Banking Banking Basics

How To Earn Travel Rewards While Banking

Some banks will reward you with free airline miles for using your debit card or making a certain number of savings deposits. Others provide indirect opportunities to earn extra cash for travel.

By Christy Rakoczy

Edited by Ashley Donohoe, MBA, FPWM®, CFEI®

Updated Aug. 28, 2025

Most people know that you can earn travel rewards and other perks for purchases made with your credit card. However, that's not the only financial product that can give you travel-related benefits.

You can actually find checking and savings accounts that offer rewards for jetsetters, too. For example, you might earn airline miles for using your debit card or making a certain number of savings deposits. Whether you prefer not to use credit cards or just want an extra option for earning perks, it's worth looking into how to earn travel rewards while banking.

What travel rewards can you get while banking?

Banks have different rules for when and how they offer travel rewards. Some common ways to get travel-related benefits include:

Earning miles for saving money
Earning miles for making travel-related purchases using your debit card
Earning points or cash back for general debit card spending, which you can redeem for travel purchases or other things like cash or merchandise

Banking with financial institutions that offer these benefits makes good sense if you're a frequent traveler and you use the airline loyalty program that has partnered with the financial institution.

If you want more flexibility, but still want to use checking or savings account perks to help make travel more affordable, you also have the option of just signing up for a general high-yield savings account or an account offering a new account holder bonus. You can then use the bonus money or interest earned to cover some of your trip costs.

Earning travel rewards through your bank

Here are some of your options if you want to earn travel rewards through your bank.

Bank accounts that earn miles

If you're hoping to earn miles or other travel rewards directly through your bank account, there are a few key banks that offer what you're looking for. You can sign up for one of these banks (or even more than one of them) to benefit from the travel-related benefits each one offers.

Bask Bank Mileage Savings

Bask Bank offers the traveler-focused Bask Mileage Savings Account, which charges no monthly fees and requires no minimum balance. You can open this FDIC-insured account online in minutes and earn two American Airlines AAdvantage miles for every $1 you save per year.

There's also a promotional offer available through August 31, 2025, which allows you to get 10,000 AAdvantage bonus miles if you open a new account and meet certain requirements. You'll need to maintain a $75,000 minimum daily account balance for 180 consecutive days out of the first 210 days after you open the account.

Taking advantage of the promotion can help you score free flights, so it's a good time to sign up.

Truist Bank's Delta SkyMiles Visa Debit Card

Truist Bank offers access to the Delta SkyMiles Debit Card with Truist One, or through existing Truist Dimension or Signature Advantage, Truist Wealth, and Truist Asset Management accounts.

While there's a $95 annual fee for those who don't have a Trust Wealth or Truist Asset Management checking account, you can reduce that cost by maintaining a certain minimum daily balance requirement, as shown below.

Pay the full $95 if your highest three-month average ledger balance is less than $25,000.
Pay a $75 fee if your highest three-month average ledger balance is between $25,000 and $100,000.
Pay a $25 fee with a highest three-month average ledger balance of $100,000 or more.

If you sign up for the Delta SkyMiles Debit Card, you earn one mile in rewards for every $2 spent on the card. You can redeem these miles for travel or seat upgrades, and they don't expire. You may also be eligible to earn 5,000 miles after making your first qualifying Delta Airlines purchase.

Bank accounts that earn cash or points

In addition to opening bank accounts that offer travel-specific rewards, you can also opt for other accounts that provide points or cash back. Examples from some of the best banks include:

American Express Rewards Checking: You'll earn a 1.00% (as of 05/02/25) APY on the funds kept in this checking account and receive one Membership Rewards point for every $2 in eligible purchases with your debit card. You can usually only redeem points for checking account deposits, but American Express has other possible redemption options if you're an existing Membership Rewards member. As a bonus, there are no monthly fees.
Discover^® Cashback Debit: You'll earn 1.00% cash back on up to $3,000 in monthly debit card purchases, and your rewards won't ever expire. There are no account fees.¹ Earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. See Deposit Account Agreement for details on transaction eligibility, limitations and terms. Deposit Account Agreement can be found at <a href="https://www.discover.com/content/dam/dfs/online-banking/documents/NationalDepositAccountAgreement.pdf">https://www.discover.com/content/dam/dfs/online-banking/documents/NationalDepositAccountAgreement.pdf</a>.
Axos CashBack Checking: This account from Axos Bank comes with no monthly maintenance fee, and you can earn up to 1.00% (as of 05/02/25) back for your signature-based debit card purchases. It also offers unlimited reimbursements for domestic ATM fees.
LendingClub LevelUp Checking: You can score up to 1.00% (as of 7/22/25) cash back for your debit card purchases if you meet qualification requirements. You'll also earn a 1.00% (as of 7/22/25) APY if you maintain a $2,500 or higher balance. There's no monthly fee, and LendingClub reimburses unlimited ATM fees. You must have an existing LendingClub product to get this account.

