Deal has ended, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.
Update 7/1/23: Deal is back and valid until September 30, 2023.
Update 7/23/22: Deal is back and valid until Sept 30, 2022. Hat tip to FZ
Deal is back for 2018. Hat tip to reader Samuel C.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $100
- Availability: University Of Colorado students only
- Direct deposit required: No
- Additional requirements: Opt in for eStatements and receive debit card
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- Credit card funding: Up to $2,500 (previously $10,000)
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: Account must stay open until May 1st, 2019 otherwise you will forfeit the bonus
- Expiration date: August 31st, 2018
The Offer
- Receive a sign up bonus of $100 when you open a checking account with Elevation credit union and complete the following requirements:
- Opt in for eStatements
- Opt in to receive a Buff One debit card
The Fine Print
- New Buff One checking account required for eligibility.
- Must be a new Elevations member and a University of Colorado student.
- Debit card and eStatements required at time of account opening to receive $100 offer.
- Limit one $100 offer per unique Social Security Number per 12-month period. Age 13 or older.
- If the account does not remain open through May 1, 2019, the $100 will be charged against the account balance at time of closing.
- The $100 will be described as a dividend adjustment on your account.
- You will receive a 1099-INT form stating dividend income for tax reporting purposes.
- Offer valid May 1 through August 31, 2018.
Avoiding Fees
There are no monthly service fees on this account. You need to keep account open until May 1st, 2019 otherwise you will forfeit the bonus. There is an inactivity fee of $10 if the account isn’t used for twelve months so probably a good idea to use it a few times just in case.
Our Verdict
Seems like a killer deal, shame it’s restricted to University of Colorado students. Soft pull + $10,000 in funding and super easy bonus requirements. What’s not to love.
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
To everyone who thinks they’re “approved”, so was I multiple times until they proceeded to close my account within a week. You need to prove your active student status or the account will be closed.
Coach Prime will approve you.
It is your lucky day.
tried to log into my my old colorado.edu email address and it looks like the admin deleted it : ( lol
Available for 2023 now. https://members.elevationscu.com/Buff-One.html
Guess I’m registering for university.
I’m a CU alumni and contemplating to go for this. I still have my colorado.edu email. Do others in similar position select that they’re still enrolled at the University, even though that’s not entirely true or is there another option?
You must select that you are a student enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder in order to proceed with the application.
An affidavit attesting to your enrollment as a student at the university also must be completed after applying.
Available again until Sept 30, 2022. As before, up to $2,500 funding using a credit or debit card. I tried using a Chase Sapphire Reserve to fund the full amount (cash advance limit way less). They’re “reviewing my application” and will be “in touch… shortly.” I will update with whether the application went through.
Full details of the mailer I received:
“Open a free Buff One Banking account by Spet. 30 and receive $100!*
*Elevations will deposit $100 into the Membership Savings account. A new Buff One Banking checking account is required for eligibility. Must be a new Elevations member and a University of Colorado Boulder student. If the account does not remain open through May 1, 2023, your $100 will be forfeited and debited from the account balance. The $100 will be described as a dividend adjustment on your account. You will receive a 1099-INT form stating dividend income for tax reporting purposes. Offer valid May 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2022.”
Update: It looks like they tried to pull Transunion and failed (freeze in place). When I call in to have them pull TU again, the CC funding would probably code as a cash advance purchase. Bummer.
Credit card funding is now limited to $2,500.
Thanks, updated
Oh yeah, forgot to add: funded with BarclayCard Arrival+, coded as purchase. I opted for a savings account only, thinking that I could later come back and fund a checking account with another card when I needed more spend. Turned out there was no way to add a checking account online after opening. I finally got into a branch today and did so, but according to the banker, in-branch funding is specifically coded as a cash-advance, as opposed to online funding, which might code as a purchase. So the moral of the story is to open both checking and savings accounts from the get-go if you want to max out your MS with this credit union.
I funded with BarclayCard Arrival + and coded as cash advance! Not sure why. Luckily I had lower the cash advance line to $1. Since it is coded as cash advance, it does not qualify as the MS.
Nevermind, I see what happened. At first the bank told me my credit card did go through so they had me call the customer service. The rep help me to make the charge on the phone. I guess that count as “in branch” transaction and count as a cash advance.
Also an alumni, used my edu address and was approved. No funding options during application. Hoping to be able to fund using CC.
Did you have any success? I opened it online, and the $100 bonus posting instantly removes the need for a funding source. They told me to go in-branch to fund with a credit card, but they only have cash advance options.
More than 65,000 students enrolled in all 4 of the University’s campuses last year, implying this deal could be of use to at least 250,000 people, and likely more depending on how Elevations verifies enrollment. Anybody out there know if only possessing a colorado.edu email domain is sufficient? Would therefore open up this offer to alumni and possibly faculty/staff.
Part of question* answered in application process: Buff One Banking accounts are for University of Colorado *Boulder* students only.
Alumni. Applied and approved. No funding option provided in application process, credit or otherwise — option may only apply to other types of accounts with Elevations (?). $25 in savings (credit union membership share) and additional $75 in checking to be deposited by Elevations within 24 hours.
Expect your account to be closed shortly.