[Expired] [DE, MD, NJ, PA, & VA Only] Fulton Bank $150 Checking Bonus

This bonus has expired and is no longer available. Click here for a list of the best banking bonuses.

Offer Details

• Maximum bonus amount: $150
• Availability: DE, MD, NJ, PA, & VA Only. (Possibly further restricted by county—see the fine print.)
• Direct deposit required: Yes, $250.
• Additional requirements: None.
• Hard/soft pull: Soft.
• ChexSystems: Yes.
• Credit card funding: None.
• Monthly fees: $0–$10, waivable.
• Early account termination fee: None listed.
• Household limit: One (1).
• Expiration date: August 25, 2017

The Offer

Direct link to offer.

• Receive a bonus of $150 when you open a new checking account (either via the “Apply Now” button on the offer page OR by choosing “Email me a Coupon” and presenting the coupon to a Fulton Bank branch representative), AND set up a monthly direct deposit of $250 or more within 60 days.

The Fine Print

• Promotion only available to visitors of the landing page that either apply online or generate a coupon utilizing the landing page’s links.
• Existing checking account customers are not eligible for this offer.
• Fulton Financial Corporation affiliate banks do not offer products and services to individuals that live outside of their service area, which you can view here.
  • It’s unclear as to whether the indicated counties are the only ones that are considered in Fulton’s service area, or whether adjacent counties are included, or whether they use a distance based formula from the indicated counties. If you have any experience or data points, please comment below!
  • Fulton Financial Corporation affiliate banks include FNB Bank, Fulton Bank, Fulton Bank of New Jersey, Lafayette Ambassador Bank, Swineford National Bank, and The Columbia Bank.
• This offer is valid for new consumer checking accounts.
• Promotion is limited to one $150 cash bonus per household/address.
• Fulton Financial Corporation employees and immediate family members sharing a household are not eligible.
• This offer is valid when you open a new checking account between July 5, 2017 and August 25, 2017, AND and you set up one (1) recurring monthly direct deposit in the single amount of $250 or more within 60 days of opening the checking account.
• The direct deposit requirement is limited to Social Security, pension, payroll, or unemployment.
• $150 cash bonus will be credited to your checking account four to six weeks after the conditions above have been met and as long as the account is in good standing.
• The bonus is treated as interest income and as such you will need to pay taxes on it; Fulton will issue you a 1099-INT.
• There is a $0 minimum balance to open any checking account in branch, but a $25 opening deposit is required if opening an account online.

Avoiding Fees

Avoiding monthly service fees couldn’t be easier. The Simply Checking, Student Checking (ages 16–22), and Prime Life Interest Checking (age 50+) accounts all have no monthly fee.

The Interest Checking account has two ways to waive the $10 monthly fee: have a minimum daily balance of $1,000, OR have an ACH direct deposit into the account each statement cycle (statement cycles are implied to be by calendar month, but don’t quote me on that!). As per usual, an ACH direct deposit does not include transfers and deposits made through various channels, including ATM, branch network, mail, mobile banking, online banking, or telephone banking.

The Relationship Banking (checking) account waives the $10 monthly fee with a minimum daily balance of $2,000.

Opening a Simply Checking account is definitely the way to go. (Relationship Banking could’ve been interesting, but Relationship Rewards points look weak. They’re worth 0.417¢ for $25 cash back, 0.455¢ for $50 cash back, and 0.476¢ for $100 cash back.)

Early Account Termination Fee

I can find no references to an early account termination fee on their website, nor other websites covering bank bonuses.

Mobile Deposit Fee

Since it’s unusual, I’ll mention that you only get two (2) mobile deposits per month fee-free; after that, they cost $0.50 each.

Our Verdict

With the presence of a checking account that does not charge a monthly service fee, a $150 bonus for a $250 direct deposit is an acceptable offer, with one catch: there are no DPs on what Fulton Bank will count as a direct deposit. (Previous promotions have only required debit card transactions, at least those that have made it online.) The direct deposit requirement is slightly larger than some comparable bonuses, such as the M&T Bank $150 offers, but – in my opinion – that’s partially offset by having to do nothing to keep the Simply Checking account fee-free. This offer is certainly worth going after, but I hesitate to recommend it too strongly without knowing for sure what counts as a direct deposit.

Be aware that when reader Gadget opened an account, the end of the application notes: “we cannot open your online account until your signed signature card and opening deposit are received. If you choose to open your new account with funds from another bank, we will initiate the transfer when we receive your signed signature card.”.

(Do note that, if you click “Apply Now” on the offer page, the proffered accounts for opening include a Health Savings Account, which is not eligible for the offer, by my reading – so don’t choose that one!)

If you do go for this bonus, let us know what counts (or doesn’t count) for direct deposit in the comments, so that we can add it to our list of methods banks count as direct deposits. And as always, you can view our collection of the best bank account bonuses at this link.

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