Star One Credit Union $200 Checking Bonus – No Bonus Requirements[Bay Area, CA only]

Update 2/23/25: Available again.

Update 7/24/24: Term state ‘To be eligible for bonus, new member must reside, regularly work, or attend school in one of the nine counties of Star One’s field of membership, or be an employee of a Corporate Partner.’. This is enforced.

Update 3/9/24: Deal is back with promo code BONUS200.

Update 9/29/23: Deal is back

Update 10/19/22: Deal is back at $200. Use promo code NEW200.

Update 2/3/22: Deal is back at the $200 level until April 30

Update 8/8/21: Deal is back at the $200 level until Sept 30.

Update 2/18/21: Bonus is now $200 for the new member and $100 for the person that refers you. Hat tip to reader Pieter W

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $120
• Availability: Star One offers membership to individuals who live, work, or attend school in Santa Clara County, as well employees of corporate sponsors, immediate family members* of current Star One members, and Star One Credit Union employees.
• Direct deposit required: No
• Additional requirements: None
• Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
• ChexSystems: Yes
• Credit card funding: Can fund up to $1,000Credit Card Funding is now limited to $75 ($50 from savings, $25 from checking)
• Monthly fees: None
• Early account termination fee: None listed
• Expiration date: September 15th, 2019

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Receive a sign up bonus of $200 when you use a referral link and you open a new checking account.

 

The Fine Print

• The bonus will be deposited into your Money Market Savings Account upon verification that a new Membership and a
  Checking account have been established. Bonus is subject to IRS reporting. Minor and transfer to minor accounts not
  eligible for bonus. Star One Credit Union staff not eligible for the bonus
• Minimum deposit of $50 required to establish a new Membership account. Minimum $100 deposit to open a Checking
  account. Existing and previous Star One members do not qualify as new members
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Referral

You need somebodies Full Name & E-mail address to refer them you also need to fill out the referral form, feel free to share your details in the comments. You can receive a limit of $240 in referral bonuses. They might also sometimes ask you for the phone number of the person you referred.

Avoiding Fees

Star One Credit Union offers a free checking account that qualifies for this deal, there is also no early account termination fee.

Our Verdict

If you live in a service area and can get referred, this is a good deal as there are no requirements to get the bonus. Would be even better if you can fund with a credit card. Feel free to share your experiences and referral information in the comments, we’ll add it to our best bank bonus page once we have at least one person giving out referrals.

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

• A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
• PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
• Introduction To 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

Bonus history:

• Update 12/8/19: Deal is available at $120 via referral.
• Update 9/16/19: Bonus is back to $120 but requires a referral again
• Update 9/11/19: Bonus is now $200, no requirements and no referral required. Hat tip to reader EW
• Update 7/14/19: Some people have offers for $200/$100 (person signing up receives $200 and person referring receives $100). Requires a direct deposit and valid until August 15th, 2019. Feel free to share your referral info but only if you have this offer. Hat tip to reader Pavel
• Update 11/21/18: Bonus is now $120 for the person signing up and $100 for the person referring (before it was $120 & $60, so only better for the person referring). Hat tip to reader EW.