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Best Checking Account Offers for 2012

Rate Nerd — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:08:16 +0000

Here’s our annual list of the best checking account offers for the new year – Happy 2012!

Your checking account is the centerpiece of your financial life. You can always have a savings account elsewhere, and then link it to your checking account. Your Checking account should be easy to use, have nationwide ATM access, and pay rewards.

Are Free Checking Accounts Still A Good Deal?

Free checking accounts are still relatively easy to find, although most banks will charge for extra products and services such as a safety deposit box, bounced checks, and withdrawals outside its ATM network. If you choose a free checking account, the only way it will cost you money is if you have poor financial habits.

However, only 45% of non-interest bank checking accounts are free, down from 65% in 2010 and 76% two years ago. Fees, meanwhile, are rising: The average monthly fee for a non-interest account is $4.37, up 75% from a year ago.

Banks are adding fees to recover from new regulations that could cost them billions in lost revenue. Starting Oct. 1, 2011 the maximum fee banks can charge retailers when customers pay with a debit card is 21 cents, down from an average of 44 cents. Last year, the Federal Reserve Board prohibited overdraft fees unless customers sign up for the service. This is why Bank of America tried (unsuccessfully) to charge checking account holders a $5/month fee to use their debit cards.

Best Checking Account Offers for 2012

So here are the best deals and promotions and offers we have found on checking accounts from leading banks and credit unions nationwide. Enjoy!

Best High Yield Checking Account: floridacentral Credit Union

floridacentral Credit Union is offering 4.50% APY on its checking accounts, with a loan balance of $5,000 or more.

If you don’t have the loan account, but meet all the other requirements you’ll still get an APY of 3.00%.

Read our review of floridacentral Credit Union’s Offer here: floridacentral Credit Union

Best Debit Card Reward Program – PerkStreet

PerkStreet offers an FDIC insured checking account with the most debit card rewards around. When you use your PerkStreet Financial Debit MasterCard you can earn up to unlimited 2% cash back, plus up to 5% cash back in popular categories called PowerPerks. No matter how you use your PerkStreet Financial Debit MasterCard, the money is withdrawn from your checking account. You also get free paper checks and online checking.

Read our PerkStreet Review Here: PerkStreet Debit Card

Best Cash Incentive To Open A New Checking Account – Chase

Open a Chase Total Checking account, set up direct deposit and get a $125 cash bonus.

Chase continues to offer one of the best checking account incentives out there – plus having a truly good checking account, great ATM’s, and lots of branch offices. Read our review here: Chase Checking Account

Best Checking Account Offers for 2012 is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

$125 Chase Checking Account Offer

Rate Nerd — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:54:18 +0000

Open a Chase Total Checking account, set up direct deposit and get a $125 cash bonus.

Chase continues to offer one of the best checking account incentives out there – plus having a truly good checking account, great ATM’s, and lots of branch offices.

For new checking customers, open a Chase Total Checking account with a $100 opening deposit, set up direct deposit and get a $125 cash bonus. Plus all of these benefits:

FREE access to 16,500 Chase ATMs nationwide
FREE Online Banking & Online Bill Pay
FREE Chase Debit Card with built-in security
FREE Text and E-mail Alerts
24/7 access with Chase Mobile on your phone

Click here to get access to the Chase Checking Account Offer.

Chase checking account offer bonus/account Information

Offer not available to existing Chase checking customers, fiduciary accounts and those who have closed an account within 90 days. Offer valid through 1/7/12. To receive the bonus: 1) open a new Chase Total CheckingSM account, which is subject to approval; 2) deposit $100 or more within 60 days of account opening; AND 3) have your direct deposit made to this account within 60 days of account opening. Your opening deposit cannot be money held by Chase or its affiliates, nor can the bonus be used as the opening deposit. Your direct deposit needs to be an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security) from your employer or the government. After we receive your first direct deposit, we’ll deposit the bonus in your new account within 10 business days. You can only receive one checking account-related bonus per calendar year. If your checking account is closed within six months, we will deduct the bonus amount at closing. Also, if your account is closed within 90 days, an Account Closing Fee of $25 will apply.

$125 Chase Checking Account Offer is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

4.01% Free Checking Account – Daily Deal

Rate Nerd — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:42:18 +0000

Pelican State Credit Union’s e-Xtra Bonus Checking is paying a very high interest rate of 4.01% APY on balances up to $20,000.

