First Tech Credit Union was founded in 1952 by folks at Hewlett-Packard and Tektronix and now has over 650,000 members serviced by 33 branches, mostly in the northwest United States. As a federal credit union, they are regulated by the NCUA.
They offer a whole suite of banking services but today I’d like to share with you their $300 checking bonus offer.
Table of Contents
How to Join First Tech Credit Union
As a credit union, they are required to restrict membership to eligible parties. Fortunately, you can qualify in a variety of ways:
- Work for one of our 900+ partner companies—like Amazon, Microsoft, Intel and more
- Family or household member is already a First Tech member
- Work for the State of Oregon
- Live or work in Lane County, Oregon
- Belong to the Computer History Museum or the Financial Fitness Association
The last two bullets are notable because anyone can join those two organizations. The Financial Fitness Association annual membership fee is just $8. (the Computer History Museum is $15/year)
First Tech FCU has a promotion where you can get $300 when you:
- Open a First Tech Rewards Checking account
- Set up a new payroll direct deposit of $1,000+ per month for a minimum of three months
- Collect $300
The account also offers a 5.00% APY on your first $15,000 saved if you a few conditions (biggest of which is 20 transactions with a minimum monthly spend of $500), but the bonus is for setting up a direct deposit.
This account has no monthly maintenance fees and no minimum balance requirements.
(Offer expires 6/30/2024)
How Does This Offer Compare?
It’s a fairly typical offer when you put it up against other credit union bonuses. Service Credit Union will give you $500 if you get a direct deposit of $1,500 or more, which is slightly more than this one but you get $500 instead of $300.
When you compare it against commercial bank offers, it stacks up well because the direct deposit is so accessible. Many of the higher bonuses require you to have much larger direct deposits.
Barclays – $200
Barclays Bank will give you a $200 if you open a new savings account and deposit $25,000 or more within 30 days and maintain at least $25,000 for the next 120 days. The savings account also pays a competitive interest rate of 4.35% APY while you wait.
BMO Relationship Checking – $400
BMO Bank is offering a $400 bonus* when you open a BMO Relationship Checking and when you have at least $7,500 in qualifying direct deposits within the first 90 days. It is a very straightforward offer that is available nationwide.
*Conditions apply
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® – $300
Chase Bank will give you $300 when you open a Total Checking account and set up and receive direct deposits totaling $500 or more 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!
HSBC Premier Checking – up to $4,000
HSBC has an offer where you can get up to $4,000 for eligible new customers who open an HSBC Premier checking account, make a sizable deposit, and make recurring monthly qualifying direct deposits of at least $5,000 for 3 consecutive months.
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About Jim Wang
Jim Wang is a forty-something father of four who is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Vanguard’s Blog. He has also been fortunate to have appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.
Jim has a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. in Information Technology – Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. His approach to personal finance is that of an engineer, breaking down complex subjects into bite-sized easily understood concepts that you can use in your daily life.
One of his favorite tools (here’s my treasure chest of tools,, everything I use) is Personal Capital, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. They also offer financial planning, such as a Retirement Planning Tool that can tell you if you’re on track to retire when you want. It’s free.
He is also diversifying his investment portfolio by adding a little bit of real estate. But not rental homes, because he doesn’t want a second job, it’s diversified small investments in a few commercial properties and farms in Illinois, Louisiana, and California through AcreTrader.
Recently, he’s invested in a few pieces of art on Masterworks too.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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