DOC Compass — Offers, decoded

Update: Deal is back and valid until January 22nd, 2019! Last day today.

Update 1/21/19: Deal is back, unsure exactly when the new end date is. I assume it’s sometime in January but if somebody can confirm that would be fantastic. Hat tip to reader Silver Bay.

Offer at a glance

Maximum bonus amount: $200
Availability: Select In branch locations only [Branch locations | Map]. They have branches in AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OH, OR, SD, TN, UT, WA, WI, WY
Direct deposit required: Not required
Additional requirements: $100 in debit card transactions per month
Hard/soft pull: Soft
ChexSystems: Mixed data points
Credit card funding: None
Monthly fees: $10.95-$12.95, waivable
Early account termination fee: None
Household limit: None mentioned
Expiration date: ~~November 26th, 2018~~ January 22nd, 2019

The Offer

No direct link. Offer is available at some select U.S. Bank locations. These are normally branches found in supermarkets

Receive a bonus of $200 when you open a new U.S. Bank consumer checking account when you complete the following requirements:
- Receive $50 each month you spend $100 or more on your new Visa debit card (January, February, March, April)

The Fine Print

Offer is not valid if you have an existing U.S. Bank consumer checking account, had a U.S. bank checking account account in the last six months or received other U.S. Bank bonus offers within the past twelve months
Offer is not available to accounts opened through usbank.com or 24 hour banking
All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Monthly Fees

U.S bank has three checking products which qualify for this promotion:

Silver Checking Account
Gold Checking Account
Platinum Checking account

Probably the easiest way to keep this fee free is to open the Gold Checking account: if you have a U.S Bank credit card then the monthly fees on this account are waived. Many of us have a U.S. Bank personal credit card like Altitude, Flexperks, or Cash+ which would work to keep the account fee-free. Having a personal loan gets the fee waived as well. You now need to specifically ask for the gold checking account.

If you don’t have a U.S Bank credit card and aren’t planning on getting one, your best bet is to open the Silver checking account which has of $8.95 ($6.95 if you enroll in paperless statements). Fee is waived if you do these three things: 1) Go paperless, 2) Open a Package Money Market Savings account (no fee), 3) Do one of these two things: have combined direct deposits totaling $1,000 or more, OR maintain an average monthly balance of $1,500. Another option is to get the Gold account and get the fee waived if you have a good credit score and join the Because You’ve Earned It program.

Early Account Termination Fee

These accounts have no early account termination fee

Our Verdict

We saw a similar recent bonus, that one was slightly better as it only required $50 in debit card spending rather than $100. Deal is still worth doing though. Just keep in mind you’ll only find it at U.S. Bank branches that are part of a grocery store, not exactly sure why they do it this way but they do. I will be adding this to the best checking bonuses.

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

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