ING Direct’s Online Checking Account: $50 Cash Bonus!

ING Direct has just sweetened the pot to their already popular “Electric Orange Checking Account” which features an above average interest rate (especially for larger sums) and free checking with absolutely no fees or ATM surcharges.

For a limited time new customers opening this online checking account can now snag a $50 bonus for signing up and making a total of 3 Card purchases or Person2Person Payments (or any combo of the two) within 45 days of account opening. Once the requirements have been completed, ING will deposit a $50 bonus into your account automatically on day 50.

Sign up for the Account and Get the $50 Bonus Here!

Even without the $50 sign up bonus, this checking account from ING has been one of the most popular amongst US retail banking consumers. In a time where the nation’s largest banks are making unprecedented moves to impose fees on consumer checking accounts and debit card usage (ie Bank of America, Wells Fargo and now CitiBank) checking accounts like the “Electronic Orange Checking” from ING Direct are refreshing alternatives.

Why is the Electronic Orange Account so popular?

1) N0 overdraft fees. The national average for overdraft fees from United State’s banks sits at $30.

2) N0 ATM surcharge. The national average for ATM surcharges throughout the country sits at $2 per withdrawal.

3) No monthly fees.  The current national average for monthly fees is on the rise. While it currently sits at $13, many major banks are beginning to impose larger monthly fees if individual checking accounts don’t keep a required minimum balance. ING imposes no minimum balances nor fees for their checking accounts.

Interest Rates on ING Electronic Orange Checking:

- If your account holds less than $50,000 you’ll receive a variable rate of 0.25% APY.

- If your balance is between $50,000 and $100,000 you’ll receive a variable rate of 1.10% APY.

- If you balance exceeds $100,000 you’ll receive a variable rate of 1.15% APY.

ING is member FDIC and all accounts are federally insured up to $250,000.

To put the interest rates above in perspective, the national average for interest checking accounts are between 0.50 and 0.80% APY depending on your balance. The accounts composed in the survey of national averages may, however, impose monthly fees and minimum balance requirements as well as limit the amount of withdrawals per month. ING’s checking account has no restrictions or minimum balance requirements.

Limited Time Offer – Earn a $50 bonus when you open an Electric Orange℠ checking account from ING DIRECT

KeyBank Checking Account Bonus: $150!

We were just forwarded a pretty sweet checking account deal from KeyBank which is available ONLINE ONLY. Currently, with a qualifying KeyBank checking account – Key Express Checking, Key Coverage Checking, Key Advantage Checking, Key Privilege Checking, or Key Privilege Select Checking – you can earn a whopping $150 cash bonus!

To get your $150 Bonus complete the following:

- open a qualifying KeyBank checking account online and enter offer code ONFT0311 by June 24, 2011, and

- make at least 10 payments and/or purchases per month for 3 months after account opening, plus

- make 3 direct deposits each of $500 or more within 3 months of account opening.

Visit their promo page here to apply. Also, you may want to compare this offer to the best checking account promotions this year.

Terms and Conditions:

Between 3/26/11 and 6/24/11, you must open a Key Express (this is the basic banking account in NY), Key Coverage, Key Advantage, Key Privilege, or Key Privilege Select Checking Account online and make at least 10 posted payments and/or purchases from the new checking account per month for the first three months after account opening, plus within three months make a total of three direct deposits each of $500 or more to get your gift. One month is calculated as 31 calendar days from account opening date (three months equals 93 calendar days from account opening date). Limit one gift per qualifying account. Limit one gift per individual. The value of your gift will be reported on Form 1099-INT. Your gift will be deposited within 90 days of meeting requirements. Qualifying purchase and payment transactions include checks, MasterCard signature, PayPass® and PIN-based purchases, Key Bill Pay, debit card automated payments, PayPal® transactions, and Automated Clearing House (ACH) direct payments. Direct deposit transactions are limited to payroll, Social Security, pension, and government benefits. Offer available to individuals without an existing checking account at KeyBank as of 3/25/11. Offer not available to individuals who have opened a KeyBank checking account in the last 12 months. Employees of KeyBank, its affiliates, and subsidiaries are not eligible for this offer. If you close your account within 180 days of account opening, you will be charged a $25 account early closure fee. Accounts overdrawn or closed as of 9/30/11 are not eligible for this offer. Accounts titled as Trust Accounts, Estate, Non-Individual, and No Access are excluded from eligibility. You must have a U.S. mailing address on 9/30/11 to be eligible. Offer is subject to cancellation without notice and cannot be combined with any other offer. Other miscellaneous charges may apply. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated.

