Update 4/7/25: Available in MN according to this link.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $100
- Availability: Valid in branch only; must be within 60 miles of their locations in: Devils Lake, Towner, Fargo, West Fargo, North Dakota or Chandler, Casa Grande, Scottsdale, Arizona [AZ, ND only]
- Direct deposit required: Yes, no minimum specified
- Additional requirements: eStatements & cash & check card
- Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: None
- Monthly fees: $10, avoidable
- Early account termination fee: Unknown
- Household limit: None listed
- Expiration date: None listed
The Offer
- Western State Bank is offering a bonus of $100 when you open a new VIP or VIP Plus personal checking account and complete the following requirements:
- Sign up for direct deposit
- Enroll in eStatements
- Open a Cash & Check Card
The Fine Print
- Valid on new personal checking accounts only. The following criteria must be met to receive $100: Open a VIP or VIP Plus personal checking account, enroll in direct deposit, enroll in eStatements, open a Cash & Check Card.
- Reward will be credited to your new checking account within 60 days after direct deposit is received assuming account is open.
- Limit one offer per person
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
Monthly Fees
VIP Checking $10 Monthly Fee
It’s possible to avoid this monthly fee if you have a minimum balance of $500 or maintain $5,000 balance in Loans + Deposits
VIP Checking Plus $10 Monthly Fee
This account requires you to have a combined balance of $10,000 in deposit accounts or maintain $25,000 in Loan & Deposit balances
Early Account Termination Fee
I wasn’t able to find a fee schedule so I’m unsure if there is any early account termination fee or not.
Our Verdict
They did offer a $200 bonus before, that had more requirements but was still better than this bonus. Western State Bank has been getting more attention recently due to the 2.5% APY nationwide account they offer, but this deal will only be available in branch in AZ & ND unfortunately. Because the $200 bonus was from way back in 2014 I don’t think we will see a better bonus than this in at least the short to medium term so I’ll add this towards the bottom of the best checking bonuses.
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
- 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
- Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
- Bank Bonus Posting Times