It takes two minutes to see if you qualify for up to ,000 online. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but donât worry â they wonât spam you with phone calls.
The benefit? Youâll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.49% APR), youâll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
Rates start at just a month. The peace of mind knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.
Blunder No. 1: Not Getting Free Gift Cards When You Shop
Plus, when you use the link above, Stash will give you a sign-up bonus once you deposit into your account.*
But if you work for a living and donât happen to have millions of dollars lying around, that can sound totally out of reach.
But maybe youâre just looking for a place to safely stash it away â but still earn money. Under your mattress or in a safe will get you nothing. And a typical savings account wonât do you much better. (Ahem, 0.05% is nothing these days.)
When you download the app, use the code PENNY to automatically earn 2,000 points when you scan your first receipt. Then start snapping photos of your recent receipts to see how many points you can earn without a single trip to the store!
Thatâs right â you can invest in pieces of well-known companies, such as Amazon, Google, Apple and more for as little as . The best part? If these companies profit, so can you. Some companies even send you a check every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends.1
Blunder No. 2: Not Earning Anything On Your Savings
But a debit card called Aspiration lets you earn up to 5% cash back and up to 20 times the average interest on the money in your account.
But a free app called Fetch Rewards will turn them into gift cards. It partners with tons of brands to give you points for every grocery receipt you share. Then you can exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Walmart, Chipotle and dozens of other retailers.
A website called Insure.com makes it super easy to compare car insurance prices. All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and your age, and itâll show you your options.
For Securities priced over ,000, purchase of fractional shares starts at If you owe your credit card companies ,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
Blunder No. 3: Paying Too Much Interest To Credit Card Companies
It takes two minutes to sign up, and itâs totally secure. With Stash, all your investments are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) â thatâs industry talk for, âYour moneyâs safe.â2
Enter your email address here to get a free Aspiration Spend and Save account. After you confirm your email, securely link your bank account so they can start helping you get extra cash. Your money is FDIC insured and they use a military-grade encryption which is nerd talk for âthis is totally safe.â
But with an app called Stash, it doesnât have to be. It lets you be a part of something thatâs normally exclusive to the richest of the rich â on Stash you can buy pieces of other companies for as little as .
So when you start to think youâre worse off than your parents, or your nephew, or your friends, remember that all 20-somethings have made mistakes that can cost them big time.
AmOne keeps your information confidential and secure, which is probably why after 20 years in business, it still has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
2To note, SIPC coverage does not insure against the potential loss of market value.
Blunder No. 4: Paying Too Much For Car Insurance
The Penny Hoarder is a Paid Affiliate/partner of Stash.Â
Youâre probably thinking: I donât have the time or money for that. But your application can take minutes â and you could leave your family up to million with a company called Bestow.
You should shop your options every six months or so â it could save you some serious money. Letâs be real, though. Itâs probably not the first thing you think about when you wake up. But it doesnât have to be.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Nobody is perfect when it comes to their finances â even millionaires slip up sometimes.
Blunder No. 5: Thinking You Donât Have Enough Money To Invest
Take a look at the Forbes Richest People list, and youâll notice almost all the billionaires have one thing in common â they own another company.
1Not all stocks pay out dividends, and there is no guarantee that dividends will be paid each year.
What do you usually do with your receipts? You check out, they hand you a mile-long piece of paper, and you frantically stuff it to the bottom of a grocery bag. Pretty worthless.
If you have credit card debt, you know. The anxiety, the interest rates, the fear youâre never going to escapeâ¦
Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. This material has been distributed for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Investing involves risk.Â
But if youâre guilty of making some of these blunders, donât fret. You can still redeem yourself! Here are some of the worst blunders you can make, and tips to help dig you out of the hole.
Blunder No. 6: Assuming Life Insurance Is Expensive And Time Consuming
Not too shabby!
If youâre under the age of 54 and want to get a fast life insurance quote without a medical exam or even getting up from the couch, get a free quote from Bestow.
And the truth is, your credit card company doesnât really care. Itâs just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called AmOne wants to help.
Not so bad for a useless receipt, right?
Yup. That could be 0 back in your pocket just for taking a few minutes to look at your options.
Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income after youâre gone? How theyâll pay the bills? Send the kids through school? Nowâs a good time to start planning for the future by looking into a term life insurance policy.
And itâs perfect for those of us who donât want to put a ton of work into this. All you have to do is send Fetch a photo of your receipt, and it does everything for you. No scanning barcodes or searching for offers â and you can use it with any grocery receipt.
Using Insure.com, people have saved an average of 0 a year.
