[PA, NY, MD, OH only] Receive Up To $200 When You Open A MyNorthwest Checking Account
Reposting this as we know now it’s a soft pull to open and you can fund up to $1,000 with a credit card. Hat tip to reader Drew for all the information. Reposting again since it’s been more than a year and some readers might have missed this one.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $200
- Availability: PA, NY, MD, OH only (must live within 50 miles of branch)
- Direct deposit required: Receive two direct deposits per month of at least $200
- Additional requirements: You get the last $100 on your one year anniversary
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- Credit card funding: Up to $1,000
- Monthly fees: None
- Early account termination fee: Unknown
- Expiration date: None listed
Contents
The Offer
- Receive a bonus of $200 when you receive 2 or more direct deposits of $200 or more from an employer or other outside into your new MyNorthwest checking account.
- $200 bonus is broken down into two payments:
- First $100 bonus is credited to your account within 14 days of competing the two direct deposits stated above
- Second $100 bonus within 14 days of the one year anniversary of the account. You must receive two direct deposits in the two months preceeding the one year anniversay of the account to receive this second bonus. You must’ve also received the first $100 bonus to qualify.
The Fine Print
- Must be approved for a MyNorthwest account, to be approved you must live within the service area. This means you must be within 50 miles of a branch. Click here to view if you’re within the service area, they only have locations in the following states: PA, NY, MD, OH.
- Must be a new customer (considered a new customer if you haven’t held MyNorthwest” checking account within the past six months
- Limited to bonus of $200 per account
- Not available when you open a MyNorthwest interest bearing checking account
- Employees are not eligible for this bonus
- All bank account bonuses are treated as interest and as such you must pay tax on them
- Offer may be extended, modified or discontinued at any time without prior notice and may vary by market
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fee
There is no monthly fee on their most basic checking account.
Early Account Termination Fee
We cannot find the full fee disclosure for the MyNorthwest checking account. We’ve sent them an e-mail and will update this section once we know for sure if they do or don’t have an early account termination fee. Although it really shouldn’t matter as you need to keep the account open for a full year to get the full $200 bonus.
Easiest Way To Receive This Bonus
- Open account
- Fund with a rewards earning credit card
- Set up an ACH transfer from your existing checking account to your new NorthWest checking account of $200+ per month
- Wait two months
- Receive first $100 bonus
- Wait another ten months, set up direct deposit again
- Receive second $100 bonus
- Transfer all money out of your Northwest checking account to your main checking account
- Close NorthWest checking account
You could also stop the ACH transfer for 8 months between receiving the first bonus and 2 months before the account anniversary, but you really won’t make that much in interest off the $200 you’ll need to transfer per month and this way you won’t forget to set it up to get the second bonus.
Our Verdict
- What counts as a direct deposit (ACH transfers currently count)
- It’s a soft pull to open this account
- You can fund up to $1,000 with a credit card (including American Express cards)
For those that live in the participating areas this seems like an easy bank account bonus to receive. The only downside is that you’ll need to keep the account open for a year to receive the full $200 bonus. On the upside there is no monthly fee that needs to be avoided. I’d be taking advantage of this offer if I lived within the service area. If you do take advantage of this offer, let us know in the comments. Because of this I’ve added it to our best bank bonus list.
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
- Introduction To ChexSystems
- Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
- What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull ChexSystems?
- How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
- Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
- How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
- Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
- Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank
Applied for this today – a couple of notes
Select “No” for overdraft protection to avoid hard pull
CC loads are allowed, max $1k, amex allowed
What card do you use to fund it and was it a purchase? Thanks, Drew!
I funded using Amex Everyday to meet spend, coded as purchase
I opened an account today in Pittsburgh.
Using BA to load but system denied. Change to another AMEX SPG, still denied.
What should I do, go to another branch have a try?
