Reposting because this targeted bonus is back for 2016, this post should help people with this offer complete the bonus.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $200
- Availability: Targeted offer, must have received e-mail
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $500 per month
- Additional requirements: Open by April 30th to get full bonus
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- Credit card funding: Yes, up to $500
- Monthly fees: $6.95-$8.98, waiveable
- Early account termination fee: Possibly $25 if closed within 6 months
- Expiration date:
May 31st, 2015March 31st, 2016
The Offer
- Receive a bonus of $200 if you open a U.S Bank checking account with recurring direct deposits totaling at least $500 per month within 60 days of account opening.
The Fine Print
- Bonus will be credited to your account 6-8 weeks after direct deposit is received
- One offer per household
- Offer is only valid for the addressee and is not transferable, must use unique promo code when you sign up
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
If you have a U.S Bank credit card, then you get the gold checking account for free. If you don’t have a U.S Bank credit card then your best bet is to open the easy/silver checking account, these has a monthly fee of $8.95 ($6.95 if you enroll in paperless statements) this is waived if you complete any of the following:
- Have combined direct deposits totaling $1,000 or more or
- Maintain an average monthly balance of $1,500
I couldn’t find any early account termination fee in their fee disclosure, but in the past they have charged $25 if you cancel your account within six months.
Our Verdict
Last year they had a $150 public checking bonus, fingers crossed they offer another public bonus soon. If I received the targeted communication, I’d definitely jump on this offer. Given that I didn’t and I received a bonus from them last year, I’m not even going to bother trying to get targeted for this offer (maybe calling in might work? 855-236-7283).
If you did receive the e-mail, let us know in the comments what type of banking relationship you have with U.S Bank. Also let us know if you have any success calling in or not. For those looking for this offer in their e-mails, here is the subject line: <your first name>, Get $200 for Switching to U.S. Bank Checking.
Update: Reader, Toby also receive the offer via regular mail and stated this was because he is a credit card holder with US Bank.
Update: Reader mnCO tried calling:
I have had a US Bank CC for around 9 years and was a former deposit customer (closed account around 4 years ago). I did not receive any targeted offer. Note that within the last 3 months I have received calls from their internet banking department and a local branch trying to get me to open a checking account.
I called the number you provided. The banker told me that it’s a targeted offer, for which you need a code and that he couldn’t extend the offer to me unless it was noted on my account profile. He did suggest calling the local branch and seeing if they had more flexibility in extending this offer. I called the local branch and the banker there told me basically the same thing. He did take a minute to check with the branch manager about this, but the answer did not change.
Might still be worth calling to see if the offer is tied to your account, but this one looks like a no go.
Because this offer is targeted, we haven’t added it to our best of lists or our complete directory of checking bonuses.
Hat tip to reader Matt for letting me know about this offer. If you see something not covered, please let us know!
