This offer has expired, you can view more offers by clicking here.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $150
- Availability: OH, MI, IN
- Direct deposit required: No
- Additional requirements: 10 debit card transactions & 3 bill pays
- Hard/soft pull: Soft (at least on EQ & TU)
- Credit card funding: Up to $500, only Visa & Mastercard accepted.
- Monthly fees: $5.95, waivable
- Early account termination fee: $25, 180 days
- Expiration date: December 31st, 2016
The Offer
- Open any new checking account (excluding access banking) with First Federal Bank and receive a sign up bonus of up to $150, bonus is broken down as follows:
- $75 for completion of ten debit cad transactions within 60 days
- $75 for completion of three online bill pay transactions within 60 days
The Fine Print
- Minimum $50 initial deposit to open.
- Offer valid through 12/31/16 with the opening of any new checking account, excluding Access Banking.
- Receive $75 for the completion of ten (10) debit card point-of-sale transactions within 60 days of account opening and receive $75 for the completion of three (3) OnLine Bill Pay transactions within 60 days of account opening.
- Incentives will be deposited into your new checking account within 30 days after the completion of corresponding requirement.
- Offer not available to existing First Federal Bank checking account customers, those with a First Federal Bank checking account closed within the past twelve (12) months, and employees of First Defiance Financial Corp. and their immediate family members living in the same household.
- May not be combined with any other offer, and only one offer valid per person per calendar year.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
The best account to open is the simple checking as it has no monthly fee as long as you’ve completed a bill pay in the last 90 days otherwise a $5.95 fee is charged. There is also a $3 paper statement fee, so make sure you opt out of those.
The early account termination fee is $3 if closed within 180 days according to this fee schedule.
Our Verdict
Great bonus if we can confirm a soft pull, easy to meet requirements with no direct deposit and no monthly fees. If anybody has any experience with this bonus and if it’s a hard/soft pull and if you can fund with a credit card then please let me know in the comments below. We’ll likely add it to our page of the best bonuses if we can confirm it’s a soft pull.
Big thanks to reader, David who let us know. Please consider sharing bank bonuses with this site so we can make it even better.
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
- Introduction To ChexSystems
- Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
- How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
- Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
- How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
- Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
- Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank
Promo is back up, valid until 6/30/17
https://first-fedbanking.com/Stuff-Your-Wallet
Looks like you have to go into a branch to get a promo code, though.
Thanks
1 minute 47 second phone call to close the account. I had already brought the account down to zero before calling in. Easiest bank closing of my life.
Thanks for DP
Just a note that I tried closing this account over the phone and was denied due to an account balance. They will only close accounts over the phone that have a balance of zero, which makes it a bit more of a pain since you can’t (or at least I can’t seem to) add transfer accounts online.
Thanks, added this to this: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/complete-list-of-ways-to-close-bank-accounts-at-each-bank/
I don’t think this offer is available anymore….I took the quiz and nothing about the bonus
Yup, looks dead.
Had to wait quite awhile for this bonus. I made a phone call and a wrote few SMs, but it has finally posted. Here are the specifics:
6/29/16 – $500 Fidelity Visa opening funding (purchase)
7/5/16 – 3 Bill payments accomplished
7/13/16 – 10 Debits accomplished
9/13/16 – $150 bonus posted ($75 & $75)
Bonuses posted yesterday, about two weeks after the final requirement was met.
I went through the same quiz to when opening the account as well. You should still qualify for the bonuses.
Thanks, JA!
I think the promo is no longer valid. I’ve done the quiz probably ten times now and all I get is the phone number and name…but no mention of the bonus like the screen shot above.
I am also not able to ever get the bonus language to appear after the quiz, even after entering name & phone number.
When I click the link, it just shows up with a quiz to figure out the checking account that’s right for you…no mention of the bonus. Maybe it’s no longer being offered?
Chase Sapphire Counted as a purchase
July 2016 – Citi Double Cash counted as a purchase
Anyone have their bonus post yet? According to the terms, mine should be posting very soon.