Most of these accounts deposit money into your bank account when you earn cash back. You can use that money for travel if you want.

Bank accounts that pay interest

Many banks pay interest on savings accounts, and some also pay interest on checking accounts. If you shop around and find an account paying a competitive rate, you can earn more interest and use that to help fund your vacations.

Here are some high-yield savings accounts offering competitive rates:

Varo Savings: Earn a 5.00% (as of 04/25/25) APY on up to $5,000 and a 2.50% (as of 12/11/24) APY on the rest, with qualifying direct deposits of $1,000 or more in your accounts and a positive ending balance.
SoFi Checking and Savings: Earn up to a 3.80% APY² SoFi members who enroll in SoFi Plus with Eligible Direct Deposit or by paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee every 30 days or SoFi members with $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either SoFi Plus or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. If you have satisfied Eligible Direct Deposit requirements for our highest APY but do not see 3.80% APY on your APY Details page the day after your Eligible Direct Deposit arrives, please contact us at 855-456-7634. Additional information can be found at <a href="http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet">http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet</a>. See the SoFi Plus Terms and Conditions at <a href="https://www.sofi.com/terms-of-use/#plus">https://www.sofi.com/terms-of-use/#plus</a>. on your savings balance with qualified direct deposit or 1.00% (as of 01/24/25) without qualified direct deposit. Your checking balance will earn 0.50% (as of 01/24/25). Member FDIC.³ SoFi Bank is a member FDIC and does not provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per depositor per legal category of account ownership, as described in the FDIC’s regulations. Any additional FDIC insurance is provided by the SoFi Insured Deposit Program. Deposits may be insured up to $3M through participation in the program. See full terms at <a href="http://sofi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms">SoFi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms</a>. See list of participating banks at <a href="http://sofi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks">SoFi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks</a>.
Synchrony High-Yield Savings: Earn a 4.00% (as of 04/18/25) APY with no minimum balance or monthly maintenance fees.⁴ Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is subject to change at any time without notice. Rate accurate as of 6/3/2025. Offer applies to personal accounts only. Fees may reduce earnings. For High Yield Savings accounts, the rate may change after the account is opened. Visit synchrony.com/banking for current rates, terms and account requirements. Member FDIC.
Ally Online Savings: Earn a 3.50% APY on all balance tiers with no minimum balance requirements or monthly fees.⁵ The APY of 3.50% is accurate as of 6/19/25. Rates are subject to change and may vary by account type and financial institution.

Checking accounts don't tend to provide APYs as high as savings accounts do, but here's one that offers a competitive rate:

Axos Rewards Checking: Earn up to a 3.30% APY with no monthly maintenance fees, minimum balance requirements, account opening fees, or overdraft fees. Also, get unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements.⁶ APY means Annual Percentage Yield. APY is accurate as of June 7, 2024. Interest rate and APY may change after initial deposit depending on the terms of the specific product selected. Minimum opening deposit is $0.

If a bank provides interest on your checking or savings account balance, the more money you keep in your account, the more interest you will get.

