31 thoughts on “Quick Update Regarding Bank Account Bonuses, Pop Money Direct Deposits, and Debit Card Transactions

  1. Jay

    Good post but please enlighten me up a bit here… so every bank has POPMONEY option to transfer to another bank account and it will count as “direct deposit”?
    Also, on loading the Redcard using the debit card…I saw you load different amounts there in each transaction, what about if I load $1 for every transaction for 6 times?

    Reply
    1. Grant

      I’m not sure if every bank/credit union has Pop Money – most do. For Redbird debit card reloads, if you do the same reload about ($1) several times on the same day, the debit card might start blocking the transaction since it looks like a duplicate charge. You might want to mix it up slightly.

      Reply
      1. Radster

        Grant – Have you verified that ‘PopMoney = Direct Deposit’ at banks/CUs other than Provident? Every month I seem to qualify with an unusually high number of transactions being counted as ACH/DDs in my Prov. Acct. (seems they count all deposits and maybe even bill payments).

        Reply
        1. Grant

          I think Provident counts any deposit/ACH/transfer as a “direct deposit.” I have not verified that Pop Money works for other banks/credit unions, but I will try to find out.

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      1. Bill

        Yes, Grant, you need to step it up!

        When travelling, it’s a great chance to tack on a bonus you wouldn’t otherwise qualify for as a non-resident. Most institutions will let you open the account if you’re IN PERSON.

        I don’t live in the south, but collected on SunTrust and Regions bank promotions while I was on vacation.

        Reply
          1. Bill

            Nice trip to Utah. You may be right; I only see Key Bank offering incentives that your home state might not offer.

          1. Grant

            Are you specifically asking about the Provident Credit Union bank account bonus? I believe so, at least a Pop Money transfer worked.

  2. Kat

    Great post Grant. Do you close these bank accounts after getting the bonuses, or just leave them open forever (or for a certain amount of time)??

    Reply
    1. Grant

      I will keep the free bank accounts open forever (keeping a $5 balance in there). The ones that charge a monthly fee will be either converted to a no monthly fee version or closed entirely.

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  3. Duan Yutong

    Could you check your site for hacks? Every time I visit your site, the first time always results in being redirected to malware sites which play horrible sounds. Closing that tab and open again, it’s gone. This issue has persisted for several weeks.

    Reply
    1. Grant

      Hi Duan, thank you for the heads up. I’m aware of the issue and Boarding Area is working on hard on determining the cause of the issue and will resolve the issue ASAP. I’m sorry for the inconvenience and I appreciate your readership. Have a great weekend.

      Reply
    1. Bill

      Take a look at the offer. Some offers are online-only, others are in-branch only, and others can be obtained either way.
      While opening an account online may allow for credit card funding, if the incentive is enticing enough, and the offer allows the account to be opened in a branch, perhaps some of the offers are worth driving to, visiting while on work, or vacation trips?
      If they ask why I’d want an account with a branch nowhere near where I live, quite often I’ll explain that it’s nice to have an account where you vacation, have family, work, etc. Truthfully, if the account is free of service charges, it’s nice to get off an airplane and access an ATM just like it was local.

      Reply
    2. Grant

      Most credit unions allow you to make a small payment to join a local organization that participates at the credit union (see Agricultural Federal Credit Union in DC, which you can join by joining a DC-based dance organization).

      Reply

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