All offers / Bank accounts / Wealthfront
Examined Jul 27, 2026 Paid as interest Both sides get it Wealthfront's referral is extra interest, not a bonus. On $10,000 it is about $19.
Keep $10,000 there across the three months and the boost is worth about $19; about $4 on $2,000, and at the $150,000 ceiling roughly $281. The rate itself is advertised as 4.05% APY, which is its base rate of 3.30% plus the boost. That base carries an as-of date of 1/30/26 on Wealthfront's own page, and it is explicitly a variable rate, so treat both numbers as dated rather than fixed.
- On a $2,000 balanceAbout $4
- On $10,000About $19
- At the $150,000 ceiling, where the boost stops applyingAbout $281
What the boost is worth in dollars across its three months, on our own arithmetic.
What pays what
| You, as a first-time Wealthfront client arriving through an invite link | +0.75% APY, 3 months |
|---|---|
| The existing client who referred you | +0.75% APY, 3 months |
| What the boost is worth on a $10,000 balance | About $19 |
| What it is worth on the $150,000 ceiling | About $281 |
| Every dollar you hold above $150,000 | Base rate only |
| Anyone who has ever opened or held a Wealthfront account | Not eligible |
| Opening cold, with no invite link | No boost |
| Each further friend you refer | +3 months, 6 months max |
Do this, in this order
- Get an invite link from someone who already has a Wealthfront account. The boost only exists on referral. Opening a Cash Account cold gets you the base rate and nothing more, so if nobody you know has an account, what you are deciding on is the plain 3.30%.
- Check that you are genuinely new. Wealthfront's wording is strict: the boost is for people who have never opened or held a Wealthfront account before. The referring side has to be an eligible current client for their half to land.
- Work out the dollar value on your own balance before you move a cent. Three quarters of a point for three months is 0.1875% of what you actually hold. On $5,000 that is about nine dollars. The account opens from $1.
- Respect the $150,000 aggregate ceiling. It is the cap on the boost, not on the account: everything past $150,000 earns the ordinary rate.
- Put the end of the three months in your calendar. The rate reverts to the base rate quietly, with no notification you are likely to notice.
- If you want it to last longer, refer, then refer again later. Each successful referral adds another three months, but only up to six months at a time. That ceiling is rolling: once the six months are up you can refer again to start it over.
- Re-check the base rate on the day you decide. The 3.30% figure carries an as-of date of 1/30/26, which was already about six months old when we examined this on July 24, 2026. It is the number Wealthfront still advertises.
The fine print, including the two extras nobody mentions
There is a second arm for investment accounts. The same promotion also offers a 0.50% match on up to $100,000 of eligible net deposits moved into an eligible Wealthfront investment account over a three month period, after you make or receive a qualifying referral. At the full $100,000 that arithmetic tops out around $500, but the master terms document that would spell out how and when it is paid did not render for us, so treat the mechanics as unread.
There is also a small advisory fee waiver, and it is small. Anyone who gets the boost automatically qualifies for three concurrent months of Wealthfront's fee waiver program, waiving the standard investment advisory fee on up to $5,000 of balance. Capped at $5,000 for three months, that is worth a couple of dollars.
The base rate is variable and the boost sits on top of it. You are promised a rate increase, not a rate. If the base falls during your three months, 4.05% falls with it and nobody has broken a word of the terms.
The promotion has no published end date, which cuts both ways. Eligibility runs from October 21, 2025 to a future date Wealthfront has not announced and decides at its own discretion, and it reserves the right to modify or terminate the promotion at any time without notice. There is no deadline pressure, and equally no guarantee it survives the month.
We found no clawback or early-closure wording, which is not the same as there being none. The pages we could read do not describe any penalty for closing the account early. The full promotional terms document is JavaScript-gated and would not render for us, so read that as unverified.
It arrives as interest, so it is taxed as interest. No cash bonus lands, so there is no separate windfall to declare, just more interest income than you would otherwise have had, taxed accordingly.
Is it worth your time?
If a friend sends you a link and you were already looking for somewhere to keep cash, take it: a higher rate for three months costs you nothing and the Cash Account is a reasonable home for savings either way. What it is not is a signup bonus. Nothing is deposited, nothing arrives, and on the balance most people actually keep it is worth less than a takeaway. The version worth having is the one where you already have real cash to park and you use the $150,000 ceiling as your planning number.
