[Expired] Justice Federal Credit Union (JFCU) $250 Checking Bonus

This deal has expired, you can view more checking bonuses here.

Offer at a glance

Maximum bonus amount: $250
Availability: Nationwide, but restricted eligibility
Direct deposit required: Yes, $500+
Additional requirements: Minimum opening deposit of $25
Hard/soft pull: Hard
ChexSystems: Yes, also inquiry sensitive
Credit card funding: Yes, up to $1,000. Visa & Mastercard only.
Monthly fees: $0 – $8, waiveable
Early account termination fee: Unknown
Expiration date: December 31, 2016

Contents

1 The Offer
2 Joining Justice FCU
3 The Fine Print
4 Avoiding Fees
5 Our Verdict

The Offer

Direct link to offer

Open a Justice FCU checking account with direct deposit of $500 or more and receive a $250 cash bonus

Joining Justice FCU

Employees, retirees, and family members of the entities listed at this link are eligible to join Justice Federal Credit Union (including the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and many other Justice-related entities)
According to user Gadget, you can join the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) as an auxiliary member or student for $40 and parlay that membership into Justice FCU membership, making this offer open to anyone.
To establish membership with Justice FCU, you must open a Share Savings Account with a minimum deposit of $5

The Fine Print

Must open a new Justice Federal Freedom, Justice National, or Beyond the Badge (age 55+) checking account
Must have a minimum opening deposit of $25
Your account must be open and in good standing when the bonus is paid to your new checking account upon receipt of your direct deposit
Cash bonus is not considered part of the opening deposit and will be reported to the IRS for tax purposes.
Have at least one direct deposit of a paycheck, pension payment, Social Security payment, or other government benefits payment electronically deposited into your new checking account from an employer or outside agency within 90 days of opening the account
Direct deposit must be from a new source that is not already being deposited into a Justice Federal Checking Account
Offer Limited to one $250 Cash Bonus per Member

Avoiding Fees

Freedom Checking Account – No Monthly Fee

The Freedom Checking Account has no monthly fee.

Justice National Checking Account & Beyond the Badge Checking Account

The Justice National & Beyond the Badge Checking accounts have a $8 monthly service fee unless you have a minimum balance of $2,500. However, the checking bonus page states that the service fee will be waived for the first 12 months, so you may not have to worry about that.

eStatements

There is a $1.00 monthly fee for mailed statements, unless you opt-in to eStatements.

Early Account Termination Fee

There is no stated early account termination fee for checking accounts, but if you close the Share Savings Account within 12 months of opening, you will be charged $5.

Our Verdict

This is a mostly excellent bonus due to the high bonus total ($250), relatively moderate direct deposit requirement ($500), no minimum balance requirement to keep an account fee-free, high credit card funding limit ($1,000), and the fact that it is open to anyone (for $40). However, the cost of a hard pull is a real downside—for most people, trading in a hard pull for $210 (taxable, so really more like $157.50 at most) is probably not a great option (especially given the inquiry-sensitive nature of Justice FCU, making a decline a very real possibility).

If you have any experiences with this offer or any other of the checking promos we’ve posted recently, please contact us!

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