Bank Accounts - Credit Unions - Fintech

Banks & Credit Unions (Brick & Mortar)

UP TO $1,025 NATIONWIDE BONUS!  $25 SkyOne Federal Credit Union Referral Bonus  Just register your email address with a SkyOne referral link. You will earn a $25 Amazon Gift Card for depositing the minimum opening balance amount of $5, then maintain the new account and credit union membership in good standing for a period of thirty (30) days.  This is nationwide through Surfrider Foundation or Friends of Madrona Marsh (paid by the credit union) which you will choose as part of your application, but this credit union is marginally Chex-inquiry sensitive.   Pulls Chex, but no hard pull or EWS pull.  Once you have registered for the referral bonus, open the account through this link to earn the $1,000.

A $650 Checking Bonus!  Associated Bank ReferLive $50 Referral Promo  You get $50 to open a checking account, fund with $100+, Direct Deposit of $500+ in 90 days, and have a total average daily balance greater than $1,000 after 90 days.  The referral offer stacks with their checking promotions when available here and here; just be sure to signup for the referral before opening the checking account.  Footprint states are IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, OH and WI, or past customers.  They do accept out-of-state customers in a branch for their checking promotions!

$50 Regions Bank Referral + $300 Checking Bonus (Updated 6/26/2023) This $50 referral bonus stacks with their checking bonus promotions when available, such as the current $300 offer here.  To stack the referral and checking account bonuses, do the following:

– Fill out the referral form, and submit it.

– Open your new Regions checking account from a promotion link online using the same contact information used on the referral form. Alternatively, you can open in a branch, but the email voucher is nearly impossible to get and you will have to convince a banker you have enrolled online.

– Once you have the new checking account, enroll in estatements, do the required number (10) of debits, receive a Direct Deposit (dollar amount depends on the checking acct promo), and then wait 60 days to receive your $50 Visa gift card.

If you have had a Regions account in the past or EVER registered for a Regions referral and didn't end up using it, be sure to use a new or previously unused email address on the referral form as well as on the new checking account.  The email addresses must match.  Footprint states are AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, SC, TN, & TX, but they also approve out-of-state applications in branch.  No Chex or Hard Pull, but does pull EWS.  Alternatively, to get a referral, you can send me an email (gadget@bankbonusgeek.com) with your first & last name, and the email address you will use to open the account.

Sweet $300 NATIONWIDE Bonus!!!  KeyPoint Credit Union is offering a $300 bonus to open a "Free Checking" account with $25+, and within 60 days, establish a minimum $1,000 recurring monthly direct deposit and maintain the DD for 6 months.  (Offer details here.)  As part of the account application, you can join the Financial Fitness Association (for free) to enable opening the credit union membership from out-of-state (OOS).  $2,500 in credit card funding is available, too!  Fidelity Cash Management ACH transfer will work to trigger the DD requirement.  The bonuses typically pay out within DAYS of completion of the requirements.  To get a referral, just send me an email (gadget@bankbonusgeek.com) with your first & last name, and the email address you will use to open the account.  Be sure to use the "RAFDD" promotion code mentioned in the referral email I will have sent to you.  No hard pull of your credit, but does pull ChexSystems, and soft pulls Experian.

PSECU $300 Checking Offer  Nationwide if you join the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) for $10, which is offered on the credit union application. PSECU is offering a $300 bonus with a few requirements such as recurring direct deposit.  Schwab brokerage ACH works for a direct deposit.   The bad news: they do Hard Pull Experian, however, if you freeze that report, they will pull Transunion instead.  Pulls Chex, but not inquiry sensitive.

Associated Bank $300 Business Checking Bonus  (You register for the referral online, but you must open the business checking account in a branch.)   Get a $300 bonus when you register, open a new Associated Bank Business Core Checking® or Business Advanced Checking account, OR Get a $100 bonus when you register, open a new Associated Business Foundation Checking® account, AND complete the following within 60 days of account opening: 

• Enroll in Associated Connect® or Associated Bank Digital Banking, AND

• Complete five (5) or more customer-initiated transactions (Debit card transactions excluded)

NEW INCREASED OFFER:  SECU Maryland is offering a $250 bonus that is stackable with the $50 referral bonus.  To get a referral, just send me an email (gadget@bankbonusgeek.com) with your first & last name, and the email address you will use to open the account.  The referral offer is a Nationwide offer by (optionally) joining the SECU MD Foundation.  Pulls Chex, but not inquiry-sensitive.  No hard pull or EWS pull.  Offer valid 7/17/23 – 10/31/23.  However, they recently added the following terms:  Offer is only available to residents of  MD, DC, DE, PA, VA, WV, as well as University of Maryland College Park students. 

