Update 10/4/26: Deal is back until Dec. 31, 2026. Hat tip to flguy
Update 9/23/23: Deal is back, no end date listed
Update 1/12/23: No end date listed now
Update 10/17/22: Extended until December 31, 2022 .
Update 8/14/22: Must open between August 15 and October 16, 2022
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $200
- Availability: FL, GA only. Also past and present military members and their families all over the world
- Direct deposit required: Yes, no minimum mentioned
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Yes
- Credit card funding: None
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date: October 16, 2022
The Offer
- VyStar Credit Union is offering a $175 bonus when you open a checking account and complete the following requirements:
- $25 credited within one business day of opening a VyStar free checking account
- $150 for signing up for deposit of at least $1,000/month and completing 15 debit transactions in the first 90 days
The Fine Print
- $200 New Checking Account Cash Bonus offer valid for email or mail recipient.
- $5 deposit in a primary savings account required for membership.
- New checking account must be opened between August 15 and October 16, 2022 to qualify.
- Must mention the offer upon account opening.
- $25 credited on or around one business day following account opening, $150 credited for establishing a recurring Direct Deposit into the new checking account and completing at least 15 debit card transactions within 90 days of account opening (credit on or around 91 days from account opening), and $25 credited for referring a friend who opens a checking account (credited on or around one business day following friend’s account opening).
- Referred new member must present referring member’s contact information at time of account opening, for referring member to receive $25 incentive.
- Credit union programs, rates, services, terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without notice. Certain restrictions and limitations apply. **Posting is contingent on the originator releasing the payments into the network early. ©2022 VyStar Credit Union.
- 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 or not.
Our Verdict
Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below along with your referrals.
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
Is anyone planning to use Cash app?
After the first page of the application (personal info) and clicking next, it said: “Something went wrong. We encountered an issue with your application.” Application hit a snag. This happened to someone else per DoC comments. Qualifications: Living or working in eligible counties in Flordia or Georgia. I actually applied from one listed, but it said my address was not eligible. So I choose the donation of $5 option. -Member of Armed Forces, civilian employee, veterans, and dependents are also eligible. Fees: $5.99/mo fee
I did not actually open with them, just went through the application flow to check eligibility
Discover it Student how long ago did you open your account?
However: Donating at least $5 to VyStar Foundation is supposed to be another avenue
Eligible Florida Counties: Alachua – Baker – Bay – Bradford Brevard – Calhoun – Citrus – Clay Columbia – Dixie – Duval – Escambia Flagler – Franklin – Gadsden – Gilchrist Gulf – Hamilton – Hernando – Hillsborough Holmes – Jackson – Jefferson – Lafayette Lake – Leon – Levy – Liberty Madison – Marion – Nassau – Okaloosa Orange – Osceola – Pasco – Pinellas Polk – Putnam – Santa Rosa – Seminole St. Johns – Sumter – Suwannee – Taylor Union – Volusia – Wakulla – Walton Washington Eligible Georgia Counties: Bibb – Brantley – Brooks – Bryan – Bulloch Carroll – Camden – Charlton – Chatham Clayton – Clinch – Cobb – Dekalb – Echols Fayette – Forsyth – Fulton – Glynn Gwinnett – Henry – Lanier – Liberty Long – Lowndes – McIntosh – Pierce Thomas – Wayne – Ware
i think it might not count since it involves debits
Yikes!
Immediate denial from OOS, unable to verify identity.
With the monthly fee, pitiful payout and reputation this credit union has I’m gonna pass on this one. If I had a reliable way to ensure if get the referral bonus maybe.
Looks as if this bonus is only for the VyStar plus checking which will have a $5.99/mo fee…I cannot find any way to wave this
Denied out of footprint fl address Chose the $5 donation for membership waiting on the letter to see why
You can join this CU from OOS now with a $5 donation to the VyStar Foundation. Have fun.
https://vystarcu.org/personal/bank/checking-accounts/vystar-plus
I don’t see the offer?
oh man, cut off line is Manatee county. Jerks
Customer Service sent question to their Research department. Email from Research, back to the CSR, read to me on the phone: “Bonus is not considered interest or income, and therefore will not be reported as such to the member. No 1099 will be issued.” I will be including it in my return.
Has anyone received their 2024 Form 1099-INT from Vystar Credit Union?
Guess they need the promotional account money to pay the fine… See #1943321 . I am sure the govt will put it to good use. Bank Account Bryan
It looks like this offer is gone and replaced with an offer for “$570 in annual savings” with the VyStar + Checking Account: Check out these special benefits that help you earn up to $570 in annual savings: Cell Phone Protection ⁵ – Pay your phone bill with your VyStar+ Checking Account to activate phone coverage. IDProtect*: Identity Theft Monitoring and Resolution Service – Help better protect yourself and your joint account owners with benefits such as identity theft monitoring, credit file monitoring, access to credit report and scores and much more. Debit Advantage ⁵® – Buyer’s protection and extended warranty. Travel and Leisure Discounts – Money-saving discounts from thousands of local and national businesses. $hopping Rewards* ™ – Earn cash back and get access to exclusive offers and discounts at thousands of leading online retailers. VyStar Financial Fitness – Access to personalized resources and expert guidance to boost your financial confidence. All these offers, benefits and savings add up to amazing checking. And all for a low monthly fee of $5.99. Open a VyStar+ Checking Account today! Now if that ain’t a steaming pile, I’m not sure what is. It’s too bad I actually needed this account for the coin machine.
CFPB Orders VyStar Credit Union to Pay $1.5 Million for Illegally Stranding Consumers from Accessing Their Money and Accounts
There is no reason to believe it would make a difference… It’s going to look the same at Vystar. Al kay
Ally checking or savings ?
Dp: Ally bank works for Vystar. After 3 months of auto transfer, $100 a month, the $150 bonus is posted to the account. I did not expect it to work because I had to contact cs about the first $25 for opening an account, so they manually added, but it triggered.
Application hit a snag. Location eligible, so it might be the Chex.
DP: Closed via Chat, same day. (No option to SM) Checking account disappeared from online banking immediately, savings stayed for now. Login currently works, but per rep, online access and statements will stop working once they mail check/close savings. Other closing options: Call, or in branch. Two weird security questions were asked: What the the middle eight digits of the debit card number? Year the membership was started?
Has anyone received a 1099 from Vystar Credit Union in Florida, either this year or in the past? Received $150 bonus; account now closed. A few weeks ago, Rep said it would be mailed by Jan 31 if one was issued. Didn’t receive. Will report the income but would be nice to have the 1099. Guess I will call again tomorrow to follow-up.
I didn’t, JackWood . Wish I had.
Hi, did you try it? I searched the whole internet without a result.
I am not sponsoring “family members” on this one. You need to live in their footprint, which is only certain counties in FL or GA, or be military. You can reach out to me with your first & last name if you want, but for the most part, I haven’t been playing the game with this one. The referrals don’t pay out unless I bug them, and the referral bonus is one-sided. You get your $175 either way, referral or no referral.