Update 4/10/21: Deal is back, hat tip to Larrabeedrill
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $150
- Availability:Nassau/Suffolk county on Long Island NY
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $100+
- Additional requirements: None
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: Unknown
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: Unknown
- Household limit: None listed
- Expiration date: None listed
Contents
The Offer
- Jovia Financial Credit Union is offering a bonus of $150 when you open a new checking account and receive a direct deposit of $100+
The Fine Print
- Offer available for new and existing Jovia members from October 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.
- Membership eligibility requirements apply.
- Existing accounts prior to the promotional period do not qualify. Offer is for new, first-time Go Green Checking accounts with a reoccurring minimum direct deposit of $100 in the checking account within 60 days of account opening.
- Cash bonus will post automatically to the members’ checking or share account and will be reported as income on IRS form 1099-INT. Must meet account qualifications to earn APY and ATM fee reimbursements.
- Free first order of checks for new accounts only. Rates subject to change without notice.
- All offers can be withdrawn at any time and are subject to change without notice. Employees, volunteers, and affiliates of Jovia and their immediate families are not eligible.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
This account has no monthly fees to worry about.
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.
Our Verdict
Looks like it’s worth doing considering it’s a soft pull to open and there are no monthly fees to worry about.
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
Post history:
- Update 11/14/20: Deal is back and is now $150 instead of $125.
Denied with Chex frozen: Failed online verification.
I applied for this some time ago. I don’t remember the details, but they rejected me. I just got a mailer with the same bonus offer, but this time it’s for a Go Green checking account that pays 4% APY on the first $25,000.
Declined with Chex frozen, presumably for that reason. From the denial email:
“Thank you for your interest in joining Jovia. We sincerely wish to move forward with establishing your new membership. Unfortunately, we regret we cannot open your account today for the following reason/s:
Failed Online Verification”
Don’t think I’ll try again for a Chex hit, but we’ll see
Someone on the Service Credit Union page said they got Jovia opened without a Chex hit due to Chex frozen, but I know for a fact they gobbled up my P1/P2’s Chex when we joined.
Yeah it was actually a comment of yours noting the DP that led me to try it! I couldn’t do it then, but took a note to test it myself when I had Chex frozen next. Maybe that person was an existing member, or maybe the hit got listed out of order on the report. Do you know of any others that work? Citi did for me and Altra had some positive DPs, and I was thinking of trying some others (Valley Bank, First Tech, misc CDs).
You mentioned Laurel Road I think, but Key didn’t recognize me without my beard
It would be nice if DoC would create a page for frozen Chex DP’s.
Amex Citi Laurel Road worked.
M&T BMO Citizens failed, IIRC. Instant denial. Resubmit with Chex thawed… instant approval.
Saw a DP for Fifth Third in Branch, Chex frozen… that’s a good one for me, someday, next time I find myself in the right state. They normally pull EWS & Chex, in person or online.
Add-on accounts at SecurityPlus worked for me, but not for most others. Guessing reviewer discretion or close proximity to prior Chex SecPlus pull.
I don’t like going in with Chex frozen for MOST unknowns though, because I might end up missing out when they reject it. With these offers that only last a day before they get neutered, you have to be quick.
IME First Tech and Altra did not pull Chex… without it being frozen.
Could go under the “Pulls Chex” page. I’d be down if you would
Same for me with Citizens. If you’re that interested in 5/3, what about over the phone?
Interesting about First Tech. Altra I saw some people say pulled it at least
I agree it’s not a good general approach. Better to be judicious with your applications in the first place than try everything frozen. Especially when the shorter-lived opportunities can be so finicky.
In your experience btw does there seem to be much of a delay between putting in the Chex unfreeze request and it being carried out? Or have they ever hassled anyone for freezing/unfreezing too much? At one point they sent me a letter telling me to quit it with the inquiry disputes lmao
I am OOS for 5/3, so I have to apply in branch. A few years ago I got away with opening one online using my 5/3 credit card to keep my online banking alive… but they closed the loophole.
Chex thaw & freeze is instant. You can verify by pulling your Chex report. If you have a freeze, it shows on the first page near the top.
when you were filling the membership application online: what options did you get at the ‘Funding’ page? I only got Plaid, and I did not use it because I did not trust it
I didn’t write it down, sorry
Out-of-state DP. I got declined d/t Chex, P2 approved:
5/14/24 account opened
6/6/24 $100+ real DD
6/20/24 $100+ real DD
6/25/24 $150 bonus posted
Declined because they got an error pulling my Chex report while I had lexinexis frozen. Need to unfreeze both before applying.
DP: Closed via SM, next day. Accounts disappeared from online banking. Login currently works. CAN still access statements.
Declined. lol/12 for chex.
“Thank you for your interest in joining Jovia. We sincerely wish to move forward with establishing your new membership. Unfortunately, we regret we cannot open your account today. We appreciate your interest in becoming a member and we do hope that you understand that these risk management measures are necessary to protect the interest of the general membership and the Credit Union.”
I requested more info and was told: “The application was declined due to delinquencies and collection activities io credit report.” which is nonsense as there are no such things on my report except inquiries.
That’s called a rep making up stories. They assume you have bad credit or owe bank’s money without doing research.
I sent their loans dept an email asking for reconsideration
How did it go?
Still declined
Applied 12/31, denied 1/2 — CSR said anyone with more than 7 other bank accounts opened within the prior 365 days of application will be denied by default. Didn’t specify if that info is from Chex/EWS/etc.
If true, that would be a new rule then. They pull Chex, not EWS.
Sounds like an average/totally incompetent CSR and nothing more. I opened 20+ accounts during the last 365 days, and had no trouble getting approved for their membership and CareFree checking account. (I opened it on 10/15, received the $150 bonus on 11/24, and closed the account in early December.)
Possibly but also possible they have cracked down on rules given the time frame between yours and knuds applications.
Opened 6/13/23
Real DD
Bonus $50 on 6/21 Bonus $100 on 7/21/23
Can I close online via secure message?
I closed on the phone (I always do) and it really took a couple of minutes with Jovia. Either way, they’ll probably want to verify your address is current, since they have to issue you a check with the $5 in your Share Savings.
Based on other comments and my current experience it sounds like they are trying to deny the bonus for any reason possible. My DP:
Opened OPS 9/27
First real DD 9/29
Tried wise to see if it would count 10/3
Second real DD 11/1
As of today I still have not gotten the $150. Should have had it on 12/1. I sent a message last night and they responded by saying wise is a money transfer service and does not count. They completely ignored my 2 real DDs and closed the ticket right away. I reopened it and pointed out clearly my 2 real DDs, just waiting for a response now.
Sounds like a mistake on their part that they should be able to correct, assuming this is your first checking account with Jovia FCU. According to the terms, you should have received the bonus within 30 days after your second (real) DD, hence by 12/1.
There are some datapoints that state Jovia required recurring dd so at least a second one. Maybe by not receiving the second DD in October, the qualifications for the bonus were not met. However the terms are not 100% clear. You can try filing a complaint to NCUA as a last resort.
They are having me send in paystubs now, if that does not work I will definitely file a report. Not sure why my 1st DD came in early in September, they are always on the 1st.
Got the bonus today, not sure why this was an issue. My payroll was ran through Gusto if anyone else has issues.