How to get the incentive:

1. Use the link below to have a unique coupon code emailed to you.
2. Open your new account with at least $100 online or in your local bank branch. Opening deposit must be received with 60 days of opening.
3. Set up a monthly direct deposit within the first two months.
4. Chase will deposit your incentive within 10 days after meeting the above requirements.

How to keep your account “free”:

Since the 2009 financial crisis Chase has instituted requirements in order for the monthly service fee to waived. There are three different ways to keep your account “fee free”. Have a monthly direct deposit of at least $500 or more. Maintain at least $1500 throughout the month, or maintain $5,000 or more in your linked Chase accounts. Qualifying accounts include checking, savings, and certain retirement CD’s. If you are not able to meet the above requirements a $12 monthly service fee will be assessed.

Visit Chase here to get your coupon code.

The requirements to have your monthly fee waived is dependent on which account you have.

Essentials Checking: Starting in May you will be subject to a $7 fee. You have avoid this fee by either maintaining at least $1500 in your account or have at least one direct deposit from your employer, pension, or social security every statement month. Service fees will post on your June statement if you do not meet the above requirements. If you have no way of getting direct deposits you can sign up for online only statements and Wells will credit you $2 a month.

Complete Advantage Checking: The $75 monthly transfer will no longer be one of the options to have your service fee waived. Either maintain $7500 or more or have a linked Wells Fargo Mortgage Account. If you do not meet the above be prepared to pay $15 a month.

For those who do not want to deal with the above your best bet is to join a local credit union. Most have free accounts and are a lot easier to deal with than the “big banks”.

If you have any questions about the changes to your account calls Wells Fargo at 1-800-To-Wells (1-800-869-3557).

What makes this card different is the fact that the categories are places we visit on an almost daily basis and there is no limit on the amount of money you can earn. A 6% bonus is almost unheard of on a credit card. The secret to racking up huge rewards is check for a gift card mall at your local supermarket. You can find hundreds of gift cards to some of your favorite stores and even Mastercard, Visa, and American Express gift cards that when purchased from the grocery store earn you 6% cash back!

There is an annual fee of $75 which is not waived but you can easily wipe that out with the sign up bonus and if you use the gift card technique above to earn extra cash. Do you want a card with a low interest rate? Blue offers 0% on purchases for the first 12 months! After that the rate is determined by your credit score.

Know someone who already has this card? American Express offers a referral bonus of $75.

Ready to sign up? Visit American Express using think link for more details and to apply.

How to qualify for the bonus:

You can open one of several checking accounts. First checking is a limited package for members 15-22 years old. Basic checking is a no frills no fee account that works for most members. Access checking includes features like free first set of checks, debit card cash back programs, discounts on auto loan rates, and a free Carfax report on used cars. Premiere checking gives you better rates on CD’s as well as free domestic wire transfers.

To qualify for the $300 bonus you must open one of the above packages by May 31st 2012, have three payroll direct deposits of at least $500 into your new account by July 31st. We are not sure if ACH push’s from other banks or Paypal count towards the above requirements. Norwthwest with credit the cash incentive into your new account on the next business day after the three deposits are made. Only one per customer.

Many have said that they do a hard pull on your credit port so make sure everything is in order before applying. FYI-It is easier to get approved for a checking account than a credit card.

How to join Northwest Federal Credit Union:

If you work for one of the government offices mentioned here. If you are employed by one of over 500 of these companies. Or you can be a member of several partner organizations. The easiest way to join the credit union is to apply for a group called Financial Awareness Network (FAN). Anyone can join FAN for a fee of $10 with no extra paperwork required. If you are a spouse or family member of anyone who qualifies above also gains you access to NWFCU.

Visit this website http://www.nwfcu.org/happy/ for full details and to apply online.

If you are already a member there is an even sweeter deal. Platinum members get the above two free nights plus two suite upgrades. Current Diamond members get 2 free nights in a suite. Chase does charge an annual fee of $75 which is offset by the statement credit.

