This offer has expired, you can view more current checking bonuses by going here.
- Maximum bonus amount: $200
- Availability: Must present coupon in branch to sign up.Use this to find out how far you are from the nearest branch. They have branches in the following states: FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, NC, OH, PA, TN, WV
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $100 or more.Click here to see what has counted in the past.
- Additional requirements: None
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- Credit card funding: None
- Monthly fees: $11-$20, waivable
- Early account termination fee: None listed, in the past you’ve been required to keep it open for 9 months.
- Expiration date: July 26th, 2015
Contents
The Offer
- Receive a sign up bonus of $200 when you open a new Essential Checking with Fifth Third bank and completing the following:
- Set up a direct deposit ($100 minimum in the past)
- Pay three bills online using Fifth Thirds online bill payment service
The Fine Print
- Offer not available to existing checking customers or to those with a Fifth Third checking account that has been closed within the last 12 months
- Offer not available to new Fifth Third checking customers in Northeast Ohio
- Bonus offer available to new consumer checking customers, excluding Fifth Third Basic Checking, Fifth Third Private Bank products, and Business checking accounts
- Limit of one new account-related gift incentive per calendar year
- Requirements must be met within 90 days of account opening
- Bonus will be deposited within 6 weeks of meeting requirements
- One bonus offer per account per household
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Essential Checking $11 Monthly Fee
You can waive the monthly fee by doing any one of the following:
- Maintain an average monthly balance of $1,500 or more across your savings and checking accounts
- Are a U.S Military member or participate in 5/3rd’s employer benefits program and receive $500 or more in direct deposits
- You’re a student
Our Verdict
In the past you could get a $250 bonus from 5/3rd, but it required you to open the Established Checking, which is much harder to keep fee free. If you opened the essential checking account that this bonus requires, you’d only get a bonus of $150.
This is a good bonus for those who live near a 5/3rd bank, we have a lot of data points on what counts as a direct deposit and it isn’t too difficult to complete the requirements. Having to go in branch is a pain, but if it isn’t too far away then I’d say this is worth it. As such, we’ve added it to our recommend checking promo page, and as always it’s been added to our huge database of checking & savings promotions.
Hat tip to reader J Smith
does chase checking work for the requirement of direct deposit?
fifth third does not allow credit card funding.
Does “One bonus offer per account per household” mean my wife and I can’t both get this bonus?
Does this bank have any affiliation whatsoever with The Great Compromise?
Someone should check their method of employment!
I’m in NY (Nother State), so I’m not eligible…
Keeping it light here… but I assume you are referring to the 3/5 compromise. 5/3 is kind of going the other way on that one so definitely not related. The interwebs say the name is the result of a merger between Fifth National Bank and Third National Bank.
Do you think a transfer from a cap 360 bank account would work for the direct deposit…I know it does for Chase accounts.
It should do.
Data Point: Capital One 360 worked as a DD.
Received targeted bonus offer ($200) in mail – with an expiration of Aug 8
Opened acct on Aug 7
Direct Deposit Aug 14
Bonus credited Aug 14
Did this today. Apparently Fifth Third has relationships with many bigger companies (as well as some small ones). So you can sign up under the deal to get the bonus and then switch to the company preferred account to avoid all account fees, plus free checks and rebates on non-Fifth Third ATMs. Would not allow me to fund with a CC.
The title to this post says max bonus $250. How would you get the extra $50?
Title says $200??
Can you use Amex BlueBird to meet the direct deposit requirement?