Update 1/19/21: Same deal also available at sister bank for CT & other parts of MA. Hat tip to reader G
Update 4/4/19: Deal is back again. Hat tip to reader ellisder
Update 01/24/18: Only available in MA now unfortunately. No longer available in CT, RI (it will show the MA only restriction on second page of sign up). Hat tip to reader Sarah.
- Maximum bonus amount:Â $200
- Availability:Â MA (Hampden, Hampshire or Franklin County), CT, RI
- Direct deposit required: Optional
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- ChexSystems: No
- Credit card funding: Can fund up to $1,000 with a credit card, Visa, MasterCard or Discover are all accepted
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: Need to keep account open for 365 days to get full bonus, $10 early account termination fee if closed within 6 months
- Expiration date: None listed
The Offer
Direct link to offer: MA | CT & MA
- Open a new checking account with bankESB and receive a bonus of up to $200. Bonus is broken down as follwos:
- Open account with a debit card and either activate online banking and make 5 debit card transactions or direct deposit (minimum of $25) and receive $100
- Make 5 bill pays & Activate eStatements and receive $50
- After 1 year activate checking account anniversary receive $50
The Fine Print
- $100.00 promotional offer is for opening a personal checking account and activating direct deposit (of at least $25.00) or signing up for online banking and conducting 5 debit card transactions using your debit card within the first 60 days of account opening ($100.00 will be credited to the account by the last day of the statement cycle following the 60th day the account has been open).
-  $50.00 promotional offer is for making 5 bill payments using online banking and enrolling in eStatements within 60 days of account opening ($50.00 will be credited to the account by the last day of the statement cycle following the 60th day the account has been open).
- Minors (anyone under the age of 18) are not eligible for Online Bill Pay.
- $50.00 loyalty bonus will be paid after the account has been open for 12 months ($50.00 will be credited to the account by the last day of the statement cycle following the 365th day the account has been open).
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
The basic checking account doesn’t have any monthly fees, it makes sense to just keep this account open for at least a year so you get the $50 anniversary bonus as well. There is a $10 early account termination fee if the account is closed within six months.
Our Verdict
This is a great bonus, it’s a soft pull and you can fund with a credit card and there is no direct deposit requirement. Only downside is that you have to wait 365 days to get the last $50, but not really a big deal because there is no monthly fee on the basic checking account. We’ve added this to our list of the best bank account bonuses because of how good it is.
They’ve previously had a similar $200 deal, but it required referring somebody so this is a lot less hassle for people.
Big thanks to reader, Dave who let us know. Please consider sharing bank bonuses with this site so we can make it even better.
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
3/12 – account opened
3/30 – debit card transactions and billpay done
4/8 – $50 and $100 bonus post
I opened a BankHometown account in-footprint (MA), look like the same terms
DP1: Chase World of Hyatt Visa funding coded as “Financial institutions: merchandise and services” , not cash advance
DP2: Ally bank transfer did not work as DD (just reported on Bank DD page)
DP3: The “$50.00 promotional offer” does not trigger if the first stage (“$100.00 promotional offer”) is not completed.
Just want to confirm that you can get a bonus at both bankESB and their sister bank, Hometown Bank at the same time.
I know there’s no language about it, but ive had issues with sister banks before, and I was concerned it would be an issue. I hope this DP helps anyone eligible for both bonuses.
I was denied online for an account with some generic excuse. Didn’t get a ChexSystems pull. The rep at the phone line I was directed to suggested if I went in branch I’d be able to open one, and when I went in-branch they did do a pull and approved me at 26/24.
Additionally, the Amherst branch has an offer $100 higher than the normal one (added onto the first requirement). And if you open in-branch (any branch I’m assuming), there’s a referral bonus available, which they confirmed was stackable with the normal offer. $50 for the referrer if the referred has a DD of at least $25 or sets up online banking and has 5 debit card transactions.
Fifteen days since canceling this account, yet still no refund.
Dispute filed with CC yesterday.
says online session timed out when i try to access application on three different browsers.
Account opened Jan 21, setup online login, all looks good. $1000 charge posted BoA Jan 23, Then Jan 27, got a short email from bank stating account is closed with no reason explained. $1000 charge still not refunded as of today. I did not have many new accounts. Never been denied by any bank. Just an FYI, this bank is weird.
Still waiting for my funding refund also, tinker. I’m going to dispute the charge
if it is not received by Monday morning. Never again with this bank..
did you provide a good phone number because they will call to verify about the CC funding. i found out that they will only process the funding if they reach you on the phone.
This small-time bank was holding my initial funding along with the
voicemails that others mentioned, so I told them to just close it.
They now sent a letter saying that [they’ve] decided not to grant
the account. What a sad sack of potatoes spin there 🙂
Were you able to get your funding amount automatically refunded to you after that, or was that an additional hassle?
They called me and grilled me about my Chex report. Card funding posted on my CC, but they said it will only post in my checking after they’ve made a determination about whether to open my account.
I ignored their phone calls and voicemails. They still opened my account (I’m in footprint). Maybe still a bad move on my part as it’s been a few months and I haven’t gotten the bonus. Deciding whether or not to call. Bummer.
“will be credited to the account by the last day of the statement cycle following the 60th day the account has been open”
You may not have reached the time allowed yet…?
Would require an interesting take on when the account was opened/statement dates than what I have. Holding out hope, but maybe just be aware the bonus could not post automatically or as expected.
How long did it take roughly between when you applied and when they finally opened the account? Did they eventually send you an email letting you know it had been opened? P2 has been getting voicemails from them and don’t think she’s interested in getting grilled about her Chex report, so trying to let it just ride out and see what happens. But annoying part is how her funding of $1000 on CC has posted and just hope it’s not a hassle getting that refunded if they don’t open the account eventually.
Have her dispute it with the card issuer as well as cfpb
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
I feel ya. I myself hate talking to reps, and usually just let it go. I don’t recall exactly the sequence of events, but didn’t get an account opening email. I eventually was able to register online, but not sure when. I do remember wondering whether the account was actually opened or not for a few days. I checked my statements and did have a pretty long time (9 days) from application to the initial deposit posting to the account.
Ok thanks. I tried to see if we could go in and register for an online account for her, but looks like you need the account number to do so. Do you recall how you got the account number to be able to register for online access? Or did they maybe not used to require that or something?
Hmm don’t recall but I don’t have it in any email. Sorry. Hope it works out for you!
Just want to update that they did open the account and the CC funding posted the day after.