Additional benefits:

Earn three Gold Passport reward points for every dollar you spend at a Hyatt hotel and one point per dollar spent anywhere else. This card also has Smart Chip technology which is used overseas, namely the UK. This chip creates an extra level of security by making the user enter a PIN number like a debit card when using the card. It also creates Worldwide acceptance because some machines in Europe only accept card that have a smart technology. One of the most valuable features from Chase is no foreign transaction fees. Typically most credit card companies charge a 3% fee when you use your card out of the United States. For those who travel internationally frequently this benefit could save you hundreds of dollars. Especially when paying for some of Hyatt’s pricy hotels.

More benefits include free elite Passport Gold status with Hyatt as long as you have the card and a one free night certificate at any category 1-4 hotel. This essentially pays for the annual fee every year.

Additional terms:

• Free night certificates will post to your Passport account within 10 days of first purchase. This does not include any balance transfers, ATM cash withdrawals, or check writing. You need to go swipe your card somewhere.
• Offer is valid for first time card members. Chase reserves the right to remove the free night certificates if your account is not open for at least 3 months.

This is a great card with some of the best hotel benefits out there. Visit the Hyatt website here to apply and learn more.

The bonus is pretty straightforward open either an eBanking, MyAccess, or Advantage checking account by July 31st and use promotion code GROUP50 and Bank of America will deposit $50 into your new account. Each of the above accounts have different fees as well as benefits mainly based on how you plan to use your checking account.

eBanking is for those who mainly do their banking online. Monthly fee is waived if you make your deposits and withdrawals through an ATM. This is my personal favorite because their new ATM’s make depositing excess cash and checks easy 24 hours a day! If you hit it big at the casino at 2 am and need someone safe to store your cash just deposit it in the ATM right then! eBanking also requires you get your monthly statements electronically or a $8.95 fee will apply.

MyAccess checking is BOA’s most popular option. There is a $12 monthly fee which is waived if you have 1 direct deposit of at least $250 per month, or maintain $1500 or more in the account.

Advantage checking is an interest earning account but requires you to maintain at least $10000 in your Bank Of America checking, savings, CD’s and IRA’s. If you can not meet the above you can also have 15k in a BOA mortgage, installment loan, or line if credit to avoid a $25 monthly fee.

Visit this link for full details and to apply. Remember to enter GROUP50 in the offer code field or you will not get your bonus.

What makes this account different is the fact that almost everything is free. Chase normally requires some sort of direct deposit or debit card usage per month to keep their accounts fee free but not this one. There is no minimum balance requirement and they waive the monthly service fee which can be upwards of $25 depending on which state you live in.

Account benefits:

Military banking benefits include the regular benefits like free online banking and bill pay. Many extras are thrown in like free safety deposit boxes as long as the bank has availability (some have reported a one time “opening fee” of $10).

Complimentary checks (the regular charge for checks is around 10-15 dollars).

No Chase atm fee on up to 4 automated teller machine transactions. This is a very important benefit for servicemen stationed outside of their home state. Keep in mind that other banks can still charge a fee to use their ATM’s especially if you are out of the country.

No fee on money orders, gift cards, travelers checks, or official checks. This is probably the most important benefit because a serviceman can spend hundreds on travelers checks and gift cards to use on tours overseas.

Who can apply?

Any active duty service member with a valid government ID or a retiree who can show proper proof they were in the armed forces such as discharge papers, VA card, membership in veteran related programs or any other personable proof.

For those who are active duty armed forces you get other benefits besides the many included above. Chase gives you free incoming and outgoing wire transfers, Unlimited use at non Chase ATM’s, and they waive the 3% foreign transaction fee when you use your debit card to buy items or get money of out the ATM while out of the country.

How to apply?

Simply present your documentation to a branch representative or visit https://www.chase.com/online/military/military-personal.htm for more information.