*Offer is subject to Promotion Terms and Conditions. To be eligible to participate in this Promotion and receive the bonus, you must successfully open an individual brokerage account in good standing, link a funding account to your Invest account AND deposit .00 into your Invest account.
Youâve probably heard the best way to grow your money is to stick it in a savings account and leave it there for, well, ever. Thatâs bad advice.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com Whenâs the last time you checked car insurance prices?
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So, youâre looking for a new bank account.
Youâve got several factors to consider â ATM access, interest rates, monthly fees, minimum balances, mobile app reviews, and more.
Another factor to consider: bank promotions. These are cash bonuses you can earn when opening a new checking or savings account with a bank or credit union during the promotion window, meeting any specific criteria and keeping the account open at least long enough to earn the extra cash.
While a savings or checking bonus shouldnât be your top reason to choose a bank, donât rule it out entirely. After all, wouldnât it be nice to fund your shiny new account with some extra cash?
Many banks offer such sign-up bonuses, but often, these bonuses arenât advertised, meaning finding the best bank account bonuses can be tricky. Thatâs why we did some digging for you and found some hefty cash offers.
Best Bank Promotions of January 2021
Weâve researched the best cash bonuses available this month so you donât have to. Below, youâll find our favorite checking and savings account bonuses.
Keep an eye on what it takes to qualify, as well as any limitations. Direct deposit and minimum balances are commonly factors in securing these bonuses. Also pay attention to any monthly fees the account might carry; over time, these could weigh out the actual cash bonus. Otherwise, happy bank bonus shopping!
1. Aspiration Account: $100
Bonus amount: $100
How to get the bonus: To earn your $100, hereâs all you need to do: Open your Aspiration account and deposit at least $10. Aspiration will send you a debit card associated with the account. Use the Aspiration debit card to make at least $1,000 of cumulative transactions within the first 60 days of opening your account. Thereâs no need to spend extra money â just use your card to buy groceries and pay your utilities.
Where to sign up: Enter your email address here, and link your bank account.
When youâll get the bonus: Allow up to 120 calendar days from account opening to receive the bonus; you must have completed the requirements within the first 60 days.
The fine print: With Aspiration, your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. The account offers up to 1.00% APY on savings and allows fee-free withdrawals at more than 55,000 ATMs. There are no hidden fees with Aspiration (monthly fees are on a âPay What is Fairâ policy, and that can be zero every month!), and youâll earn cash back when you spend at socially conscious businesses.
No offer expiration.
2. TD Bank Beyond Checking Account: $300
Bonus amount: $300
How to get the bonus: Open a new TD Beyond Checking account. You must receive a total of $2,500 or more via direct deposit within 60 days of opening your new account.
Where to sign up: Visit this TD Checking page. Click the orange âopen accountâ button, and follow the instructions to open a TD Beyond Checking account.
When youâll get the bonus: The $300 bonus will be deposited into your account within 140 days of opening.
The fine print: While this bonus offer sounds too good to be true, it is definitely attainable. However, only open the account if you regularly get sizable monthly deposits or can maintain a healthy minimum balance. Thatâs because the account charges a monthly maintenance fee, but TD will waive the fee if you receive monthly direct deposits of $5,000, keep a minimum daily balance of $2,500 or maintain a combined balance of $25,000 across all your TD bank accounts.
TD fees â and the bankâs capacity for waiving them â extend to ATMs. You wonât face fees for making withdrawals at TDâs own ATMs, and itâll reimburse all fees for withdrawing at non-TD ATMs as long as you keep your daily balance at $2,500 or more.
No offer expiration.
3. TD Bank Convenience Checking Account: $150
Bonus amount: $150
How to get the bonus: Open a new TD Convenience Checking account. You must receive a total of $500 or more via direct deposit within 60 days of opening your new account.
Where to sign up: Visit this TD Checking page. Click the orange âopen accountâ button, and follow the instructions to open a TD Beyond Checking account.
When youâll get the bonus: The $150 bonus will be deposited into your account within 140 days of opening.
The fine print: While this bonus offer sounds too good to be true, it is definitely attainable. Unlike the TD Bank Beyond Checking account, this checking account option is easier for financial beginners to manage. You only need to maintain a minimum balance of $100 to have the monthly maintenance fee waived. And if youâre between the age of 17 and 23, there are no minimum balance requirements and no monthly maintenance fee.
However, the Convenience Checking account does not earn interest; the Beyond Checking account does.
No offer expiration.
4. Bank of America Advantage Banking Account: $100
Bonus amount: $100
How to get the bonus: Open a new Bank of American Advantage Banking account online using the offer code DOC100CIS. You must then set up and receive two qualifying direct deposits, each totaling $250 or more, within 90 days of opening the new account. This offer is only available to new Bank of America personal checking account customers.
