[IL only] Bridgeview Bank Group $100 Checking Bonus + $50 Donation To USO Of Illinois

 

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $100 cash for you and $50 donation to USO of Illinois
• Availability: Illinois only
• Direct deposit required: Optional
• Additional requirements: See below
• Hard/soft pull: Unknown
• Credit card funding: Unknown
• Monthly fees: $5-$8, waiveable
• Early account termination fee: 180 days, $25 + $100 bonus
• Expiration date: April 11th, 2015 February 4th, 2017

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Receive a $100 bonus from the Bridgeview Bank Group and they’ll donate $50 to USO of Illinois when you complete any of the following:
  • Open a new personal checking account with direct deposit or
  • Open a new personal savings or money market account with $10,000 or more or
  • Deposit $10,000 or more into an existing personal savings or money market account

The Fine Print

• Valid until April 11th, 2015 February 4th, 2017
• Bonus will be deposited after the first full statement cycle after the requirements have been met
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

There is an early account termination fee of $25 and the $100 bonus if any of the accounts are closed within 180 days of opening. The $10,000 also must remain deposited for at least 90 days or the $100 bonus will be deducted when the account is closed.

The easiest way to keep the checking account fee free is by opening an edge checking account ($8 monthly fee) and keeping a balance of at least $250 which will keep it fee free (you can also complete 4 debit card transactions or receive a direct deposit of $250+).

You can keep the statement savings account fee free by having a balance of at least $300 (which would be required for the bonus anyway), otherwise there is a monthly maintenance fee.

Our Verdict

I always try to get at least $100 in value out of every bank bonus, so this one is right on the edge although the $50 donation would likely put it over the edge for most. The problem is that we don’t know what’s considered a direct deposit (apart from the usual payroll and government benefits) and we don’t know whether it’s a hard or soft pull.

Because of that I would be very hesitant to recommend this bonus to folks, especially when there are such bigger bonuses out there already. We’ve added this bonus to our full list of new checking account promotions, if you know of any please make sure you let us know.