citibank Account Overview

[Updated 2025.11] The new sign-up bonus is $325/$425, and the Enhanced Direct Deposit (EDD) requirements are $3k/$6k respectively. Given how easy it is to obtain Citi's "Enhanced Direct Deposit," we recommend everyone aim for the $425 bonus.

Application link

• Citi Regular Checking

Basic Account Information

1. $325/$425 Sign-up Bonus! See below for requirements.
2. Monthly fee: $15. See below for details on how to avoid the monthly fee.
3. There is no Early Termination Fee, so you can close your account at any time.

Precautions

1. Previously, when applying for Citi Checking and Savings accounts online, selecting "China" as the citizenship would prevent the application from proceeding, requiring a visit to a physical branch. Now, you can apply online simply by selecting " Resident Alien" ! (If you select "Non-resident Alien ," you still need to apply in a physical branch.)
2. The account opening bonus is taxable and will be issued as Form 1099-int (for US Person ) or Form 1042-s (for Non-Resident Alien (NRA) ). Both forms are safe for all statuses and there is no need to worry.

Account opening bonus conditions

1. This sign-up bonus is only available to new customers. Those currently holding any Citi Checking account or whose account has been closed for 365 days are ineligible for this bonus. Having a Citi credit card does not affect your eligibility for this bonus.
2. The requirements for the $325/$425 offer are: make at least two "Enhanced Direct Deposits (EDD)" transactions within 90 days of opening the account, with a total amount of at least $3,000/$6,000. This will be explained below. In fact, this condition is extremely easy to meet.

Account opening bonus conditions

1. This sign-up bonus is only available to new customers. Those currently holding any Citi Checking account or whose account has been closed for 365 days are ineligible for this bonus. Having a Citi credit card does not affect your eligibility for this bonus.
2. The requirements for the $325/$425 offer are: make at least two "Enhanced Direct Deposits (EDD)" transactions within 90 days of opening the account, with a total amount of at least $3,000/$6,000. This will be explained below. In fact, this condition is extremely easy to meet.

What is “Enhanced Direct Deposit (EDD)”?

Enhanced Direct Deposits (EDD) is a term coined by Citi itself, and is not the same as ordinary Direct Deposits (DD) . Citi defines it as follows:

An EDD is an electronic deposit through the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) Network of payroll, pension, social security, government benefits and other payments to your checking or savings account. An Enhanced Direct Deposit also includes all deposits via Zelle ^® and other P2P payments when made via ACH using providers such as Venmo or PayPal. Teller deposits, cash deposits, check deposits, wire transfers, transfers between Citibank accounts, ATM transfers and deposits, mobile check deposits, and P2P payments using a debit card do not qualify as an Enhanced Direct Deposit.

As we can see, in addition to regular Direct Transaction (DD), EDD also includes incoming funds from Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, and regular ACH transfers. This means that you can easily meet the definition of EDD by transferring your own funds to yourself.

How to avoid monthly fees (meeting one of the following conditions is sufficient)

1. Receive at least $250 in Enhanced Direct Deposits (EDD) each month.

Types of Citi Checking Accounts

• Citigold Account Package
• Citi Priority Package
• Citi Regular Checking (This article)
• Citi Access Checking
• Citi Accelerate Savings

The official comparison webpage can be found here .

Summarize

This is the simplest Citi account to qualify for monthly fee waivers, making it a suitable downgrade option after opening other premium accounts.

The reward conditions are very simple, requiring only EDD (Electronic Data Distributor) to obtain. People who haven't participated in Citi Checking in the past year can give it a try.

Sloppy IT warning

Many people have encountered various IT issues with Citi. Here's a piece of advice: If you have both a checking account and a credit card account with Citi, please set up a separate online account specifically for checking . Don't put them together with your credit cards, otherwise you'll inevitably encounter a technical issue sooner or later! The most common problem is that when you close your Citi checking account, the entire online account becomes unusable, and you can no longer manage the credit cards within it. You have to create a new online account and transfer the credit cards one by one to manage the account again.