Deal has ended, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.
Update 7/12/26: $300 bonus is back until September 15, 2026.
Update 5/3/25: Deal is back, this time for $350. Valid until July 3, 2025. Hat tip to ShawntheShawn
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $250
- Availability: TN, GA, AL. Must live near a branch otherwise opening a checking account won’t be possible
- Direct deposit required: Yes, $1,000+
- Additional requirements: None
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown, sensitive
- Credit card funding: None
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: None
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date:
April 29th, 2019June 28th, 2019July 3, 2025
The Offer
- FirstBank is offering a bonus of $300 when you open a new checking account and complete the following requirements:
- Post and settle a total of $1,000 or more in direct deposits into the account during a statement cycle by December 31, 2026.
- On the last day of the statement cycle in which the qualifying direct deposit requirements are met, the account balance must be $0.01 or above
The Fine Print
- Offer extended February 15, 2019 thru April 29, 2019.
- This offer may be modified or cancelled at any time.
- To receive the $250 opening bonus: Open a new eligible FirstBank consumer checking account (eligible accounts are highlighted at FirstBankOnline.com/250Bonus).
- Keep the account in good standing for 60 days.
- Have a single monthly ACH direct deposit of at least $300 after 60 days of account opening date.
- Complete all requirements on or before October 31, 2019.
- Customers with an existing FirstBank checking account are not eligible for this bonus offer.
- You must not have closed a FirstBank checking account within 180 days of the offer start date (February 15, 2019).
- Limit one (1) bonus per customer.
- Enrollment and participation in this promotion does not automatically guarantee eligibility.
- Bonus Processing: After meeting the bonus qualification requirements, the $250 account opening bonus will be credited to the new FirstBank checking account up to eight (8) weeks after all qualifications are met.
- The $250 bonus will appear on the monthly checking account statement when the bonus is credited to the account holder’s checking account.
- The bonus is limited to one (1) per customer.
- If a bonus is earned it will be reported to the IRS as interest, in the year received, as required by applicable law and will be reported on IRS form 1099-MISC for the year received. Customer is responsible for any applicable taxes and consulting a tax advisor.
- For additional fees, see our FirstBank Consumer Schedule of Fees. This offer is non-transferable and may not be combined with any other offers.
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
Essential checking account has no monthly fees to worry about as long as you opt for paperless statements.
Early Account Termination Fee
I wasn’t able to find any mention of an early account termination fee in the fee schedule.
Our Verdict
Seems like a good deal considering it’s a soft pull and there are no monthly fees to worry about. It’s annoying that you need to live near a branch to have the option to open a checking account but this deal is still worth doing if you’re eligible. I’ll add this to our best checking bonus page. If anybody has any specific experience with this bank then please share your experiences in the comments.
Hat tip to reader Andrew D
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
Live <10m from a branch and decided to go in to apply based on all the DPs here about them being more sensitive online than in-branch. They pulled chex and said the system flagged me and wouldn’t be able to open an account. The crazy thing is my chex isn’t that bad (compared to others at least) and when asking me about my inquiries they were listing off ones from as far back January. Not sure if this is just branch specific or if they’ve tightened up their requirements (like I said, they claimed it was “the system” that flagged). Score: 770 1/1 2/3 5/6 10/12 20/24
Opened in branch today in GA. Banker advised they would pull Chex. Approved with multiple accounts opened over the past several months.
Here is the fee schedule for FirstBank. $15 early closing fee if closed before 6 months. FB-Consumer-Schedule-of-Fees-4.29.2026.pdf
According to the banker I spoke to on the phone, it’s a soft pull, and there’s no requirement to live near a branch. I’ll make a trip soon to apply and post my DP.
This is the information I came here for. I was denied online due to chex but I think I’m going to try in branch
I got here from a link on the Best Bank Account Bonuses list which said CA, AZ & CO. It looks that is incorrect information since this is TN, GA, AL.
Just wanted to update that the account did auto close after 30 days at $0 balance, just as the branch manager said. The closed account will still be visible in online banking for ~365 days.
