[Expired][WI + IL only] $100 North Shore Banking Checking Promo, No Direct Deposit Required

This offer has now expired, you can view more bank bonuses in our database here.

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $100 
• Availability: Must live, work, attend school or have immediate family in Wisconsin or Norther Illinois
• Direct deposit required: None
• Additional requirements: 10 debit card transactions
• Hard/soft pull: Soft 
• Credit card funding: None 
• Monthly fees: $4.95+, waive-able
• Early account termination fee: $40 if closed within 180 days of account opening 
• Expiration date: December 31st, 2014

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Receive a $100 bonus when you open a checking account with North Shore Bank and complete 10 qualifying North Shore Bank Debit card transactions

The Fine Print

• Not valid with other offers
• New checking customers only, customers who have closed accounts within the last year do not count
• $100 bonus will post 10 days after the 10 debit card transactions are completed
• ATM transactions do not qualify
• All transactions must post to the account before January 31st, 2015
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly fees are waived on all of their accounts for the first three months. If you close your account within 180 days of opening they will charge you an early account termination fee of $40.

eChecking $4.95 Monthly

This is waived with debit card usage and eStatements or direct deposit (wages or social security) and eStatements.

Better-Than-Free $4.95 Monthly

This is waived with an average balance of $750 or $2,500 in relationship balances or any loan or direct deposits or 10 debit card transactions.

Our Verdict

In the past North Shore has offered a similar bonus, but you only got $10 per month (although the maximum bonus you could get was $150). I like this bonus a lot because it’s only a soft pull to open and the requirements are extremely easy to meet. If I lived within the target area, here is how I’d complete this offer:

• Open Better-Than-Free checking account. Using a credit card to initially fund if possible (making sure the cash advance limit is set to $0)
• Make 10 debit card purchases in the first month to trigger the bonus (+$100) [Read: How to meet minimum debit card requirements quickly and cheaply]
• Park $750 in the account to keep it fee free
• Wait 180 days and for my bonus to post (this will avoid any early account termination fee)
• Close the account

I could complete 10 debit card transactions to keep the account fee free rather than parking $750, but I’d only be forgoing ~$3.75 in interest if I had that in a 1% account. Personally I’d be happy to lose that to avoid the hassle of 10 debit card transactions.

Make sure you’ve completed all the best checking sign up bonuses before completing this one, as $100 is quite a low bonus comparatively. You can also view a full list of bank bonuses here.

Direct link to offer | Screenshot of offer