[Expired] [WA only] Gesa Credit Union $300 Checking Bonus – No Direct Deposit Requirement

Deal no longer being offered. View more bank account bonuses by clicking here.

Update 3/26/22: Deal is back, this time you get $100 of the bonus after one year but there are less requirements. Hat tip to reader Gabe

Offer at a glance

  • Maximum bonus amount: $300
  • Availability:If you live, work, worship or attend school in the State of Washington, are a close relative of someone who qualifies as a member, or are a resident within Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce and Shoshone Counties in Idaho, you are eligible to join Gesa.
  • Direct deposit required: No
  • Additional requirements: See below
  • Hard/soft pull: Soft
  • ChexSystems: Unknown
  • Credit card funding: Can fund with a credit card, up to $5,000
  • Monthly fees: None
  • Early account termination fee: $20, 180 days
  • Household limit: None
  • Expiration date: None listed

The Offer

Direct link to offer

  • Gesa Credit Union is offering a bonus of $200 when you open a new Colossal checking account and complete the following requirements within 60 days of account opening:
    • Open your new checking account
    • Sign up for Online Banking and eStatements
    • Complete 10 debit card purchases (excluding ATM transactions)
  • Get another $100 when you keep the account open with a positive balance for one year

The Fine Print

  • All qualification criteria must be met within 60 days of account opening.
  • $300 incentive will be deposited into member’s savings account after all qualification criteria are met and is subject to any required IRS reporting.
  • Only one $300 checking incentive per member.
  • Member must not have had a Gesa checking account within the last 90 days.
  • Member must not be a current Inspirus Credit Union checking account holder.
  • Colossal Checking accounts may be opened at any Gesa branch.
  • Offer valid for a limited time only.
  • 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

A $20 fee is charged if the account is closed within 180 days according to this fee schedule.

Our Verdict

Previous best bonus was $100, so this is considerably better than that. I definitely think this bonus is worth doing, there are a few requirements but none of them are particularly hard to meet. I’d recommend applying for this account ASAP, as I can see it being extremely popular and being pulled quickly. I’ll be adding it to our best bank account bonus page.

Hat tip to Christian W

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View Comments (277)

  • Good news: It’s now $200 (welcome bonus) + $150 (on 1st anniversary) for SmartPlus Checking, and will be eligible for additional 100*10 referral bonus if opening a savings together.
    referral code: B2S9XQR21

  • My one year came up a couple of days ago. SM to find out about when $100 will post, they said within 30 days.

  • I receive an email about a referral bonus of $100 for each party

    Did you know you could earn up to $1,000* for referring friends and family members to the credit union that supports local and gives back to the community?

    It’s true! As a Gesa member, you’ll get $100 for every qualified referral who joins—up to ten people and $1,000.

    To get started, forward this email, text, or call your friends and family and tell them to join Gesa using your unique referral code: X91Y3VHA

    When your friends and family join using your code, they will earn $100 for themselves and be immediately eligible to start referring to earn up to $1,000.

  • It looks like this deal has expired (the required checking account products are no longer offered), but fortunately I was able to get it in time. As others have reported, I also got the initial bonus literally a day after doing the 10x debit purchases.