On a steady basis, Chase offers great bonuses for opening up checking and savings accounts. The standard offer is $150 for the checking and $100 for the savings, but we consistently see $500 offers – $300 for checking and $200 for savings.
These bonuses can only be done once per calendar year (90-days after closing out the previous account), and with 2016 rolling around it’s time to schedule the next churn.
I find it easy enough to get hold of one of these coupons, and we’ve previously outlined many ways to do so. See How To Get Targeted For A Chase Saving Or Checking Account Coupon for many options, including buying it on eBay, finding it in your Chase login and more.
One thing that is becoming more and more prevalent is for these coupons to be in-branch only offers. I hate going in-branch to do something which can be done online, especially when the banker gets to see my churners badge-of-honor with yearly account openings. A quick look on eBay doesn’t yield better results as all the coupons there are for in-branch only. Chase wants to bring us in-branch and try getting more of our money in with them along the way.
An additional benefit of opening a Chase account online is the ability to then fund the account with a credit card, something not possible for in-branch applications. Chase allows up to $500 in funding with a credit card online, but be aware that there is a cash advance issue here and be sure to use a card with $0 cash advance. Â More details here.
My friend @utahshane gave me an interesting tip for getting the $500 online offer: if you have a Chase credit card and opt for paper statements, they’ll throw in a $500 coupon along with the statement a few times per year. And, importantly, these offer codes can be used online as well.
Awesome! I’m completely paperless for everything, but I’ll switch my Chase credit card statements to paper in hopes of getting an online $500 offer.
The new Chase rules for bonus eligibility are “two years from last coupon enrollment date” AND no account in the last 90 days AND no account ending with a negative balance in last 3 YEARS.
Also, the $200 bonus is back: https://account.chase.com/consumer/banking/seo
Savings bonus did not work. Did a pull rather than a push. Chase held it up even though the external account was activated in the Chase website, held up without notice until they verified information of proof with the other bank. Discovered it after the day came and went and the money wasn’t deposited as it was scheduled to be that showed on the Chase website and would have arrived prior to the 20th day had they not stopped it. It was a pull, if that matters. Finally got it worked out via Chase and the other bank, after multiple calls, but it went in late after the 20th day.
Not sure if this is related but I closed my accout in the end of December 2014 & bought the 500$ coupon off eBay. In 2015 my wife opened up her own chase accout for the first time & got the 500$ offer (we have seperate accounts) I opened the account on the 20th & just got a letter dated for the 22 that they are closing my banking accounts (didn’t say anything about my cc) bank refuses to give reason..
Do they base the calendar year on the date you receive the bonus or open the account? I have 2 mailed coupons here and haven’t had a Chase checking account in over a year. It would be great to get a bonus for 2015 if I open accounts now and then 90 days from closing some time in 2016. Thanks.
Fine print says you’re only excluded if you’ve had an account closed in the past 90 days, there’s no mention of days past receiving the bonus. I should be good then.
It is based on when you open the account so you want to open the accounts before year end so that you can do it again next year.
Awesome, thanks!
I too am curious about how to go about opening these if you live in a Non-Chase state (KS) where there are no branches and whether it is possible. It probably would be worthy of a separate blog post.
I would like to know if I am qualified if I currently already have a chase checking account?
No, you do not qualify if you have a current Chase checking account.
You’re qualified for the savings account bonus if you open a new savings account, but not the checking account bonus since you’re already a checking accountholder.
If you open in branch, all you need to open is $25.00.
Also, you must keep the account(s) open at least six (6) months – otherwise JP Morgan Chase Bank will claw back any bonus amount at time of account closing. Also, Chase will issue a 1099-INT for the amount of the bonus.
Still, if you can meet one of the three options to waive the checking account monthly $12.00 fee in California (your state may have a different monthly fee), not a bad deal to pick-up $300.00!
Even though Chase says you have 90 days to establish the required $500.00 per month (or more) direct deposit as one of the requirements to receive the $300.00 bonus – what is not clear is whether or not Chase will assess the $12.00 monthly fee for the checking account during the first 90 days before your direct deposit is established and crediting the account.
To concur with other posters – I also have Chase credit card(s) and receive paper statements and have not received a coupon as either a “statement stuffer” or as a coupon embedded into one of the pages on the statement. It could be because my credit cards are co-branded vs. Freedom, Sapphire Preferred, Ink, etc.
SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT
I’ve gotten paper coupons for opening savings accounts with my checking statement. So if you have checking, get paper statements and you might get a savings coupon. That way, I can at least keep my checking account, which does come in handy occasionally when I need to pay off my Chase bills (usually, I ACH money to Chase checking to pay off my Chase credit cards, which conveniently takes care of the minimum direct deposit requirement).
Dunno, I guess there are areas they don’t service.
I closed my Chase checking account back in April, I think. I recently bought a $500 Chase coupon (300 + 200) on eBay and was planning on opening both the checking and savings accounts to get the full $500. Wasn’t sure if I should wait to open this month or wait for the new year. Does it matter when you open the accounts or only when the bonuses post? Also, where did you hear that you can only get one bonus per year from Chase? I remember the banker told me when I closed my checking account earlier this year that I’d be eligible for a new bonus after 90 days of having the account closed.
Unless you opened your earlier accounts in 2015, you should open both accounts this year so you can get another bonus in 2016. The determining factor (for the once per calendar year) is the date that you opened the account, not the date that the bonus posts. I found this out the hard way.
Based on date of account opening according to this data point https://www.doctorofcredit.com/coupon-promo-codes/chase-coupon-codes/#Rules_For_Chase_Bonuses