Once in a while I get these offer in the mail.  I’ve already did one of these offer with Washington Mutual and it went well.  So I may just do it again with Bank of the West.

Image from Bank of the West.

Open a checking account with a minimum deposit of $100 and get $100 free with Bank of the West. The offer is valid between now and October 2, 2009. But you have to establish direct deposit of at least $250 or make 10 online bill payments within 60 days of opening the new account.

You can do this online, on the phone, or at the bank. Contact them at 1-800-488-2265

I would probably open the account at a local branch and get a written confirmation for the promotion. You just never know with the way things work these days.

Additional Notes:

For locations, go here.

This offer does not apply to second or multiple checking accounts and/or existing checking customers.

There is a limit of 1 $100 bonus per household per calendar year. Closing account within 91 days of account opening- $25 fee.

Fine Prints:

“Offer subject to change without prior notice and may be terminated or extended based on response. Offer does not apply to second or multiple checking accounts and/or existing checking customers. Limit of one $100 bonus per household per calendar year. To the extent required by law, Bank of the West will report the value of the offer to the IRS on Form 1099. Any applicable taxes are the responsibility of the account holder. All accounts are subject to the Bank’s standard terms and conditions and fee schedule.”

Update 9/2/09: I went in to open my account last Friday (since they close later at 6pm).

They did not note on the advertisement that you will have to open an additional savings account with $25. So you really need to bring $125 cash. And the two accounts share the same account # too. I find that odd. Luckily I had $30 extra cash on me and I normally don’t carry cash around these days. But the bank representative said the money should be available the next day and you can withdrawal it.

So the first time I tried to set up “bill pay”, I was disappointed. They say it takes 2 days to post, but in actuality it takes 4 days! And if you count the weekends or holiday, then add 3 more days on top of the 4 days. To me this is unacceptable! I would think 1-2 day is normal since the money is available and should be transferred immediately (i.e.,Paypal).

And lastly I will now have to resort to direct deposit (which I did not want to do). Overall I don’t think I’m liking this bank very much. But maybe other people may have better experiences than me.