[Expired] $100 Wells Fargo Checking Bonus – Select Areas Only

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $100
• Availability: Colorado Springs, CO; Fargo-Valley City, ND; Fresno-Visalia, CA; Greensboro and Greenville, NC; Greenville, SC; Harrisburg, PA; Idaho Falls, ID; Jacksonville, FL; Norfolk, VA; Sacramento, CA; Spokane, WA In-branch only
• Direct deposit required: No
• Additional requirements: 10 debit card transactions
• Hard/soft pull: Soft
• Credit card funding: None – in branch only
• Monthly fees: $10, waivable
• Early account termination fee: None
• Expiration Date: May 4, 2016

The Offer

Direct link to offer

Receive a $100 sign up bonus when you open a Wells Fargo checking account and complete the following requirements:

• Open a new consumer checking account with a minimum opening deposit of $50
• Make 10 debit card purchases and/or payments within 60-days with the Wells Fargo debit card

You need to give in your email to get an offer code, and bring the code to a Wells Fargo branch; this offer is in-branch only. 

It’s also only available in the following select cities: Colorado Springs, CO; Fargo-Valley City, ND; Fresno-Visalia, CA; Greensboro and Greenville, NC; Greenville, SC; Harrisburg, PA; Idaho Falls, ID; Jacksonville, FL; Norfolk, VA; Sacramento, CA; Spokane, WA.

It might be possible to open an account in one of those cities even if you don’t live there, e.g. if you work there or if you live in a neighboring city.

The Fine Print

• Valid until May 4, 2016
• Offer can not be paid without providing a valid U.S. (W-9) taxpayer ID
• Only available to new consumer checking customers, not to existing customers including joint owners
• Not valid for checking customers who have received any cash or cash-equivalent bonus through Wells Fargo consumer deposits in the past 12 months
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
• Bonus will be deposited into the checking account within 45 days after qualifications are met

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fee

All consumer checking accounts (except Teen Checking) are eligible for the $100 bonus. The best option is to open the Everyday Checking account which comes with a $10 monthly fee.

Get the monthly fee waived with one of the following:

• 10 debit card purchases and/or payments each statement cycle from this checking account, OR
• Direct deposits totaling $500 or more each statement cycle, OR
• Maintain a $1,500 minimum daily balance, OR
• Link checking account to a Wells Fargo Campus ATM or Campus Debit Card

Early Account Termination Fee

All recent reports (1, 2, 3) indicate that they no longer charge an Early Termination Fee at all. Thus, as soon as the bonus posts, you can close the account.

Our Verdict

We often see $100 Wells Fargo bonuses pop up, and the main reason that people are interested in the Wells Fargo checking accounts is to be able to then apply for a Wells Fargo credit card. Wells Fargo usually wants you to have a deposit account relationship with them before approving you for one of their credit cards. They have three cards most people are interested in:

• Wells Fargo Propel World: $400+ sign up bonus
• Wells Fargo Propel 365: $200 sign up bonus
• Wells Fargo Cashback Card: 5% cash back at select categories for six months

This bonus is a very easy one since it doesn’t need a direct deposit and the 10-transaction threshold should be easy enough to meet (I imagine buying ten $.50 Amazon gift cards would work). The downsides are the geographic limitation and the fact that you have to go in-branch to open the account.

It’s worth noting some rumors that one of Wells Fargo’s credit cards won’t be around for much longer, so some may want to try opening a checking account now and getting in on that.

See also our list of best bank bonuses currently available and our database of all bank bonuses.

HT: Maximizingmoney 

 

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

• A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
• PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
• Introduction To ChexSystems
• How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
• Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
• How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
• Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
• Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank