This bonus has expired, more banking bonuses at our massive database here.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $200
- Availability: Charter One bank services MI & OH while Citizen’s Bank services CT, DE, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT
- Direct deposit required: No
- Additional requirements: Enroll in online banking & schedule two bill payments
- Hard/soft pull:Â Soft pull if you apply at branch, hard online (YMMV). Read the linked data points for more information. (this bonus requires you to sign up in branch)
- Credit card funding:Â Up to $1,000Â (cannot be funded in branch with a credit card)
- Monthly fees:Â $9.99, waive-able
- Early account termination fee: Unknown
- Expiration date: March 31st, 2015
The Offer
Direct link to offer: Citizen’s Bank [CT, DE, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT] & Charter One [MI & OH]
- Open your first new personal checking account at a participating supermarket branch between February 28th and March 31st and complete the following requirements to receive a bonus of $200:
- Enroll in online banking
- Schedule two qualified online bill payments that post and clear your new checking account by May 29th, 2015
The Fine Print
- Primary signer on the new checking account may not be or have been a primary or secondary signer on any personal checking account within the previous six months
- Offer only available in select supermarket branches
- Qualified bill payments must be initiated through the bank’s online banking bill payment service and be made to two different payees and for a recipient other than someone in your household
- Bonus will be deposited into your qualifying checking account by July 31st, 2015, bonus will be labeled as Balance Builder Bonus
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly fee of $9.99 is waived if you have a deposit of any amount to the checking account that month. We couldn’t locate their fee schedule so I am unsure if there is any early account termination fee or not.
Our Verdict
They have offered similar bonuses in the past when you sign up at the supermarket, but these have only been for $100 or $150, this is the best offer I’ve seen them put out. If I lived within the service area I definitely would be completing this offer, here is what I’d do:
- Open a new checking account in branch, using a credit card to initially fund if possible (making sure my cash advance fee was set to $0)
- Enroll in online banking and schedule two bill pays (making sure they are for different bills), this will trigger the bonus
- Deposit some of my paycheck into the account each month to keep it fee free (if you can’t change this easily, a direct deposit/ACH transfer should work)
- Wait for the bonus to post
- Wait at least six months to avoid any early account termination fees
- Withdraw funds
- Close account
Charter One/Citizen’s Bank also offer a $1,000 savings bonus, you can view more details about this promo here. This offer has been added to our listing of the best state specific bank bonuses and also our master list of checking promos.
Opened online a couple of weeks ago with the $150 bonus version, made a $1,000 deposit from a Barclays card with cash advance set to $0, no hard pull.
Did my 2 Bill Pays to credit cards. How soon have bonuses shown up in the past?
Another data point… Just opened an account today at a Citizens Bank inside Acme in Norristown, PA. Manager said I couldn’t fund it with a credit card. She did say I was pre-approved for their new 1.8% cash back credit card and I have 14 days to accept without them doing a hard pull. Too bad no sign up bonus.
I checked with the branch inside my grocery store (Upstate NY). She said it could not be funded with credit card.
just a heads up they pull equifax, not sure if hard or soft as I had it frozen. but it came up
“no equifax file on record require two forms of ID – manager approval required.”
so its not necessarily a decline if you have it frozen. and I think the one guy at the branch who does the new accounts is considered the manager anyway.
Would be a soft pull with Equifax in branch, online opening seems to be hard and in store soft.
just closed my account on 01/01/2015 and according to the bank, the account was officially closed 60 days later which is 03/01/2015. don’t know whether I can open a account again and get the bonus or not…….
Never mind. Just saw the fine print: “Primary signer on the new checking account may not be or have been a primary or secondary signer on any personal checking account within the previous six months.” Glad they have this, avoid having me to try