Best Bank Deals

Members who open a new checking account at Patelco Credit Union with a $100 minimum monthly direct deposit can earn a $50 bonus. The bonus will be deposited into the checking account after three months of direct deposit activity.

Patelco Credit Union’s Free Checking and Interest Checking have a minimum deposit of $10 to open. The Premier Interest Checking has a minimum deposit requirement of $5,000.

Anyone who joins the California Association for Older Americans, regardless of age or geographic location, can join Patelco Credit Union.

Branches are located in: Novato, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor, Daly City, Redwood City, San Mateo, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Fairfield, Folsom, Roseville, Sacramento, Concord, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pinole, Pleasanton, San Leandro, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Atwater, Bakersfield, Eureka, and Deerfield.

Metropolitan National Bank is giving out $200 for every new customer that signs up for a checking account through their bank.  According to the bank’s website, the deal is open to all US residents.

Metropolitan National Bank’s free checking account includes the following:

FREE direct deposit
FREE online banking
FREE online billpay

Here are some of the terms and conditions:

• Free checking account and $200 bonus offers subject to change without notice,
• Limited to one account per customer
• Free checking with the $200 bonus requires activating full direct deposit
• $200 bonus will be credited to the account after first full qualifying direct deposit posts
• Account must remain open and full qualifying direct deposit active for 6 months from the date of account opening or the $200 bonus will be debited upon account closure

You can currently get up to $225 in bonuses from Chase Bank. Here are the three bonuses:

• $125 bonus directly through their promotional page
• $25 through their refer-a-friend program
• Applying for a Chase Debit card and getting 10% cash back on all purchases (up to $75)

Here are some additional details on the checking account:

• The checking account requires $100 minimum opening deposit
• Chase Free Checking has no monthly service fee when you have a monthly direct deposit; if you don’t there is a 6$ fee
• You are limited to one personal checking account-related reward per customer per year
• Checking account must remain open for a minimum of six months or the reward will be debited from the account at closing
• The first direct deposit must be completed within 60 days
• The cash bonus will be deposited into your new account within 4-8 weeks after the initial direct deposit

You may need to follow up by phone to make sure that you get your bonus. An alternative method is to bring the coupon into a local branch; this seems to guarantee that you will be credited with your bonus. For the refer-a-friend bonus, you will need to know someone who already does their banking with Chase or ask for a bonus in the comments below. This bonus expires on April 30, 2008. Here is an alternative $100 offer that expires on May 31, 2008.

Meriwest Credit Union is offering up to a $100 bonus when you initiate Direct Deposit and sign up for and utilize online Bill Pay. You’ll receive $50 for initiating Direct Deposit of over $1,000 per month and $50 for making at least two Bill Pays made within a 60 day period. Payments must be made within 90 days of signing up for Bill Pay.

Field of membership in Meriwest Credit Union is extended to those who live, work, or study in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, or San Francisco county as well as employees and retirees any of a number of certain select employee groups including IBM. Family members and household members of eligible members are also eligible.

KeyBank is currently running a $100 bank checking promotion if you open a checking account by 4/25/08. You must make two direct deposits or automated payments of $100 or more. Upon completing the requirements, you’ll receive a $100 MasterCard gift card. Here’s some of the details of this bank deal:

•  Qualifying checking accounts include Key Express Free Checking and Key Advantage
• Direct deposit transactions are limited to: payroll, social security, pension and government benefits
• Automated payments exclude Key Bill Pay, debit card automated payments, PayPal transactions and account to account balance transfers
• Not available to those that have opened a checking account with KeyBank
• Closing your account within 180 days will result in a $25 early closure fee

Patelco Credit Union is offering a $50 checking account opening bonus when you open a new checking account with the credit union. The account must receive direct deposit of $100 or more per month for three months in order to earn this bonus.

Field of membership in Patelco Credit Union is open to a wide variety of groups and organizations. Anyone who isn’t otherwise eligible for membership can become eligible by joining the California Association for Older Americans which is open to anyone regardless of age or geographic location. Simply indicate California Association for Older Americans on your application for Patelco credit union membership.

Open a new account at Discover Bank to earn a cash bonus offer. The amount of the deposit determines the amount of the bonus. A minimum deposits of $2,500 will earn a bonus of $20; a minimum deposit of $50,000 earns a bonus of $50; and a minimum deposit of $100,000 earns $50.

Discover Bank’s Discover Bank Money Market Account currently earns an annual percentage yield (APY) of 3.61% on balances of $2,500 to $24,999, 3.66% (APY) on balances of $25,000 to $49,999, and 3.71% APY on balances of $50,000 and more.

Funds must remain on deposit for at least 90 days.

Offer runs until 3/31/08.

Flagstar Bank is still offering a $100 gas card for opening a checking account and establishing direct deposit of at least $250/month.

• Limited to new checking account customers only
• To qualify, customer must open a Flagstar checking account and establish direct deposit of at least $250 per month
• The account must remain open and active for a minimum of six months
• If checking account is closed within the first six months, Flagstar reserves the right to reclaim the value of the gas card.

Click Open an Account to view our checking products. After selecting the checking account you would like to open, enter the promo code GC100 into the promo code field of the account opening form. If you prefer to open an account at a branch, use the Find a Local Branch button to locate the branch nearest you and mention promo code GC100.

Bank of America is offering a $100 bonus for opening any new business checking account before March 31, 2008. The promotional code is BTB0100. You can open online or at a branch. Here’s a coupon page to be printed if you open at a branch. Here are some of the promotional details:

Offer applies to any new business checking account opened with a Visa Business Check Card before March 31, 2008. Limit one $100 incentive per business every 6 months. If opening the account online, you must enter the code BTB0100 to ensure you receive the bonus. If opening your account in a Bank of America banking center, you must provide the coupon to receive the bonus. Your bonus will be deposited directly into your new account within 60 days of account opening. If your account is closed within the first 60 days, you will not be eligible for the bonus.

One good checking account option is the Business Economy Checking. You can avoid monthly maintenance fees for at least 2 years if you have a personal checking account with BofA .

TD Ameritrade is running a $100 savings account bonus that is scheduled to end on March 31. Here are some of the details of the promotion:

• Open a Save Yourself account by 3/31/2008
• Set up electronic monthly deposits of at least $50 within 30 days of account opening
• After 12 consecutive months of electronic deposits, TD AMERITRADE will verify that the deposits have been made and add $100 to your account.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can withdraw the money before the end of the 12-months, but you’ll forfeit the $100 bonus. The current yield of the account is pretty low at 2.75%, so I wouldn’t deposit more than the minimum amount.