Where to sign up: Visit the offer page and use the offer code DOC100CIS when opening the account.
When youâll get the bonus: Bank of America promises to âattemptâ to deposit the bonus into the account within 60 days of satisfying all requirements. However, while the âattemptâ language may seem suspect, we could not find traces of reviews citing unpaid bonuses.
The fine print: A qualifying direct deposit means the direct deposit must be regular monthly income, whether through salary, pension or Social Security benefits. Deposits through wire transfer, apps like Venmo or ATM transfers will not qualify.
Advantage Banking accounts come in three varieties: SafeBalance, Plus and Relationship. All three carry monthly maintenance fees that can be waived:
To waive the SafeBalance monthly maintenance fee of $4.95, enroll in Preferred Rewards.
To waive the Plus monthly maintenance fee of $12, receive a qualifying minimum direct deposit, maintain minimum daily balance requirements or enroll in Preferred Rewards.
To waive the Relationship monthly maintenance fee of $25, maintain the minimum combined balance in all linked accounts or enroll in Preferred Rewards.
Offer expires June 30, 2021.
5. Associated Bank Access Checking Account: Up to $500
Bonus amount: Up to $500
How to get the bonus: Open a new Associated Access Checking account with a minimum deposit of $25 and receive direct deposits totaling at least $500 within 90 days of opening your account. Bonus values will vary based on the sum of the average daily balance of all Associated Bank deposit accounts from days 61 to 90:
Average daily balances of $1,000 to $4,999.99 will earn a $200 bonus.
Average daily balances of $5,000 to $9,999.999 will earn a $300 bonus.
Average daily balances of $10,000 or more will earn a $500 bonus.
Where to sign up: Visit this Associated Bank account sign-up page and select the appropriate account.
When youâll get the bonus: You will receive the bonus as a deposit to your account within 120 days of account opening.
The fine print: Must be a new Associated Access Checking customer. If easy access to a physical branch is important to you, note that the bank has locations in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, but members have free access to MoneyPass ATMs nationwide. Account must remain open for a minimum of 12 months; if you close it early, Associated Bank reserves the right to deduct the paid out bonus before account closure.
The account requires a minimum deposit of $25, charges $4 a month if you require paper statements and does not earn interest.
Offer expires May 31, 2021.
6. Associated Bank Balanced Checking Account: Up to $500
Bonus amount: Up to $500
How to get the bonus: Open a new Associated Balanced Checking account with a minimum deposit of $25 and receive direct deposits totaling at least $500 within 90 days of opening your account. Bonus values will vary based on the sum of the average daily balance of all Associated Bank deposit accounts from days 61 to 90:
Average daily balances of $1,000 to $4,999.99 will earn a $200 bonus.
Average daily balances of $5,000 to $9,999.999 will earn a $300 bonus.
Average daily balances of $10,000 or more will earn a $500 bonus.
Where to sign up: Visit this Associated Bank account sign-up page and select the appropriate account.
When youâll get the bonus: You will receive the bonus as a deposit to your account within 120 days of account opening.
The fine print: Must be a new Associated Balanced Checking customer. If easy access to a physical branch is important to you, note that the bank has locations in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, but members have free access to MoneyPass ATMs nationwide. Account must remain open for a minimum of 12 months; if you close it early, Associated Bank reserves the right to deduct the paid out bonus before account closure.
The account requires a minimum deposit of $100 and does not earn interest.
Offer expires May 31, 2021.
7. Associated Bank Choice Checking Account: Up to $500
Bonus amount: Up to $500
How to get the bonus: Open a new Associated Choice Checking account with a minimum deposit of $25 and receive direct deposits totaling at least $500 within 90 days of opening your account. Bonus values will vary based on the sum of the average daily balance of all Associated Bank deposit accounts from days 61 to 90:
Average daily balances of $1,000 to $4,999.99 will earn a $200 bonus.
Average daily balances of $5,000 to $9,999.999 will earn a $300 bonus.
Average daily balances of $10,000 or more will earn a $500 bonus.
Where to sign up: Visit this Associated Bank account sign-up page and select the appropriate account.
When youâll get the bonus: You will receive the bonus as a deposit to your account within 120 days of account opening.
The fine print: Must be a new Associated Choice Checking customer. If easy access to a physical branch is important to you, note that the bank has locations in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, but members have free access to MoneyPass ATMs nationwide. Account must remain open for a minimum of 12 months; if you close it early, Associated Bank reserves the right to deduct the paid out bonus before account closure.
