doesn’t start until Tuesday, 7/15
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount:Â $500
- Availability:Â MN only
- Direct deposit required:Â $1,000 for $350 bonus and $3,500 for $500 bonusÂ
- Additional requirements:Â See below
- Hard/soft pull:Â Unknown
- ChexSystems:Â Unknown
- Credit card funding:Â Unknown
- Monthly fees:Â $6, avoidable
- Early account termination fee:Â None
- Household limit:Â None listed
- Expiration date:Â October 31, 2025
Contents
The Offer
- Bank of Elk River is offering a $350/$500 bonus when you open a new checking account.
- Use promo code WELCOME
- Deposit $3,500 or more in qualifying electronic deposits (such as your paycheck or government benefit payment that has posted to your account) for a $500 bonus ($1,000 or more for a $350 bonus) within 90 days of account opening
- Enroll in eStatements
The Fine Print
- (1) Offer is for new personal checking customers only (cannot have a personal checking account closed within the previous 6 months) and is available only to the account primary owner.
- (2) Between July 15, 2025 and October 31, 2025, open a new personal checking account, which is subject to approval, using offer code WELCOME and deposit $3,500 or more in qualifying electronic deposits (such as your paycheck or government benefit payment that has posted to your account) for a $500 bonus ($1,000 or more for a $350 bonus) within 90 days of account opening.
- (3) Primary account owner must enroll in eStatements for checking account.
- (4) After 90 days, if all requirements have been met we will deposit the bonus into your new account within 30 days.
- The account must be in an active, open status when we try deposit the bonus.
- The bonus is considered interest and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT.
- This offer may be discontinued or changed at any time without notice. $50 minimum opening deposit required.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
Everyday checking has a $6 monthly fee. Waived with any of the following:
- Keeping a minimum daily balance of $100+, or
- Receiving direct deposit(s) of $500+ per statement cycle, or
- If the primary account holder is age 24 or younger
Early Account Termination Fee
I wasn’t able to find a fee schedule so I’m unsure if there is any early account termination fee or not.
Our Verdict
Much better than the $100 bonus in the past. Still need to know if it’s a hard or soft pull to open.
Hat tip to Elijah B
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
- 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
- Bank Bonus Posting Times
Applied 7/13 and account was opened 7/15 after signing e-docs. Received a call shortly after to confirm account number and verified I was enrolled in the promotion.
FYI – I got a call back on this today saying the code shouldn’t be public and they are currently determining if they will be honoring or not.
Looks like it doesn’t start until Tuesday, 7/15
fee schedule shows early termination fee (ETF) of $20 if closed within 6 months
https://www.thebankofelkriver.com/getmedia/f971bb72-b645-4c31-a006-a8659492c450/MiscFees.pdf
no CC funding, but there was an option to mail a check (I’ll just push funds in from my hub account). no hard pulls were attempted during application, but they did pull Chex. applied with a minneapolis zip and got through to this final message.
Congratulations!
You have completed and submitted your application for a new Bank of Elk River account!
You will be contacted by an Online Account Expert shortly.
we’ll see what they say
You “applied with a minneapolis zip and got through”, or you live in Minneapolis and just used your residence address?
The latter
Did you have a lot on your Chex?
~8 in the last year. got a phone call follow up about it, but was able to hand wave it into a non-issue. approved
Went all the way through the app on both mobile and desktop and just get
“We encountered a problem and cannot process your application at this time. To proceed, please contact a banker at 763-441-1000.
Error: E-004”
Waited 6 days, opened in incognito browser, and applied again. went through this time.
Any DPs on soft or hard pull?
Applications are limited by ZIP code.
“Thank you for considering us for your banking needs. We’re sorry, but we are not offering products in your ZIP Code at this time.”
And you’re in Minnesota??!!?
No – I was checking if OOS was possible.
That is an absolutely fantastic bonus for a no-name local regional bank. Dang!!
Thanks for posting the MN bonus DOC!