The thresholds
Nine institutions. Seventeen thresholds. Almost none of them at $50,000.
The lines that matter sit at $15,000, $20,000, $25,000, $30,000, $50,000, $100,000, $150,000, $200,000, $250,000 and $1,000,000. Saving toward a round number is not the same as saving toward a threshold, and the two rarely coincide.
Bank of America renamed its program and removed the $50,000 line entirely. Its tiers now sit at $30,000, $100,000 and $1,000,000 — which means somebody with $150,000 and somebody with $900,000 are treated identically, and everything in between is a nine-hundred-thousand-dollar climb to the next rung. U.S. Bank stops at $100,000, so a $200,000 customer and a $1,000,000 customer get the same card.
Two of the nine have no tiers at all. At Schwab and Fidelity the balance you hold changes nothing, because the benefits start switched on. That is not a worse deal — for somebody at $50,000 it is frequently the better one, and it is invisible on any comparison table that is organized by tier.
$30,000Lowest tier line in this set — below where most readers already are
$100k → $1MThe Bank of America gap. Nothing new unlocks anywhere inside it
NothingWhat changes at Schwab and Fidelity as your balance grows
Tier structure read from bankofamerica.com — BofA Rewards · read 27 August 2026. Every other threshold on this page carries its own link on the card above.
BABank of America — BofA Rewards
National branch network Preferred Plus — $30,000
$0Monthly maintenance fee on checking and savings: $0.
ATMOne non-Bank of America ATM withdrawal a month with no Bank of America fee, and the operator's fee refunded.
WireIncoming wires: $0. Outgoing wires are still charged at this tier.
CardRewards on eligible Bank of America credit cards earn 25% more.
Loan$300 off mortgage origination fees, plus a discount on home equity and auto loan rates.
Preferred Honors — $100,000
$0Monthly maintenance fee on checking and savings: $0.
ATMBank of America ATM fee at any domestic ATM: $0, with the operator's fee refunded.
WireIncoming wires: $0, domestic and international. Outgoing wires are still charged at this tier.
CardRewards on eligible Bank of America credit cards earn 50% more.
BoxA small safe deposit box at $0, and $30 off a large one.
Loan$600 off mortgage origination fees, plus a larger discount on home equity and auto loan rates.
Premier — $1,000,000
$0Monthly maintenance fee on unlimited checking and savings accounts: $0. Overdraft item fees and stop payment fees: $0.
WireWires: $0 — incoming and outgoing, domestic and international.
ATMBank of America ATM fee at any ATM worldwide: $0, and the non-Bank of America teller withdrawal fee: $0.
FXInternational transaction fee on debit card purchases abroad: $0.
CardRewards on eligible Bank of America credit cards earn 75% more.
What counts toward it: Bank of America deposit accounts and Merrill investment accounts, combined. How it is measured: Combined average balance of qualifying accounts, calculated on the third business day of each month.
Not established: The program was renamed from Preferred Rewards and re-tiered during 2026, and the old $50,000 Platinum line no longer exists — $30,000 and $99,000 now receive identical benefits. The published tier table no longer mentions a savings rate booster; whether one was removed or simply lives on a page not read here is not established, so nothing is claimed either way.
CHChase — Relationship checking tiers
National branch network Premier Plus Checking — $15,000
$0Monthly service fee: $0 rather than $25.
ATMNon-Chase ATM fee: $0.
FXDebit card foreign exchange rate adjustment: $0.
WireWire fees are still charged at this tier — they drop to $0 only for military servicemembers with military direct deposit.
Chase Private Client — $150,000
$0Monthly service fee: $0 rather than $35, and linked accounts pay $0 monthly service fee too.
WireWires: $0 worldwide, incoming and outgoing. Standard is $15 incoming and $25 to $50 outgoing depending on channel and destination.
ATMNon-Chase ATM transactions: $0 worldwide. Standard is $3 in the US and $5 internationally.
FXForeign exchange rate adjustment: $0. Standard is 3% of the withdrawal amount after conversion.
$0Counter checks, money orders, cashier's checks and stop payments: $0.
Box20% off the annual rent on any size safe deposit box — a discount, not a waiver.
TeamA named Private Client Banker as your direct point of contact, partnered with a J.P. Morgan advisor.
J.P. Morgan Private Client — $1,000,000
$0The $150 monthly membership assessment is $0 while you hold $1,000,000 or more in qualifying balances, or during your first year of enrollment.
WireWires and ATM withdrawals: $0 worldwide.
TeamA dedicated senior banker and a J.P. Morgan Wealth Management advisor, with a team of specialists behind them.
EstateTrust and estate planning, extendable to family members, trusts and qualifying businesses.
What counts toward it: Chase deposit accounts, CDs and retirement accounts, plus certain investment and annuity products through JPMorganChase and its affiliates. How it is measured: Average beginning day balance across the statement period.