Experience the Ultimate Advantage in Checking! This electronically based free checking account offers monthly dividends with the opportunity to receive an additional bonus dividend each month. You could earn up to 4.01% APY! Plus you can earn ATM fee reimbursement up to $12.00 per month just for meeting the simple monthly requirements.

Free Checking Account Features:

No monthly service charge
Earn monthly dividends
High bonus dividends paid on balances up to $20,000
ATM fee reimbursement
FREE online account access
FREE Visa debit card
Unlimited check writing
FREE e-Pay bill payment
Overdraft Protection available
FREE e-Statements

Meet these simple monthly requirements:

Receive electronic statements (e-Statements) and notifications
Receive payroll deduction or direct deposit
Access your account online at least once a month
Perform at least 15 debit card transactions per month

How it works: If you receive electronic statements and notifications, you will receive a monthly dividend of 0.25%. If you meet all the monthly requirements listed above, you will receive an e-Xtra Bonus dividend of 3.94%. Plus, you will get your foreign ATM fees reimbursed up to $12.00.

About Pelican State Credit Union

For more than fifty years, Pelican State Credit Union has been providing financial services to individuals and their families throughout the state of Louisiana. http://www.pelicanstatecu.com/pers_checking.aspx

4.01% Free Checking Account – Daily Deal is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

4.09% Free Rewards Checking Account Deal – Daily Deal

Rate Nerd — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:09:30 +0000

4.09% APY on a free rewards checking account on balances up to $10,000 – WOW!

If you are tired of big-bank “bait and switch” teaser rates, try Consumer’s Cooperative Credit Union’s free Rewards Checking account, paying a guaranteed 4.09% Annual Percent Yield (APY) rate through June 30, 2012!

And don’t worry about paying ATM fees or any administrative fees. There are NO fees, plus they will refund fees from other banks’ ATMs when you meet your Rewards Checking Requirements.

Here is a complete recap on the rate tiers for this free checking account:

4.09% APY for deposits up to $10,000.00 for Members meeting the qualification requirements
0.56% APY for balances between $10,000.01 and $25,000.00 for Members meeting the qualification requirements
0.35% APY for balances in excess of $25,000.00 for Members meeting the qualification requirements
0.01% APY for Members who do not meet the qualification requirements

Check out these other great benefits from Free Rewards Checking:

NO minimum balance required
NO ATM fees
FREE VISA Debit Card
FREE mobile banking
FREE online banking and bill payment
FREE electronic statements
Unlimited check-writing privileges

Qualified Members receive Overdraft Privilege, a helpful resource that covers your overdrawn checks and provides you the peace of mind. Anyone can take advantage of these valuable perks, including new Members.

Consumers Cooperative Credit Union requires the following to earn these rewards:

Complete at least 12 Debit/Check Card Point-of-Sale purchases
Each calendar month, one direct deposit OR one ACH debit OR pay one bill when using Consumers Credit Union’s free online bill payment
Access Online Banking at least once each calendar month
Receive Electronic Statements

Even if you don’t meet all four requirements, you’re still rewarded with free online banking and free online bill payment. And although you won’t receive ATM refunds, Consumers Cooperative Credit Union will pay you 0.01% APY.

About Consumers Cooperative Credit Union

Consumers Cooperative Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in Illinois, with approximately 51,000 Members and more than $500 million in assets. CCU is owned and democratically operated by its Members, who elect our all-volunteer Board of Directors. In turn, the Board represents our Member-owners’ interests in credit union policymaking. https://www.myconsumers.org/en/personal-banking/checking.aspx

4.09% Free Rewards Checking Account Deal – Daily Deal is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

4.50% APY Checking Account Interest Rate Offer – Daily Deal

Rate Nerd — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:51:38 +0000

floridacentral Credit Union is offering 4.50% APY on its checking accounts, with a loan balance of $5,000 or more.

If you don’t have the loan account, but meet all the other requirements you’ll still get an APY of 3.00%.

Ultimate Checking earns you a world-class return of up to 4.50% APY and unlimited checking with no monthly service fees or minimum balance requirements to earn rewards each monthly qualification cycle. You even get ATM fees refunded no matter whose machine you use.

