[Expired] [MA, In Branch only] North Shore Bank $300 Checking Bonus

Deal has ended, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.

Update 8/24/21: Now in branch only at the 31 Harnden Street Reading branch

Offer at a glance

  • Maximum bonus amount: $300
  • Availability: MA only. Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire residents only
  • Direct deposit required: Yes, two $250+ within 60 days
  • Additional requirements: Use promo code
  • Hard/soft pull: Unknown
  • ChexSystems: Unknown
  • Credit card funding: None. Says up to $1,000 but doesn’t seem to work
  • Monthly fees: None
  • Early account termination fee: None listed
  • Household limit: None listed
  • Expiration date: October 31, 2021

The Offer

Direct link to offer

  • North Shore Bank is offering a bonus of $300 when you open a new checking account and complete the following requirements:
    • Use promo code READING300
    • Receive a recurring direct deposit of $250+ within sixty days

The Fine Print

  • To qualify for the $300 bonus you must not currently have a personal checking account with North Shore Bank.
  • Accounts must be opened between August 1, 2021 and October 31, 2021 at the 31 Harnden Street, Reading Branch, or online at northshore-bank.com/ready with the code READING300 and must receive a recurring direct deposit of at least $250 within 60 days of account opening.
  • Direct deposits may include salary, pension, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or other regularly scheduled electronic deposits.
  • Accounts that are overdrawn during the promotional period will be ineligible to receive the bonus.
  • Once the offer criteria is met, and after at least two direct deposits are credited to the account, the $300 will be paid no later than 90 days from account opening.
  • We may change or discontinue this offer at any time without notice.
  • We will report the $300 bonus to the IRS as interest for the year in which it is received.
  • One bonus per individual as identified by Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
  • All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

There is a free checking account with no monthly fees to worry about.

Early Account Termination Fee

I wasn’t able to find any EATF in the fee schedule.

Our Verdict

Not to be confused with the other North Shore Bank. Bonus looks to be relatively easy, just need to know if it’s a hard or soft pull.

Hat tip to Michael R

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

View Comments (45)

  • William Charles @will

    Capital One did not trigger the DD requirement for this bonus

  • Can anyone share a screen shot of the offer terms showing online opening was eligible back in August?

    • I emailed the bank asking about my eligibility since it was past 90 days since account opening. They confirmed I met the requirements and manually credited the bonus. The terms changed mid-afternoon EST on August 24th.

      • Thank you, I had the same experience. Had to call them and ask to get manually credited. Applied on August 24th under the old terms on the website.

  • I opened an account on 8/24 with the code READING300 before the T&C changed to in-branch only. I completed 2 $251 direct deposits from my employer, but I did not receive the bonus like the two datapoints below. I guess I will wait until after 90 days from account opening, per T&C, to see what happens.

  • Opened free checking account 8/26 online using promo code READING300
    Direct deposited $251 from employer twice, transaction labeled "External Deposit EMPLOYER NAME PAYROLL"
    Received $300 bonus on 11/2
    Will keep open for a couple weeks before attempting to close

  • promo is dead as of 9/7/21
    Was about to go in and apply but link now says this promotion is no longer available (even in branch)

  • Opened in branch on Monday. Got the best customer service there and really pleased. Got the account number and set up online banking without issues on the same day. However, got another call today (Wednesday) by the same rep, and was informed my account is being closed because of the number of inquiries. Kinda surprised this wasn't done on Monday to save all those trouble and hope... Anyway, they are mailing the opening deposit back to me.

  • Applied online on 8/21. Is there any way to check the code was successfully applied? I did not save the screenshots.

  • Could not verify identity, even after uploading a photo of my DL.

    AKA too many churners, shut down the offer.

    @will it's branch only now FYI.