This deal has expired and been replaced with a bonus on the new NBA credit cards.
This deal used to score a total of $200 in cash and giftcards, it no longer has a checking account sign up bonus which is why we’ve removed that from this listing.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $125 in giftcards
- Availability: Nationwide
- Direct deposit required: Optional, at least two direct deposits of $300 or more (+$15 amazon gift card)
- Additional requirements: Yes, see below
- Hard/soft pull: Mixed reports, assumed to be a hard TransUnion credit pull
- Credit card funding: Up to $300, no AmEx
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: $25 if closed within 180 days
- Expiration date:Â None listed
The Offer
Receive a $25, $50 or $75 cash bonus (varies by State) when you open a NBA checking account through the promotional link (it’s not possible to find out how much you’ll receive until you open the account as this bonus is not mentioned till after account opening)This part of the bonus has expired.- Receive a $100 NBAStore.com Gift card when you activate the Bill Play game and make three qualifying bill pays of $50 or more to unrelated third parties
- Receive a $15 Amazon.com gift card when you receive two or more direct deposits of $300 or more within 90 days of account opening
- Receive a $10 iTunes gift card when you use your NBA check card 40 times within 30 days
The Fine Print
- You must activate the games (Bill Play, Direct Deposit Dash & Swipe For Songs) in online or mobile banking before completing the requirements
- Offer valid until June 30th
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
The NBA checking account does not come with any monthly fees. There is also an early account termination fee of $25 if you close your account within 180 days of account opening
Our Verdict
At first glance this looks like a great deal. I have two separate problems with it:
- Mixed reports of it being a hard/soft credit pull. A $200 bonus (most of which is gift cards) is not worth a hard pull, especially when you take into account all of the hoops you have to jump through.
- BBVA is inquiry sensitive when it comes to lots of recent accounts being opened. They pull your ChexSystems file to see how many recent accounts you’ve opened. For bonus hunters like me this is bad news.
Because of this I won’t be participating in this offer. BBVA regularly has promotions for electrical items which might be valued more than the $125Â in gift cards you’ll possibly get.
One advantage of this deal is they also give you a high yield savings account that earns at 1%. If I was going to complete this deal, here is what I’d do:
- Open checking account, funding the maximum possible with a rewards earning credit card with a credit card with the cash advance limit set to $0 (this will trigger the $25-$75 cash bonus + rewards points/miles on credit card)
- Enroll in Bill Play and make three separate Bill Payments (this will trigger the $100 NBA gift card)
- Enroll in direct deposit dash and try two ACH transfers to trigger the $15 amazon gift card, if this doesn’t work change employer payroll to trigger the bonus
- Enroll in Swipe for Songs. Make 40 debit card purchases using the debit card. You can purchase 40 $0.15 amazon gift cards for $6 (this will trigger the $10 iTunes gift card)
- If I am earning less than 1% APR on my savings, transfer all savings funds into the new BBVA savings account
As I mentioned, I won’t be partaking in this offer. I’d suggest you follow my lead, if you haven’t already then check out these better checking offers. You can also look at more checking offers here.
Direct link to offer | Screenshot of offer
Hat tip to Maximizing Money