This offer has now ended, click here for the best current checking bonuses.
Update: Apparently the direct deposit needs to be recurring ‘recurring payroll direct deposit of $500 of more within 2 months of account opening’
Update 10/15/18: Deal is back and valid until December 31st, 2018. Thanks to reader Gotham.
Update: According to multiple comments it looks like they have killed the $300 savings bonus. $200 checking is still available though.
Reposting as we’ve confirmed that it’s available in all states thanks to readers in the comments.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount:Â $500
- Availability: In branch at NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA, CA branch locations only [Branch locator]
- Direct deposit required:Â Yes, $500+
- Additional requirements:Â See below
- Hard/soft pull:Â Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding:Â None
- Monthly fees:
- Early account termination fee:Â One year, bonus forfeit
- Household limit:Â None listed
- Expiration date:Â
June 30th, 2018 July 31st, 2018December 31st, 2018
Contents
The Offer
No direct link to offer, in branch only
- Woori America Bank is offering bonus of up to $500 when you open a new checking & savings account.
- Get a $200 bonus when you open a rewards checking account
- Deposit $500+ at account opening
- Receive a direct deposit of $500 or more within 2 months of account opening
- Maintain an average daily balance of $500+ for three months
Get a $300 bonus when you open a savings & money market accountYou must complete all the rewards checking account requirements aboveOpen a new savings or money market account (regular statement savings, silver statement savings, gold statement savings, regular money market or priority money market)Maintain an average daily balance of $5,000+ for three months
- Get a $200 bonus when you open a rewards checking account
The Fine Print
- Direct deposit needs to be an electronic deposit of your paycheck from your employer (can’t be government benefits or pension)
- Bonuses will post to your account within 10 business days of meeting the requirements
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Early Account Termination Fee
If the accounts are closed within a year of opening, the bonuses will be clawed back.
Regular Statement Savings
This account is the easiest to keep fee free, as long as you have a balance of $200 no monthly fee is charged. Otherwise a $4 fee is charged.
Dream Checking
This account has no monthly fees to worry about.
Rewards Checking
Looks like you need to open a rewards checking account instead of dream. This has a monthly fee (unknown amount) if you don’t have a balance of $500+
Our Verdict
This is a great bonus, but it looks like they are very strict on the direct deposit requirement so I’d probably only do it if you can change your payroll. When you sign up they actually ask you for your employers name as they want to make sure it matches what the direct deposit says. Checking account has a $500 minimum opening deposit and savings is $5,000, you need to deposit this when opening in branch (check and cash are accepted). That being said it’s still a massive $500 bonus and even the savings account doesn’t require a massive amount deposited compared to other accounts. This will definitely be added to the best bank account bonuses currently available. As always share your experiences and data points with this bank in the comments below.
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
Has anyone had difficulties closing the account? I no longer live near a branch and they are insisting I need to go in-branch to do the closure…
While the offer has expired, they are now offering a teddy bear with 300k in deposits. It was just too hilarious not to share…
https://www.wooriamericabank.com/assets/images/cms/time-deposit/page%20banner_EN.png
lol
I like the toothpaste and toothbrush they gave out before. That was actually pretty useful for traveling.
Offer is dead.
Went to Flushing, NY branch to try to open an account this morning. Did not see any literature or signs. Confirmed with staff that there is no personal checking bonus, just one for business checking.
Oh well.
William Charles Offer expired in October due to limit reached.
I thought that was the saving bonus only?
No. The Checking bonus died in October. I confirmed with two branches in California.
Thanks, let me update
Went in branch to try to product change my account to the zero fee Dream checking, since I already received the bonus. They wouldn’t let me change it since I opened it with this promotion.
called the bank in LA, they said this is no longer available
Contacted customer care through secure message and then referred to my opening branch. Rep stated I was ineligible for bonus because direct deposit was not recurring until bonus payment.
I used employer DD two times for $500 each. CFPB complaint filed.
Do you have any update with CFPB complaint? I’m about to file one. Thanks.
LOL “CFPB complaint filed” CFPB is the most toothless tiger ever created. Just shut it down.
Bank told me the 500 payroll deposit is monthly so if you get paid 2x a month, all you need is 250 for each deposit. Can someone confirm?
$200 bonus posted. As I mentioned in previous posts, I only did 2 $500 DD for a total of $1,000. After meeting this criteria, I messaged the bank to confirm that I met all necessary criteria and they confirmed that the bonus would post 3 months later.
Los Angeles branch.
Check your account! Today the $200 appeared in my account after maybe two weeks of back and forth.
I only did one deposit, didn’t receive the bonus, complained to the branch, they said I didn’t meet the requirements with the “recurring” stuff. I pushed back, they said nothing could be done. Today the money just showed up unexpectedly.
I don’t know if they’re automatically doing this for everyone or not, but I think you have a good chance of getting the bonus if you complain loud enough, either directly to the branch or through the CFPB, or both.