Update 11/13/21: This is now a referral bonus (person referring gets $300 and person being referred gets $300)
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount:Â $300
- Availability: Chester County, PA only [Branch locator]
- Direct deposit required:Â $200 or more per month
- Additional requirements:Â Online banking and eStatements, first 400 people only
- Hard/soft pull:Â Hard pull
- ChexSystems:Â UnknownÂ
- Credit card funding:Â UnknownÂ
- Monthly fees:Â None
- Early account termination fee:Â Unknown
- Expiration date:Â Â None listed
Contents
The Offer
- Benchmark Federal Credit Union is offering a bonus of $300 when you open an Ultimate checking account and complete the following requirements:
- $200 monthly recurring Direct Deposit must post to account within 60 days from opening the Ultimate Checking Account
The Fine Print
- Ultimate Checking $300 Cash Bonus Promotion is subject to be withdrawn at Credit Union’s discretion & without prior written notice.
- Only allowed one Ultimate Checking per member SSN. $200 monthly recurring Direct Deposit must post to account within 60 days from opening the Ultimate Checking Account & $300 cash bonus will be deposited to account within 30 days from 1st recurring Direct Deposit posting to account.
- Bonus may be reported on a 1099-INT.
- $300 Ultimate Checking Promotion valid for qualified new Checking members only.
- Member must not have closed a Benchmark Checking Account within the last 12 months.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
This account has no monthly fees to worry about.
Early Account Termination Fee
I wasn’t able to find a fee schedule so I’m not sure if there is any early account termination fee or not.
Our Verdict
Significantly better than the $100 previous bonus. Hard pulls don’t matter as much as they used to because of all the restrictions on getting credit cards. Probably worth doing for a lot of people, so we will add this to the best bank bonus page.
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