Features of the floridacentral checking account offer:

4.50% APY on balances up to $15,000
3.00% APY if loan qualifications are not met but other three qualifications are met on balances up to $15,000
1.00% APY on amount of balance over $15,000
0.10% APY if qualifications are not met
Free ATM transactions nationwide
Unlimited check/debits
No minimum balance to earn rewards or monthly service fees
Free check card
Free online banking with bill pay
Free paperless eStatements
Unlimited Member Services Call Center access
Unlimited Call 24 telephone banking
Overdraft Privilege of up to $700
NCUA insured up to $250,000

Checking Account Offer Qualifications

To receive the ultimate return of 4.50% APY and ATM fee refunds, simply do the following each monthly qualification cycle:

Have at least 12 debit card purchases post and clear
Have at least 1 Automatic Payment or Direct Deposit post and clear
Receive paperless eStatements
Have loan balances of $5,000 or more
If you don’t meet the loan qualification in a given cycle, you still get a great 3.00% APY. The combined loan balances of $5,000 or more, excludes credit cards and secondary market mortgages.

About floridacentral Credit Union

floridacentral Credit Union was established in 1958. Back then it was called Tampa Central Credit Union and served as the credit union for other credit unions, since regulations then stated that board members and managers were not allowed to belong to the credit union in which they served.

In 2007, floridacentral merged with St. Petersburg Municipal Employees Credit Union, turning the location into our St. Pete Branch and then in February 2010, floridacentral opened the Clearwater Branch adding another branch to our Pinellas County branch network. Currently, floridacentral Credit Union serves nearly 39,000 members and over 1,000 SEGs with 9 west-central Florida branches.

4.50% APY Checking Account Interest Rate Offer – Daily Deal is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

$150 Checking Account Offer From KeyBank – Daily Deal

Rate Nerd — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:35:28 +0000

KeyBank’s $150 new checking account offer bonus just might help your holiday savings.

KeyBank checking accounts give you convenient, 24/7 access to your money and the freedom and flexibility to pay bills and make purchases without cash. Plus, you can opt to have your paycheck directly deposited into your account.

Here are the four checking account offer types that are eligible for the $150 bonus:

1) Key Express Checking Account – Basic checking account with a debit MasterCard. Skip monthly maintenance service fees by making at least $500 in deposits or initiate five transactions per statement cycle. $40 yearly maintenance fee applied regardless.

2) Key Coverage Checking Account – Another basic checking account which has several fees, but reduced overdraft fees. $10 monthly service charge, annual $30 maintenance fee, plus an $18-per-item overdraft fee if you overdraw your checking account. Save on overdraft fees, including waiver of first two overdraft or return item fees assessed per monthly statement. plus protection against identity theft with ITAC Sentinel, including credit report and score, credit file monitoring, and up to $2,500 identity theft insurance, at no additional cost to you ($0 deductible).

3) Key Advantage Checking Account - These accounts require a $10,000 minimum balance to avoid fees. Pays nominal interest, and features reimbursement of other banks’ ATM cash/withdrawal surcharges, up to $6 per month.

4) Key Privilege Checking Account – Enjoy the benefits of a suite of premium financial management solutions integrating banking and investing. A Relationship Manager will work with you to help determine your personal investment strategy.

To take advantage of the KeyBank checking account offer, you must do the following:

open a qualifying KeyBank checking account online and enter offer code ONFT1011 by December 30, 2011, and
make at least 30 payments and/or purchases within 3 months of account opening, plus
make 3 direct deposits each of $500 or more within 3 months of account opening.

About KeyBank

Cleveland-based KeyCorp is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $89 billion. Key companies provide investment management, retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, and investment banking products and services to individuals and companies throughout the United States and, for certain businesses, internationally. For more information on this checking account offer, visit www.key.com.

$150 Checking Account Offer From KeyBank – Daily Deal is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

Chase Checking Account Offers $125 Bonus – Daily Deal

Rate Nerd — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:55:32 +0000

Get up to $125 cash bonus when you open a qualifying Chase checking account and set up direct deposit.

For new checking customers, open a qualifying Chase checking account with a $100 opening deposit, set up direct deposit and get a $125 cash bonus.

Chase offers excellent checking and ATM access (we love how you can deposit multiple checks at once via the ATM – brilliant!). Plus Chase checking comes with all of these benefits:

FREE access to 16,100 ATMs nationwide
FREE Online Banking & Online Bill Pay
FREE Chase Debit Card with built-in security
FREE Text and E-mail Alerts
24/7 access with Chase Mobile on your phone

Also, if you have an iPhone you can deposit checks via the Chase iPhone App up to $1000. Very cool!

