One of the reasons why my wife and I have enjoyed such a successful marriage is that we were quick to get on the same page about money. However, while we agree on how we spend and save our money, when it comes to credit card rewards, my wife’s been more apprehensive than me. It’s not that she’s against credit cards, but she doesn’t like the idea of having too many — which is why I don’t dive as deep into the hobby as I could. Yet, this past week, I found that she’s taken an interest in another one of my favorite financial pastimes: earning a bank bonus.,
As a Capital One credit card customer, she was recently invited to open a Capital One 360 Checking Account. In fact, if she did so and received two direct deposits of at least $500 or more within 90 days, she’d earn a $300 bonus. Upon seeing this, she asked me what the catch was — to which I explained that there actually wasn’t one.
Needless to say, she signed up right away and, the next day at work, she requested a direct deposit update form so that she could make those qualifying deposits as soon as possible. Luckily for her, this update took effect on the very next check, so she’s already halfway to her bonus.
But wait — there’s more. In her excitement, she told one of her co-workers about the offer. When she showed interest, my wife was able to refer her, meaning she’ll earn another $50 bonus too! Now she’s double-dipping.
Of course, I should point out that not all bank bonuses are created equal. In other words, they aren’t all as generous as this Capital One example. Oftentimes, you may see direct deposit requirements of over $2,000 each or, for savings accounts, the need to deposit at least $20,000 just to earn a couple of hundred dollars. Despite this, I have had some good luck in finding deals, such as when I made $400 by opening an account with Central Bank and completing a few activities.
Now, I don’t expect that my wife is suddenly going to become a hardcore bonus hunter or acquire anywhere near as many bank accounts as I currently have. Still, I have to say that I’m quite proud of her for embracing this part of the hobby that I’ve engaged in for years now. So, if I can’t convince her to aim for more credit card welcome bonuses, perhaps we can have fun finding and capturing banking bonuses together. Is that true love or what?