Wamu Free Checking Sign up Bonus

If you’re a WaMu credit card customer but don’t have a WaMu checking account, you may be seeing the above mailer in your mail box.

A pretty decent deal that I’ll personally hop on too.  Deposit $100 into a free checking account and get $100 bonus?  Regardless of tax on the bonus, it’s a no-brainer deal  (the offer is unfortunately only available to people that have received the mailer).

WaMu’s free checking looks to be pretty solid.  The account has no minimum balance or direct deposit requirements.  Three noteworthy features:

  • Free checks for life if you choose the basic check image option.
  • Free overdraft or non-sufficient fund fee refund — one use per year.
  • Free outgoing wire-transfer worldwide (a $20 to $60 savings per transfer, depending on where you bank).

The promotional details are straight forward enough: Open a WaMu free checking between 11/24/08 and 01/24/09 with a $100 minimum opening deposit of new money (money not currently held by Chase or its affiliates).  Bonus will be deposited into account within 12 weeks after account opening.  No hard credit pull for opening the checking account.

Update:

If you want to try for the promotion without the mailer offer, try calling 1-800-685-1644 and tell them the promotional code you have doesn’t work.  This is true enough as those receiving the mailer or flyer in newspaper in select regions are reporting that the promotional code included doesn’t work online. Current reported regions receiving the promotion are Northern and Southern California and select parts in Washington.