DOC Compass — Offers, decoded

Deal has ended, view the best current checking bonuses here or view the $225 Santander bonus here.

Offer at a glance

Maximum bonus amount: $300
Availability: NH, MA, RI, CT, DE, NY, NJ or PA
Direct deposit required: No
Additional requirements: Maintain a balance of $2,000+ for 90 days
Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
ChexSystems: Yes
Credit card funding: Up to $500
Monthly fees: $10, avoidable
Early account termination fee: $25, 90 days
Household limit: None
Expiration date: July 31st, 2020

The Offer

Direct link to offer

Santander is offering a bonus of $300 when you open a new Simply Right or Basic, Premier Plus or Select checking account and complete the following requirements:
- Maintain an average daily balance of $2,000 or more for the first 90 days

The Fine Print

Get $300 when you open a new Simply Right® Checking ($25 minimum opening deposit), Santander Basic Checking ($25 minimum opening deposit), Santander Premier Plus Checking ($50 minimum opening deposit), or Santander Select® Checking ($150 minimum opening deposit) account by 7/31/2020 and maintain an average daily balance of $2,000 or more for the first 90 days starting the first business day after account opening.
Offer is transferable until redeemed by the addressee and we reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to limit the number of times this Promotion Code may be used.
Your Promotion Code must be entered at new account opening to be eligible for this offer, and cannot later be added to an account, or changed, unless it is presented and applied within 14 days of account opening.
You must be 18 years or older.
Offer is not available if any account owner is a current checking customer of Santander or had a Santander checking account in the last 12 months prior to account opening.
Offer cannot be combined with any other checking bonus offers.
Your Promotion Code must be entered at new account opening to be eligible for this offer.
Offer is only available to residents of NH, MA, RI, CT, DE, NY, NJ, or PA. Offer is subject to change at any time.
The account needs to be open for at least 90 days and remain open in an eligible account type until payment of bonus, which will occur within 30 days thereafter.
In addition, the account must be open and in good standing at time of bonus payment.
The bonus is considered interest and will be reported to the IRS on Form 1099-INT. If multiple accounts are opened with the same signer, only one account will be eligible for the bonus.
All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Basic Checking

There is a non-waiveable $3 monthly service fee.

Simply Right Checking

There is a $10 monthly fee that is waived when you make any financial transaction that posts during a calendar month*. Includes deposits, withdrawals, transfers or payments. Excludes fees, rebates or adjustments posted by Santander.

Early Account Termination Fee

$25 if closed within 90 days

Our Verdict

Standard bonus is $225 and that requires a direct deposit. This is an extra $75 and doesn’t require a direct deposit. When signing up you’ll want to pay particular attention to overdraft protection. You are forced to agree to it when applying online, but you’ll want to select “Some overdrafts” instead of “All overdrafts” to avoid the hard pull. This deal is definitely worth doing and is the highest we’ve seen from Santander. This is getting added to the best bank bonus page.

Hat tip to reader JT

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