Not established: Chase Sapphire Checking — the $75,000 rung — is closed. Chase's own page says it "is no longer available for new account openings", and it appears in the dated Accounts No Longer For Sale disclosure effective 14 June 2026. That removes the only Chase step between $15,000 and $150,000. A credit card rewards uplift and an auto loan discount are not mentioned on the Private Client benefits page and are not claimed here.
WFWells Fargo — Prime and Premier
National branch network Prime Checking — $20,000
$0Monthly service fee: $0 rather than $25. Cashier's checks and money orders: $0.
WireOne outgoing wire transfer at $0 per fee period. Standard is $30 digital, $40 in a branch. All incoming wires are $0 at every Wells Fargo tier.
ATMOne non-Wells Fargo ATM fee reimbursed per fee period.
RateA better rate on eligible linked CDs and savings accounts — the figure is on the bank's own page, not here.
FXThe 3% international purchase transaction fee still applies at this tier.
Premier Checking — $250,000
$0Monthly service fee: $0 rather than $35. Cashier's checks, money orders and personal wallet checks: $0.
WireWire transfer fees: $0, incoming and outgoing, unlimited.
ATMWells Fargo ATM fees worldwide: $0, and unlimited reimbursement of the fees other operators charge.
FXInternational purchase transaction fee on the debit card: 0%.
TeamA Premier banker and team, plus 24/7 phone support.
InvestWells Fargo Advisors annual account fees: $0, and access to securities-based lending.
What counts toward it: Linked consumer deposit balances — checking, savings, CDs and FDIC-insured IRAs — plus investment balances through Wells Fargo Advisors, including do-it-yourself accounts. How it is measured: Statement-ending qualifying balances. A point-in-time snapshot on one day, not a monthly average — the most volatile measurement basis in this set.
Not established: Premier includes a safe deposit box rental discount but the amount is not published on any Wells Fargo page read here, so no figure appears above. The entry threshold for The Private Bank is likewise not published anywhere reachable — the marketing page redirects off-domain — so The Private Bank is deliberately absent from this ladder rather than estimated.
CICiti — Relationship Tiers
National branch network Citi Priority — $30,000
$0Monthly service fees on checking and savings: $0.
ATMCiti's own $2.50 non-Citi ATM fee: $0.
ATMThe other bank's surcharge is NOT refunded at this tier. Citi refunds operator fees only at Citigold and above — this is the sharpest and most easily missed distinction in the ladder.
FXForeign exchange fee on debit card purchases: $0. Standard is 3%.
TeamAccess to financial advisors.
Citigold — $200,000
$0Monthly service fees on checking and savings: $0. Standard checkbook orders and stop payments: $0.
WireIncoming wires: $0, domestic and international. Outgoing wires: $0 when the wire is started in Citi Online or Citi Mobile — the published wording does not cover a wire initiated in a branch.
ATMUnlimited reimbursement of non-Citi ATM fees globally, including the other operator's charge.
FXForeign exchange fee on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals abroad: $0.
RateA better savings rate than Citi Priority and untiered accounts — the figure is on Citi's own page, not here.
TravelCitigold Lounge access in cities worldwide, and Culture Pass access to selected attractions.
TeamA wealth team for day-to-day banking as well as investments.
Citigold Private Client — $1,000,000
WireIncoming and outgoing wires: $0, with no channel condition attached.
ATMUnlimited reimbursement of non-Citi ATM fees globally.
$0Stop payments, money orders and checkbook orders: $0. Monthly service fee on checking: $0.
LimitHigher limits on Zelle payments, debit card purchases, daily ATM withdrawals and Citibank Global Transfers.
TeamA wealth team available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
What counts toward it: Eligible Deposit and Investment accounts — Citi checking, savings and CDs, IRAs and Roth IRAs, and linked Citigroup Global Markets investment accounts. Estate-owned and collateral-holding accounts are excluded. How it is measured: Combined average monthly balance: end-of-day balances across the calendar month divided by the days in it. Citi's own agreement warns the calendar month may differ from your statement period.
Not established: Citi publishes two numbers per tier and they are not the same test: $200,000 to reach Citigold but $180,000 to keep it, $1,000,000 to reach Citigold Private Client but $800,000 to keep it. The lower figure is a retention floor for existing clients, not a way in. Citi's current wire transfer dollar amounts could not be read — the fee appendix is not in the retrieved agreement text and the only schedule carrying figures dates from 2021 and predates this tier structure — so no Citi wire dollar figures are stated here.
USU.S. Bank — Smart Rewards
National branch network Gold — $25,000
$0Monthly maintenance fee: $0. Personal money orders and stop payments: $0.
ATMNon-U.S. Bank ATM transaction fees: $0.
LoanA discount on home equity and personal loan rates.
Platinum — $50,000
$0Monthly maintenance fee: $0. Personal money orders and stop payments: $0.
ATMNon-U.S. Bank ATM transaction fees: $0.
LoanA discount on home equity and personal loan rates.
RateA savings rate boost, expressed by U.S. Bank as a percentage of its standard rate rather than as a yield.