$100 New Checking Account Sign-Up Bonuses!

After being tipped off in the comment section of our recent post covering the best checking account promotions in 2011 of a superb $100 checking account bonus by Bank of the West, we thought it was appropriate to give our readers a full write-up of the deal. When coincidentally covering Bank of the West’s mortgage rates yesterday, we uncovered the complete terms and conditions of this checking bonus. Here’s what we found…

Get a $100 bonus for opening any of Bank of the West’s 3 checking accounts:

Their three checking accounts include a “free checking” account, a “choice interest checking” account, and a “choice ATM checking” account. As a quick disclaimer – their interest checking account should probably not be eligible to hold that title since it’s yields are only between 0.05% and 0.10% APY currently depending on your balance.

Terms and Conditions to Obtain the $100 Bonus:

- Offer not available for existing Bank of the West checking customers with an open account as of 1/31/11.

- Offer valid for new personal checking accounts opened from 2/14/11–3/25/11 with a minimum checking account opening deposit of $100 or more with funds new to Bank of the West.

- New personal checking account customers must either establish a monthly direct deposit of $250+ each deposit with the first deposit posting to the account within 60 calendar days of account opening or, make 10 payments of at least $25 per payment to a third party business using Bank of the West Online Banking within 60 calendar days of account opening.

- Two or more direct deposits that add up to $250 do not qualify.

- The 10 bill payments must be successfully completed and payment posted to your account within the promotional period to qualify Offer subject to change or termination without prior notice at the Bank’s discretion.

- Offer cannot be combined with any other offer and does not apply to second or multiple checking accounts.

- Limit of one $100 bonus per address per 13-month period.

- Customers who received a bonus from Bank of the West between 1/1/10 to 1/31/11 are not eligible.

- Account must be in good standing to be eligible to receive the bonus.

- Accounts with a zero balance, overdrawn or closed at the time the bonus is awarded are not eligible.

Checking Account Promotions: Top 5 in 2011

Update – Check out an updated list of checking deals in 2012.

Well, it’s been a while since we’ve compiled a list of the best checking account promotions available for all of our readers looking to open one, so we thought we’d quickly highlight the top 5 checking account bonuses we’ve seen so far this year. In a nut shell – this year hasn’t been nearly as lucrative for new checking account customers as 2010 turned out to be – however, there are still a few noteworthy offers on the table for those interested in bonuses to supplement their new account.

The following offers come in the form of free checking accounts or cash back checking accounts and you may need to open supplementary accounts with the listed institution(s) to fully cash in on the advertised offers. We’ve dug up a couple of promo codes for some of the checking account bonuses that require them, but these frequently expire so you’ll need to act quick or contact the institution directly for a new code.

Below are the top 5 checking account promotions which have been available thus far in 2011. If you know of a checking bonus that you think we’ve missed please share by leaving a comment! (The bonus code for the account would be helpful too!)

1) Perkstreet’s Online Checking Account – Get up to $600 cash back from your debit card each year! Perkstreet Financial came on the scene a while back with a unique approach to checking. They created an online checking account with a cash back rewards structure that rivaled some of the top cash back credit card offers. Today, upon opening the account, you’ll get 2% cash back on your shopping and bills along with 5% cash back on purchases from select merchants. You’ll also get free checking at 37,000 ATMs nationwide and the account is FDIC insured.

2) ING Direct Online Interest Checking Account – $50 Bonus!- Here is our favorite cash bonus + checking account offer of 2011. The reason being: A) the widespread availability of this account. ING’s electronic orange checking account is available throughout the country and can be opened online. B) It’s a straight forward checking account with no fees, no minimum balance requirements and no ATM surcharges. C) Despite the horrible savings environment this account still offers up to 1.0% APY on balances and is FDIC insured. With many of the country’s most well known banks (BofA, Wells Fargo and, most recently, CitiBank) imposing fees on checking accounts and debit card usage, it’s nice to see one account still offering no fee checking accounts with interest AND a sweet $50 bonus for signing up!

