Update 1/9/25: The college bonus is still around. There’s now a similar offer for teen accounts (age 13-17) which can be found at this link. Valid through 4/16/25. This one only requires 5 transactions, not 10. (ht Carl J)
Update 10/10/22: Extended until 1/25/23.
Update 7/10/22: Deal is back and valid until 10/19/2022.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $100
- Availability: Nationwide
- Direct deposit required: None
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: Can fund up to $50 with a debit card online (prepaids do not work). Cannot fund with debit or credit in branch.
- Monthly fees: None if in college
- Early account termination fee: Bonus taken back if closed within six months
- Household limit: None
- Expiration date:
October 18th, 2019April 16, 2025
The Offer
Direct link to offer
- Chase has sent out offers for a bonus of $100 when you open a new college checking account and complete the following requirements:
- Enroll in paperless statements
- Complete 10 qualifying transactions within 60 days of account opening. Qualifying transactions include: debit card purchases, online bill payments, checks paid, Chase QuickDepositSM, Chase QuickPay® with Zelle®, or direct deposits
The Fine Print
- Offer valid until 10/18/2019.
- Offer not available to existing Chase checking customers, those with fiduciary accounts, or those whose accounts have been closed within 90 days or closed with a negative balance. Employees of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and its affiliates are not eligible for this offer.
- To receive the bonus: 1) Open a new Chase College Checking account, which is subject to approval; 2) Log in to chase.com and enroll in Chase Checking Paperless Statements within 60 days of account opening; AND 3) Complete at least 10 qualifying transactions within 60 days of account opening.
- After you have completed all the above requirements and the 10 qualifying transactions have posted to your account, we’ll deposit the bonus into your new account within 10 business days.
- Qualifying transactions include: debit card purchases, online bill payments, checks paid, Chase QuickDepositSM, Chase QuickPay® with Zelle®, or direct deposits.
- Your direct deposit needs to be an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security) from your employer or the government
- . You can receive only one new checking account opening related bonus every two years from the last enrollment date and only one bonus per account.
- Bonus is considered interest and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT (or Form 1042-S, if applicable).
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
There is no monthly fees as long as your college student aged between 17-24
Early Account Termination Fee
Bonus taken back if closed within six months
Our Verdict
Not worth considering because there is an offer for $300 as well. That offer does require a direct deposit, but there are plenty of work arounds that will work. Because of that I won’t be adding this to our list of the best checking bonuses.
Hat tip to reader Calvin
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