$200 STACKABLE NATIONWIDE OFFER - USE REFERRAL CODE 326326!   Jovia Financial Credit Union is offering a $150 bonus for opening either a Go Green (highly recommended) or CareFree Checking checking account and then doing a recurring $100+ Direct Deposit within 60 days.  Neither checking account has a monthly fee.  Also, they have a $50 referral offer (which only requires you to open a checking account, initially funding with $100 within two weeks, and maintain the $100 for 90 days) that should stack with the $150 offer.  You can apply for a checking account from their promotions page, use the slideshow to access the $150 offer, click the Open Account button, then just enter my referral code 326326 on your application.  If approved, the savings account will also be opened without submitting another application.  No hard pull, but does soft-pull Transunion,  pulls Chex, and may pull EWS as well.  In my experience, they are not inquiry sensitive.  Eligibility: This is a nationwide offer because they pay the $5 fee to join the CrossState Credit Union Foundation as part of your Jovia application,  and $5 is also gifted into your savings account to cover your membership share.  No CC funding.   My recommendation is open the Go Green checking, as online banking has a tracker for Direct Deposit.  Expires 12/31/2023.

VyStar Credit Union is offering a $175 bonus plus $25 if you refer someone.  They post a $25 bonus the next day after opening a checking account, and $150 after 91 days from opening if you complete 15 debit transactions and a direct deposit.  Footprint states are FL & GA, but they also will open accounts for active & retired military nationwide, and  family members of current credit union members too.   To get a referral, just send me an email (gadget@bankbonusgeek.com) with your first & last name, and the email address you will use to open the account. 

NEW!!!  Great River Federal Credit Union is offering $100 with a new checking account by using promo code SPREADJOY.  This is a nationwide offer using the American Consumer Council (ACC), which is part of the credit union application.  You can earn the $100 referral bonus by entering my name near the end of the online application:  MICHELLE BAUMAN.  

The new Great River FCU members must enroll in online banking and eStatements and accomplish any ONE of the following within 60 days of account opening: 

1) Checking account with qualifying direct deposit of at least $200, or

2) Checking account with 10 or more debit card transactions (transactions must be $10+), or

3) Any type of approved loan or credit card. 

Per the phone rep that opened my account, "debit card" funding is limited to $1K.   Instead, I used a Citi Double Cash CC for funding and it posted as a purchase.  They do hard pull Equifax, and Chex, but not inquiry-sensitive.  Please email me if you have questions.  In my experience, the bonus is deposited around the 15th of the month following 60 days from account opening.

Sweet! 💰  Affinity FCU Cash Back Debit $100 Bonus  Super simple requirements - Pulls Chex, but no EWS, and no hard pull.   This $100 bonus only requires a single $100+ Direct Deposit within 60 days.  $1,000 in credit card funding is available for new accounts (unfortunately, CC funding might be gone).  Depending on where you live, you may need to pay a $5 fee to join the credit union, but you will find the joining requirements seamlessly as part of the application.  The Affinity Cash Back Debit spending account earns 1% cash back on debit purchases, up to $10 per month with $1,000 in debit spending.  Online debit card loading like Cash App does work to trigger the monthly cashback bonus.  They also have a 3.5% APY SmartStart Savings account (up to $5,000 at that rate, and 1% thereafter).  None of these accounts have a monthly fee.   Alternatively, to get a referral, you can send me an email (gadget@bankbonusgeek.com) with your first & last name, and the email address you will use to open the account.

Desert Financial Credit Union $100 Checking Offer  You get $100 to open a free checking account, do a direct deposit, and perform at least 30 posted  transactions within 90 days.  Pulls Chex.  Per the account application fine print, they also soft-pull Experian and TransUnion.  $600 in CC funding is available per account.  If you prefer, I can email you your very own special referral link with the complete terms for your records. Email me:  gadget@bankbonusgeek.com  Please provide the email address you will use to open the account.