3) $60 Sign-up Bonus with new Interest Checking Account from EverBank - (ATTENTION! – Offer No Longer Available)

In the market for a decent interest rate AND a cash sign up bonus? This is your best bet and it’s available until November 30, 2011. To get the bonus you’ll need to set up the account with at least $1,500 and make one direct deposit of at least $500 before the promotion’s deadline. That’s $60 for opening up a checking account with $2,000! Not a bad return on investment, eh? This account comes with ZERO Card Fees, ZERO ATM Fees and an adjustable interest rate which EverBank pledges to remain in the top 5% of all competitive accounts.

4) FirstBank Offers Free Flip Camera w/ New Checking Account: We really liked seeing this deal come out during the holiday season of last year. Starting last November, FirstBank was giving away a sweet Christmas gift (flip camcorder) to all of their new checking account customers. The camera retailed at $150 making this promo pretty lucrative. The offer would sit at our number 1 or 2 spot of this year, however, we have not yet confirmed if it’s still available. FirstBank originally noted that it was going to end after the holidays, but we’ve heard of people still obtaining the promotion this year as well. You’ll need to contact your local FisrtBank (southwest US states only) to see if the promotion is still available in your area.

5) Bank of America $200 Bonus in Statement Credits – Again here is another offer which we believe to be extinct, however we have seen reports around the web which conclude that certain Bank of America branches may still be offering the promotion. Before we let you know about the promo, we should let you know that you’ll need to get a Bank of America credit card as well to cash in on the offer. Here’s the deal – Establish a direct deposit within 3 months of opening the checking account and earn $100 in statement credits, then pay your B of A credit card online from the new checking account and earn $20 in statement credits each month.

Related: Chase Freedom® Visa – $200 Bonus Cash Back! Ok ok – I know it’s not a checking account, but the feedback we’ve been given by our readers lately have suggested that many people who are looking for checking account promo’s are also looking for solid bank deals in general. Therefor we thought it might be useful to quickly highlight the most lucrative credit card bonus available! Currently with the Chase Freedom® Visa Card you’ll earn a whopping $200 just for signing up and making $500 in purchases on it within the first 3 months. How’s that for a return on investment?!

Indiana Bank Deals: Get $30 with Checking Account

Over the weekend we were forwarded a pretty nice (and flexible) bank deal out of Indiana. The reason we mention the flexibility of this offer is because you can earn a $30 cash bonus for opening any one of Union Savings Bank’s three different checking account products.

The promotion is referred to as “1-2-3-Checking” and you’ll need to stop by one of their local branches to take advantage of this deal.

Types of checking accounts you can open to earn the $30 bonus:

1) Standard Free Checking Account

2) Interest Bearing Checking Account

3) Rewards Checking Account

Terms and Conditions:

- The $30 Unions Savings Bank Bonus Offer effective as of 1/24/11 and may be withdrawn at any time.

- Bank Deal only available to new Union Savings Bank customers or existing Union Savings Bank customers who do not currently have a 1-2-3 Checking account.

- Limit of one $30 bank bonus per household.

- Union Savings Bank will automatically deposit the $30 into the new checking account upon processing the account.

- $30 deposit offer cannot be a part of the opening balance, and is subject to 1099 IRS reporting requirements.

Union Savings Bank Locations (Indiana):

This bank deal can be obtained by stopping into any one of the following Union Savings Bank branches below.

• Bethel
• Bridgewater
• Brookfield
• Canton
• Danbury
• Goshen
• Kent
• Litchfield
• Marble Dale
• New Fairfield
• Newtown
• New Milford
• Ridgefield
• Roxbury
• Sharon
• Southbury
• Torrington
• Washington Depot

Get promo offer here.

ING Direct Checking Account, Sharebuilder and IRA Bonuses

We were recently tipped off on some sweet perks coming from the infamous ING Direct. Apparently you can earn up to $283 in cash bonuses from ING Direct with a few promotional codes and new accounts, BUT, to earn the bonus it will require a decent amount of effort from the consumer.