Before I went, I lower my BA card cash advance line to $20 and SPG cash advance is not allowed since I don’t join the program
So does a credit card load count as a one of the direct deposits needed for this?
no
Credit card loads never count
Also, there is a monthly minimum balance requirement:
“Service charge of only $3.00 per monthly statement period is applicable should your average daily balance for the period fall below $300”
Having to live within 50 miles of a branch kills it for me.
doesn’t seem to have any branch in New York.
Just applied for this offer with a $1000 Arrival+ fund. I’m going to set up DD to do $100 every month for the next 12 months since I’m bound to forget about the 2nd set of DDs — I live right by a branch with an ATM, so getting access to that money shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks for the data point, added it.
Any reason why we have to wait 2 months before we get the first $100.
I don’t make the bonuses, I just write about them! Pretty standard fine print though.
Oh ok I see. I guess I read the terms wrong or couldn’t find it. If it takes 2 months for the bonus to come in then that’s that. Thanks for the information!
Dont you need DD of $200 twice? thats what I read from the terms: “Receive a bonus of $200 when you receive 2 or more direct deposits of $200 or more from an employer or other outside into your new MyNorthwest checking account.”
Yes, that’s what’s stated in the T&C and DoC’s write-up
Got the message of couldn’t verify my application and go visit a branch. so, I did. with the printout of my application. They couldn’t find it!! well so now I can’t fund with CC in the branch. I think they just discard the application if not approved online.
Still going to open as $200 is probably worth the hassle. I guess small banks don’t have much IT capability to handle these situations.
Funded $1k with Chase IHG, which counted as a purchase.
I opened an account today in Pittsburgh.
Using BA to load but system denied. Change to another AMEX SPG, still denied.
What should I do, go to another branch have a try?
Before I went, I lower my BA card cash advance line to $20 and SPG cash advance is not allowed since I don’t join the program. Does your IHG card has more than $1000 cash advance line?
Sometimes when funding a bank account in branch, they force the transaction as a Cash Advance.
You may have better luck applying online.
My IHG has a $400 CA line. Drew is correct, try online.
DP:
Opened Account.
Funded $1,000 with Chase Marriott (purchase)
Setup a transfer from Santander ($250) and a transfer from Huntington ($240).
Second Transfer posted on 4/14
Bonus $100 posted on 4/20.
Put a reminder in my financial spreadsheet to do two more transfers 10 months from now.
This was a nice (easy) bonus here!
Applied online. Used Amex (SPG Biz) to fund $1000. Posted as purchase.
Is there an easy way to get the enrollment code for online banking??
DP:
used scheduled transfers through Discover Checking to hit the second set of requirements
second $100 bonus posted as expected; going to close account soon
nice bonus, thanks DoC!
Thanks so much for coming back for the second DP. I’m just now eligible to do this myself in March now.
Thanks, added DP
I’m just barely within 50 miles, but feels like too much work for a taxed $200. The 1k credit card spend is only another $15 in my mind. Bank account bonuses always seem enticing, but between paperwork and possible phone calls, they can eat up time. Maybe if I’m bored today…
There is no branch within 50 miles from NYC.
Right, so I don’t know why they said in NY
Sigh, 63 miles to the nearest branch.
Pretty simple. I opened this checking acct a month ago then transferred from Paypal twice, $250 each. Then got $100 bonus after 2 days.
Thanks for the DP
Does anyone know if the 50 mile stipulation is “as the crow flies” or by actual driving mileage? Under the crow I’m 43 but driving is over five-O.
Their website says the basic chk has no monthly fee.
Thanks, updated post.
Deposited $1,000 with Amex premier rewards gold and coded as purchase
Amex Everyday coded as a purchase – $1,000
Anyone know if Northwest allows mobile Money order deposit?
Looking @ there FAQs it states ‘checks as defined in reg cc’ – which would seem to include US Postal Service Money Orders.
