I grew up in on Long Island in New York and went to school in Pittsburgh for several years and would end up settling in Maryland. I’ve only ever lived in the Mid-Atlantic region, if Long Island counts, and for my adult life, PNC Bank has always had a location nearby.
When I went off to school in Pittsburgh, I opened a student checking account at a local PNC Bank.
One of my first bank accounts was at PNC Bank, opened at the branch on the corner of South Craig and 5th Avenue. I did it because they had ATMs in the University Center and I didn’t have a car. Back then, you had to do a lot in a branch. Nowadays, you can do most of it on a mobile app.
When I opened up my account, I think I got a t-shirt.
If you open up an account today, they’ll give you hundreds of dollars. 🙂
💰 BMO Bank – $600
BMO Bank has a generous offer – get up to $600 when you open a new checking account and set up direct deposits that meet their requirements. Depending on the size of your direct deposit, you can make quite a tidy sum for not too much trouble.
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This content is not provided by the bank advertiser. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the bank advertiser.
How to get up to $400 from PNC Bank
PNC Bank is offering big bonuses if you open a checking account that includes their Virtual Wallet® Product. The offer you get will depend on whether you are inside or outside PNC Bank’s geographic footprint.
PNC Bank gives up to $400 cash bonus reward if you open up a new account.
These accounts qualify:
- Open a Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend account and establish total qualifying direct deposits of $2,000+ and get $200.
- Open a Virtual Wallet with Performance Select account and establish total qualifying direct deposits of $5,000+ and get $400.
What’s nice is you can open this completely online, no need to visit a branch. If you do need to visit a branch, use this branch locator to find them.
This offer is available to residents of CA, TX, AZ, NM, CO, PA, FL, OH, WV, DE, NJ, SC, NC, GA, KY, IN, MI, IL, MD, DC, WV, and WI.
(Offer expires 10/31/2023)
PNC Virtual Wallet Checking Pro – $200
If you don’t qualify for the above offer, and you live in AR, CT, ID, IA, KS, LA, ME, MA, MN, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, ND, OK, OR, RI, TN, UT, VT, WA, or WY, then you should consider PNC Virtual Wallet® Checking Pro and it’s welcome bonus of $200.
To earn this bonus, just open an account and then receive total qualifying direct deposit(s) of $2,000 or more to the new Virtual Wallet Checking Pro.
The account has no minimum deposit to open and no monthly fees. If you open for the Virtual Wallet Checking Pro with Spend, Reserve & Growth then you also get a savings account that earns interest. The Virtual Wallet Checking Pro with Spend product is just a checking account.
(Offer expires 10/31/2023)
PNC Business Checking Account – $200 to $500
PNC Bank has a $200 and $500 offer for a business checking account when you open a qualifying Business Checking or Business Checking Plus account. You can do this in person or online.
Then:
1. Maintain a minimum average ledger balance of $5,000 for the first three statement cycles,
2. Make at least 20 total qualifying PNC Bank Visa Debit card transactions within the first three statement cycles,
3. Get $200 deposited!
To get $500, you will need to open a new qualifying Treasury Enterprise Plan or Analysis Business Checking account and maintain a minimum average ledger balance of $30,000 for each of the first three statement cycles to get the bonus deposited into your account. No debit card transaction requirement for the higher bonus amount but keep an eye out on the fees for all these accounts.
(Offer expires 9/30/2023)
How to Avoid Account Fees
There are account fees associated with each of the three accounts but they are easy to avoid. In fact, if you meet the bonus requirements and maintain that direct deposit, you avoid the monthly fee.
Otherwise, there are other ways to avoid them if you remove the deposit.
For the Virtual Wallet (no bonus), you can avoid the $7 monthly fee if you do one of the following:
- $500+ in qualifying direct deposits each statement period,
- $500 average monthly balance in Spend and Reserve accounts,
- Be age 62 or older.
For the Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend, you can avoid the $15 monthly fee if you do one of the following:
- $2,000+ in qualifying direct deposits each statement period,
- $2,000 average monthly balance in Spend and Reserve accounts,
- $10,000 combined average monthly balance in PNC consumer deposits.
For the Virtual Wallet with Performance Select, you can avoid the $25 monthly fee if you do one of the following:
- $5,000+ in qualifying direct deposits each statement period,
- $5,000 average monthly balance in Spend and Reserve accounts,
- $25,000 combined average monthly balance in PNC consumer deposits.
Oh, to set up the direct deposit, you may need to lookup your PNC Bank routing number.
Is This A Good Bank Offer?
There are offers with high dollar amounts but they often have deposit minimums or higher direct deposit requirements. This offer, of $200 to just open an account and receive a qualifying direct deposit (and make 10 purchases), is very easy to achieve.
⭐ BMO Smart Advantage Checking – $400
BMO Bank is offering a $400 bonus* when you open a BMO Smart Advantage Checking and when you have a total of $4,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits within the first 120 days. It is a very straightforward offer that is available nationwide.
*Conditions apply
⭐Citi Priority Account – up to $2000
Citi Priority is offering up to $2000 bonus when you open an account by 1/9/2024. Then, within 20 days of opening your account, deposit at least $10,000 in New-to-Citi® funds and keep it there for 60 days after the 21st day. The bonus amount is based on how much you can transfer but the lowest tier starts at $10,000.
Discover Online Savings Account – $150 or $200
Discover Bank is offering a $150 or $200 bonus when you open your first Discover Online Savings Account with the promotion code WH923 and deposit at least $15,000 into the account within 30 days. You get $150 if you deposit $15,000 or more and $200 if you deposit $25,000.
Bank of America – $200 Bonus Offer
Bank of America offers a $200 Bonus Offer cash bonus if you open a new account and Set up and receive qualifying direct deposits totaling $2,000 or more into that account within 90 days of account opening. It has a monthly fee that is easy to have waived.
Chase Total Checking® – $200
Chase Bank will give you $200 when you open a Total Checking account and set up and receive a direct deposit within 90 days. There is a $12 monthly fee that is waivable with a monthly direct deposit of just $500, so no gotchas on this deal!
So the PNC Bank promotion is a slightly lower bonus but has much easier bonus requirements to get the money.
Cassandra Cooper says
I was not able to find the Performance Select option. I called PNC, and they were aware of a $300 offer for Virtual Wallet with Performance Select, but the website only gives me two options: Virtual Wallet Checking Pro with Spend, Reserve & Growth, or Virtual Wallet Checking Pro with Spend. The website prompted me to enter my zip code, so I wonder if that is what is limiting my options.
Hmmm that’s interesting, the page doesn’t seem to imply there’s a geographic limit but it’s possible they’re doing it.