The account requires a minimum deposit of $100. This account is the only Associated option that earns interest and offers complimentary checks.
Offer expires May 31, 2021.
8. Chase Total Checking Account: $200
Bonus amount: $200
How to get the bonus: Open a new Chase Total Checking account as a new Chase customer. Within 90 days of opening the account, have a qualifying direct deposit made into the account from your employer or the government.
Where to sign up: Visit this page on Chaseâs website to sign up for the account and receive the $200 bonus. You can also open the account at a Chase location near you.
When youâll get the bonus: Chase will deposit the $200 bonus into your account within 10 business days after you meet the criteria. This is the fastest turnaround of any banking bonus included on this list.
The fine print: Direct deposits from person-to-person payments do not qualify for the sake of this bonus. The Total Checking account carries a $12 monthly service fee, but you can have it waived if you receive direct deposits each month totaling $500 or more, keep a minimum balance in the account at the start of each day of at least $1,500, or keep a minimum balance across all your Chase accounts at the start of each day of at least $5,000.
If you close the account within six months of opening, Chase will deduct the bonus amount at closing.
Offer expires April 14, 2021.
9. Chase Savings Account: $150
Bonus amount: $150
How to get the bonus: Open a new Chase Savings account as a new Chase customer. Within 20 days of opening the account, deposit at least $10,000 in new money and then maintain a balance of at least $10,000 for 90 days.
Where to sign up: Visit this page on Chaseâs website to sign up for the account and receive the $150 bonus. You can also open the account at a Chase location near you.
When youâll get the bonus: Chase will deposit the $150 bonus into your account within 10 business days after you meet the criteria. This is the fastest turnaround of any banking bonus included on this list.
The fine print: The new money deposited into the account cannot be $10,000 that you already hold in another Chase account. The Chase Savings account carries a $5 monthly service fee, but you can have it waived if you keep a daily balance of at least $300 at the start of each day, have $25 or more in Autosave, have an associated Chase College Checking account for Overdraft Protection, have an account owner who is 18 or younger or link one of several Chase checking accounts.
If you close the account within six months of opening, Chase will deduct the bonus amount at closing.
Offer expires April 14, 2021.
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10. Citibank Basic Banking Package: $200
Bonus amount: $200
How to get the bonus: Open a new checking account in the Basic Banking Package. Within 30 days, deposit $5,000 in funds that are new to Citibank. Maintain a minimum balance of $5,000 for 60 days in a row.
Where to sign up: Click âapply nowâ for the Basic Banking Package on this page to have the bonus applied.
When youâll get the bonus: Citibank pays out the cash bonus into your account within 90 days of meeting the criteria.
The fine print: The deposited funds must be new to Citibank, meaning they canât come from another Citibank account. Citibank charges a $12 monthly service fee, but you can have it waived in one of two ways:
Make a qualifying direct deposit and a qualifying bill payment during the statement period.
Maintained a combined average monthly balance of $1,500 in all linked accounts.
Citibank also waives the fee if you are 62 or older. Sometimes, it pays to be living in those golden years.
Rates and promotions may vary by location; verify your promotion details by entering your ZIP code on the site.
Offer expires January 5, 2021.
11. Citibank Account Package: $400
Bonus amount: $400
How to get the bonus: Open a new checking account in the Account Package. Within 30 days, deposit $15,000 in funds that are new to Citibank. Maintain a minimum balance of $15,000 for 60 days in a row.
Where to sign up: Click âapply nowâ for the Account Package on this page to have the bonus applied.
When youâll get the bonus: Citibank pays out the cash bonus into your account within 90 days of meeting the criteria.
The fine print: The deposited funds must be new to Citibank, meaning they canât come from another Citibank account. A savings account is required with this package. Citibank charges a $25 monthly service fee, but you can have it waived if you maintain a combined monthly average of $10,000 or more in all linked accounts.
Rates and promotions may vary by location; verify your promotion details by entering your ZIP code on the site.
Offer expires January 5, 2021.
12. Citibank Priority Account Package: $700
Bonus amount: $700
How to get the bonus: Open a new checking account in the Priority Account Package. Within 30 days, deposit $50,000 in funds that are new to Citibank. Maintain a minimum balance of $50,000 for 60 days in a row.
Where to sign up: Click âapply nowâ for the Account Package on this page to have the bonus applied.
When youâll get the bonus: Citibank pays out the cash bonus into your account within 90 days of meeting the criteria.
The fine print: The deposited funds must be new to Citibank, meaning they canât come from another Citibank account. A savings account is required with this package. Citibank charges a $30 monthly service fee, but you can have it waived if you maintain a combined monthly average of $50,000 or more in all linked accounts.