Just opened and funded this account with a Chase SWA Visa for $1K. Northwest sent me a confirmation email just as I got a fraud alert from Chase. Rookie mistake for not calling Chase first! I let Chase know that yes I did just try to charge $1K, but the damage was done…transaction denied. The nice folks at Northwest customer service were unable to take my credit card info over the phone, but were able to resubmit the info that was already in their computer. Northwest sent me another confirmation email and Chase now shows a charge of $1K. Lesson learned.
I was able to open my Northwest Savings bank checking account with $1000 charged to my CSR card. This posted as a purchase. (Jan 2017)
If you’re wondering how stringent that zip requirement is, 50.12 miles (according to their branch tool) from the nearest branch is invalid. No Philadelphia zip seems to work.
I am 44 miles from their branch using their tool but with Google Maps I am just over 50 miles.
Am I OK to apply ?
@Jack
I can’t apply despite the fact that I am only 44 miles from their nearest branch according to their own tool.
@DoC Are we sure it is 50 miles ?
Why this includes NY why the fact is that no branch within 50 miles if entering any zip code in NY?
Anyway, I applied today, funded $1000 with Citi Double Cash, ready to get declined in a few days. lol
In Western NY there are Northwest Branches. They purchased 18 branches from First Niagara in the WNY area,
What happened to your application Jason?
Declined as expected, too many inquires
Used PayPal to deposit 2 $225 amounts. Bonus posted 1 day later. Very easy bonus and can’t wait for the second $100. Thank you DOC!
Thanks for the DP
Thanks DoC for putting together such a great website..
Now I can get the credit card bonuses AND bank bonuses in one go !
Credit card funding Up to $1,000 is the main attraction for this bank with $200 worth of silver lining.
I’ll save this offer for Amex card MS since it is one of the rare banks which allows funding with Amex.
Funded with Citi Double Cash, coded as a purchase.
Did one Popmoney transfer and one venmo transfer (both over $200) and got the $100 1 day after 2nd transfer – so I’d assume both would work.
Can you fund both a checking and a savings account for $1000 each? If so that would be a great way to meet some cc minimum spend.
Just opened a savings account, the funding page allowed me to add another $1000 with my SPG. So far shows up as pending will report back in case it fails for some reason.
Hi Dee – curious if this ever went through as a purchase for funding the savings account?
DP: I did 2x$200 transfer from C360 on 1/23, 1/27, and $100 bonus posted to my account on 2/1. Now just to wait until the end of the year to trigger the second $100.
@ DoC Did you hear back from them about the Early account termination fee ?
I don’t want to keep the account open for the whole year and just want to open it for MSing.
$100 will just be a silver lining and I can do it again after 1 year if I close it early.
No I didn’t sorry
Link dead. New link: https://northwest.com/northwest-promotions
There is a $3 paper statement fee that can be waived by enrolling in estatement.
Where did you find the service area being 50 miles? I couldn’t find that on their site or anywhere. I’m 27 miles and when I tried to sign up I got the following message “We apologize, but you are not able to open an account because you live outside of our market area.”
I think a reader said that
I’m a VERY newbie here. Been reading a lot of great deals, thanks.
Is there a limit to the number of bank accounts you can open (other than not having the cash, of course.)?
It looks like most of these are soft pulls, so it shouldn’t really hurt.
Thanks!
Bill, this post should answer your question: /how-many-bank-accounts-can-i-safely-open-within-a-year-for-bank-bonus-purposes/
DoC,
Please double check this statement of yours:
Set up an ACH transfer from your existing checking account to your new NorthWest checking account of $100+ per month
I believe each transfer has to be at least $200+.
I know this after seeing that a few $100 transfers didn’t do the trick. I only got the bonus after doing 2 separate $200 transfers.
Updated, does need to be $200+ now.
Data point…
3/11 applied and approved
3/24 Schwab DD $200
3/27 Schwab DD $200
3/29 received $100 bonus
Pretty simple, thanks! Will try to remember to update in 12 months haha.
Thanks for the DP.
Does anyone have trouble withdrawing the fund?
I am unable to pull from Paypal, unable to add it as an external account to other banks, and unable to add external accounts on their page.
