Deal has ended, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $250
- Availability: Account must be opened in branch. They have branches in TN, TX & VA [Branch locations]
- Direct deposit required: Optional
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Yes
- Credit card funding: Unknown
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date: None listed
The Offer
- Eastman Credit Union is offering a bonus of up to $250 when you open a new Beyond Free Checking account. You receive $25 for each automatic payment or direct deposit you switch to your new account, up to a limit of $250.
The Fine Print
- Looks like account must be opened in branch to start with
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
This account has no monthly fees to worry about. I wasn’t able to find any early account termination fee in the fee schedule.
Our Verdict
How could this deal is will depend on how many automatic payments/direct deposits you have set up. I assume you could have 10 bill pays set up and that would qualify you for the $250 bonus, most people should be able to get that going with a bit of preparation. I do think it’s worth doing if you live in the target area, so because of that I’ll be adding it to the best checking bonuses. Please share your experiences and data points in the comments below.
Big thanks to reader, Curmudgeon who let us know. Learn how to find bonuses and contribute to the site here.
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
This is dead. Called and confirmed that the credit union no longer utilizes ClickSWITCH therefore bonus is no longer available.
Looks like it might be dead?
Link is dead
Was rejected from opening an account for my home address being further than 60 miles away from a bank location even though I’m in a targeted state. Just wanted to post this DP that it seems they are enforcing the 60 miles from branch rule.
i drove 50 miles to be YOUR dp, signed in, showed license, banker said no hard or soft but chex pull, after verified i am qualified(has to be in their coverage map area which you can check online before wasted a trip), then told me i have to have a saving acct(min $5 to open) as well in order to open the checking acct, plus $1 member fee, she said promotion ongoing, she told me $25 each reward has to go through clickswitch(meant i had auto withdrew setup before switch) within 30 days, i asked her to look up an example like discover card which not in their system, so i am not sure i can get any $25 reward met their terms. Anyway, its free check, free debit card and free atm use etc, no minimum, no monthly fee, so i went ahead opened 1 saving with $5 and 1 checking with some $ cash and walked away after about 30 minutes. 1st time with any credit union, not sure what to expect. She said you can open online to get same reward if you are qualified per their maps. btw.
Thanks for the info, updating post.
How do I know if qualified by maps? Will call at some point when have time.
Answered my own question: https://www.ecu.org/Join-Today. Only Gregg/Harrison counties in TX. Need to change post.
I’m in DFW and the closest branch is 150 miles away. Not sure if that’s worth the bonus here.
Only if you can combine the trip with some other purpose. I’m in VA, but my closest branch is almost 400 miles away. I had seen this one on another blog many times before over the last couple years, so I think it’s pretty much a continuous promo. I will get to it when I happen to be passing thru… someday, maybe.
I am new in churning checking accounts. What are the other blogs you follow and suggest
Thanks,
Harry
Every Bank Bonus dot com is a newcomer, but also lacks some of the insight needed to make a decision.
DepositAccounts.com has good info, but more for reference rather than breaking news. Best use of the site is to find financial institution stability info, and they maintain a list of credit unions anyone can join (usually for a small fee).
You can use the FDIC & NCUA websites to find all the banks/CU’s near your zip code (or vacation zip code if your wanting to maximize bonuses while travelling), then just google for a bonus too.
Reddit churning has some bank bonus info, but for every interesting/informative comment you read you will read at least 100+ useless ones.
But, nothing compares to this site for finding bank bonuses. Follow this one – check the other ones only if you are bored or wanting to do research.
Hey man. I’ve used HMB for many years before I discovered the comments section on this site. HMB has quality info also. They’ve done an awesome job over the years. The big major difference here is the community. I kinda have a problem with people putting down 1 thing because they like another more. There are many times I find info on HMB and other similar that’s not here.
Hi Ken im also in the DFW area (in Arlington). Nice to see a fellow churner nearby!
Looking for confirmation in branch only for sure. In TX but Houston. Might call and ask.
Also in houston, id go for this one myself as well
Drive all the way or if available phone/online?
Be the DP you want to see.
That was my guess. I will call in at some point and post back.