Deal has expired, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.
Update 4/2o/19: Available until June 28th, 2019
This is a WinTrust Community Bank, so I think the details for hard/soft pull will be the same as this similar deal from another WinTrust Bank (Town Bank) but it’s possible they could be different. Another person also reporting receiving a mailer from Clarendon Hills Bank, also located in IL [Branch locator]. Another person reports it being available at Hanover Park Community Bank as well.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $300
- Availability: Illinois branches only [Branch locator]
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $500+ required
- Additional requirements: Online banking and eStatements
- Hard/soft pull: Unknown
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: Unknown
- Monthly fees: $15, avoidable
- Early account termination fee: Unknown
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date: March 29th, 2019
Contents
The Offer
No direct link, see mailer below. This is a WinTrust bank, in a similar WinTrust Bank deal the mailer wasn’t required and the promotion was available to everybody. Fine print also just says you need to say your aware of the promotion when opening the account
- Open a new Premier Checking account and receive a bonus of $300 when you complete the following requirements:
- Enroll in online banking
- Active eStatements
- Complete a monthly direct deposit totaling $500 or more within the qualifying period
The Fine Print
- Bonus will post within 30 days following the end of the qualification period if the requirements are met.
- The qualification period is two consecutive calendar months following the calendar month the account is opened
- “Direct deposit” means any payment made by a government agency, employer or other third-party organization which is made via an electronic deposit.
- Direct deposits do not include teller/ATM/mobile or remote deposits, wire transfers, online banking/telephone transfers between accounts at the bank, external transfers from other accounts at other financial institutions and/or ATM/debit card transfers and dpeosit
- Bank instructions: enter code WFC00DMPC300
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
Account has a $15 monthly fee. To avoid this you need a daily balance of at least $10,000 or an average combined balance of $75,000+
Early Account Termination Fee
I wasn’t able to find a fee schedule so I’m unsure if there is any early account termination fee or not
Our Verdict
If this turns out to be the same as the Town Bank deal then this is definitely worth doing, that remains to be seen though. That being said it should be at least possible to find out if it’s a soft or hard pull to open the account before opening it as you need to open in branch. We will likely add this to our list of the best bank account bonuses. One thing to note is this account is more difficult to keep fee free than the Town Bank deal unfortunately.
Big thanks to reader, Marvin M 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
does someone know this account has termination fee?
Does “The qualification period is two consecutive calendar months following the calendar month the account is opened” mean it requires two DD in two separate calendar month and total amount should be over 500? or Just need to do DD over 500 within the first 60 days?
I’m thinking the former based on previous DPs, but I also wish it was more clear.
When I went in-branch, they explicitly told me the deposits have to hit in 2 separate months.
Got a better/easier version of this. Flyer looks mostly the same, but mine’s specifically for Naperville Bank & Trust, and from what I was told when I called, should work at any of the Wheaton Bank & Trust Company charter banks under Wintrust, which includes Bolingbrook, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, and Naperville Bank & Trust.
$300 bonus if you open a Total Access Checking Account (no monthly fees whatsoever, no minimum balance) with an opening deposit of at least $100 by June 28th, enroll in online banking, activate e-statements, and complete a direct deposit of $500+ within 2 months of account opening. Within 30 days after that 2 month period, they’ll deposit the $300 into your account. Account must be open at that time, but no mention of any ETF or any length of time you have to keep the account open after receiving the bonus.
Same deal on just mentioning the flyer, I didn’t bother to bring mine in. I called and asked if the bonus would be attached if I applied online, when I called Wintrust they said probably but couldn’t confirm it and said I wouldn’t get confirmation after opening, when I called the local branch they said I had to open in branch for the bonus.
There were also a couple of stackable savings bonuses, I didn’t get all the details, one was $50 for an opening deposit of $1000 maintained for (3 months, 30 days, one of those two), the other was $150 for… something. It was a big stand on the banker’s desk that I opened with.
Opted out of overdraft protection, no hard pull, they print and activate your debit card on the spot. Took me maybe 15 minutes in the bank. I’ll be happy to upload images of the flyer or bonus offer addendum if that’s helpful.
I’m a little curious if there’s any way to also receive the Premiere Checking bonus at one of the location that offers it, as the language on the bonus offer addendum specifically references the Total Access Checking bonus offer, but the “not available to existing or closed checking account customers of Wintrust” clause likely locks that out. I’d love to know if you can combine this with the business checking offer. The addendum does specifically state that you can combine this with the savings offers.
I was able to open at Naperville. Thank you!
Opened account on 05/06/20 with 100 deposit. Got DDs from employer in June and July. No bonus yet
Opened 2/16, did several employer DD, bonus posted 5/17.
Requested to close via Secure Message on 5/20 while balance is 0. Account closed 5/22. No mention of early termination fee or clawing back the bonus.
Opened account on 05/06/20 with 100 deposit. Got DDs from employer in June and July. No bonus yet
I see the same looking mailer in informed delivery, except for ‘Village Bank & Trust’, which is in Prospect Heights.
The eligibility language is kind of murky: ‘This bonus offer is not available to existing or closed checking account customers of Wintrust Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries (“WTFC”) or its active employees’
Does this mean you are not eligible if you ever had a checking account with NSCB? I did have one some 3-4 years ago.
I’m in the same boat, had an account with them about 3 years ago, pretty lousy bank; cust serv practically nonexistent.
I will add that Premier Checking comes with waived fees on money orders, cashier’s checks, incoming wire transfers, and the smallest size Safe Deposit box (or equivalent discount on a larger box).
Did this a few months ago with “Evanston Community Bank,” also a Wintrust community bank. Bonus came through no problem (although a little slowly) after 3DDs from employer. No hard pull. Haven’t gotten a Chex report since but when I do I’ll update.
Will any other DD count i.e. Capital one 360?
I just have a Wintrust Commercial Bank near me. So, I would have to drive a good hour to the Chicago burbs. Tempting..
There are several Wintrust Banks in the city, where you can open a North Shore Community Bank account https://www.nscbank.com/about-your-bank/connect-with-us/findus.html