I recently applied for the First United Basic Checking account for the $250 sign up bonus. I was instantly approved despite a lot of recent Chex inquiries — so they seem lenient. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they offer $500 in credit card funding; even more exciting is that they accepted American Express. The details for the deal are here on Profitable Content.
First United told me I was approved during the application process. I funded the account with my Amex BBP card, and the $500 charge instantly showed up with an alert from American Express — screenshot below. I couldn’t create an online account with them yet even though they prompted me to do so — there was an issue with that. I’ll be calling them tomorrow to verify if the account is actually opened and to have them help me create an online banking account. I plan on using a qualified direct deposit via my monthly paycheck. This deal is for Oklahoma & Texas only.
Their eligibility rules state: “Can’t have had an account in the past 180 days.” So perhaps I can do this account again in a year. If so, I’ll be prepared next time and perhaps cc fund with an Amex card that actually needs the spend.
I was told by a member of Profitable Content Discord that he heard First United only approves the application if the nearest branch is within 50 miles. I didn’t know this. I am within that range though.
