[Expired] [AL, AR, GA, KY, MS, NC, TN, VA?] First Tennessee $300 Checking Bonus + $50 Referral

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $300
• Availability: AL, AR, GA, KY, MS, NC, TN, VA?
• Direct deposit required: Yes, no minimum mentioned
• Additional requirements: Open with $100 and use promo code PIN300
• Hard/soft pull: Soft
• ChexSystems: Yes
• Credit card funding: Up to $300
• Monthly fees: $7-$12, waiveable
• Early account termination fee: Account must be kept open for six months, or bonus forfeit
• Household limit: One
• Expiration date: June 30th, 2017

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Open a new First Tennessee checking account with the promo code PIN300 and receive a bonus of $300 when you complete the following requirements:
  • Open account with at least $100
  • Have at least one direct deposit post to your account within 60 days of account opening

The Fine Print

• Offer expires June 30, 2017.
• Offer is non‐transferable. Don’t think this means it’s targeted, even when it says available to this addressee only it hasn’t been targeted in the past.
• To receive bonus, you must open the checking account online starting at this page (www.ftb.com/atm300) and ensure the code PIN300 appears in the online application where “Offer/Promo code” is requested, or open your personal checking account at a financial center and present your offer receipt.
• You must have an opening deposit of at least $100, and at least one direct deposit must post to your account within 60 days of account opening.
• Opening deposit cannot be transferred from existing First Tennessee accounts.
• If you meet the stated requirements of this promotional offer, the bonus will be credited to your account within 6 weeks of the first direct deposit and will be reported as income on Form 1099‐INT.
• Limit one bonus per household.
• Cannot be combined with other checking offers.
• This offer is for new checking households, or for households who have not had an open First Tennessee consumer checking account in the previous 12 months. Customer agrees to maintain account in good standing for a minimum of 6 months.
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Express Checking, $7 Monthly Fee

This is waived if you have at least 1 direct deposit during a statement cycle and is the obvious choice for which account to pick.

Classic Checking $8 Monthly Fee

This cannot be waived (and has been increased in the last couple of months).

Select Checking $9 Monthly Fee

This is waived if you have at least 1 direct deposit and 15 customer-initiated debit transactions during a statement cycle.

Premier Checking, $12 Monthly Fee

This is waived if you have a minimum of $5,000 in combined monthly balances (checking, savings, bank IRAs, or CDs) during a statement cycle.

Early Account Termination Fee

The fine print states that the account must be kept open and in good standing for 6 months. We can assume that they will take the bonus back if you don’t fulfill this requirement.

Referrals

Even though the terms of the offer state that it “cannot be combined with other checking offers”, readers in the past have had success combining the referral bonus with the checking account bonus. In order to receive the referral bonus, you must submit the referral form first, THEN sign up for the $300 bonus.

Note that the terms of the referral are slightly more strict with respect to the direct deposit requirement. You will need to complete two direct deposits of at least $100 each within 60 days of account opening.

If you meet the requirements, both you and the referrer will receive a $50 Visa Gift Card (within about 6 weeks). Do not leave your referral links in the comments below, it clutters the comments and makes it difficult for discussion to occur. Instead post and get them in this dedicated post.

Our Verdict

Currently there is two other bonuses and this is better than both. There is a $300 bonus in middle Tennessee and North Carolina only but that requires a bigger opening deposit (not much difference) and a $200 bonus that is available in the other states. Looks like this $300 bonus should work in all of those states as well so really no reason to bother with that. They also have a $150 business checking bonus available.

$300 + $50 referral is as good as it gets with First Tennessee and this is an easy one to meet the requirements for with plenty of data points, unfortunately not much time left so hopefully it’s extended. Adding it to our best checking promotion page.

Hat tip to reader justdoit

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

• A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
• 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