BonusAgent.ai How To

Primary destinations are one click away. Analytics, preferences, long-form guides, and account controls live behind More so the bar stays scannable.

On smaller screens, destinations usually stack or compact. Names and order match desktop so muscle memory still works.

• State (US) - Many bonuses are limited by state. We hide offers that are not available where you live.
• Take home pay per paycheck - Your after-tax income per paycheck. We use this to estimate how many paychecks you need to meet direct-deposit requirements.
• Pay frequency - Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Combined with pay amount, this drives time-to-complete estimates and ranking.
• Experience level - I am new, I have some experience, or I am an expert. We use this to tailor dashboard recommendations.

Add your email (optional) and choose which reminders to receive: weekly summary, deadline alerts, payout reminders, and scheduled sign-up day reminders. Reminders are email-only today.

• Filter bonuses by your state so you see offers available where you live.
• Estimate how quickly you can meet direct-deposit requirements based on your pay and frequency.
• Respect repeat rules using your bonus history.
• Rank difficulty and score based on income, effort, fees, balance demands, and timing.
• Show Keep funds until and Safe to close dates so you avoid fees and clawbacks.
• Send optional email reminders only if you opted in.

The sections below mirror the dashboard top-to-bottom: at-a-glance numbers first, then recommendations and trends, then your lifecycle tracker.

Order of operations: 1) Upload or add manually → 2) We parse and save → 3) View Your History refreshes with the new data.

In the Upload Excel or CSV card you can drag and drop or select a file. We accept .xlsx, .xls, or .csv. Your sheet can use your own column names; we extract bank names, bonus received dates, and, when present, account closed dates and bonus amounts.

If you do not have a spreadsheet, use the Manual entry card. Click the button to open a form where you enter one bonus at a time:

• Bank name - Type and pick from suggestions if your bank appears.
• Product name - Optional checking product name; suggestions may appear after you pick a bank.
• Bonus amount - Dollar amount of the bonus.
• Received bonus? - Yes or No. If you have not received it yet, we treat it as in progress and can show a projected payout date if you provide the sign-up date.
• Bonus received date - When you got the cash, if received.
• Sign-up date for account - When you opened the account, which helps us compute expected-by dates.
• Account closed date - When you closed the account, if closed.
• Account still open? - Yes or No.
• Plan to keep account? - Use this when you are keeping it open by choice.

The View Your History card lists all uploaded and manually entered entries. Each row shows the bank, bonus amount, progress status, expected or received date, account open/closed status, fees, and minimum balance information when available.

Buttons on each row:

• Account is closed - Click when you have closed this account. We update the entry so it no longer appears open.
• Edit / View Details - Open a details popup to view or edit the entry.
• Delete - Remove this entry after confirmation.

Use Re-Eligibility Tracker at the top of View Your History to open a modal showing when completed history entries line up with current catalog offers and when you may be eligible again.

At the top of the View Your History card, Export History downloads your full history as Excel (.xlsx), CSV, or PDF so you have a backup or can edit and re-upload later.

The page is organized into filters/sort at the top, then a card grid below. Each card surfaces difficulty, score, and warnings so you can scan quickly.

At the top you will see Filters with a count when any filters are active, plus a Sort dropdown. Click Filters to open a panel where you can:

• Difficulty - Show only Easy, Moderate, Hard, Very Hard, or Not feasible offers.
• Account type - Filter between Checking and Checking & Savings.
• Max direct deposit required - Hide bonuses that require more than your chosen direct-deposit cap.
• Other - Use Fee-free only, Hide branch-only offers, Hide debit-card required, Referral link available, and Show accounts requiring a balance to earn bonus.

Sort options include: Best bonuses (our score), Easiest bonuses, Fastest payout, Offer expiration date, Highest bonus amount, Lowest bonus amount, Lowest direct deposit required, Highest direct deposit required, Name A-Z, and Name Z-A.

Every offer appears as a card with the bank logo, name, direct-deposit requirement, timing, account cost or balance-to-earn information, action buttons, and side metrics. New offers can show a New badge.

• Apply Now - Opens the bank application or referral link in a new tab.
• Add to schedule - Adds this bonus to your Schedule; you pick a sign-up-by date.
• Bonus Details - Opens a popup with requirements, payout timing, fees, eligibility, state availability, notes, and tier details.
• Ask AI About Bonus - On the card: opens an AI chat grounded in that bonus's official terms when they are available for the offer (the button stays hidden when there are none).
• Difficulty - Shows effort level using Easy, Moderate, Hard, Very Hard, or Not feasible.
• Score — A personalized 0 to 100 fit score for you (not the bank's marketing). We combine a few high-level things: how many dollars the bonus is and how fast you are likely to get paid; how heavy the requirements feel for your pay and schedule; fees, branch visits, and other "friction" in the offer; and, when a balance is required, how that lines up with the balance you told us you are comfortable tying up. Difficulty is mostly "how hard is the work"; Score is "how good a match is this offer for you overall."

