[Expired] Cheese Checking Account $70 Referral Bonus (Direct Deposit Not Required)

Update 1/14/22: Check offers for existing users:

• 2 purchases within 7 days for $10.00. Each needs to be at least $1.00 or more
• 3% back on groceries.

Deal has ended, Cheese sent out an e-mail stating they have reached their marketing budget already and referrals made after 4PM PST 1/7/2022 will not be eligible for bonuses

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $70
• Availability: Nationwide
• Direct deposit required: No
• Additional requirements: See below
• Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
• ChexSystems: No, not sensitive
• Credit card funding: None
• Monthly fees: None
• Early account termination fee: None
• Household limit: None
• Expiration date: None listed

The Offer

No direct link to offer, requires a referral link. You can find/share referrals in this linked post.

• Cheese is offering a $70 referral bonus to both parties. The referral bonus is broken down as follows:
  • $2 when you sign up
  • $45 when you fund $50+
  • $23 when you spend $5+ on debit card

The Fine Print

• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

This account has no monthly fees to worry about

Early Account Termination Fee

I wasn’t able to find a fee schedule so unsure if there is any EATF.

Our Verdict

The account itself is useful as it offers APY of up to 3% APY. The $70 bonus is easy to meet the requirements for as well. Normally I suggest sticking to bonuses that are $100+ but this might be worth doing for some people, especially if you can refer a few friends or family members. Don’t share your referrals in the comments here, but you can share them in this linked post instead. (Reader Evan notes that there’s a limit of 15 referrals per referrer.)

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