[Expired] First Citizens Bank $200 Checking Bonus, Direct Deposit Not Required [AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, KS, MD, MO, NC, NM, OR, OK, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV]

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $200
• Availability: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, KS, MD, MO, NC, NM, OR, OK, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV
• Direct deposit required: Optional, $500+
• Additional requirements: Direct deposit of $500 or 10 debit card transactions
• Hard/soft pull: Hard
• Credit card funding: Yes, up to $1,000
• Monthly fees: $16-$20, waiveable 
• Early account termination fee: $25, 180 days
• Expiration date: June 30th, 2016 September 30th, 2017

The Offer

Direct link to offer

• Receive a sign up bonus of $200 when you open a premier or prestige checking account with First Citizens Bank, open a new debit card and meet one of the following requirements within 60 days of account opening:
  • Receive a qualifying direct deposit of $500 or more
  • Make ten debit card purchases

The Fine Print

• You may receive a $200 bonus credit when you open a new Premier or Prestige checking account, obtain a new debit card on the account, and meet one of the following qualifiers within the first 60 days of account opening: (i) receive a qualifying direct deposit or (ii) make 10 debit card transactions. A “qualifying direct deposit” is a $500 or larger recurring electronic deposit (e.g., direct deposit of your paycheck, pension payment, Social Security payment or other regular monthly income) that is automatically credited to your account by an employer, government agency or other third party.
• Account must be opened between July 1, 2017 and September 30, 2017. Standard account opening prerequisites apply. Minimum deposit required to open a Premier or Prestige account is $100; however, there is no minimum balance requirement to qualify for the bonus. Bonuses to qualified accounts will be credited, at Bank’s sole discretion, any time within 90 days after all qualifiers have been met. Account must be open and in good standing at the time Bank credits the account. Offer is valid only on accounts where all account owners on the account are new customers. A “new customer” is one who is not a current or prior customer of First Citizens Bank. The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on Premier and Prestige checking accounts is .01% as of July 1, 2017. APY is variable and may change after account opening. Fees could reduce the earnings on the account.
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Premier Checking Monthly Fee $16

The monthly fee of $16 is waived if any of the following conditions are met:

• $5,000 combined daily balance in Premier Checking, Together Card, Regular Savings, Bonus Savings, e.savings, Tiered Money Market Savings, Premium Tiered Money Market Savings, CDs, IRAs or an Investor Services Accounts OR
• Direct deposits totaling $4,000 or more per month OR
• An EquityLine of at least $25,000 OR
• A home EquityLoan OR

Prestige Checking Monthly Fee $20

The monthly fee of $20 is waived if any of the following conditions are met:

• $25,000 combined daily balances in Prestige Checking, Together Card, Regular Savings, Bonus Savings, e.savings, Tiered Money Market Savings, Premium Tiered Money Market Savings, CDs, IRAs or an Investor Services Accounts OR
• Direct deposits totaling $6,500 or more per month OR
• An EquityLine of at least $100,000 OR
• A home EquityLoan

Early Account Closure Fee $25

This early account closure fee is waived if you keep the account open for a minimum of 180 days.

Our Verdict

This bank has offered sign up bonuses of $150 for checking accounts with the same requirements in the past, $200 is more tempting but the main issue I have is that it’s a hard pull to open the account. Given that you could open a credit card with a higher cash bonus instead, I’d recommend giving this bonus a miss. Which is a shame, because it would be a killer deal if it wasn’t for that hard pull. We haven’t added it to our best of list due to the hard pull.

Big thanks to reader, Jason who let us know. Learn how to find bonuses and contribute to the site here.

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

Hat tip to reader Darron