Wings Financial Credit Union ReferLive $50 Referral Promo  (Nationwide if you join the Wings Foundation for $5 on your application)  Use my link to get $50 to open a checking account, set up eDocuments, and do either 5 debit card transactions of $5 or more each OR a Direct Deposit of $300+ in 60 days.  Stacks with their checking promotions, if/when available; just be sure to signup for the referral BEFORE opening the checking account.  The bad news: they do Hard Pull Experian.

Capital One Checking  This $50 bonus stacks with savings or money market account offers when available.  Open a Capital One 360 Checking account using my link, then receive 2 deposits of $200 or more within your account’s first 75 days.

Delta Community Credit Union   Get $50 for opening a checking account, depositing $50, and doing 10 debits within 60 days.  No Direct Deposit required.  No Hard Pull, pulls EWS, not Chex.  Unfortunately, locals only now, or family members of existing members. 

Hanscom Federal Credit Union (Nationwide with certain community groups you can join on the application, paid for by the credit union) is offering a $30 bonus to open a new membership, plus checking & savings accounts.  Pulls Chex, but no EWS, and no hard pull.  The initial value in the account is the credit card funding.  $2,000 per application, and they accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.  I recommend opening the Share  savings account, get your member number, then submit another application as an existing member for the checking account on the same day so you can double-dip the CC funding (Unfortunately, CC funding has now been reduced to just $100, as of June 2023).  The Kasasa Cash back checking account earns $10 per month for having a "DD" and spending $200 via 12 debits, all of which can be simulated with Cash App "Add Cash" and "Cash Out" transactions. They also offer a Thrive account which earns 5% APY interest, however, you can only deposit $500 per month over a course of a year.  It's essentially a Certificate of Deposit that matures after the year, and if you chose to renew, you start over with a new account & a $0 balance.  If you would like a referral, just send me an email (gadget@bankbonusgeek.com) with your first & last name, and the email address you will use to open the account. 

GTE Financial Credit Union is offering a $25 bonus for opening a new membership, and funding a checking account within 30 days.  They allow a fair amount of credit card funding available at $500 per account, and multiple savings accounts are allowed and can be funded either with the initial account application, or later from online banking.  Feel free to use my referral code on the 1st page of the application.   My $25 GTE Financial Referral Code: S692844V2U You must manually enter the code on the application.  The bad news: they do Hard Pull Equifax.

DCU (Digital Credit Union) is offering $20 for opening a checking account and perform one of the following:  Do a recurring Direct Deposit of at least $500/month, OR, complete five ACH transfers, Point of Sale (POS) transactions, bill pay payments, or Pay a Person transactions within the same calendar month.  This is Nationwide if you join the Reach Out for Schools non-profit for $10, which is an option on the application.  No Hard Pull of your credit, but they do Soft Pull Equifax, and pulls Chex.  As part of the application, you will also open a Primary Savings account where you’ll earn a 6.17% APY on balances up to the first $1,000, and 0.25% APY beyond the $1K cap.  As opposed to waiting on the debit card or Direct Deposit, you can trigger the bonus with 5 small ACH transfers and the bonus will pay out within days.

Interest Rate Bump:  Sign up for Marcus via my referral link and get 5.15% APY for three months on your savings account. 

Fintech "Neobanks" (online-only, usually provide a debit card, usually no check-writing, etc.)

Increased Offer!  GO2Bank  Open a GO2Bank account and Direct Deposit $200+ within 45 days to earn $100.   Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, but no CC funding.  You can also stack with $125 at Swagbucks, $133 at MyPoints, or $125 at Upromise.  Per a few reports, stacking will work if you follow these guidelines:

(1) open a GO2Bank referral link, click "Open an account", enter your email address, and click "Get started".  Once you have moved to the next screen, do not continue.

(2) open a Swagbucks link (or another portal link, if you prefer) to participate the offer, and then complete the sign-up and account opening process using the same email address registered in step (1).

