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My 2018 Bank Account Bonuses Results – Diversify From Credit Card Welcome Offers

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My 2018 Bank Account Bonuses Results

I have been a fan of bank account bonuses for many years now, even when the bonus was just getting a t-shirt in college. Remember the old toaster, coffee mug and blanket offer days?  Those were pretty terrible but now banks offer cold hard cash to entice you.

I shared my results from 2017 last year and people seemed to enjoy it so I figured I would do it again.  Without further ado here are my 2018 bank account bonus results.

2018 Results

I wasn’t as on the ball this year as I have been in years past but I still came out alright.  I was fortunate enough to get some larger bonuses which helped out even though my overall accounts added was down.  Here are the figures:

  • Fifth Third Bank – 2 bonuses totaling $500 (my wife and I each got one)
  • Chase – 2 bonuses totaling $600 (one for the wife and myself)
  • Citizens Bank – $150
  • TCF Bank – $250
  • Keybank – $200
  • Fidelity – $100 Amazon gift card (I calculate this as cash equivalent)
  • MSGCU – $175

A lot of these were local banks or Midwest banks.  Chase was a big nationwide one and one of the easier bonuses although they have changed the rules some.  Overall I ended up with $1,975 from 9 accounts. The overall numbers are lower compared to 2017 but the per bonus average was over $200 which is pretty solid.

These figures don’t include my tax rate since these are all taxed as interest income.  Be sure to file them with your accountant during tax time.

Going Forward

I only have one iron in the fire right now and that is the Charles Schwab $100 bonus that I signed up for when I was chasing the Platinum card.  We all know how that ended, in disaster.  Other than that I am sitting it out for a little while until I get some accounts closed down to clean up my bank account tracking sheet.  Then I will start hitting the rounds again, hopefully in time to snatch some of the great bonuses happening early this year.

Conclusion

With the constant crackdowns on welcome offers bank account bonuses have been my safe haven.  It gives me something to focus on and puts money in my account to use when I am on vacation. It is also something to keep you occupied while in a cooling off mode or waiting to drop under 5/24.

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann is a father, husband and miles/points fanatic. He left the corporate world after starting a family in order to be a stay at home dad. Mark is constantly looking at ways to save money and stay within budget while also taking awesome vacations with his family. When he isn't caring for his family or taking a weekend trip, Mark is working towards his goal of visiting every Major League Baseball ballpark.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

8 COMMENTS

    • Nice – I procrastinated with that one and missed the cut off…I missed the the end date was a load date and not the final day to open an account :(. That was one of the best ones of the year though if you could max it out.

  1. Thank you! I am still new, been doing points and miles for about 3.5 years. Needed cash to pay for food in Grand Cayman. Booked resort and flight with points but was shocked to see food prices. Thank you again for the helpful articles!

    • I love to use bank bonuses for the same thing or charge stuff back to my room and use a card like the Arrival Plus or Venture card (when I can get approved lol) to wipe off my food and drink bills.

      Glad we could help – thanks for reading!

  2. This was my 1st year trying bank bonuses. I earned $885 with not much work. I should have another $500 hit in about 6 weeks.

  3. Mark, do you think with FICO scores also now reflecting checking account activity that you will continue opening/closing accounts at this pace?

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