Banking

I posted just a few weeks back about an atypically large $400 bonus for opening a consumer checking account. Turns out there’s now something even better, with the standing offer of $500 for the small hassle of $1,000 in direct deposits. Easy to meet requirements, to avoid any fees, and quick to cash in. When

Wells Fargo has some of the most churnable new checking account bonuses (every 12 months!) Typically there’s a $325 offer available, but right now there’s a $400 for the low, low hassle of $1,000 in direct deposits. Easy to meet requirements, to avoid any fees, and quick to cash in. What’s not to like? The

Overdraft is billed as a courtesy from the bank to allow spending for money you don’t have. They charge big for that flexibility. While the transaction goes through successfully, it requires rapid attention else issues and negative balance (and fees) cascade into real hassle. What Happened? I do monthly finances as the end of the

We love checking account bonuses. Typically all it takes is a little Direct Deposit swap and some light other activity to score a solid payday. This offer from Truist is good, although the 20-debit card purchases requirement is a bit annoying. My experiences with Truist have been entirely fine, as have my experiences with their

Alas, another one bites the dust. After a multi-year relationship and almost a thousand dollars back, KeyBank has finally pulled the plug on the Laurel Road digital brand, and with it some of its actually good offerings. Most notably, it’s free-money Loyalty Checking account. Stellar sign-up bonus for starting direct deposit, and monthly direct-deposit bonus.

US Bank occasionally has some good offers on their products. This is one of those. While the quantity of direct deposits can be substantial, when looking at the 3-month window, assuming 2x-monthly paychecks, that $8,000 for the top bonus tier breaks out to ~$1,300 a paycheck (if setting up right away). That feels pretty achievable

As far as checking account signup bonuses go, this one is solid. $500 if you have $10,000 in direct deposits in 90 days? With that long of a time window, that’s actually quite achievable. Bank of America products are sound, they’re a top tier, large bank. Easy to avoid any fees for the account. Hard

As one might expect of me, I push my relationships with every financial institution and expect perfection in delivery. Unsurprisingly, this often leaves me disappointed and escalating for attention with limited results. Cue the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). While they were chartered for bigger and better things (read: enforcement and regulation to protect consumers)

Capital One checking and I have a bit of a storied relationship. Back in 2015 I had some “suspicious” behavior on my accounts (a car, a condo, and a ring is exceptional, but was actually all above board), and the next day all of my accounts were restricted, the next week all my accounts were