[Expired] Citizens Bank $150 Checking Bonus, At Supermarket Branches [MI & OH, CT, DE, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT]

• Maximum bonus amount: $150
• Availability: MI & OH, CT, DE, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT
• Direct deposit required: Yes, $250+
• Additional requirements: None
• Hard/soft pull: Soft pull as long as you opt out of over draft protecton.
• Credit card funding: Up to $1,000, Visa & MasterCard only
• Monthly fees: $9.99, waive-able
• Early account termination fee: None
• Expiration date: None listed

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Open a new personal Citizens Bank checking account at a Citizens Bank Supermarket Branch and receive a $150 sign up bonus when you complete the following requirements:
  • Receive a direct deposit of $250 or more

The Fine Print

• Direct deposit must posts & clears your account within 60 days of account opening
• You must open your first new personal checking account between 1/23/16 and 2/26/16
• 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
• Bonus will be deposited into your qualifying checking account by 6/30/16
• One bonus per customer
• Bonus will be reported to the IRS

Avoiding Fees

There is no early account termination fees on this account. There are three different checking accounts that might be worth considering:

• One Deposit Checking Account: $9.95 fee is waived with any deposit
• Value Checking Account: $3.95 fee not possible to waive
• Personal Checking With Interest: $11.95 fee is waived with an average daily balance of $2,50

Our Verdict

Last time they offered this bonus it was also in branch (but at Citizens Bank locations) and some people had success with a credit card. It also seems that if you don’t live within the specified states you can open an account if you go into one of the branches. Well worth reading that previous bonus page for people’s experience. People are also selling coupons on eBay and that doesn’t require going into a branch, but no idea if these are tied to a name/address or not (you should find out when you enter the code considering it asks for all your details as well) and some talk of a $200 bonus being offered by USPS when you do a change of address, but very YMMV.

The nice thing about these bonuses is that you can churn them once every year or so (takes awhile to get the bonus and then you’re excluded for six months). They offered bonuses a few times last year, but $150 was the highest.

Personally I think this is a pretty good deal, obviously the no direct deposit bonus is better but there is no guarantee that will come back. It also obviously only makes sense if it’s convenient to go to a supermarket branch. That said, relatively easy bonus requirements and not so difficult to keep the account fee free and you can fund with a credit card. Because of this we’ve added it to our list of the best bank bonuses.

Here is how I’d complete this bonus:

• Open A One Deposit Checking Account (using a rewards credit card to fund if possible)
• Set up a direct deposit of $250 per month (using employee payroll if possible, otherwise a work around), this will trigger bonus and keep the account fee free
• Wait for the bonus to post (can always withdraw funds if I don’t want them earning no interest in the mean time)
• Close account

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

• PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
• Introduction To 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?