💰  Upgrade Rewards Checking $150 Referral Bonus   Just open a new Rewards Checking Plus account and complete a $1,000 Direct Deposit within 45 days. No Chex, No EWS, and no hard pull in my experience. Offer expires 09/30/2023.  Long-term, the debit card earns 2% cashback for every day purchases in the following categories: convenience stores, drugstores, restaurants and bars - including food deliveries - gas stations, utilities and monthly subscriptions such as phone, cable, TV and other streaming services, and 1% on all other debit card purchases. 

For those wanting to try to stack the Upgrade Rewards Checking offer and the SB/MP offer, do the following:

1. Open Swagbucks or Mypoints, and log in.

2. Use the search bar to search for UPGRADE to find the Upgrade Checking offer and click “View Offer”, and the “Get” SB/MP button.

3. Once you are at the Upgrade.com website, click on nothing. In the same tab, paste a referral link into the address bar in place of the one from Swagbucks/Mypoints, and hit Enter.  My referral link is https://upgrade.com/r/iCIFCV1trP

4. Sign up.

Upgraded offer!  Chime $100 referral link  Open an account, Direct Deposit $200+, and earn a $100 bonus.  Almost any bank-to-bank external transfer works as a Direct Deposit with Chime.  Just setup the transfer via your other bank's online banking and push the money into the Chime account.  Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, but no CC funding.

Plus, with Chime, there is the possibility of doing a portal offer stack with a Chime $100 referral link.   To do this, you start by clicking on a referral link but do not fill it out, just leave the tab open. Then in another tab on the same browser, log into the Swagbucks/MyPoints or whatever portal you choose, find the Chime offer link within the portal, and click-through and complete the application from there. Of course, then you do the necessary account requirements.

NEW & HOT!  Get $100 to open a Wallet by BOSS Money account and receive total qualifying direct deposit amount of $5,000+ within 45 days.  A Direct Deposit of $500-$4,999 only get $25 though.  Terms apply.  Just use my referral link or QR code when signing up.  I recommend using your phone/mobile device because this FinTech is app only.  Nationwide, no Chex or Hard pull, but no CC funding.  Unlikely EWS.

Oxygen  Email me to get a referral link.  Open an account, Direct Deposit $500+ and use the debit card for 5 purchases within 60 days, and earn a $100 bonus.  Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, but no CC funding.

Current  Open an account and Direct Deposit $200+ within 45 days to earn $50.   Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, no CC funding.  The highlight of this account is the three savings pods (accounts) allowing up to $2,000 in each at 4% APY.  Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, but no CC funding.  My Referral Code: JEFFREYS997  The $50 referral bonus should be stackable with other portal offers like Swagbucks (5,000 SB) and MyPoints as you can click through the portal link to open the Current account, then manually enter a referral code (JEFFREYS997) in the app.

Novo Business Checking $40 Referral Bonus  Feature set seems good, and very easy requirements for the bonus.  Just open an account and fund with $100 within 30 days, and keep the balance at $100+ for 30 more days.  Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, but no CC funding.  Bonus stacks with Revenue Universe on Swagbucks/MyPoints, etc by using my Referral Code of JeffreySchwartz1.  Simple signup, but do expect to have to come up with a 120 character minimum description on what your business does, who it's customers are, and how it makes money as part of the application.  Sole Proprietors using SSN as EIN, doing business as first & last name, are accepted.  No document uploads were requested other than ID.  May be quite useful for simulating Direct Deposit at other banks for bank bonuses, sending ACH transfers marked as "Payroll".

Juno Finance $25  Get $25 for funding your crypto wallet account with $50 by using a referral link.  Currently they are offering 5% APY interest on your checking account balance up to $25K to $250K, or 3% for less than $25K. The 5% Cashback on debit card spend is probably Juno's most attractive feature, but some of the merchants have changed. There is a limit of $500 cash back annually if your account is in a Metal status, which does require a (one-time?) Direct Deposit.

PrizePool Savings  A savings account where you earn tickets, which puts you into a lottery for prizes.  Stack with Swagbucks/Mypoints by using my referral code:  ZNWVV  Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, but no CC funding.