How To get The Chase Checking Account Offer

Click “E-mail My Coupon” to get your $125 coupon. Then open a qualifying Chase checking account at your local branch or apply online at chase.com/checking.

Chase Checking Account Offer Details

Offer not available to existing Chase checking customers. Offer valid through 8/15/11. To qualify for the bonus you must open a qualifying Chase checking account with a $100 minimum deposit of new money (money not currently held by Chase or its affiliates). Also, within 60 calendar days of account opening, we must receive from your employer or the government a monthly electronic direct deposit of your payroll, pension or government benefits, such as Social Security. The bonus will be deposited into your new account within 10 business days after your initial direct deposit is posted to your account. For new interest-bearing checking accounts, the Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is effective as of 6/24/11. The APY is 0.01% for all balances in all states. Interest rates are variable and subject to change. Fees may reduce earnings on the account. Bonus is not considered part of minimum opening deposit. Limit one checking account-related bonus, per calendar year. Offer not available on account conversions or in combination with any other offer. Employees of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and our affiliates are not eligible. Checking account must remain open for a minimum of six months or the bonus will be debited from the account at closing. Account is subject to approval. Bonus is considered interest and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT.

Chase Checking Account Offers $125 Bonus – Daily Deal is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

Is The Free Checking Ride Over?

Rate Nerd — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:07:32 +0000

Is “free checking” really free? Or is it, as some media imply, a thing of the past?

Banks are responding to new regulations with product changes designed to help them recover lost revenue – and it can be very confusing to figure out just what those changes mean for your checking account.

Almost all the major banks are revamping their checking products and although some financial institutions are no longer using “free checking” to identify their new accounts, free checking is not entirely gone. Some experts argue that banks are simply redefining what the new era of checking – including free checking – will be in light of the headwinds banks face with the new rules.

The slew of new checking products will certainly leave many consumers wondering where they can get the most benefit from their checking account. (See RateNerd’s list of the best checking accounts for 2011 here.)

‘Free checking’ was never free.

Checking accounts with high balances help cover the costs associated with maintaining the accounts. The fee income banks generated before the new government regulations on overdraft and debit cards took hold helped to pay for the no-balance requirements associated with the “free checking” accounts of the past. These customers still had to pay for essentials like checks, statements, stop payments, money orders and debit cards.

Contrary to popular belief, new kinds of free checking accounts with perks like free checks, no fees, and access to thousands of ATMs are still being introduced today. The changes to checking accounts, including free checking, are vast and they vary, but there are a few things to keep in mind in order to navigate the changing landscape and identify the account that’s right for you.

Get a checking checkup.

“Perhaps the single most important step a person can take is to determine the services they need with a checking account,” says John Rosenfeld, head of retail deposits at TD Bank.

Some questions you should ask yourself are: How much can you maintain on a monthly basis in your checking account? Some banks ask for as little as $100 to waive the maintenance fee. Do you need unlimited access to bank managers in branches in order to clear things up or have additional needs? Finally, do you absolutely want the free perks that come with the new era of “free checking?”

Your answers to these questions will help you determine the services you need with a checking account. For a checklist of similar questions online, Rosenfeld says TD Bank launched a new website (TDBank.com/CheckingSelector) that can be of help and can also provide a competitor comparison.

Know where you are in life.

“One of the best ways to develop a relationship with a bank in order to be approved for a mortgage, credit card, or home equity and small business loan, is to have a checking account that requires a minimum balance,” says Rosenfeld. “If you not only maintain that balance, but also increase it, the bank will feel you have sound financial judgment.”

However, if you know you won’t be able to maintain a monthly balance for an extended period of time, educate yourself on your options. For example, some banks offer online-only checking accounts, but you’ll pay hefty fees if you want to receive printed statements or visit a branch to speak with a teller. TD Bank has a new checking account that requires no minimum balance and no other requirements for a $3.99 monthly fee, or $2.99 if you choose paperless statements.