Platinum Plus — $100,000
$0Monthly maintenance fee: $0. Personal money orders and stop payments: $0.
ATMNon-U.S. Bank ATM transaction fees: $0.
LoanA discount on home equity and personal loan rates.
What counts toward it: Consumer checking, money market, savings, CDs and IRAs, personal trust accounts, and U.S. Bancorp Advisors brokerage accounts. Trustee, grantor, payable-on-death and guardian roles do not count — you need an ownership interest. How it is measured: Combined qualifying balance across eligible accounts.
Not established: The top tier begins at $100,000, so a $200,000 customer and a $1,000,000 customer are treated identically — the shortest ladder in this set. No tier-linked wire transfer or foreign transaction waiver is published at any tier, so none is claimed. Whether Platinum Plus inherits Platinum's savings rate boost is not stated in the published tier table and is not assumed here.
CSCharles Schwab — Bank Investor Checking — no tiers
Brokerage-linked account Every balance — there is no threshold and no ladder
$0Monthly service charge: $0. Account maintenance and activity fees: $0.
ATMUnlimited ATM fee rebates at any ATM worldwide, uncapped. Cash withdrawals only — point-of-sale charges, balance inquiries, stamp purchases and dynamic currency conversion are excluded.
FXForeign exchange transaction fee on debit card purchases: $0.
WireOutgoing domestic wires are charged: $25, or $15 submitted online. Schwab Bank does not accept wires in foreign currency or from banks outside the US and its territories.
LinkAvailable only as a linked account with a Schwab One brokerage account.
What counts toward it: Not applicable. There is no balance threshold and no tier ladder. How it is measured: Not applicable.
Not established: There is nothing to unlock here, which is the point: at $50,000 this account already does what a $250,000 tier does elsewhere, and at $1,000,000 it does exactly the same. Whether you can bank in person is not covered by the pages read here, and the minimum to open is not stated in the pricing guide.
FIFidelity — Cash Management Account — no tiers
Brokerage account with cash features Every balance — there is no threshold and no ladder
$0Account minimums and account fees: $0 on retail brokerage accounts.
ATMAll ATM fees charged by other institutions are automatically reimbursed at any ATM displaying the Visa, Plus or Star logo. No cap and no domestic-only limit stated.
FXForeign transaction fee: $0 — though a transaction you choose to settle in US dollars abroad may convert at a rate other than the market one.
FDICUninvested cash above $245,000 is allocated across multiple program banks. Fidelity states a customer could have up to $4 million of uninvested cash across Cash Management and IRA accounts covered by deposit insurance, assuming all the banks have available capacity.
What counts toward it: Not applicable. There is no balance threshold and no tier ladder. How it is measured: Not applicable.
Not established: The $4 million figure is conditional and spans Cash Management and IRA accounts combined, not the Cash Management account alone. Fidelity's own sweep disclosure carries no aggregate figure at all, states that Fidelity does not monitor whether your deposits at any program bank exceed the insurance limit, and warns that once every program bank is at its limit the remainder is swept to your primary program bank rather than spread further. A separate joint-account figure is quoted widely elsewhere and appears on no Fidelity page read here, so it is not stated.
HSHSBC — Premier
US branches, with an international network Premier — $100,000
$0$0 to hold the account while you meet any one of the eligibility criteria.
FeeHSBC charges $0 on transactions — though third-party fees may still apply.
TeamA Wealth Relationship Manager.
FeeStop meeting the criteria and the monthly maintenance fee is $50 — the highest penalty in this set.
What counts toward it: $100,000 in deposits and/or investments with HSBC. Three other routes qualify on their own: $5,000 in total direct deposits a month, an HSBC US residential mortgage serviced by HSBC, or Private Bank status. How it is measured: Not stated on the pages read here.
Not established: Neither Premier page carries a fee schedule. ATM surcharge rebates, wire transfer fees and the debit card foreign transaction fee are not published there, so none is claimed. The only "no foreign transaction fee" reference found belongs to the Premier credit card, not the checking account, and is deliberately not attributed to it here. The monthly direct deposit route means somebody with no balance at all can hold this tier.
TRTruist — Truist Premier
Regional branch network — South and East Premier — $100,000
$0The Premier program itself costs $0.
FeeThe associated Marquee Checking account still carries its $35 monthly maintenance fee at this tier — it drops to $0 only at $250,000 in eligible balances. You have the tier without the fee relief.
Premier with an Advisor — $250,000
$0The $35 Marquee Checking monthly maintenance fee: $0 at this level.
TeamA dedicated Premier Advisor.
What counts toward it: Combined deposit and/or investment assets. How it is measured: Monthly average over three consecutive months.
Not established: Truist is the only institution here with a meaningful step above $100,000, and it is the clearest example of a tier that looks reached and is not: the badge arrives at $100,000 and the fee waiver arrives at $250,000. Wire, ATM and foreign transaction terms are not published on the Premier page and are not claimed.