Update 9/21/24: Deal is back until 10/25. Hat tip to reader snailrock
Update 3/30/24: Deal is back and valid until 5/5/24. Requires a direct deposit now so not worth considering. Hat tip to reader ShawntheShawn
Update 11/4/23: Good through 11/8/23.
Update 8/7/23: Deal is back and valid until 9/13/2023.
Update 10/8/22: Deal is back and valid until 10/21/2022. Has also been increased to $350 from $250.
Offer at a glance
Maximum bonus amount: $250
Availability: Offer available only to residents of Hampden/Hampshire/Franklin counties in Massachusetts and Hartford county in Connecticut
Direct deposit required: No
Additional requirements: See below
Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
ChexSystems: Unknown
Credit card funding: $500 per application
Monthly fees: None
Early account termination fee: 90 days, $15
Household limit: One
Expiration date: September 30th, 2020 10/21/2022
The Offer
PeoplesBank is offering a checking bonus of $300 when you open a new PeoplesBank checking account using promo code FallCK300 and complete the following requirements:
Have a minimum of $1,500 in direct deposits within 60 days of the account open dat
Get an additional $150 with a $10,000 minimum daily balance or $300 with a $25,000 minimum daily balance (must remain for 90 days).
The Fine Print
Customers who have received promotional payouts previously are not eligible. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer available in Hampden/Hampshire/Franklin counties of Massachusetts and Hartford/Tolland counties in Connecticut.
Minimum opening deposit of $10 required. The Free Checking account must be opened online at bankatpeoples.com/checking250 with the promotion code of Get250 by 9/30/2020.
To qualify for the offer you must perform 30 point of sale (POS) debit card transactions and have a minimum of $2,000 in aggregate of mobile deposits and/or direct deposits to the new account within 60 days from the account open date.
Although not all debit card POS transactions appear in your account immediately or may appear as ‘pending’ due to merchant processing times, these transactions will count toward the total POS debit card transactions.
Qualifying direct deposits are electronic deposits (such as salary, pension, Government Benefits or other monthly ACH deposits) made into your PeoplesBank Free checking account from third parties.
If you meet the criteria you will receive $250 in your account within four (4) weeks from meeting the criteria.
Customers who have had an open PeoplesBank checking account within 12 months of new account opening are not eligible for the offer.
PeoplesBank associates are not eligible.
Personal accounts only.
Limit of one promotional account per household.
Cannot be combined with any other offer.
Offer available only to residents of Hampden/Hampshire/Franklin counties in Massachusetts and Hartford county in Connecticut. Offer subject to change without notice.
All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
The free checking account has no monthly fees to worry about
Early Account Termination Fee
According to comments on previous bonuses there is an early account termination fee of $15 if the account is closed within 90 days.
Our Verdict
Previous bonus was $400. Might be better to wait for that offer to return, but before that bonus the best bonus was $300 with a direct deposit. We will add this to our best bank bonus page even though we’ve seen that bigger bonus in the past.
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