Available again, more information by clicking here.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $400
- Availability: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $1,500+
- Additional requirements: Yes, see below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- Credit card funding: Personal accounts can be funded up to $1,000, presumably business accounts are the same
- Monthly fees:
- Early account termination fee: 20 weeks otherwise bonus is forfeit
- Expiration date:
February 28, 2016April 22, 2016
The Offer
There are three different bonuses that are available, they are as follows:
- Receive a sign up bonus of $200 when you do the following:
- Open a Primary Business Checking account and enroll in the promotion by February 28
- Make qualifying deposits totaling $1,500
- Activate Online Cash Manager and sign in at least one
- Receive a sign up bonus of $300 when you do the following:
- Open a Total Business Banking account and enroll in the promotion by February 28
- Make qualifying deposits totaling $5,000
- Activate Online Cash Manager and sign in at least one
- Receive a sign up bonus of $400 when you do the following:
- Open a NEW SunTrust Business Advantage Plus account and enroll in the promotion by February 28
- Make qualifying deposits totaling $20,000
- Activate Online Cash Manager and sign in at least one
Registering For The Offer
Even though you have to apply for this over the phone or in branch, it’s apparently still on you to make sure you’re properly enrolled in this offer. This is what you need to do:
- Go to https://offers.suntrust.com
- Enter the promotional code SB16Q1INTERNET
You must do this before February 28th, 2016 otherwise you will not eligible for this bonus
The Fine Print
- Requirements must be met within 60 days of account opening
- Bonus will post 6-8 weeks after the last qualifying event is reached and has been verified. Will post as Small Business Internet Offer Reward
- Deposits are cumulative
- Account must remain open and in good standing until bonus posts
- A new Business Checking account is defined by EIN(Employer Identification Number) or TIN(Taxpayer Identification Number)
- Only one incentive per new account and new TIN or EIN is eligible for the promotion
- SunTrust clients who already have a business checking account with SunTrust under an EIN or TIN are not eligible for this promotion if the new account uses the same EIN or TIN. SunTrust clients who closed a business checking account after 10/10/15 are not eligible for the offer
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
There is no early account termination fee, but the account must be kept open and in good standing until the bonus posts. There is no monthly fee for the Online Cash Manager, although certain features come with a fee.
The monthly maintenance fees are waived on all three accounts for the first two months and then you’re charged the following fees:
- Primary Business Checking – $200 Bonus – $12 monthly fee: waived with an average balance of $1,500
- Total Business Banking – $300 Bonus – $20 monthly fee: waived with an average balance of $5,000 or more is maintained or $10,000 minimum balance when combined with a Money Market Account
- SunTrust Business Advantage Plus – $400 Bonus – $25 monthly fee: waived with an daily collected balance combined with two other SunTrust Business Advantage Plus accounts is equal to $20,000 or more
Our Verdict
They’ve had a similar bonus for $200 in the past, although it only required $1,000 in deposits and you could get an extra $200 for merchant services. I’d say this offer is significantly better, because of the ability to earn up to $400 without paying merchant service fees. Although you’ll need a real business to qualify, because of this we’ve added it to our list of the best bank bonuses currently available. You can also view a full list of all the current checking bonuses by clicking this link.
