The Ultimate Guide to Automating Direct Deposits
R
Reece 
Almost every high-yield bank bonus requires a qualifying direct deposit. Banks use this to ensure you are a genuine customer who intends to use their account as your primary hub.
What Counts as a Direct Deposit?
- Employer Payroll
- Government Benefits (Social Security, VA)
- Pension Payments
What Usually DOESN'T Count?
- Zelle Transfers
- Venmo or CashApp Cashouts
- Standard Bank-to-Bank Transfers (ACH Push)
The Workaround
However, the definition of a direct deposit is technically just an ACH deposit coded in a specific way. This leads us to methods where standard transfers *can* trigger the bonus, if you know which institutions code their transfers properly.