Applied in branch in GA (~25 min from where I live). No issues at all getting approved. Signs in branch saying “For your protection, all new account applications are verified by Chex”. Banker was nice and never mentioned anything about Chex or having opened multiple bank accounts in the last 3-6 months. Didn’t bother trying online given I had a CC hard pull last week and 3-4 in 3 months for Chex.
Opened in branch- 7/13/26 Funded via Current (“Payroll DD”) $1001- 7/24/26 $300 Bonus posted -8/1/26 (statement says 8/2/26)
I forgot to mention there’s a 3.82% APY Savings account available when you open. It’s called First Up.
Applied July 13- in FL. Denied. Posted Address in GA Your online application has been reviewed and we are unable to proceed with the account opening. Please review the Notice of Action document when received via DocuSign for additional information.
I skipped trying online because I didn’t want to waste a Chex hit. I opened inside of a branch yesterday. In multiple places, there are notices of required Chex pulls throughout the bank, and the rep who assisted me also repeated the same information and needed my consent that I agreed to the Chex pull before the rep started my account. The rep did mention that I did not need to thaw my credit reports because they mainly consider Chex. Account opened successfully. I received a welcome email today. Statement cycle & qualification dates information (received in branch) https://www.firstbankonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FirstRewards-Qualification-Dates-2026.pdf
Try going to a branch
Declined, no phone calls just an email 3 hours later citing a chex risk score of 0845.I live in Atlanta GA not far from a branch. 1 new account in the past 6 months, 5 in the past year.
This is a very good idea. It can work for other banks.
In branch with chex thawed or frozen?
chex thawed or frozen?
I tried to close my account with FirstBank over the main customer service number, chat and the local branch I opened it at (via phone) and they would not close account over the phone even with a $0 balance. I even asked about mailing a letter and they said no! Said you MUST go into the branch and sign paperwork OR let it auto close on its own which the manager claims happens after 30 days of $0 balance and no activity. We shall see if this actually happens…
They have a new $300 bonus here: https://www.firstbankonline.com/welcome-300/ I applied OOS (MO) but got declined because of Chex with a score of 751. The fact that they never mentioned my state seems to indicate they may be available nationwide. The tricky thing is their Chex sensitivity.
I had to go in branch to open which was only a few weeks ago, no bonus yet.
Did Fidelity work?
I got approved yesterday in branch with a chex score of 605. Sheesh.
After going through their “3 step application” which asked for more data than any bank app I recall in recent memory… I got a note the next day saying I’m denied for “Number of inquiries to other financial institutions.” They pulled ChexSystems and my “risk score” was 741.
I called about this and you can actually use the Bill Pay option to “Pay a Person” (they use the iPay Bill Pay system) and you just setup yourself as a Payee with it and do the Electronic Direct Deposit option, you input your other banks routing and account number and it works. I’ve been using it weekly to move money to my primary bank, each time it has only taking 1 business day to transfer as well. No fees either.
Acct opened: 5/6/25 Real DD $340 5/30/25 Real DD $340 6/6/25 Real DD $340 6/13/25 Real DD $340 6/20/25 Real DD $340 6/27/25 Bonus Posted $350 6/30/25 (1st statement that cut only had 1 DD on it or I probably would have received Bonus quicker….my Employer DD takes about 3 pay periods to add new bank)
I was approved but only after having to answer more questions over a longer period of time (more than a week) than any bank account I’ve ever opened. I haven’t received the bonus yet but today I learned that FirstBank doesn’t allow transfers to external banks, i.e. no outgoing ACH transfers. Your only option is to use Zelle if you want to transfer money from FirstBank to another bank account. Thus, once I’ve earned the bonus, I’m closing my account.
Denied for Chex.
Account Opened: 6/20/2025 Real Employer DD: $1050 on 6/30/2025 Bonus Received: $350 on 07/01/2025
What DD methods work?
DP: I was able to go into the branch and open the account with Chex score of 610. Was denied online a month back.