[OH, WV, VA, MD, D.C. or KY] Peoples Bank $150/$600 Checking Promotion

Update 6/10/26: Premier checking has increased from $300 to $600. Hat tip to reader Chris

Update 4/21/25: Available in more states “Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland or Washington, D.C.” Hat tip to reader Gadget

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $300
• Availability: OH, WV or KY only.
• Direct deposit required: Yes, no minimum specified
• Additional requirements:  See below
• Hard/soft pull: Unknown
• ChexSystems: Unknown
• Credit card funding: None
• Monthly fees: $10-$15, avoidable
• Early account termination fee:
• Household limit: None
• Expiration date: No end date listed

The Offer

Direct link to offer: Interest Plus | Premier checking

• Peoples Bank is offering a $150 or $600 checking bonus. Bonuses are as follows:
  • Open a new Interest Plus checking account and earn a $25 statement credit for the first six statement cycles following the account opening up to $150. Must complete the following requirements each statement cycle to be eligible:
    • Be enrolled in electronic statement delivery as of the end of the statement cycle
    • Have at least one direct deposit transaction
    • Have 5 or more debit card purchases (excludes ATM transactions)
  • Open a Premier checking account and earn a $100 statement credit for the first six statement cycles following the account opening up to $300. Must complete the following requirements each statement cycle to be eligible:
    • Be enrolled in electronic statement delivery as of the end of the statement cycle
    • Have at least one direct deposit transaction
    • Have 5 or more debit card purchases (excludes ATM transactions)

The Fine Print

• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

Interest Plus Checking ($150 Bonus)

This account has a $10 monthly fee. This is waived if you do any of the following:

• Maintain an average balance of $2,500.00 or more per statement cycle
• Combined balances of at least $5,000 of Peoples Bank savings or money market accounts
• Have an active related enrolled secured consumer loan

Premier Checking ($600 Bonus)

This account has a $15 monthly fee. This is waived if you have combined balances of $25,000 of Peoples Bank checking, savings, CD or money market accounts or Peoples Investment Services accounts

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 or not.

Our Verdict

Need to know if this is a hard or soft pull to open. The requirements for each bonus are the same but the premier checking account is much more difficult to keep fee free. If it turns out to be a soft pull then the $150 bonus should be worth doing as it’s relatively easy to keep the account fee free with the $2,500 average balance. The $600 bonus would require a $25,000 balance and remember the account needs to be kept open for six months, if you put that into an account earning 5% APY you’d earn $625 so probably not worth it. But you could just eat the $15 fee for six months instead and that would be worth it. We will add this to our list of the best bank account bonuses.

Hat tip to reader Caleb H

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