This bonus is back, click here for our latest post.
This deal has now expired, you can view more checking account bonuses here.
[This was originally posted on 8/26/15. We are reposting it now as there are only two days left and it’s quite a good deal for those in the eligible area.]
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $200
- Availability:Â Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia
- Direct deposit required:Â None
- Additional requirements:Â Deposit at least $1,000
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- Credit card funding: None
- Monthly fees:Â $5, waivable
- Early account termination fee:Â $25, 180 days
- Expiration date: November 24th, 2015
The Offer
- Open a Huntington 5 Checking account and receive a $200 sign up bonus when you make at least $1,000 in deposits within 60 days
The Fine Print
- $200 bonus will be deposited within 14 days of meeting the requirements
- This offer is not available to existing checking customers, including fiduciaries, or those with checking accounts closed within the last six months
- Bank reserves the right to limit each customer to one new account related gift incentive per calendar year
- This offer is only available to online applicants residing in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
This account has a $5 monthly fee which is waived if you have a relationship balance of $5,000+ per month. There is also an early account termination fee of $25 if the account is closed within 180 days.
Our Verdict
The best part of this bonus is that there is no direct deposit requirement, you just need to deposit $1,000 into the new account. You’re probably best off just paying the early account termination fee if you’re able to get an APY of 1%+ as you need to keep $5,000 in the account to keep it fee free.
In the past, Huntington Bank has offered $150 bonuses, but these required a direct deposit. The upside is the account had no monthly fees. It’s also sometimes possible to receive targeted bonuses of up to $350 with no direct deposit requirement and sometimes you can purchase these on eBay as well.
All that being said, this is the best public bonus Huntington Bank has offered and if I lived within the target area I’d jump on this deal. As such I’ve added it to our best bank bonus list. You can also find a full list of all checking promotions here.
Just changed account to asterisk free checking over the chat. Simple 5 min process. Will close in 6 months.
FYI, I just called and converted my account to an asterisk-free checking account easily over the phone after the bonus posted, to avoid paying the early termination fee! No minimum balance in this account, no monthly fee.
Woo I just got the bonus in under a week. This seems pretty obvious, but can I just take all the money out now and then close the account/eat the termination fee?
Is there going to be any tax I need to pay eventually for getting this 200 bonus ? Thanks.
Yes, you’ll probably get a 1099INT form.
So this is my first crack at checking accounts, I completed this one, and received the bonus. Wondering the best way to close the bank account. Transfer funds out and cancel the account over the phone/online? Walk into the bank and ask for a check and pay the fees?
Transfer funds and close online/over the phone usually the easiest.
How do I pay the early termination fee if I bill pay a credit card or transfer to another checking account? Can they take back the bonus?
8/26 – Account open.
9/1 – $1001 deposited
9/9 – Bonus received
9/15 – Balance zeroed
9/16 – Submitted account close request over phone.
The rep said the $25 EATF bill will be sent to me via regular mail after the account is closed.
Thank you! They didn’t warn you about a blacklist or anything. I was gonna go with the “I’m moving and there is no Huntington bank where I am going.”
Yeah that’s mostly what I say when closing bank account. I usually says I’m moving out of the country permanently. (I’m international student so it’s technically possible so I don’t feel weird saying so.)
Since this deal is up again, here’s another update.
I never received that EATF $25 bill by the way.
What rate is this taxed? $200 minus $25 (early closure fee) minus the taxes… seems like we’re already dropping well below $150.
This deal is easy enough!
I just opened it online with home address being my relative’s address in PA and mailing address being my actual address in CA. Account was opened with no problem.
I’ll be depositing the $1001 when external account is linked after trial deposits.
Will report if bonus is received.