Yotta Savings  Not your normal savings bank, as the promised interest rate is not high, but you have chances to win cash prizes.  We'll both get 100 tickets to win up to $10,000,000 when you download Yotta Savings! Just sign up with code JEFFREY27.  Nationwide, no Chex/EWS or Hard pull, but no CC funding.

Various Money Tools

P2P & Money Transfer Apps

Wise   You get a free transfer of up to $600 by using my link (must be used on first transfer).  Formerly TransferWise, this account is useful for simulating Direct Deposits.  Cost is negligible, but depending on how you set up your transfer,  you do have to pay to Load, and then again to Send money via their service.  I am just learning how to use it myself, but on the first try, it worked to earn a $100 bank bonus at Juno for a total cost of less than $1.

Cash App  Great P2P payment app with a debit card and spending bonuses.  Signup with my link to earn a $5 bonus for sending $5+ after linking a debit card.  Transferring funds back to your bank may work to trigger bank bonuses that require Direct Deposit, and loading your account with your debit card can count as debit spending.  Another use is for P1 - P2 money transfer situations without having a joint account.  If you don't have someone you can send money to, send me $5 and I will send it back.  User: $JeffJS  (If you do not do a $5 send transaction within 14 days, they revoke the referral bonus.)  

Also, for existing Cash App users, if you did not use a referral code when you signed up for Cash App, you can add it after the fact.  Once you click on the profile icon 👤 in the upper right corner, scroll down, and just above Sign Out it will have a link to enter a Referral Code.  My code is: MFJZLDP

PayPal $10 Bonus  Worth $10 for each of us.  New PayPal customers only.  Join and spend $5 using PayPal and we both earn $10.

Venmo $10 Bonus  Join Venmo and earn $10 for signing up after you make a bank- or card-funded payment of at least $5 within 14 days.

Sign up for Google Pay, send someone a $1, and earn $5.  Super easy and super fast payout!  You can refer up to three people for up to $15 each.  Open the link from your mobile device to install the Google Pay App.  Use https://g.co/payinvite/bq7v768 

Money Management Tools

Similar to Mint.com, Empower (formerly known as Personal Capital) is a money management tool that focuses on investment advice.  Sign-up, link an investment account that has a minimum balance of $1,000, and earn a $20 Amazon Gift Card.  After signing up, they occasionally offer a targeted bonus of $100 or $200 via postal mail or pop-up ads in your online login.  To earn that bonus you have to sit through a short introduction where they screen you to see if you are a viable candidate, and then an hour-long phone-con & PowerPoint presentation sales pitch at a later date & time of your choice.  If you want to get targeted for that promo, I recommend linking at least $250K of investments and/or liquid funds, as that is the minimum amount they want to take control of to earn "x number of free months" of investment management.

Prepaid Cards

Netspend Prepaid: Netspend Earn a $40 bonus after loading at least $40. Then you can open the savings account and earn 5% APY on the savings balance, capped at $1,000.  You can have up to at least 5 different Netspend cards without issue, useful for the savings accounts, but you will likely only collect one $40 bonus.  Other Netspend Variants: Western Union, & ACE Elite have the same deal, but only a $20 bonus.

Crypto - Digital Currency - Wallets

OKCoin  Open an account, complete identity verification level 2, and receive $50 worth of BTC when you buy $100 crypto or more.  Stable coins like USDC count for the purchase.  Your BTC posts within a few days of your crypto purchase.

eToro  Get $30 for funding with $100 and doing $100 in crypto trades.  Also, you can earn $30 for each referral, up to 10.

Abra  Create a new account using a referral link and get a $25 bonus when you deposit $15+ for 30 days.  Bonus is in the form of CPRX which is Abra’s own cryptocurrency.  Use my unique code: RCGU4PZQK, or link: https://www.abra.com/ref/?deep_link_sub1=RCGU4PZQK

Coinbase  Open an account, and if you buy or sell $100 or more of crypto within 180 days of opening, you'll receive $10 worth of free bitcoin.

Money Saving Apps - Portals - Sites

PASSIVE EARNINGS APPS - Link your existing credit or debit cards and/or banks, and watch the points accrue.  Optionally, they also have offers inside the app that require using their link.

Dosh App  Referral Code: JEFFRES58

Drop App  Referral Code: a2pak

Payce App Earn up to 35% cash back both online and in-store on your everyday purchases!  Visa & MasterCard Only - No Amex - No Discover.

