Offer at a glance
Maximum bonus amount: $250
Availability: Nationwide
Direct deposit required: Yes, $250+
Additional requirements: See below
Hard/soft pull: Unknown
ChexSystems: Unknown
Credit card funding: Unknown
Monthly fees: None
Early account termination fee: None
Household limit: One
Expiration date: 6/30/23
The Offer
Direct link to offer (note, the offer is not displayed anywhere on the site but during application, after filling in your details but before submitting the application they will e-mail you details of the bonus. A copy of that can be viewed below)
Earn $250.00 bonus when you open a new Gateway Checking account and complete the following requirements within the first 90 days:
Set up direct deposit ($250 minimum) within 90 days
Maintain a $250 average daily balance during this time period
The Fine Print
$250 is valid for personal checking accounts opened by 6/30/23.
Offer is not available on account conversions and is limited to households that do not currently maintain a Gateway personal checking account.
Limit one (1) per household.
Accounts are subject to our standard eligibility and documentation requirements.
Initial deposit of $25 is required to open the account.
$250 bonus will not be considered part of the minimum opening deposit.
Bonus is reportable on IRS Form 1099-INT.
Bonus Requirement: Set up a minimum of $250 recurring direct deposit such as Social Security, Pension or Payroll within 90 days of opening account and maintain $250 average daily balance. Person to Person payments (such as Zelle) are not considered a direct deposit. $250 bonus will be deposited within ten (10) business days after account 1) meets all requirements AND 2) has been open for 90 days. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) of 0.50%. APY is accurate as of 3/27/23 and is subject to change without notice after opening account.
All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
Gateway checking has no monthly fees to worry about.
Early Account Termination Fee
There is no EATF that I can find.
Our Verdict
Very strange bonus with no landing page, I suspect there will be some problems with this whole bonus posting but some readers might want to take the risk.
Hat tip to Jay Z
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