Also, you need to know what level of “hassle” you are willing to deal with when choosing an account. Many banks have complex requirements in order to offer you “free checking,” such as high balance requirements, minimum number of monthly direct deposits or transactions with your debit card, or paying a certain number of bills online. Unfortunately, some banks’ fees are not always transparent and you may need to dig through a schedule of fees and disclaimers to see all the potential costs. You may see things like fees to check balances at out-of-network ATMs, or for paper statements with images of checks, and even for phone transfers. Rosenfeld recommends looking for a checking account that is simple and hassle free so you don’t have to worry about incurring unexpected fees.

Keep in mind that no one source or article will provide you with all the information you need to navigate these changes, so now is the time to educate yourself on your options and make sure you choose a checking account that fits your needs.

Is The Free Checking Ride Over? is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

WOW – 4.00% APY Rewards Checking Account Offer – Daily Deal

Rate Nerd — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:00:05 +0000

We have not seen 4.00% Checking account offers in a long time.

Market USA Federal Credit Union is offering this high yield VIP Rewards checking account nationwide on balances up to $50,000.00. The credit union has been around since 1953 and is based in Laurel, Maryland.

With a Market USA Federal Credit Union VIP Checking Account, you’ll get all theses great benefits :

No minimum balance requirements
No monthly maintenance fees or per-check charges
Earn 4.00% APY on accounts up to $50,000
Free Visa Check Card
Eight (8) free monthly transactions at Plus and STAR ATMs (ATM surcharges may apply)
Access to 28,000 Surcharge-Free Co-Op Network ATMs and 40,000 AllPointTM ATMs nationwide
Free Point-of-Sale (POS) transactions with your Visa Check Card
Overdraft Protection from Savings
Qualified members automatically receive Privilege Pay access

In order to get your elite status to this extraordinary offer, all you have to do is:

$250 minimum in direct deposits to your VIP Account
Be enrolled in Internet Banking and eStatements
Have a minimum of 12 Visa Check Card purchases per month

Other detials on the Market USA Federal Credit Union checking account offer

4.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) paid on balances between $0.01 and $50,000 and 0.10% paid on any amount above $50,000 for each month that the account qualifies. Accounts that do not qualify will not earn dividends for that month. Direct Deposit from a single source cannot be used to meet the requirement for multiple accounts. 12 Visa Debit Card Purchases per month required (purchases must be posted to the account by close of business on the last business day of the month; purchase returns will reduce your number of transactions). One VIP and RockStar checking account permitted per member/SSN. Converted Accounts: if you convert your existing checking account to a RockStar or VIP account, only transactions and/or direct deposits occurring on the newly converted account will count towards the monthly requirements. Learn more here Market USA Federal Credit Union.

WOW – 4.00% APY Rewards Checking Account Offer – Daily Deal is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.

$100 Checking Account Offer From TCF Bank – Daily Deal

$100 Checking Account Offer From TCF Bank – Daily Deal

Rate Nerd — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:28:53 +0000

Get $100 FREE when you open an eligible TCF Convenience Checking account online and complete qualifying transactions.

TCF Bank has 442 banking offices in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, Indiana, Arizona and South Dakota. TCF is now the 11th largest U.S. Visa Classic debit card issuer ranked by sales volume.

TCF Convenience Checking offers:

No Minimum Balance
No Monthly Maintenance Fee with any of the following:
- $500 or more in qualifying deposits, OR
- 10 qualifying withdrawals in 30 days, OR
- $2,500 in minimum combined balances
FREE Mobile Banking
FREE Account Alerts
FREE Online Banking
FREE Online Statements
FREE TCF Check Card
FREE Coin Counting

Open your new TCF Checking account and receive $100 as a bonus. You must apply Online - please note, you must apply via this link to be eligible for the $100 bonus. This limited-time offer expires March 31, 2011.

TCF Bank Checking Account Offer Details

Offer applies to TCF non-interest bearing checking accounts. The account must have a total of 10 qualifying transactions posted to the account within 60 calendar days of account opening. Qualifying transactions are paid bill payments, paid ACH payments, check card purchases posted and paid checks. Cash will be credited within 3 Business Days following the date you meet the qualifying requirements. Offer is available to individuals and small businesses without a TCF checking account in the past 90 days. Minimum $25 to open a personal non-interest bearing checking account and $100 for a business non-interest bearing checking account. Account must meet all other account opening requirements to qualify. Offer ends March 31, 2011.

$100 Checking Account Offer From TCF Bank – Daily Deal is a post from: RateNerd - unadvertised deals from banks.