Some cards surface extra signals beyond Difficulty and Score. When our catalog knows that taking one offer could disqualify you from a stronger offer at another bank, you may see wording like Taking this offer blocks the better [Bank] bonus worth $X. Hover the badge for a fuller explanation. BonusAgent.ai highlights these conflicts when we have modeled them—it is still up to you to confirm anything critical with the bank's official terms before you apply.

Other badges can flag balance-related constraints (for example offers that require maintaining a balance). Those align with filters such as Show accounts requiring a balance to earn bonus.

The same modal serves two roles — the catalog view shows the offer's structured terms, and the tracked view layers in your scheduled dates and lifecycle phase.

The title bar reads Bonus Details. You get the bank logo and bonus amount at the top, then structured sections built from our catalog:

• Bonus Requirements — Direct deposit amount and count, requirement window, balance-to-earn rules if any, debit-card or online-banking requirements, and a Bonus Tiers table when the offer is tiered (your matched tier is labeled).
• Account Details — Fees, minimum balance to avoid fees, how long to keep the account open, clawback window, opening deposit, and branch-only callouts when applicable.
• Payout — How long after you qualify or after account open the bank typically pays.
• Eligibility — Repeat rules, once-per-lifetime flags, prior-account restrictions, and offer end date.
• State Availability — Where the offer is offered.
• Notes and optional step-by-step video when we have them.

If your onboarding says you are not interested in balance-required offers—or the offer needs more tied-up balance than you allowed—we may show a clear warning banner so you do not miss the mismatch.

When terms are available for that offer, you also get View Full Terms & Conditions (opens a second modal with the disclaimer you can minimize, then the full text) and Ask AI Agent About Bonus (see Ask AI about a bonus). Otherwise those controls stay hidden.

Typical footer buttons (catalog)

• Apply Here — Opens the bank application or outbound apply link in a new tab.
• Add To Schedule — Appears when you are eligible to schedule and do not already have this bonus scheduled; opens the flow to pick a sign-up-by date (same control as on bonus cards).
• Close — Dismisses the modal.

Once a bonus is on your calendar or dashboard, the modal is driven by your dates and snapshots (what you scheduled, when you opened the account, marks you made on requirements, payout expectations). The title changes so you always know which phase you are in—for example Active Bonus Details, Awaiting Payout Bonus Details, Your Next Planned Bonus Details, Bonus Earned — Waiting to Cancel, or Bonus Details — [month] Earnings when you drill in from the earnings chart breakdown.

Expect rows such as scheduled or actual sign-up timing and direct deposit requirement as it applies to your tier. Keep funds until is the date to leave enough money in the account so you do not lose the bonus or trigger fees. Safe to close is the earliest date closing is unlikely to claw back fees or the bonus (see also Your Dashboard above).

You also see payout timing, clawback-related dates when applicable, fees, minimum balance, and your notes. Content matches what matters right now — planned items emphasize applying and removing from the schedule; active items emphasize requirement progress; awaiting payout emphasizes when the bank paid you.

For planned catalog-linked items when terms are available for that offer, large buttons under the header often duplicate View Full Terms & Conditions and Ask AI Agent About Bonus for quick access before you apply.

Buttons you may see (tracked—depends on phase)

• Update Requirements Progress — On active bonuses matched to our catalog, after you have marked the account opened / approved. Opens the direct-deposit completion flow so you can record progress toward the requirement.
• Apply Now — On planned bonuses you have not opened yet; opens the outbound apply/referral link.
• View Your Schedule — Quick jump to your Schedule (common on planned details and when opened from certain earnings breakdown views).
• Remove Bonus From Schedule — Only while the bonus is still planned and not yet opened; confirms removal (you can add again later from Bonuses).
• Tried – No Payout — Use when you opened an account but decide not to pursue it; availability depends on lifecycle rules.
• Ask AI Agent About Bonus — Same scoped chat as the catalog modal when the offer is catalog-linked and terms are available (for planned items with terms, it may appear in the header utility row instead of the footer).
• Close — Always available.

Manually entered banks that are not matched to our catalog may hide direct-deposit tracking and some AI features; the modal still shows what we can infer from your entries.