We’ll break it down for you below…

First, you’ll need you to be willing to open a checking, IRA and ShareBuilder account. The benefits of having these particular accounts all located at one bank is going to make future banking decisions and transactions much easier anyway so this should be accomplished by the consumer purely as a means of efficiency (regardless of who you end of banking through). Consolidating these three accounts to operate under one bank is going to help you with making regular transfers from your checking accounts to you IRA accounts and to your brokerage accounts. When you opt for different banks to fulfill these individual needs it, more times than not, leads to unnecessary headaches for the consumer.

ING Direct Electric Orange Checking Bonus

step 1 – $83 Bonus

While ING Direct is always offering a $50 bonus to the public, we were able to obtain a reference code to allow our readers to earn $33 more.

• Visit this ING page and click the ‘Apply Now’ button
• Use the following reference code 83DEAL
• Earn $50: Make 3 Card purchases and/or Person2Person Payments within 45 days of account opening and your bonus will be paid on say 50
• Earn $33: Set up Direct Deposit and have two direct deposits made of at least $250 to your Electric Orange account by March 31st. The $33 cash bonus will be paid on April 8th.

The current APY as of 1/26/2011 is 1.20% for balances between $50 – $100k, 0.25% for below $50k and 1.25% for balances over $100k.

Step 2 – $50 “Retire MyWay IRA Bonus”

Related: E-Trade still has their IRA offer for $800 worth of free trades!

If you are currently considering an IRA, the ING Direct option for both CD and Savings are both competitive and FDIC-insured. If you have plan to keep the balance low, the saving option may be a better option with a 1.10% APY. To earn the $50 bonus, you will need to:

• Visit their promotional page
• Open an FDIC-insured IRA (Savings or CD)
• Deposit $200 into your account by February 7
• Receive a $50 bonus by February 28, 2011 (counts toward your 2011 IRA contribution limit)

Step 3 – $50 ShareBuilder New Account Bonus

Details to opening account: No account minimums, invest as much as you like and pay as little as $4 when you use automatic investing. From today until March 31st 2011, new account members can earn a $50 bonus.

• Visit the following promotional page.
• Open an account, User the following reference code 50WS10 and deposit $50 or more by 3/31/2011.
• ShareBuilder will deposit a $50 bonus 4-6 weeks after your initial deposit
• The $50 bonus cannot be withdrawn for 90 days after awarded

You may want to note, that in the terms, ShareBuilder holds the right to remove the offer at anytime so if you are interested, you should probably not wait until the last day as account sign ups may exceed their expectations and they could pull the offer.

Learn more about ShareBuilder and their fees.

Step 4 – ShareBuilder Trade Up Bonus

For those who opened a ShareBuilder account, but carry accounts with other Brokers, ShareBuilder and ING Direct are still willing to pay you a $100 cash bonus, BUT, you must transfer $500 or more from the competing broker to ShareBuilder.

Terms and Conditions:

• The $100 bonus offer is available for Individual, Joint and Custodial accounts only. Offer not valid for IRA or Education Savings Accounts.
• The $100 bonus will post to your account approximately 4-6 weeks after completing a full brokerage transfer from a competing broker and is not available for withdrawal for 180 days.
• This offer is not valid with any other offers and is non-transferrable. Limit one ShareBuilder promotional award per unique customer or custodial beneficiary.

As with the last ShareBuilder bonus, the terms highlight that they reserve the right to terminate this offer at any time or refuse to award the bonus if any terms of ShareBuilder Account Agreement has been violated.

Chase Bank’s $100 checking account bonus valid through end of year

Chase Bank is now offering their $100 checking account bonus through the end of the year. Thanks to BankVibe.com reader Tom Powers for alerting us on this update!

Here are the details…

- Get $100 when you open a Chase Checking account and set up direct deposit.

- The offer is good until December 31, 2010, and you can apply online or get a coupon to take to a branch.

- Offer not available to existing Chase checking customers.

- To qualify for the bonus you must open a new Chase CheckingSM 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, they 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.

- Bonus is not considered part of minimum opening deposit.

- Limit one checking account-related reward/premium per customer, per calendar year.

- Offer not available on account conversions or in combination with any other offer.

- Employees of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and their 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.

Get the coupon sent to your inbox here!

Check out Chase Bank’s $100 credit card bonus as well!