ACTIVE EARNINGS APPS - Requires you to select coupons or offers, upload receipts, use their portal, etc. to get money back on purchases.

Ibotta App  Referral Code: pdlhgpr  Many offers for grocery items, mainly, but also works as a shopping portal.

PORTALS TO GET CASHBACK - Once you signup, login to their site or app, use their links to shop online, and you earn cashback on ELIGIBLE purchases at 3rd party sites.  Offers vary quite often on these so please read all terms.

RebatesMe  Get a $30 bonus with your first $10 of earning.

TopCashback

Rakuten (Ebates)  Get a $30 bonus when you spend $30.

Mr. Rebates

BeFrugal  Get a $10 bonus with your first $10 of earning.

MaxRebates   Get an up-to-$50 bonus when you spend at least $25.

Capital One Shopping  Get a $10 bonus when you spend $10.

FREE REWARDS PROGRAMS -  Membership is free, but some optional offers are not free and require a purchase.

Inbox Dollars  Get $5 for using my link.  Yet another cashback site ran by Protégé.  Seems to focus more on grocery offers & surveys, but it is another tool to churn offers like Varo, etc.

Steady  Earn cashback with money-making offers called Boosters.  Also lists some job listings, as well as gig opportunities.

Swagbucks  Besides the cashback portal, frequently offers money-making opportunities, usually when subscribing to services. 

MyPoints  Almost identical to Swagbucks, and owned by the same company, but occasionally has a better offer or different selection than Swagbucks.

Upromise  Use my link and link your 529 savings account for a $30 bonus.  Also has many of the same offers as Swagbucks, MyPoints, and Inbox Dollars.

OTHER MONEYSAVERS/MONEYMAKERS/MANUFACTURED SPENDING

Fluz App  Great app for saving a few dollars on instant gift cards & good for some couch manufactured spending.  Some Fluz retailers sell $200 digital MasterCard gift cards with no fee.  Depending how you choose to pay, you can earn 3% cashback via ACH, or if you use a credit card, it will be counted as a purchase on your credit card and/or helping you meet minimum spending on a new credit card.

PFS Buyers Club  Opt into select private deals, buy the item, and once it arrives at your address, you mail it to PFS and they pay you over the original cost.  How much more depends on the terms you agreed to.  It's YMMV as the items you have to buy are usually extremely limited stock, like U.S. Mint coins.  Deals are not constant/continuous, and are very specific.  You get an additional $20 for using a referral link, provided you actually perform the purchase and follow-through with the sale. 

Raise.com  Use my link to get $5 off already discounted gift cards from a wide variety of merchants and restaurants.  They frequently offer potentially stack-able promo codes to further discount your desired gift card(s) as well.  For sellers, not exactly a money saver, but if you find yourself with unused gift cards, and a desire to sell them at least a 15% loss, it is a viable option.

Phone - Wireless - Utilities - Services

23andMe  Get a discount (10-20%) on the services offered.  I was surprised by my results, and seemed very credible.  They were able to find my niece accurately without any other info other than my DNA.

Arcadia  Get $10 off your power bill when you use my link, and your first month is free, $5/mo. thereafter.  If you want to be "greener", Arcadia finds ways to lower your power bill and connect you to clean energy like wind and solar power.  Whether you rent or own your home, Arcadia can help you power it with 100% clean energy for just $5/month (first month free) — no installations, long-term commitments, or changes to your current electricity provider.  Plus, when you enter your zip code and utility company, Arcadia can check your eligibility for additional clean energy options; if there is a community solar farm near you, you can connect to it for no extra cost and receive guaranteed monthly savings on your power bill.  I like Arcadia because I pay my electric power bill via credit card and avoids my local power company CC fee.  Also, it still counts as the utilities 5% category for the U. S.  Bank Cash+ rewards credit card.

Visible Mobile Phone Service  If you're a heavy data user, you can get unlimited data at a decent price with Visible.  I'm using the $30 plan and loving not having to treat data like it's a precious limited resource.  My referral link has all the info you need to know about joining Visible. When you use my friend code, 3NPQGFL, you’ll get your first month of service for $20-off!