Yes!
They recently redesigned their site and a ton of functionality is lacking. I was able to pull the money by linking a credit card to the checking account and paying the credit card that way (Linked it from the credit cards site and not their garbage). Pulling money out of this bank is painful to say the least.
DP: Sent two $200 ACH transfers from Huntington same day within minutes. Took two weeks but got the $100.
DP:
04/07/17 Sent two $200 ACH transfers from Santander on same day
04/10/17 Received first $100 bonus. Will wait until month 11 and 12 to do two more DD to get 2nd bonus.
Just received notification that my Northwest Bank checking account is transitioning to Shore United Bank. I think this is happening only for Maryland customers. I suspect I won’t be receiving the $100 bonus because this is in the FAQ:
“I opened a new MyNorthwest Checking account and haven’t received any or all of my $200 bonus. Am I still eligible?
If you have met the requirements to receive all or part of your $200 MyNorthwest Checking bonus, Northwest will credit your account prior to the close of business May 19, 2017. You will see the credit posted on your final Northwest statement.”
I also received the same notification and Shore United has already sent me some correspondance. I received the first part of the bonus in March but I am not sure if they will credit the remaining $100. If not, I will close the account.
I have been keeping up with my DDs and it looks like Northwest credited me the remaining $100 of the bonus way ahead of schedule. Pretty cool!
Just received my remaining $100 bonus, since my account is converting to Shore United. I will just close the account with the new bank, because their basic checking charges $5 vs no fee Northwest account.
DP Sent 2 $200 transfers from USAA to Northwest five days apart. $100 bonus posted 6 days after the second transfer.
Thanks, added
seems like they tightened up the radius. I’m 37.46 miles from their nearest branch (according to their website) and it won’t let me apply since I live ‘outside their market’
At this rate only their employees will be able to apply in few months time.
Northwest got bought out by another bank. They sent a letter that they will credit the outstanding bonus that I would have been eligible for at the end of the year.
Uhh what? That’s interesting…I will have to be on the lookout for something from them. Snail Mail?
Yes. Lots of snail mail from the new bank and from northwest.
Applied in branch (after online application required further review) in Western NY and got declined due to too many too many inquiries on Chexsystems report. He’s applied to 11 bank accounts in last 12 months FWIW.
I got a message saying I can’t apply because I’m outside their market area, but the nearest branch is 22 miles away. Hmm.
@Sarah
I had the same experience.
Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it unless you want to try in branch..
Same experience but I’m only 7 miles away….
I don’t think they’re accepting new applications.. I tried a zip code of one of their branches and even that said I was “outside their market area”
Bah! No luck in MD at 20785. “Outside of service area”
Just opened a checking account. Successfully funded $1,000, coded as a charge, using Chase British Airways card.
I am a little bank bonus obsessed. Pretty much used up all FL and nationwide banks and looking to score whenever I can. Went to Pittsburgh this past weekend to watch my Jaguars destroy the Steelers in epic fashion. Figured I would hit a few banks while there. I didnt bother with online since I assumed instant decline. Including this account 27 in 16 months of which 25 in last 12 months.
Walked in downtown-ish branch. Applied with banker. $200 promo was posted on walls and still on their site. Opened account in 20 minutes, with FL drivers license, opening deposit via check. Set up account online tonight and will begin ACH pushes. More DPs later but can confirm out-of-target area works in branch.
DPs
10/6/17 – Account open in branch with out of state ID
10/17/17 – CO360 ACH for 225
10/17/17 – CO360 ACH for 250
10/18/17 – NW Bonus Credit $100
Now to wait a year for the next $100. Ugh.
DP Looks like this offer is gone – the link brings you to landing page where there are multiple buttons to “apply” for an account but each button brings you to an error page
wonder if it’s just temporary?
Had this happen to me during my application process about 10 days ago. I can’t remember exactly what I did – maybe navigated to the personal checking account pages and then back to the promo page – but eventually it worked for me.