Deal has ended, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.
Update 7/19/24: Deal is back until 12/10/24. Military pay isn’t required
Update 10/11/23: Deal has been extended to March 14, 2024 and is now $200 instead of $100. Military pay isn’t required this time either.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount:Ā $200
- Availability:Ā Nationwide but restricted membership
- Direct deposit required:Ā Yes, $100+
- Additional requirements:Ā No
- Hard/soft pull:Ā Unknown
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding:Ā Can fund up to $100 with a credit card
- Monthly fees:Ā None
- Early account termination fee:Ā None
- Household limit:Ā None listed
- Expiration date:Ā October 10, 2023
Contents
The Offer
- USAA is offering a $200 bonus when you open classic checking account with qualifying direct deposit of $100+ within the first 180 days of account opening
The Fine Print
- Eligibility: Offer available for new USAA Classic Checking accounts from USAA Federal Savings Bank, also known as FSB, opened between May 5, 2023, and October 10, 2023. The account is not eligible for this offer if: 1) the primary account holder currently has, or has had, ownership of a USAA FSB checking account in the 12 months prior to account opening. The primary account holder is the account holder whose U.S. taxpayer identification number is used for tax reporting purposes on the new account.; or 2) the account is titled as a trust account, estate, Uniform Transfer to Minor Account, also known as UTMA, or other fiduciary account. The new USAA Classic Checking account must remain open and in good standing through the time we attempt to deposit any earned bonus payment. Offer may be discontinued or changed at any time without notice.
- Bonus Requirements and Payment: To qualify for the bonus, open a new USAA Classic Checking account between May 5, 2023, and October 10, 2023, and receive a qualifying direct deposit into the new USAA Classic Checking account within 180 calendar days after account opening. A qualifying direct deposit is a single Automated Clearing House, also known as ACH, electronic deposit of $100 or more of your United States military salary pay, retirement pay, military disability pay, or annuity pay for a surviving beneficiary from Defense Finance Account Service, also known as DFAS, or the U.S. Department of the Treasury, that posts to your new USAA Classic Checking account. Civilians receiving pay from DFAS are excluded. Special payments are not eligible; this includes but is not limited to education and travel benefits related to military service. We will attempt to deposit the $100 bonus into your new USAA Classic Checking account within 60 days after the first qualifying direct deposit. You are responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes due on the bonus and we will report the bonus as income to the tax authorities if required by applicable law. Consult your tax advisor.
- 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
There is no EATF.
Our Verdict
Requirements seem relatively easy to meet if you’re eligible to be a USAA member.
Hat tip to Bockrr
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: Donāt Call The Bank
- Introduction To ChexSystems
- Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
- What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Donāt 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 ā We Wonāt 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
Seem to be in a wee spot of difficulty:
https://www.occ.gov/static/enforcement-actions/eaAA-ENF-2024-96.pdf
.
Yeah, I saw the below article a week ago. I just don’t hope they raise insurance rates to make up for their banking issues.
https://moneywise.com/news/news/a-minefield-of-its-own-making-new-investigation-of-usaa-reveals
23/05/12: Opened
23/10/20: Closed (tried to get earlier bonus)
24/11/22: Opened with $100 funding on Citi Custom Cash
24/12/11: $100 real direct deposit
24/12/17: $200 promotional credit
USAA
11/22 Opened with $25 code as cash advance
11/22 $101 deposit from Chime code as ACH Deposit
12/04 called and Was told I met all the requirements. 10 minutes later they call back and tell me Chime is not eligible. Only payroll and government benefits are eligible. (I know that’s incorrect)
12/04 transfer $125 out to Cash app
12/05 $107 payroll deposit from Square coded as Square Inc Payroll
Still no bonus. I’m worried something is wrong. I mean going off other commenters experiences deposits from Chime received the bonus in a few days. Even deposits from other sources at most only took 20 days. I understand that it can take 60 days, but Should I be concerned? Should I contact support?
Iamawreck USAA seems to pay out in batches around the 20th of the month.
Edit: I re-read the terms and USAA only requires ACH, not direct deposit. Sorry if I came across a bit harsh in my original reply.
Don’t worry about it. I didn’t even see your original reply. Its all good. The bonus came through today.
11/12 Open
11/15 transfer from Chime
11/19 Promo Credit received $200
I forgot just HOW bad this place really is.
Pulled everything out from another bank. Then wanted to check on something and tried to use USAA to pull money in from another already linked account.
Nope.
‘You’re not elegible to do this. New accounts are limited …. ‘
10/30 open
11/4 $1xx.xx fidelity transfer
11/19 promo credit $200
$200 promotional credit posted on 11/19, BUT … $48 Federal tax Withdrawal …..
I don’t have to file FedTaxes due to income circumstances.
Can I get USAA to refund it?
I have never seen it happen where the bank will refund it when you had backup withholding selected/imposed. You can ask… but it’s likely already been sent to the IRS.
Up to you if a 1040-EZ is worth getting your $48. If no tax is due, you will get the refund.
“when you had backup withholding selected/imposed.”
I don’t have either of those.
Well, USAA thinks you did. Private
Chat says the box was checked.
I didn’t do that.
Discussion on it here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/usaa-100-checking-bonus-military-pay-required/#comment-1786037
Nobody came back and said what happened. I have a feeling the reps had them fill out the W-9, so going forward… you know, next time you get a bonus or interest, it won’t happen again.
I’d be sure they know you aren’t planning to keep the account. Doing the paperwork now might be like replacing an engine in car you are about to push off a cliff. GL!
Transfer initiated to zero out the account … pull from the source bank.
7/31 Opened account
8/1 $101 Wells Fargo Push
8/21 $200 bonus posted
Reading through the comments, it seems some people got the bonus the day after the deposit while others didn’t get it for a couple of weeks.
Is there a reason?
I hate this place. I hate it completely.
But if they’re going to give me $200 for a $100 deposit, I’ll take it from them.
Set up was sort of easy due to a previous priofile that retained all of my information from years ago.
External bank linked ‘instantly’ using eTrade??????
So, I guess we’ll see now …