Opening Update Requirements Progress can chain into the same Direct Deposit Completion dialog described in Schedule—including marking requirements complete or not pursuing the bonus when that path is offered.

The Schedule pairs a calendar view with a list so you can see both the timing and the action each card needs next.

On the Schedule page, use the Export button (download icon) to open Export Schedule. From there you can download your plan as a PDF, a calendar file (.ics) for Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, and similar apps, or a CSV spreadsheet—pick what fits how you like to stay organized.

When you have scheduled bonuses, you see a calendar and a list. Each item shows the bank, bonus amount, sign-up timing, Keep funds until, Safe to close, and urgent offer-end timing when it applies.

• Have you been approved for this bank account? - Use this once the account is opened or approved. The card then shows Account Approved.
• Update Direct Deposit Progress - Opens the direct-deposit completion dialog for catalog-matched bonuses.
• Mark Bonus Received - Use this after the bank pays the bonus.
• Remove or Delete - Remove the card from your schedule depending on its lifecycle state.
• Remove From Schedule - Available after a bonus is received if you want it off the schedule list.
• Tried – No Payout - Use this when you opened an account but decide not to pursue it.

When you click Update Direct Deposit Progress, BonusAgent.ai asks whether you completed the required direct deposits. Choose Yes to confirm completion immediately, or Not yet to enter when you plan to complete the requirements. You can also enter a completion date if you already finished, and you can mark the bonus abandoned if you are no longer pursuing it.

The engine uses your onboarding profile (state, income, pay frequency), what is already on your calendar, and the choices below. If state or income is missing, the wizard sends you back to Onboarding.

The screen is a three-step flow: Preferences (pick window, strategy, and filters, then generate), Preview (review and tweak the lineup), and Created (confirmation after you commit). Step indicators at the top show where you are.

Choose how far ahead to plan—each option includes a short description on the page:

• 3 months — A focused starter run.
• 6 months — A balanced bonus plan (default).
• Rest of year — From today through the end of the calendar year.
• 12 months — A full-year roadmap.

Pick how the engine should rank and order offers before it respects timing and overlap rules:

• Maximize earnings — Prioritize total bonus value.
• Beginner-safe — Prefer simpler, safer starter picks (default).
• Fastest payouts — Prioritize faster expected cash.
• Lowest effort — Avoid the most complicated requirements.
• Fee-free / low-risk — Prefer low-fee, low-friction offers.

Toggle any combination to narrow the pool before you generate. These work together with your onboarding profile (state, income, balance preferences, and so on):

• Only include fee-free accounts — Skips accounts with a monthly maintenance fee so the preview stays conservative on fees.
• No balance requirement — Skips bonuses that require holding a minimum balance for weeks or months to qualify.
• Easy bonuses only — Only schedules offers rated Easy (in practice, where the direct-deposit bar is under half your monthly income).
• No branch visit required — Drops offers that must be opened in person at a branch.
• No organization membership required — Skips credit unions that require joining a foundation or similar organization to qualify.
• No debit card spend required — Excludes bonuses that need a set number of debit card transactions.
• Keep existing planned bonuses — When this option appears (you already have future planned items), turn it on to build the new preview around what is already on your schedule.

Click Generate Schedule (top of the step or the duplicate on small screens) to build the preview. If you remove offers from the preview and regenerate, they stay excluded until you change the selection.

The preview lists each offer with a suggested sign-up week, estimated payout, safe-to-close timing, direct-deposit requirement, difficulty, score, and notes.

Summary pills show estimated earnings for the plan (and sometimes net earnings when fees differ from the headline total).

• Remove rows you do not want.
• Use undo or regenerate to adjust the lineup.
• Stay on Preview until you are satisfied.

When the lineup looks right, click Confirm & Add to My Schedule. Those bonuses are saved to your Schedule and behave like items you added manually—you can still edit lifecycle state, abandon, or remove them from your schedule afterward.

The assistant stays scoped to the official terms available for that bonus (plus a small, sanitized summary of your BonusAgent.ai context such as disqualification hints when relevant). If you ask to compare this offer to another bank's bonus by name and we can load that second offer's terms, you may get a tight comparison. That stays limited to documented offers — not open-ended advice across the whole market. Off-topic questions get a short refusal.

Conversations are not saved as a permanent inbox. Your browser may briefly restore the last messages for the same bonus for about fifteen minutes via session storage. The server tracks usage separately for fairness and cost.

Usage limits may apply.

When a reply appears, you can use the listen/play control to hear it where enabled.