Pay Over Time Benefits:

There is no fee to use Pay Over Time but they will charge interest on the purchase since it was not paid in full by the due date. This allows you to use one card for everything instead of splitting up large purchases on separate cards or using another company altogether. A big benefit of Pay Over Time is the additional features that come with using an American Express card like purchase protection, lost luggage protection, trip insurance, etc. You can still get those benefits and pay for your trip over a period of time.

Offer terms:

Only certain AMX cards are eligible, my business gold card was not. You can log in using the link below and American Express will advise you if your card is eligible. You must enroll by June 30th 2012 to get the 10k bonus points. Only one bonus is allowed per account. Sign up using bonus id 7907/7775. Membership Rewards points will be credited to your account within 6 to 8 weeks after enrollment.

Visit American Express here for full details and to apply for the Pay Over Time service.

Offer terms:

There is a somewhat hefty spending requirement for this card to get the full bonus. Chase will deposit 50,000 miles after your very first purchase however to get 25k more miles you have spend at least 10k within the first year. To earn the final 25k miles you have to spend an additional 10,000 bringing the total spend requirement to 20k in the first year. That may seem like a lot but check out a few of our other articles like how to pay taxes with your credit card or using Amazon payments. There are many ways to create extra “spend” without having to use your own money.

This is a Visa Signature card which offers tons of extra benefits. You earn 2.5 Avios for every dollar spent on British Airways purchases and 1.25 Avios per dollar on any other purchase. Balance transfers and cash advances do not earn miles. There is an annual fee of $95 that is not waived for the first year so the offer does require a small initial investment. Some other card benefits essentially pay for the annual fee. Bonus Avios miles will be deposited into your account within 6-8 weeks after you meet each requirement.

Additional benefits:

Pay no foreign transaction fees when you use your BA card overseas! This is a big plus for me. Typically credit card companies charge a 3% fee for every dollar you charge while out of the country. This can add up rather quickly if you travel a lot. I save almost $1000 a year in fees just for carrying this card and earn miles at the same time.

Smart chip technology, this is the only card from a United States issuer that has a smart chip embedded in it. That means this card is more secure than most and can be used more in Europe and other countries that require you to enter a PIN when using a credit card.

Travel together ticket If you spend 30k or more per year on your British Airways card Chase will send you a free companion voucher which is good for a two year period. This is an amazing feature that lets you bring someone for free on your next award trip. There are no cabin or location requirements. Lets say you book an award ticket from the US to Asia in business or first class. Your companion will fly in the exact same class as you for free! Visit ba.com/traveltogetherticket for more details on the Travel Together Ticket.

This is an amazing offer from Chase and will not last long. Visit this link for full details and to apply.

This offer is good for any new individual or joint brokerage accounts as well as IRA accounts opened by 4/30/12. In addition to the incentive if you deposit more than $2000 you will trade free for 90 days. There is a limit of 300 free online equity, ETF, or options trades. This incentive is tiered based on how much money you deposit into your new account.

Bonus tiers:

• $2,000- 24,999 – just the free trades
• $25,000-49,999- $100 bonus
• $50,000- 99,999- $200 bonus
• $100,000-249,999- $500 bonus
• $250,000 or more- $1000 bonus

Account terms and conditions:

You must find the account within 60 days of opening. TD Ameritrade limits this to one bonus per person and the money must be maintained in the account for at least 9 months or they reserve the right to debit the incentive from your account at the time of closure. Bonuses generally take 3-5 days to be posted. It is important to also note that if your bonus is over $600 you will receive an IRS 1099 form.

A great perk of TD is that they do not charge a minimum balance fee or “maintenance” fees. All online equity trades are priced at $9.99 after your free trading period is over. Customer service is available 24 hours a day and for those of us who are old school you can walk into one of over 100 branches and talk to a real person!

Visit TD Ameritrade here for full terms and conditions and to apply for a new account.