Deal has ended, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.
Update 7/11/24: Deal is back until 9/30/24.
Note: Terms state ‘Offer is only available to the addressee of the offer, is non-transferable, may not be combined with other offers’. You also have to request a code by filling in your information so should be able to get this bonus even if not targeted but YMMV.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $800
- Availability: Offer is only available to residents of LA, NY, SC, TX, TN, AR, MS, AL, GA, KY, FL, NC and parts of VA
- Direct deposit required: No
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown, sensitive
- Credit card funding: Up to $50
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: Six months, bonus forfeit
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date: 06/30/2024
Contents
The Offer
- First Horizon Bank is offering a bonus of $400 or $800 when you open a new business checking account.
- $800 bonus:
- Deposit $25,000 into the new BizEssentials Checking account within 15 days of the account opening.
- Maintain at least a $25,000 collected daily balance for the first 3 full statement cycles.
- Conduct 20 qualifying transactions within the first 3 full statement cycles.
- $400 bonus:
- Deposit $5,000 into the new BizEssentials Checking account within 15 days of the account opening.
- Maintain at least a $5,000 collected daily balance for the first 3 full statement cycles.
- Conduct 20 qualifying transactions within the first 3 full statement cycles.
- $800 bonus:
The Fine Print
- Offer is only available to the addressee of the offer, is non-transferable, may not be combined with other offers, and is only available for new clients that have not had an account at First Horizon within the last 12 months. Opening deposit must be funds from a financial institution other than First Horizon Bank or its affiliates. Limit one bonus per company.
- To qualify for the $400 bonus, open a new BizEssentials Checking, BizEssentials Plus Checking, or BizEssentials Interest Checking account by 06/30/2024, deposit at least $5,000 within fifteen (15) days of account opening and maintain an average daily collected balance of $5,000 for the first three (3) full statement cycles and conduct a minimum of twenty (20) qualifying client-initiated transactions within the first three full statement cycles in the eligible First Horizon Bank checking account.
- To qualify for the $800 bonus, open a new BizEssentials Checking, BizEssentials Plus Checking, or BizEssentials Interest Checking account by 06/30/2024, deposit at least $25,000 within fifteen (15) days of account opening and maintain an average daily collected balance of $25,000 for the first three (3) full statement cycles and conduct a minimum of twenty (20) qualifying client-initiated transactions within the first three full statement cycles in the eligible First Horizon Bank checking account.
- BizEssentials Checking, BizEssentials Plus Checking, or BizEssentials Interest Checking accounts require a $100 minimum opening deposit. A qualifying client-initiated transaction may include deposits, checks paid, ACH items, and signature and PIN-based purchases made with a First Horizon Debit Card. The cash bonus will be deposited into your account within 10 business days after qualifying activities are met. Bonus will only be paid to open accounts with a positive balance. Other terms and conditions of your account are disclosed in your depositor agreement Bonus will be reported as interest earned on IRS form 1099-INT and recipient is responsible for any applicable taxes. Offer and account opening subject to bank approval.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
BizEssentials Checking account has no monthly fees to worry about.
Early Account Termination Fee
Previous terms say account need to be kept open for six months, but I don’t see that in the terms this time.
Our Verdict
Need to lock up funds for ~90 days, this works out to be an annualized return of:
- $400 bonus: 32%
- $800 bonus: 12.8%
Both offers are great. Best previous offer was for $300 but that had no hold period, still think this is a better bonus for most people. There is also a personal checking bonus for $450 that is worth doing. We will add this to the list of the best bank account bonuses.
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
I was told bonus did not post because the 5k deposit was a check not a direct deposit. I have done hundreds of bank promos. Don’t think I’m making a mistake. Had lots of back and forth with them and they seem incompetent. Believe they are mixing up terms on personal and business. I can’t find my screenshot of terms. Would someone please send they to me.
Comment here seems to have the requirements listed from CS.
You didn’t just deposit $5k? 5k average balance with 20 required debits can throw that off.
Thanks. Was really looking for an actual image of bank website I can use to argue with not just rewritten terms. I think it might be handled now though.
Yes. I completed all terms. CS guy called this morning and said specifically the reason for denial is that the 5k deposit was not a direct deposit. I told him I believe that is wrong and he is mixing up two different promos. He continued to dig in confidently arguing that he was certain I didn’t qualify.
I called a branch later same day. This time the banker told me I should be getting the promo in a few days. Further stating she was aware of the morning phone call and that the rep was incorrect.
I have been told at least twice I didn’t qualify and twice that I did qualify. They alternate. It’s a complete mess over there. Bottom decile of banks I’ve dealt with (maybe over 100) for sure.
