Update 4/13/24: Bonus is back until June 30, 2024Â requires a direct deposit. Hat tip to reader Bockrr
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount:Â $200
- Availability:Â They have branches in ND & MN. This promo is supposed to be for the Glendale branc, but there is an online code that can be used
- Direct deposit required:Â Yes
- Additional requirements:Â Use promo code
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown, not sensitive
- Credit card funding: Can fund up to $1,000 with a Visa or Mastercard
- Monthly fees:Â None
- Early account termination fee:Â Unknown
- Household limit:Â One
- Expiration date:Â August 31st, 2019
Contents
The Offer
- Bell Bank is offering a bonus of $200 when you open a new checking account and complete the following requirements:
- Use promo code GLENAZ200
- 2 or more recurring direct deposits totaling $1,500 or greater, excluding transfers from another bank
- 10 point-of-sale debit card transactions or a recurring automatic payment.
The Fine Print
- You will receive $200.00 after your new first-time personal checking account has been opened for 60 days and a direct deposit or an automatic payment has occurred.
- After qualifications are met, bonus will be deposited into account within 5 business days.
- Limit of one bonus per household and per account.
- This is available to customers with a current new market promo code opening a new first-time personal checking account.
- New customer must open the account at Bell Bank’s Woodbury location and will receive a 1099-INT form for the $200 deposited to the new account.
- Expires August 31, 2019. Member FDIC
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
This account has no monthly fees to worry about
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
Always nice to see bonuses with no direct deposit requirement. I’m not sure if you’ll need to live near the Woodbury branch to get approved or not . Will be added to the best checking account bonuses. Please share your experiences in the comments below.
Hat tip to reader Stevil
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
Only works for $50 on non-AZ addresses (or, the teller told me as much over the phone).
but you got approved being OOS?
Eh, me and P2 both had identity verification issues, requiring visit to branch. Pass.
Credit card funding now appears to be limited to $500. Chase Ink Cash, cash advance limit at $100 and funded $500
I last had an account with Bell Bank in 2019 (opened in aug, closed in dec). The application accepted my OOS zip (MN), but when it got to my personal info, it pre-populated my old address, SSN, and birthdate. The triple “first-time” in the terms didn’t scare me off, but this did. I’ll pass.
Same. Had an account in 2019. Was going to go ahead and move forward, but the prepopulated SSN made me decide not to. P2 can’t get verified online and we’re not driving to Glendale to open in branch, so I’m passing on this one too.
I’m guessing the ‘first-time’ language in the terms means you can’t churn this if you’ve had an account before and gotten a previous bonus.
Tried entering my OOS zip code, and it gave this error: “The ZIP code you have entered is not eligible to open an account online”
The update above reads, “Update 4/13/24: Bonus is back until June 30, 2024 but not requires a direct deposit. Hat tip to reader Bockrr”
but terms read, “*Open your new first-time Bell Bank personal checking account between April 1 and June 30, 2024, and we will deposit $200 after the new account has been active 60 days with (1) 2 or more recurring direct deposits totaling $1,500 or greater, excluding transfers from another bank, and (2) 10 point-of-sale debit card transactions or a recurring automatic payment.”
is the update wrong?
Yes, fixed.
FYI, there’s a $5 inactivity fee if no transactions are done within 30 days
They sent out 1099-INTs this week. I’d argue this isn’t necessary as it could be considered a rebate on the bill pay but probably not worth risk of not reporting it or the time to try to get it changed.
It appears they auto closed my account. I zeroed it out after I received the bonus and was going to close my account after waiting a couple of months. I logged in today to close it and I have no accounts with them under my login.
Same. I’m going to send a secure message to verify. I can still see my last 4 account digits in the Alerts tab, but no other signs I even had an account with them.
I just noticed mine was closed as well. I zeroed it out in early December so they closed it in less than a month. I usually save the e-statements for my accounts before I close them but it no longer appears in my login.