[Nashville, TN] First South Financial $200 Checking Bonus

Update 5/22/23: Bonus is $200 but requires direct deposit.

Update 3/14/20: Deal is back and available again until 3/30/20.  Hat tip to reader Kay. According to this comment you can get an additional $50 by setting up direct deposit, but you need to ask for this promotion in branch.

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $200
• Availability: Nashville banking center only 1211 51st Avenue North, Nashville, TN
• Direct deposit required: Yes, $500+
• Additional requirements: None
• Hard/soft pull: Unknown, hard pull according to rep
• ChexSystems: Unknown 
• Credit card funding: Unknown
• Monthly fees: None
• Early account termination fee: Unknown
• Household limit: None listed
• Expiration date: March 31st, 2019

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• First South Financial Bank is offering a bonus of $200 when you open a new Fresh Start Checking account and complete the following requirements:
  • Open with a minimum deposit of $50
  • Set up regularly a recurring monthly direct deposit of $500 or more

 

The Fine Print

• Offer valid until 03/31/2019 and does not apply to existing First South Financial checking accounts or members who live outside the Nashville MSA.
• Limit one First Start Checking Account per household.
• Checking account must be opened with at least $50 and you must make a combined total of 15 purchases and/or payments with your First South debit card, personal check or a direct debit/payment from the checking account within 60 days of account opening to receive the bonus.
• $200 bonus will be paid 4 to 5 business days after the qualifications are met. Offer is subject to change or withdrawal without notice and cannot be combined with other checking offers.
• On the 13th month your checking account is opened, the monthly minimum balance requirement and service fee will apply.
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

There are no monthly fees for the first 12 months, not sure whatt he fees are after that

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

Our Verdict

Always nice to see a bonus with no direct deposit requirement and no monthly fees to worry about. The downside is that it’s only available at one banking center and we don’t know if it’s a hard or soft pull (although you should be able to ask). If it turns out to be a soft pull we will add it to the list of the best checking account bonuses. Normally I’d save this sort of bonus (highly region specific bank bonus) for the weekend but given that there isn’t much time left I thought it best to post sooner rather than later.

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?
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• Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
• Bank Bonus Posting Times