Rates and promotions may vary by location; verify your promotion details by entering your ZIP code on the site.
Offer expires January 5, 2021.
13. HSBC Premier Checking Account: Up to $600
Bonus amount: 3% cash bonus up to $600
How to get the bonus: Open a new HSBC Premier Checking account, then set up qualifying direct deposits into the account once per calendar month for six consecutive months. You will then receive a 3% cash bonus based on the amount of your qualifying direct deposits, with a max of $100 a month for six months.
Where to sign up: Use this offer page to sign up for the offer. Click âapply nowâ on the HSBC Premier Checking account.
When youâll get the bonus: You will receive your 3% cash bonus in your account approximately eight weeks after completing each monthâs qualifying activities.
The fine print: To get the bonus, you cannot have had an HSBC account from September 30, 2017 through September 30, 2020. You must also have been a U.S. resident for at least two years and must be 18 or older.
HSBC applies a monthly maintenance fee of $50 unless you maintain a balance of $75,000 across your accounts, receive monthly recurring deposits of $5,000 or more or have an HSBC US residential loan with an original loan amount of at least $500,000.
Offer expires January 7, 2021.
14. HSBC Advance Checking Account: Up to $240
Bonus amount: 3% cash bonus up to $240
How to get the bonus: Open a new HSBC Advance Checking account, then set up qualifying direct deposits into the account once per calendar months for six consecutive months. You will then receive a 3% cash bonus based on the amount of your qualifying direct deposits, with a max of $40 a month for six months.
Where to sign up: Use this offer page to sign up for the offer. Click âapply nowâ on the HSBC Advance Checking account.
When youâll get the bonus: You will receive your 3% cash bonus in your account approximately eight weeks after completing each monthâs qualifying activities.
The fine print: To get the bonus, you cannot have had an HSBC account from September 30, 2017 through September 30, 2020. You must also have been a U.S. resident for at least two years and must be 18 or older.
HSBC applies a monthly maintenance fee of $50 unless you maintain a balance of $75,000 across your accounts, receive monthly recurring deposits of $5,000 or more or have an HSBC US residential loan with an original loan amount of at least $500,000.
Offer expires January 7, 2021.
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How to Search for the Best Bank Offers and Promotions on Your Own
In the spirit of not listing approximately 193 bank promotions, we kept this list short and sweet â only highlighting the best bank promotions for checking and savings accounts.
But maybe youâre interested in banking with your local credit union, opening up a small business checking account or finding the perfect investment account? There are often bonus offers attached to these account openings, too.
The banks donât always make finding these promotions easy, so here are a few tips to help you get your hands on that cash bonus.
Check the bankâs website first. Sometimes itâll advertise its promotions right there. This is rare, but itâs worth a quick check â it could save you a ton of time.
If you donât have any luck, reach out to the bankâs customer service team through phone, email or chat. Let them know youâre shopping for a new account, and youâd like to know if itâs running any promotions. More often than not, the nice representative will send you a special link.
If this doesnât work, turn to your trusty friend Google. Look for the best bank promotions. Because youâll likely dig up some offers from third-party sites, youâll want to take a few minutes to make sure the offer:
Hasnât expired.
Is legitimate. Make sure the bank is FDIC-insured and has a positive Better Business Bureau rating. You can even read some online reviews.
Doesnât require outrageous qualifying activities. For example, it might not be realistic for you to maintain an average daily balance of $50,000 and carry out 60 qualifying debit card purchases before the end of your first 30-day statement cycle.
You can also reach out to your family, friends and social network to crowdsource bank recommendations. Sometimes banks have impressive referral programs, so both you and your friend could benefit from you signing up.
Overall, be smart. Donât let that promise of an account bonus blind you. Also, read the fine print so you donât get stuck paying high monthly fees, interest rates or closing penalties.
Will Opening a Bank Account Hurt Your Credit Score?
If youâre worried that opening a new bank account or closing an old one will hurt your credit score, donât be. Your bank accounts are not included in your credit report and therefore have no effect on your score, unless you have an outstanding negative balance that the bank turns over to a collection agency.
Sometimes when you go to open a new bank account, banks will do a soft credit check. However, that wonât affect your score.
Now, go enjoy your fresh new bank account and that nice cash bonus youâre about to pocket. Add it to your savings account, put it toward student loan payments or, heck, treat yourself!
Editorial Disclosure: This content is not provided by the bank advertiser. Opinions expressed here are the authorâs alone, not those of the bank advertiser. This site may be compensated through the bank advertiser Affiliate Program.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.