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Bank accounts that offer signup bonuses

Many of the best rewards checking accounts offer signup bonuses to entice new customers to open accounts. If you're eligible to earn a bonus, you can use that money to pay for travel as well. Here are a few banks offering generous bonuses:

SoFi Checking and Savings: Through January 31, 2026, earn a welcome bonus of $50 or $300 for meeting certain direct deposit requirements over a 25-day period.⁷ New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at <a href="https://www.sofi.com/banking/">sofi.com/banking</a>. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.SoFi members with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.80% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at <a href="http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet" >http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet</a>.
Chase Total Checking^®: Through October 15, 2025, earn $300 as a welcome bonus for receiving at least $500 in eligible direct deposits within the first 90 days of opening your account.⁹ Offer not available to existing Chase checking customers, or those whose accounts have been closed within 90 days or closed with a negative balance within the last 3 years. You can receive only one new checking account opening related bonus every two years from the last coupon enrollment date and only one bonus per account. Coupon is good for one-time use. To receive the bonus: 1) Open a new Chase Total Checking account, which is subject to approval; AND 2) Have your direct deposits totaling $500 or more made to this account within 90 days of coupon enrollment. Your direct deposit needs to be an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security) from your employer or the government. Person to Person payments (such as Zelle®) are not considered a direct deposit. Micro-deposits do not qualify as a direct deposit for the bonus. Micro-deposits are small deposits, typically less than $1, that are sent to your account to verify it is the correct account. After you have completed all the above requirements, we'll deposit the bonus in your new account within 15 days. To receive this bonus, the enrolled account must not be closed or restricted at the time of payout. Eligibility may be limited based on account ownership. Bonus is considered interest and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT (or Form 1042-S, if applicable). Offer availability subject to change. Other Chase checking bonus offers may exist concurrently.
Wells Fargo Everyday Checking: Through October 15, 2025, earn $325 for receiving at least $1,000 in eligible direct deposits within 90 days of opening your account.¹⁰ To be eligible: Offer is for new consumer checking customers only and is available only to the primary owner of the new checking account. The primary account owner is the owner whose Taxpayer Identification Number, such as a Social Security Number, is assigned to the account and has tax responsibility. Offer is not available to customers that received a bonus for opening a Wells Fargo consumer checking account within the past 12 months, Wells Fargo employees and are non-resident aliens or foreign entities signing any version of IRS Form W-8. Accounts offered by Wells Fargo Private Bank are not eligible for this offer. To receive the $300 bonus: You must use your bonus offer code when opening a new Wells Fargo consumer checking account, which is subject to approval, by April 16, 2025 and receive $1,000 or more in qualifying electronic deposits within 90 calendar days of account opening (the “qualification period”). A qualifying electronic deposit is a deposit of funds, such as your salary, government benefit payment, or other income, that has posted to your account and is (1) a direct deposit made through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network, (2) an instant payment processed through the RTP® network (real-time payment system) or FedNow℠ Service, or (3) an electronic credit from a third party service that facilitates payments to your debit card using the Visa® or Mastercard® network (e.g., an Original Credit Transaction). Transfers from one account to another, mobile deposits, Zelle®, or deposits made at a branch or ATM are not considered a qualifying electronic deposit. An ACH direct deposit made available early with Early Pay Day does not count toward the bonus requirements until it posts to your account and is no longer pending (e.g., scheduled payment date). After the 90-day qualification period, if you have met all requirements, Wells Fargo will deposit the bonus into your new account within 30 calendar days. Your new account must stay open through the time we attempt to deposit the bonus. We may close accounts with a zero balance without prior notice. You are responsible for any taxes due on the bonus. We will report the bonus as income to tax authorities, as required by applicable law. If you are subject to backup withholding at the time of payment, we may withhold the required amount and remit to tax authorities. Other Terms: This offer may be discontinued or changed at any time without notice and cannot be combined with any other consumer deposit offer (limit one bonus per customer/account). Offer cannot be reproduced, purchased, sold, transferred, or traded. ¹¹ To be eligible: Offer is for new consumer checking customers only and is available only to the primary owner of the new checking account. The primary account owner is the owner whose Taxpayer Identification Number, such as a Social Security Number, is assigned to the account and has tax responsibility. Offer is not available to customers that received a bonus for opening a Wells Fargo consumer checking account within the past 12 months, Wells Fargo employees and are non-resident aliens or foreign entities signing any version of IRS Form W-8. Accounts offered by Wells Fargo Private Bank are not eligible for this offer.To receive the $300 bonus: You must use your bonus offer code when opening a new Wells Fargo consumer checking account, which is subject to approval, by April 16, 2025 and receive $1,000 or more in qualifying electronic deposits within 90 calendar days of account opening (the “qualification period”). A qualifying electronic deposit is a deposit of funds, such as your salary, government benefit payment, or other income, that has posted to your account and is (1) a direct deposit made through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network, (2) an instant payment processed through the RTP® network (real-time payment system) or FedNow℠ Service, or (3) an electronic credit from a third party service that facilitates payments to your debit card using the Visa® or Mastercard® network (e.g., an Original Credit Transaction). Transfers from one account to another, mobile deposits, Zelle®, or deposits made at a branch or ATM are not considered a qualifying electronic deposit. An ACH direct deposit made available early with Early Pay Day does not count toward the bonus requirements until it posts to your account and is no longer pending (e.g., scheduled payment date).After the 90-day qualification period, if you have met all requirements, Wells Fargo will deposit the bonus into your new account within 30 calendar days. Your new account must stay open through the time we attempt to deposit the bonus. We may close accounts with a zero balance without prior notice. You are responsible for any taxes due on the bonus. We will report the bonus as income to tax authorities, as required by applicable law. If you are subject to backup withholding at the time of payment, we may withhold the required amount and remit to tax authorities.Other Terms: This offer may be discontinued or changed at any time without notice and cannot be combined with any other consumer deposit offer (limit one bonus per customer/account). Offer cannot be reproduced, purchased, sold, transferred, or traded.