This is a screenshot of the email I received with the business promo code, which includes the terms at the bottom. It states “Deposit at least $5k within 15 days…”. This is different from the email I received for the personal offer, which states “Make qualifying direct deposits totaling…”. https://i.imgur.com/xVvpu27.png
Thanks. They just credited bonus. The personal promo went smoothly but they made this one a real battle. Haven’t had this happen in a while.
I tried to send myself a promo code using the link on DoC, but when you complete that form they send an email with a link to sign up, and the link does not appear to generate correctly. It links to “productcode=bizessentials__checking&promocode=XXX-XXXXXXX” which is not a valid site.
Is this happening to anyone else? Or does anyone have the full signup link that I can add my promo code to?
just got the same today. crazy that the bank is sending out invalid links for over a month! did you get this to work?
I called the number and the rep said to just start an application from the website and enter the code when asked. I did this and entered the code during the application. I was declined with the reason ‘unable to verify identity’. This is the same decline reason I received when I applied for the personal account, but I went into a branch and successfully opened the personal account. I will try the same here.
Went in branch and opened. In addition to the EIN letter, they were requiring a DBA letter. I went to the county clerk and paid $25 and got it. Due to being denied online, and opening in branch, they might have pulled two Chex because that’s what happened on the personal account. Will have to monitor to see, and dispute if necessary.
Conduct 20 qualifying transactions within the first 3 full statement cycles.
Do I need to do 20 transactions for each statement cycle?
Extended through 12/31/2024 William Charles , same link
Business Name LLC,
I apologize for the delay in response. The account was reviewed, and it was determined the account did not meet the requirements for Cycle 1 ,2 or 3. For the $400 bonus the requirements were:
Deposit $5,000 into the new BizEssentials Checking account within 15 days of the account opening.
Maintain at least a $5,000 collected daily balance for the first 3 full statement cycles.
Conduct 20 qualifying transactions within the first 3 full statement cycles.
————-
10MAY2024: Account opened
24MAY2024: $5.1k deposited to the account
04JUN2024 : I made 22 debit card transactions within a month of opening the account.
18SEP2024 : Maintained more than $5k up until now.
————-
I am guessing this is because I made debit card transactions in the partial month of May which is possibly not included when reviewed for eligibility of bonus.
All debit card transactions were online (Amazon reloads, Utility bill payment).
Response from bank,
The account did not meet the transaction requirement. The first three full cycles only had 13 transactions. Your cycle dates were June 28th, July 31st, and August 30th.
anyone was able to get both the personal and business checking bonuses, using only SSN?
did you find out if you can do both? I got the personal, but going for the biz now. T&C state “ only available for new clients that have not had an account at First Horizon within the last 12 months.” Does this cross-over between business/personal? not sure
I did not. Wondering if anyone has similar DP..
Howard Andrew I was able to do both but it likely depends on the discretion of the branch manager on whether you can apply for the business checking account with a promo applied.
I visited the Plano, TX branch to open a business account using my EIN for a legitimate sole proprietorship (sell things on ebay) under my name. The banker requested a letter of Fictitious(DBA) or Assumed Name(DBA) or an Occupational License. Since I didn’t have these documents, I decided to withdraw my application. Has anyone else been asked for these documents before?
Yep. The bank is headquartered in TN and doesn’t understand TX law. They probably won’t budge on this.
The good news is that it is easy to set up a DBA in TX. Check your county’s website for details (should be as straightforward as filling out a form and having it recorded by the county).
If my math is right, 5% interest on $25k is about $100 per month. When I did the personal bonus, they couldn’t tell me when my first partial period ended, so I would want to move the money in ASAP, in case the first full cycle starts soon, but it could be weeks before it starts. That means the money will be sitting for 3 full months, plus extra time at beginning and end, which could total nearly 4 months. 3 months 3 weeks would be $375 lost interest, so bonus would net $425. The $5k bonus would net $325 over the same time frame, so there’s really only about a $100 difference between the two tiers, even though it appears to be a $400 difference.
I think I’ll do the $5k tier on this bonus, and not tie up an additional $20k for ~4 months for an extra $100.
A better bonus is the US Bank business one, which is the same $25k/$800, but you only have to keep it in the account for 1 month (days 31-60 minimum), and you don’t have to do 20 transactions. If the funds sit 1.5 months total on that one, it nets $650.
Let me know if my math isn’t right.
So transactions during the partial statement do not count towards the 20 transactions? Per terms “…within the 3 full statement cycles”. Just checking for clarification.
Anyone know that if I am OOS and I wonder into branch as I will be in one of the states if I could open an account and qualify?