[OH, KY, IN only] Cincinnati Federal $300 Checking Bonus – Direct Deposit Not Required

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $300
• Availability: Must live, work or worship in one of the following counties
  • KY: Boone, Campbell, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton
  • OH:   Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, and Warren Counties
  • IN: Dearborn, Ohio, and Switzerland
• Direct deposit required: None
• Additional requirements: See below
• Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
• ChexSystems: Unknown
• Credit card funding: None
• Monthly fees: None
• Early account termination fee: Six months, bonus forfeit
• Household limit: None listed
• Expiration date: None listed

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Cincinnati is offering a bonus of up to $300 when you open a new checking account. You’ll receive a bonus of $50 each month for your first six months when you meet the following requirements:
  • You’re enrolled in eStatements
  • You maintain an average balance of $200
  • You have 10 debit card transactions post to the account

The Fine Print

• Minimum of $50 required to open account.
• A $50 bonus will be credited to your account at the end of each month, for the first 6 months your account is open, when that account 1)was enrolled in eStatements, 2) maintained an average balance greater than $200,and 3) had 10 Debit Card transactions post to the account in that month.
• Offer available to clients who have not had ownership rights on a checking account with Cincinnati Federal in the last 12months.
• Offer available only to individual and joint accounts. Limit one per qualifying account.
• Limit one per individual.
• Accounts closed at the time of gift fulfillment are not eligible.
• If account is closed due to overdrafts within the next 12 months, gift will be revoked and included in any charge off amount.
• If account is closed within the next 6 months, gift will be revoked and deducted from the closeout amount.
• Offer not available on interest bearing accounts.
• Fees may reduce earnings.
• Offer valid as of 06/01/18.

Avoiding Fees

None of the three accounts that qualify for this bonus have any monthly fees to worry about.  You need to keep the account open for six months otherwise bonus is forfeit, but you’d want to do that anyway to get the full bonus. If the account is closed due to overdrafts within 12 months, you do forfeit the bonus though.

Our Verdict

Really nice bonus, especially considering a direct deposit isn’t required at all. Previously they had a bonus of $250, but that did require a direct deposit. The only downside is that you have to meet the requirements for six months, thankfully the requirements are pretty easy to meet. If you’re struggling with meeting the debit card transaction requirement then read this post for some tips. We will be adding this to our list of the best checking account bonuses.

Hat tip to reader Brad and to youngestofallthebuck

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