Remember, bonus offers can change, and you must carefully read the terms and conditions to understand what you must do to be eligible for the bonus. It can also take many months for the bonus funds to pay out, so this option won't work if you're looking to earn quick rewards to fund a vacation that's coming up soon.

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Other banking travel perks to look for

Interest and debit card rewards are great perks if you want a checking or savings account that will give you back a little extra money to use for travel. However, it's also worth looking into all the different benefits you can get by picking the right bank to do business with.

Some other perks you may want to consider include:

Loyalty programs that boost travel rewards: For example, Bank of America offers its Preferred Rewards program, which provides bonus cash back and rewards if you maintain a certain minimum balance across your BoA and Merrill Lynch accounts. Once you have at least $20,000 invested, you get a bonus on your rewards. This includes the Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card that offers 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center and 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases. These points can be boosted with Preferred Rewards membership.
Low or no foreign transaction fees: Banks may charge you foreign transaction fees on purchases outside of the U.S. If you travel abroad, you'll want to find a card that doesn't impose this added cost.
A large ATM network or rebates for out-of-network ATM use: Being able to access money from anywhere is important to travelers. A large ATM network or reimbursement for foreign ATM use helps to ensure that you can get your money when you need it, without incurring added costs.
Special travel portals: Some banks, such as Chase, have travel portals that customers can use to book various parts of their vacations. You might earn bonus rewards and qualify for special savings if you use the portal.

How do I choose the best bank for earning travel rewards?

To choose the best bank for earning travel rewards:

Figure out what rewards you want. Do you want to earn miles for a specific airline, or would you prefer cash back that you can use to fund any part of your trip?
Learn who offers the rewards you're looking for. For example, Bask Bank provides the chance to earn miles for saving money, while many other banks, like Axos and Discover, typically reward you for using your debit card to make purchases.
Consider other important bank details: You should also learn about minimum deposit or balance requirements, ATM networks, and various types of fees. Aim for an accessible bank with limited or no charges that would offset your rewards.

FAQs

Can I earn hotel stays with my debit card?

Unlike credit cards, debit cards don't usually give you the option to earn hotel stays. However, you can sign up for a checking or savings account that pays a competitive interest rate and sometimes offers cash back or other rewards that you can use toward your hotel stay.

What are some tips for maximizing my travel rewards?

To maximize travel rewards, look for a credit card or bank account provider that offers a competitive rewards program. Be sure you read the fine print to avoid blackout dates and other unnecessary surprises.

How do I avoid fees while earning travel rewards?

You can avoid fees while earning travel rewards by shopping around carefully to find the right bank account or credit card provider. Look for a fee-free card (or one with a very low fee) and a travel rewards program that makes sense for your preferred type of travel.

Bottom line

Travel rewards from banking aren't as common as credit card travel rewards, but you can definitely find some great accounts that offer them. Take the time to explore your options and look for high-yield savings accounts or checking accounts with low or no fees, no minimum balance requirements, and travel rewards that make sense for your needs.

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