Get Free Checking. Get a Flip Ultra HD from FirstBank

Here is a sweet deal for residents in the Southwest looking for a free checking account with a sign up gift as well as some substantial internet and mobile banking features to boot. FirstBank is now offering new customers a free Flip Ultra HD camera after opening a free checking account with them. Unfortunately for most of us this offer is only valid in FirstBank trade areas (which consist of Colorado, Arizona and California).

Related: TD Ameritrade’s free Flip Camera Checking Account Bonus expired earlier this year.

There are no minimum balance requirements or service fees associated with this checking account, however, you will need $50 as a deposit to open the account. You can open it online or through one of their 125+ branches in the southwest.

Details of Flip Ultra HD Bonus:

Flip UltraHD™ video camera offer valid for Free Checking accounts opened. Limit one gift award per household, per 24 month period. Limit one gift per account. FirstBank employees are not eligible to receive the gift. Minimum opening deposit of $50 required to receive the gift. We reserve the right to substitute the gift offered at any time. Limited time offer. The gift is redeemable online and a redemption code will be given at account opening. The cost of the gift is considered interest and is subject to IRS and other tax reporting. The cost of the gift is considered a bonus that can be revoked if the account is closed within six months of opening. We reserve the right to limit the amount of deposit.
Cisco, Flip UltraHD, Flip Video, and the Flip Video logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document or website are the property of their respective owners. Cisco and/or its affiliates are not participants in or sponsors of this promotion. Offer valid only for customers residing in FirstBank’s trade areas.

PerkStreet Financial offering 5% cash back for holiday season!

THIS HOLIDAY PROMOTION HAS ENDED!

We just got word that the popular PerkStreet Checking Account is now offering consumers a whopping 5% cash back on purchases at popular retailers for the holiday season. For those that are unfamiliar with the account, the PerkStreet checking account is an online checking account that claims to offer the most debit card rewards in the US. On top of a very generous cash back structure they also offer free music and coffee rewards as well. They have no physical banking branches and pass along those expenses to the consumer in the form of greater rewards AND even without any physical branches they still offer 37,000 free ATM’s nationwide (largest free network of ATM’s in the country).

PerkStreet Financial’s Features (Holiday Special):

• 5% cash back on your holiday purchases at popular retailers
• The debit card that helps you get debt free
• A free online checking account with the most debit card rewards in America
• No cap on the amount of rewards you can earn – with no annual fee
• 37,000 free ATMs nationwide – no bank gives you more free ATMs than PerkStreet
• Fast live phone service, 24/7
• No minimum balance requirement
• No monthly fees when you use your account
• Easy and fast online account sign up, with just a $25 opening deposit
• Free online banking and bill pay
• FDIC-insured deposits, up to $250,000
• Funds are protected from fraud by the Visa Zero Liability policy

ING Direct’s Electric Orange Checking Account Providing 1% Cash Back

We just got word that the “Electric Orange Checking Account” by ING Direct will be providing 1% cash back on $50 purchases (or less) from October 1st through November 30th. Thanks to BankVibe.com reader Kendall for tipping us off on this deal!

Of course, if you are in the market for a cash back checking account, PerkStreet Financial’s 2% cash back account has been leading the way in this category for some time. When PerkStreet first went live with their cash back checking account last year they also added a $50 sign up bonus as an incentive to join. Today their account offers 2% cash back for the first 3 months. After the 3 months, you will earn 2% cash back on every non-PIN purchase when your balance is $5,000 or more or earn 1% cash back for balances below $5,000.

ING Direct’s Cash Back Checking Account Promotion Details:

• Use your Card on day to day items, like your morning latte or topping off the gas tank
• Earn 1% Cash Back from October 1st – November 30th
• Your 1% Cash Back Rebate posts by the 15th of the next month
• Applies to all eligible PIN and signature-based transactions under $50

Features of Electric Orange Checking by ING Direct:

• Free MasterCard® Debit Card for all purchases
• Free Online Bill Pay
• Free access at over 35,000 ATMs
• Free postage – we’ll mail your paper checks for you

To learn more about this promotion visit ING Direct’s promo page here.

Want to see how this checking account stacks up against other offers? Check out our top 10 checking account promotions.