Deal has ended, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.
Update 7/1/26: Extended to 07/19/2026
Update 6/16/26: Deal is back until 7/12/26. Maximum bonus is now $250 (previously $300) and tiers are worse. Hat tip to reader Pickle Rick
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $300
- Availability: Anybody can join by joining the Connexus Association and paying a $5 one time donation. If you live in select counties in MN, IL, OH, WI then you can join for free
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $500 OR ACH deposit
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: All recent datapoints say soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: None
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date: 11/09/2025
The Offer
- Connexus Credit Union is offering a bonus of $300 when you open a new new Xtraordinary Checking Account with promo code XTRABONUS. Meet the Xtraordinary Checking Account requirements for two months (doesn’t need to be consecutive) within 120 days of account opening:
- Make 15 debit card purchases or accumulate $500 in debit card spending
- Subscribe to eStatements
- Make one monthly deposit of at least $500 from either a direct deposit or an ACH deposit
- Bonus you receive depends on your average daily balance from the first two monthly periods in which qualifications are met and average them together
- Total average daily balances of $4,999.99 and below will earn $0.00
- $5,000-$9,999.99 will earn $150 (previously $200);
- $10,000-$14,999.99 will earn $200 (previously $300);
$15,000 and over will earn $250 (previously only required $10,000+ for $300)
The Fine Print
- Offer is valid for individuals who open an Xtraordinary Checking Account between 09/08/2025 and 11/09/2025.
- Offer is not valid for existing Connexus members with any type of Connexus Checking Account currently open or any current or former members with a Connexus Checking Account closed on or after 7/1/2025.
- Offer is limited to one bonus per primary owner and is subject to change or termination without notice.
- To qualify for the bonus, you must use Promo Code XTRABONUS at time of application and meet the Xtraordinary Checking Account requirements listed above in the 5.00% Annual Percentage Yield disclosure 1 for two month-end periods within 120 days of account opening.
- Monthly periods are based on calendar months; the last day of the month must fall within 120 days of account opening to count toward bonus qualifications.
- Determining your bonus: Connexus will take the average daily balance from the first two monthly periods in which qualifications are met and average them together. Total average daily balances of $999.99 and below will earn $0.00; $1,000 – $4,999.99 will earn $100; $5,000-$9,999.99 will earn $200; and $10,000 and over will earn $300. The bonus is subject to income tax reporting and will be credited to your account within 10 business days of the month-end following bonus qualifications being met. The Xtraordinary Checking Account must be open at the time the bonus is credited.
- 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 an early account termination fee in the fee schedule
Inactivity Fee
Inactivity Fee applies to: Checking Accounts (members age 18 and over) with no activity in 90 days and month-end account balance under $100. Health Savings Accounts, Money Market Accounts, and Savings Accounts (other than Simply Savings Accounts) with no activity in 12 months and month-end balance under $100. Simply Savings Accounts (members age 18 and over) with no activity in 12 months, no other accounts or loans, and month-end balance under $100.
Our Verdict
We saw a $200 bonus last year with no direct deposit required. This bonus does require a high balance but at least you earn 5% APY when meeting the requirements for the bonus anyway. You are eligible if you’ve had an account before but can’t have had or closed an account as of 7/1/2025. We will add this to our list of the best bank account bonuses.
Hat tip to reader Eric
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
Banking like it’s 1985… you don’t need online access to do your banking. I highly doubt they are going under, but their “IT Team” is asleep.
Karl I could access the website via my phone’s browser with wi-fi off, if you don’t want to install the app.
No access online. Hope they aren’t going under. Guess I’ll try installing the app. I hate this, I don’t want 50 banking apps on my phone.
I also can only access when I use mobile data.
Interesting. I still can’t access via the app or online. ETA: even more interesting. I can access if I turn off wi-fi.
Working fine here.
User error? It’s more a goofy “gotchya” that few banks or credit unions employ with their bonus offerings. In the end, it simply saves them extra loot in payouts. No comments I saw here explicitly warned not to make the qualifying deposit towards end of the month. Others comments suggest it had to do with the timing of the debit transactions that were made. But yeah, hindsight is always 20/20, as is reinterpreting the fine print. Wish I saw a comment earlier from you spelling this out in advance champ.
Same here, though I got a little more, $200, I think because . On the plus side, I got about $40 for the month of July in interest, so I guess it somewhat evens out… And on another plus side, this bank pays out 4.5% still for balances up to 25K, which is the highest right about now. So at this point, all we can do is keep maximizing what we can.
No, because the other qualifying transactions of 15 debits or $500 in purchases happened in July, not June. That’s why he got the full 250. It didn’t matter if the $15k got credited in June or July. Tricky promotion
6.17 account opened 6.30 deposited $15k 15* debit card purchase and $500 fidelity push each in Jul & Aug 9.8 $250 bonus received
Oops… this was the 2025 version, not 2026.
Most likely you selected that you are subject to tax withholding and they are doing that for you. You may or may not get some of it back when you file taxes, depending on your tax situation. If that is what happened, I would not worry about it. It will correct itself during tax time. Just make sure you select the correct option going forward.
I signed up on 6/17/2026 for $250 bonus. The bonus was credited on 8/7/2026, but only $200, not sure what the reason is. I didn’t save the screenshot for the promotion.
This one was. So was the previous one IIRC.
snailrock What promos have been allowed for existing members? I haven’t gotten any for several years since I’ve been a member. Was thinking of closing it after they lowered the rate, but if I’m missing something…
Any thoughts on keeping the membership vs not? Seems like there’s a pattern of them allowing existing members for promos (although that could change), and I guess it could help with any identity verification issues in the future. Or Chex if they start pulling hypothetically.
4,5% up to $25k sounds right, but unlike what you wrote the terms and conditions from when I opened my account back in 2025 say I have to push in $500 per month, not $250 per month.
Sure does. I push $500 per month to Connexus from CIT bank and I always get the higher monthly interest rate (yes, I do the required debit txns too).
Why are you asking us?
If I got my debit card already, can I try to do July as my first month?
ACH works.
If I got my debit card already, can I try to do July as my first month?
application was in review for two days? should I call?
From their FAQ at the direct link: What qualifies as a monthly direct deposit or an ACH deposit (from a non-Connexus account) into my Xtraordinary Checking Account? Some example deposits for this account requirement include direct deposit from payroll, retirement benefits, or government benefits. Additionally, you can use Connexus Digital Banking to link to an external account at a different financial institution and transfer funds into your Xtraordinary Checking Account each month to meet the ACH deposit requirement.
Are there data points confirming that a standard interbank ACH transfer meets the requirements for the bonus, rather than a payroll-type Direct Deposit?
Nope
I must have typed it wrong, 2.5->4.5 , but the $250 ach-out limit is correct and confirmed with customer service. You can pull more, but you can’t push.
If it ends up taking multiple attempts to get the account open, do people need to pay $5 for each attempt?
Is this a different account? I get 4.5% up to $25k on my account when I hit the requirements. I pushed in the funds as well as push in the $250-mo.
Some people may be inclined to deposit *more* than the required $15k due to the 2.5% APY, be aware that there is a $250.00 ACH-out limit for the first 90 days (originated at connexus), they will not budge this until 90 days have passed.