[Expired] [NJ, NY & PA] Ocean First Bank $200 Checking Account Bonus – Direct Deposit Not Required

Deal has expired and is no longer being offered. Click here for the best current checking bonuses.

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $200
• Availability: New Jersey, New York & Pennsylvania
• Direct deposit required: None
• Additional requirements: See below
• Hard/soft pull: soft
• ChexSystems: Unknown
• Credit card funding: yes limited to $100 now (maybe up to $500?)
• Monthly fees: $7.95, waived first year
• Early account termination fee: Bonus is forfeit if closed within one year
• Household limit: None listed
• Expiration date: None listed

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Ocean First Bank is offering a bonus of $200. To receive the bonus you need to complete the following requirements:
  • Open a new Simply Great Checking account
  • Request a debit card and receive $50
  • Make a debit card transaction and a mobile deposit of $25 or more within 60 days and receive a $100 bonus
  • On your 6 month account anniversary receive a $50 bonus

The Fine Print

• Offer available for first-time checking customers as of 9/24/18 for a limited time and subject to change at any time
• Business checking accounts do not apply to this offer
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees $7

Simply Great checking account comes with a $7.95 monthly maintenance fee. Fee is waived with a daily minimum balance of $5000. Fine print says it’s waived first year.

Early Account Termination Fee

Account needs to be kept open for one year or bonus is forfeit.

Geographic Availability

Update: Working outside those counties.

This offer only works online for residents of Ocean County, Monmouth County, Middlesex County and Mercer County. In the past, other NJ residents were able to apply in a branch and get the offer. I’m unsure if this is still the case, on the first page of sign up it will tell you if you’re zip code is valid or not.

Our Verdict

We’ve seen an offer for $300 before from Ocean First Bank, but that offer required a direct deposit and 20 debit card transactions. Some readers might prefer this smaller bonus as the requirements are easier to meet. It might be worth waiting for a bigger bonus to return if you can easily change your payroll, but keep in mind it looks like Ocean First offers only come around once a year or so. Because of that I’ll be adding this to our list of the best checking sign up bonuses.

Big thanks to reader, Fried S who let us know. Learn how to find bonuses and contribute to the site here.

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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