This bonus has expired, click here to view the best checking bonuses.
Bonus is back for 2017, keep in mind they seem to be ChexSystems sensitive.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $100
- Availability: MA, NH, ME, RI
- Direct deposit required: $100+
- Additional requirements: None
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- Credit card funding: Up to $2,000, American Express, Visa, Discover & Mastercard accepted (some comments are saying this is no longer available)
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: Account must be kept open until January 19th, 2018 to receive bonus
- Household Limit: One
- Expiration date: October 7th, 2017
The Offer
- Receive a $100 sign up bonus when you open an Eastern Free Checking account with Easter Bank and receive a qualifying direct deposit of at least $100
The Fine Print
- To receive the $100 cash incentive, customer must open an Eastern Bank consumer checking account between 9/5/17 and 10/7/17, and receive a recurring payroll, pension, or government direct deposit of $100 or more per direct deposit, posted to the new account by 1/8/18.
- This offer is valid for new consumer checking account customers, only.
- Customer must not have had a consumer checking account since 9/4/16 to qualify.
- The following criteria must be met as of 1/8/18: (a) Customer must reside in MA, NH, ME, or RI only. (b) Customer must be age 18 or older. (c) Account must be open and have a positive balance.
- Incentives for qualified accounts will be deposited into customer’s account by 1/19/18 if the account is open and has a positive balance.
- One incentive per household.
- Customers will receive a 1099 form for this incentive. Please consult your tax advisor regarding the tax implications of this offer. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply.
Avoiding Fees
This account has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements, I couldn’t find any mention of an early account termination fee but you’ll need to keep the account open until at least January 17th to receive the bonus.
Our Verdict
This is a pretty good bonus, it’s a soft pull and easy to keep the account fee free and you can fund $2,000 with a credit card. The only thing we don’t have much idea on is what counts as a direct deposit. If you can easily change your payroll, I’d recommend this bonus – otherwise it’s a case of whether you’re willing to take the risk or not as we won’t have any datapoints until after the promotion is over. We will add it to our best checking sign up page, but keep in mind the risk involved if you can’t change your payroll.
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
- Introduction To ChexSystems
- Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
- What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull 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
Eastern Bank no longer offer CC funding.
Hi William Charles , Chuck – The offer is back and the bonus is upgraded to $200.
The details are here – https://www.easternbank.com/checking?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI546564K43QIVk0sNCh1prwpoEAAYASAAEgLLxPD_BwE
+1 same state requirements will give it a shot even though I do not live in those states.
EDIT:
“Thanks! Your application has been submitted and we will be in touch soon.”
Expecting denial due to out of state. Oh well. No chex verification questions though.
DP: Transferred $100 from Santander 1/08. Today, 1/19 $100 bonus credit showing pending.
Posted same day as well.
Does anyone know if you can fund with AmEx?
did you ever find an answer to this? considering being the DP
any luck?
DP: Eastern Bank will only allow the new account to be funded by cash advance from a ATM withdrawal.
I showed up in person and was denied due to Chex System. I have no negative remarks in my Chex report, it probably showed that opened 10 accounts in the past 12 months. I cant stand the Chex System. Its my money in the account, they have zero risk. Whats so bad about churners? I get something, they get something.
Also denied due to Chex 🙁 I open a dozen accts a year.
This may be a silly question. If I sign up in person, will they still use Chex System?
Yes
Applied last week and went to the branch today. Direct deposit posts next Friday so I’ll keep you posted. I’m a bit lost with the wording, do they want a deposit of 100$ monthly until January or all I need is ONE 100$+ deposit?
Denied as well. Applied online then went pending and was later sent a letter saying because of Chexsystems. I think I’m at around 12 banks for the year. This is my first hard rejection. HSBC has been elusive so I’m assuming a soft denial from them as well. Though I was approved for east Hampton bank before applying to Eastern Bank.
$100 signup is so-so, we all want the $2000 CC funding. I’ll try next year ^_^
Applied for their checking account! and it went pending online. Received a letter in the mail stating a denial based on information from Chexsystems. It’s probably due to the number of inquiries as I’ve opened a fair amount of accounts this year alone. It does give me an opportunity to request a copy of my report – so good news there