Bonus is back. Hat tip to DDG
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount:
- Availability: Must live, work, attend school or have immediate family in McHenry, IL, Brown, WI, Dodge, WI, Kenosha, WI, Kewanee, WI, Manitowoc, WI, Milwaukee, WI, Monroe, WI, Oconto, WI, Outagamie, WI, Ozaukee, WI, Racine, WI, Shawano, WI, Walworth, WI, Washington, WI, Waukesha, WI, and Winnebago, WI.$200
- Direct deposit required: Optional
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: None
- Monthly fees: $4.95+, waive-able
- Early account termination fee: $40 if closed within 180 days of account opening
- Household limit: One
- Expiration date: September 30th, 2017
Contents
The Offer
- North Shore Bank are offering a checking bonus of up to $200,. You actually receive $12.50 per month each month for up to 16 months provided you do the following:
- Use promo code September 2017
- Have 10 qualified debit card transactions or a direct deposit
The Fine Print
- New personal households only. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions may apply.
- Debit card or direct deposit bonus of $12.50 will be credited to the new checking account each month after your statement cycles for up to 16 months provided you have had 10 qualified debit card transactions or a direct deposit for that statement cycle. ATM transactions will not qualify. Direct deposit must be payroll, Social Security, pension or other government benefits. Fees may be applied and could reduce earnings.
- Offer available until September 30, 2017.
- For tax purposes, a 1099 form may be issued.
- When opening online use promo code September 2017.
- Incentive credit will not be paid if promo code is retrieved from a deals website and North Shore Bank reserves the right to close customers accounts that do not live within our service area.
- Visit northshorebank.com for details. Participating merchants in discount network are not sponsors of the program, are subject to change without notice, may not be available in all regions and may choose to limit deals. Insurance products are NOT A DEPOSIT – NOT FDIC INSURED – NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR AGENCY – NOT GUARANTEED BY THE BANK.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly fees are waived on all of their accounts for the first three months. If you close your account within 180 days of opening they will charge you an early account termination fee of $40.
eChecking $4.95 Monthly
This is waived with debit card usage and eStatements or direct deposit (wages or social security) and eStatements.
Better-Than-Free $4.95 Monthly
This is waived with an average balance of $750 or $2,500 in relationship balances or any loan or direct deposits or 10 debit card transactions.
Our Verdict
Previous offer was $200 but you got it in one hit ($100 for direct deposit & $100 for 10 debit card transactions). In my opinion this bonus sucks big time, I hate bonuses spread out over multiple months and the fact that this one is over 16 months is just awful. Because of that I won’t be adding it to our best bonus page.
Big thanks to reader, Curmudgeon who let us know. Learn how to find bonuses and contribute to the site here.
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
- What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull ChexSystems?
- 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
- Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
A word of warning on this one- I tried for the $200 a month or so back and was told that they reviewed my chex systems account and that I was “not the type of client” they were looking for. They then closed the account even though I work in Lake County.
I thought about filing a CFPB complaint, but I just let it go.
Plus, this particular bonus seems like a ton of work for $12.50 per month.
How many accounts did you open within the last 12 months?