[Expired] [PA]Citadel Banking Offers An Increased Sign Up Bonus Of $250 – No Direct Deposit

This bonus is no longer available, but they do have a new bonus worth up to $400.

Offer at a glance

  • Maximum bonus amount: $250 cash
  • Availability: Must live, work, worship, or study in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia Counties, or the city of Lancaster, PA or if  a member of your family or household is already a customer, no matter where you live.
  • Direct deposit required: No
  • Additional requirements: Make three signature based debit card transactions + request points
  • Hard/soft pull: Soft
  • Credit card funding: Up to $500
  • Monthly fees: $0
  • Early account termination fee: None
  • Expiration date: Not listed

The Offer

Direct link to offer

  • Open a new checking account with Citadel Credit Union with a minimum opening deposit of $50 and receive 25,000 points (worth $250 in gift cards) when you complete the following requirements:
    • Make at least three (3) signature transactions using your new debit card within the first 30 days after opening your account
    • Call us or visit any one of our convenient branch locations to request your 25,000 bonus points

The Fine Print

  • This limited time offer may be withdrawn at any time
  • The offer may not be combined with any other offer
  • Bonus rewards points available to new checking customers only; One offer per household, per lifetime
  • Customer must not have closed a Citadel checking account within the last 12 months
  • All bank bonuses are treated as interest and as such you must pay taxes on them

Credit Card

Citadel also offer a credit card (currently with a $300 balance transfer bonus). After completing the sign up for this checking account you’ll sometimes be pre-approved for this card, if this happens then it’s only a soft credit pull (no hard pull is done), this is called the bank cart trick and is similar to the shopping cart trick

Avoiding Fees

Citadel bank does not charge any early account termination fees from what we could find. They also offer free checking accounts which don’t have any requirements to stay fee free (if the account is inactive for a period of 365  days or more a $5 fee is charged monthly though).  More details on the fee here.

Our Verdict

This is a great bonus, only a soft pull, high bonus amount with easy to meet requirements, no requirements to keep the account fee free and credit card funding pretty much as good as it gets. Only slight hassle is you need to call or go into a branch to get the bonus added to your account, not really a big deal since there is no direct deposit requirement though. We’ve added this to our list of the best bank account bonuses.
    William Charles
  • On February 17, 2016, 10:30

View Comments (110)

    • Please do cause if they aren't enforcing it I would love to do this bonus since there's one near my job.

  • Finished debit transactions 4/12
    Called for points on 4/13
    Points posted to rewards account 6/15
    Redeemed to checking account (waiting on deposit)

    Thanks, DoC.

  • I had no problem opening this account as a NJ resident working in Philadelphia. I was careful to enter as much employer info as I could: zip code, work phone #, etc. not just the areas with the * that are required.
    Somehow it added in a Star savings account which I was certain I did not click on as desired on the app. oh well...
    I was able to create an online log in right away and it showed my savings account balance as $-5.00. I don't know why that is and I probably should have read through the 20 pages of fine print that I agreed to. ;) Maybe some joining fee.

    I funded it with a CSP card for $400 and it's pending as a purchase.

    Thanks DoC!

    • I was later asked to show employee ID or pay stub to prove I work in Phila and the next day asked to show NJ DL as proof of ID and residence.
      It's all good now and received my debit card today, 8 days after opening. The short hold on funds has been released so it's time to go shopping!

    • @guest_583569
      It's a credit union thing to automatically open a savings account with $5 balance in it which you cannot touch. Make sure to transfer $5 from checking.
      I think it as kind of membership fee.

      • Thanks @guest_363662
        This is my first CU account. Will they send me referral offers? I'd like to be able to get this bonus for my husband too. I don't recall any area of the app that allows someone to enter if a family member is a CU member.

        • I haven't received any referral offers for for bank bonuses from them in last one year but only credit card/insurance offers.
          Even if you can get the referral offer the bank account bonus is only one per household.

  • 2/8 – Opened account online. Funded with $500 Chase Freedom CC. Transaction coded as a sale. Had to respond to email with image of my DL. Signed up for online access and granted immediately.
    2/12 – Debit card came in mail.
    2/22 – Initial $500 available for use. Took a full 10 business days from date of opening.
    2/26 – Hit 3 debit card transactions. Transferred some funds from CO360 to bring balance back over $500. Called a couple days later and they told me I satisfied requirements and they would order the rewards points and that it would take a full 60 days for them to post. Still awaiting points as of 4/18, they should post soon.

    • My points showed up on 4/27. I cashed them out and they were in my account 2-3 business days later. Very easy bonus.

      As someone else reported, I guess they won't send a 1099-INT since I chose to redeem my bonus points for cash, they didn't straight up give me cash. Kind of like using CC reward points for statement credits, you aren't taxed on that.

  • Opened on 3/27. Had to provide proof of employer location via SM. As of 4/6, still waiting for initial credit card funding to become available. They charged my card quite promptly on 3/27, but two different reps have told me two different stories now. Rep 1: funds will be available by 4/3 after five-business day hold. Rep 2: we have no record of your funds. Please send proof. There may be a 15-day hold on new account funds.

    I SM'ed a redacted copy of my card statement showing the charge. I was then told they will "investigate" and get back to me. Must be nice to take the money, earn a little float, but make it inaccessible to the customer himself.

    Caveat emptor.

    • Many banks hold funds for new accounts. Sorry to say it's not a new thing.
      Our little local bank that we love kept a 7 day hold on any deposits for the first month our checking account was open. So we stayed with our old bank until the new account was a month old. No biggie.
      Most banks either sock you with a lot of BS fees, such as min balance, or they hold funds extra long, like Capital One 360.

    • Update: Finally on 4/8, the funds showed as pending. Via SM, rep told me they would be available 4/10.

  • The terms and conditions state: "Bonus rewards points available to new checking customers only; One offer per household, per lifetime." Has anyone successfully gotten around this?

  • 12/26/17 - Opened account funded $500 with CFU
    1/20/18 - Met debit transaction condition
    1/25/18 - Called and spoke to rep to request bonus points
    2/16/18 - Bonus points deposited (Rep said they'd be there mid March, so much quicker than expected)

    I think I'm going to keep this account. I have been meaning to begin a relationship with a local credit union.

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