Update 10/24/22: Deal is back, no expiration date.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $100
- Availability: Nationwide. (If you are not eligible through one (the 2,000) of these paths, you have the option to join by making a one-time $5 donation to the New Jersey Coalition for Financial Education or the Connecticut Jump$tart Coalition)
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $100+
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown, sensitive (not sensitive in branch)
- Credit card funding: Up to $1,000 with Visa, Mastercard or Discover. Cannot go over otherwise it won’t work.
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: Six months, bonus forfeit
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date:
September 30, 2022None
Contents
The Offer
- Affinity Federal Credit Union is offering a $100 referral bonus to both parties when the new member opens an affinity cash back debit account with a direct deposit of $100+ within 60 days of account opening
The Fine Print
- *The Member, or Referrer. Members of Affinity Federal Credit Union in good standing and 18 years of age or older with an active Affinity checking or savings account are eligible to participate. Once a member makes a referral, they become a “Referrer” and will be provided with a unique referral link that allows them to receive a $100 bonus for each referred friend or family that has met all the qualifying criteria as defined below. The member may earn a maximum of $1,000 in referral bonuses per calendar year, which equates to 10 friends, family or colleagues completing the qualifying criteria. There is no limit to the number of referrals a member can make.
- The Friend, Family or Referred. In order to receive the $100 bonus, the referred friend or member must 1) Open an Affinity Cash Back Debit account 2) Make a qualifying direct deposit of $100 or more within 60 days of account opening. A qualifying direct deposit is an automatic electronic deposit known as an ACH (Automated Clearing House) of your paycheck, Social Security, pension, or other recurring income in the amount of $100 or more. Multiple deposits totaling $100 do not qualify. External and internal transfers, mobile deposits, cash, or check deposits and person-to-person payments such as Zelle®, do not qualify as a direct deposit. Offer valid only for new members who join Affinity.
- Fulfillment. Bonus will be deposited into the referring member and new member’s checking account by the last business day of the month following completion of all qualifying criteria (for example: if the new member’s account is opened on July 15, 2022; qualifying deposits are made by August 13; $100 bonus will be deposited to the members eligible checking or savings account and the new member’s Cash Back debit account by September 30, 2022). Bonus may be reported as taxable income and will be reported on an IRS 1099 Form, if applicable. Additional exclusions may apply. Offer subject to change without notice.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
This account has no monthly fees to worry about
Early Account Termination Fee
This account has no EATF.
Our Verdict
Sometimes this account is only open to NY, CT. Doesn’t look to be the case at the moment. Has been as high as $150 in the past, this is a better offer if a friend or family member can refer you. Do not share your referrals in the comments, you can share them in this linked post instead.
Hat tip to MC
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
- 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
- Bank Bonus Posting Times
Do not share your referrals in the comments, stop breaking the rules.
It looks like its not nationwide anymore…I was denied because I wasn’t in their region.
I’m not really sure if I need a referral or not or if I can refer myself with the direct link provided. Would that work if I just entered my own email in the direct link and referred myself?
I think that won’t work, good question.
Almost no chance that would work. You can’t associate two email addresses to a single account/membership. You would rather take a chance to get $0 vs a sure thing $100?
Was just denied, called and they said they’re restricting online sign-ups to those in region or referred by an employer.
Is that the case? Did you also get this email as well? Because if so then that’s a shame. The email below is what I got.
Thank you for your interest in joining Affinity Federal Credit Union.
We’re sorry to inform you that we are unable to authenticate you at
this time. This decision is based on the information provided in your
application.
Sincerely,
Member Service Center
Affinity Federal Credit Union
I got the same email and called them asking why they weren’t able to authenticate. They let me know that only people in certain regions like New York and Connecticut can apply.
I thought anyone in the United States can apply.
Unfroze credit, still declined. Probably a ChexSystems issue.
Typically, Chex is pulled the same day as the application, instantly. Some banks will pull when the application is reviewed. Some will pull both… same day, and again when they start poking around.
Jamal
You can sign-up for Chex portal access and have much more frequent viewing. Click Register on their main page.
ok great, I will call them tomorrow, I got an error when registering. So if you do that, you can check it often, rather that just once a year?
You can check it more than once a year nowadays… but yes, you can check it often either way.
Where do I get a referral
“Do not share your referrals in the comments, you can share them in this linked post instead.”
Are the links reviewed by anyone? How can I know they’re not fake links to steal my info
I can’t answer that. Affinity has been getting strict and they have been asking applicants for the referrer’s name. Best to use a link of someone with whom you can get in touch with.
If you reach out to someone who has an account at Affinity FCU, they can send you a referral email via the Affinity website. That way, unlike when you get fake unsolicited email, you are getting it from the source.
If you are worried about theft of your info, you just have to observe the link goes to the actual bank/credit union website, and is a proper website address. There are usually a lot of tells when you get a fake… incorrect grammar, websites that aren’t secure (http vs https), emails that come from Gmail/Hotmail instead of the proper domain name, etc.
Dirk
Interesting, they also have a 5.25% 8-month CD if you can put in at least 50k. That’s not the best compared to the master thread, but maybe people are rationing their Chex. I know it was 5.50% until recently.
I guess you can beat that even without a Chex hit, e.g. VUSXX.
eh bad example, VUSXX is not guaranteed for that full term. But there’s probably a way.
DP:
Denied due to Chex on 3/6/24
1k funding charged to CIU as purchase
Chex as of 3/6/2024
3/1
12/2
12/3
13/6
13/12
17/24
Guess I need to slow down and let the last two months age out.
Did the funding to your CIU get reversed? They charged my card twice and it’s still pending
Applied today. Same email was previous post, unable to authenticate
Applied online, got: “Based on the information you provided in your application, we are unable to offer you Affinity Federal Credit Union membership at this time.” Havent had an account since like 2021.
Just got the same message. Never had an account there before, was going to use it as a hub. Probably a ChexSystems issue for me.
did affinity send out 1099- INT yet?
Mine’s been available online, issue date 1/8/24. Don’t think they snail mail them…