BB&T $100 Checking Bonus [AL, DC, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV]

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $100
• Availability: AL, DC, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
• Direct deposit required: Yes, no minimum specified
• Additional requirements: Yes, see below
• Hard/soft pull: Soft pull It seems like they are very persistant about overdraft protection so make sure you don’t opt in for that
• ChexSystems: Unknown 
• Credit card funding: Up to $250
• Monthly fees: $5-$30, avoidable
• Early account termination fee: $25, 180 days
• Expiration date: November 30th, 2016 Decemebr 31st, 2016

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Open a new BB&T personal checking account with the promotional code ANRAF and use U by BB&T and you’ll receive $25 for each feature you try. In total there are four features to try for a maximum total of $100. You must complete these within 90 days of account opening
  • Pay a friend (using personal payments service)
  • Pay a bill (using BB&T bill payment service)
  • Redeem a deal (select and redeem an offer in the BB&T Deals tile)
  • Receive a direct deposit (enroll in and receive a direct deposit)

The Fine Print

• This special limited-time offer is only available for personal checking accounts opened online at BBT.com before November 30, 2016.
• Offer cannot be combined with any other offer.
• Offer is limited to one incentive per household and does not apply to second or multiple personal accounts.
• To receive an account-opening incentive of up to $100, clients must open a personal checking account at BBT.com and use certain features of U by BB&T within 90 days of the account opening date. Client will earn $25 for each of the following features used. If all four features are used, client can earn $100. Qualifying behaviors are 1.) Make a payment using the Personal Payments service; 2.) Make a payment using the BB&T bill payment service; 3.) Select and redeem an offer in the BB&T Deals tile; and 4.) Enroll in and receive a direct deposit to the new personal checking account
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

The monthly fees will vary slightly based on what state your living in. We suggest checking this before choosing your account. Most people will be best off going for the Bright Banking account and then using one of the fee waivers, unless you’re a student or senior in which case those accounts will be the best option.

BB&T Bright Banking® $10 monthly

You can avoid the monthly fee on this account if you meet any of the following requirements:

• Receive $500 or more in direct deposits
• Have an average monthly balance of $1,500 or more
• Have $6,000 or more in combined deposits in checking, savings, Money Rate Savings, Investor’s Deposit Accounts
• Have an outstanding personal mortgage with BB&T

BB&T Fundamentals Checking $5 monthly

It’s not possible to get this monthly fee waived.

BB&T Identity Protection® Checking $6 monthly

It’s not possible to get this monthly fee waived. If you want free identity theft insurance we suggest looking at Credit Sesame (also gives you access to a free FAKO credit score).

BB&T Student Banking $0 monthly

This account does not have a monthly charge if you choose to receive paperless statements. If you choose to receive paper statements you’ll need to pay a monthly fee of $3. You must be under 23 and a student to be eligible for this account.

Senior Checking $8 Monthly

You can avoid the monthly fee on this account if you meet any of the following requirements:

• Receive $500 or more in direct deposits
• Have an average monthly balance of $1,000 or more
• Have $6,000 or more in combined deposits in checking, savings, Money Rate Savings, Investor’s Deposit Accounts
• Have an outstanding personal mortgage with BB&T

Elite Gold $30 Monthly

You can avoid the monthly fee on this account if you meet any of the following requirements:

• $25,000 combined deposit balance in checking, savings, CDs, IRAs, Money Rate Savings, Investor’s Deposit Account, or investments through BB&T Investment Services, Inc.
• $25,000 combined outstanding balance in retail loans and lines of credit3
• $150,000 BB&T personal mortgage loan balance

Early Account Termination Fee $25

All accounts come with a $25 early account closure fee if you close them within 180 days of account opening.

Our Verdict

They have offered bonuses of $125 and $150 in the past (smaller footprint). The upside to this bonus is that you can receive at least most of it without needing a direct deposit and you can fund up to $1,500 with a credit card. The downside is that it’s only for a maximum of $100 and I’m not sure how difficult the direct deposit or redeeming the deal will be. Until we have a bit more information I’m not going to add it to our list of recommended bank bonuses.

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