[Expired] BB&T $100 Checking Bonus Direct Deposit Not Required [AL, DC, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV]

This offer has expired, click here to view if there are any current BB&T promotions or here for the list of the best current checking promos.

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $100
• Availability: AL, DC, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
• Direct deposit required: No
• Additional requirements: See below
• Hard/soft pull: Soft pull It seems like they are very persistant about overdraft protection so make sure you don’t opt in for that
• ChexSystems: Yes
• Credit card funding: Up to $250 (says debit card only, but credit cards will work)
• Monthly fees: $5-$30, avoidable
• Early account termination fee: $25, 180 days
• Household limit: One
• Expiration date: March 23rd, 2018

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• BB&T is offering a $100 bonus when you open a new checking account and complete the following requirements:
  • Use promo code ARDCO
  • Enroll with Zelle
  • Send money twice with Zelle

The Fine Print

• Clients receive $100 when they open new retail checking accounts between Jan. 29, 2018 and March 23, 2018 with a valid Zelle promocode and make two outbound Zelle payments with U by BB&T within 60 days of account opening.
• Must be first BB&T retail checking account in your household.
• Offer is limited to one incentive per household and does not apply to second or multiple personal accounts, MoneyAccounts, savings accounts and business checking accounts are not eligible.
• Non-resident alien clients must also submit a valid Form W-8, NRA Certification Statement and a copy of their passport to BB&T by the time the account is reviewed for incentive eligibility as described above.
• Payments made from other financial institutions or the Zelle standalone app are not applicable.
• The incentive will be deposited directly to your BB&T checking account within 60 days after promotion expiration of March 24, 2018.
• This offer is limited to the first 3,500 new personal checking accounts in U by BB&T using the promocode ARDCO during online account opening.
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

The monthly fees will vary slightly based on what state your living in. We suggest checking this before choosing your account. Most people will be best off going for the Bright Banking account and then using one of the fee waivers, unless you’re a student or senior in which case those accounts will be the best option.

BB&T Bright Banking® $10 monthly

You can avoid the monthly fee on this account if you meet any of the following requirements:

• Receive $500 or more in direct deposits
• Have an average monthly balance of $1,500 or more
• Have $6,000 or more in combined deposits in checking, savings, Money Rate Savings, Investor’s Deposit Accounts
• Have an outstanding personal mortgage with BB&T

BB&T Fundamentals Checking $5 monthly

It’s not possible to get this monthly fee waived.

BB&T Identity Protection® Checking $6 monthly

It’s not possible to get this monthly fee waived. If you want free identity theft insurance we suggest looking at Credit Sesame (also gives you access to a free FAKO credit score).

BB&T Student Banking $0 monthly

This account does not have a monthly charge if you choose to receive paperless statements. If you choose to receive paper statements you’ll need to pay a monthly fee of $3. You must be under 23 and a student to be eligible for this account.

Senior Checking $8 Monthly

You can avoid the monthly fee on this account if you meet any of the following requirements:

• Receive $500 or more in direct deposits
• Have an average monthly balance of $1,000 or more
• Have $6,000 or more in combined deposits in checking, savings, Money Rate Savings, Investor’s Deposit Accounts
• Have an outstanding personal mortgage with BB&T

Elite Gold $30 Monthly

You can avoid the monthly fee on this account if you meet any of the following requirements:

• $25,000 combined deposit balance in checking, savings, CDs, IRAs, Money Rate Savings, Investor’s Deposit Account, or investments through BB&T Investment Services, Inc.
• $25,000 combined outstanding balance in retail loans and lines of credit3
• $150,000 BB&T personal mortgage loan balance

Early Account Termination Fee $25

All accounts come with a $25 early account closure fee if you close them within 180 days of account opening.

Our Verdict

I don’t like the fact that this is open to the first 3,500 people that use the code only. It isn’t clear if they will remove the landing page when they hit this number or not. I think you should be safe to do this promo and get the bonus, but I’d probably do it sooner rather than later. Zelle is basically just a way to send money to friends that is free and instant, it used to be called Clearxchange you can read more about it here. Given that it’s really easy to meet the bonus requirements and it isn’t that difficult to keep the account fee fee. Because of that I will be adding it to our list of the best checking bonuses. They also have a business bonus for $300, it’s supposed to be targeted but readers are reporting this isn’t being enforced.

Big thanks to reader, Alex who let us know. Learn how to find bonuses and contribute to the site here.

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

• A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
• Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
• 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
• Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
• Bank Bonus Posting Times