Bank Deals, Checking Accounts, Local Bank Deals, Misc. Deals

Open a high-interest checking account at Washington Savings Bank and you could get a free Android Pad. The promotional offer ends March 31, 2011, or as long as supplies last. You will receive the free gift within 30 days after redeeming a “Free Gift Certificate” and implementing a recurring monthly direct deposit of at least $1,000.

Lowell, Mass.-based Washington Savings Bank offers several free checking accounts, which all include:

• No minimum balance requirement
• No monthly maintenance fee
• Unlimited check writing
• Free online banking and bill pay
• Bank-to-bank transfers
• Mobile banking
• MasterCard debit card

Among the checking accounts offered is the Interest Rewards, which has an interest rate of 3.01 percent annual percentage yield (APY). ATM transaction fees up to $25 a month are refunded. To receive the free Android Pad, you must make 12 debit card purchases; receive monthly statements; and make either a direct deposit, ACH auto debit or one bill pay.

The Tune Rewards checking account allows you to earn free music, apps and eBook downloads from iTunes and Amazon. When you open an account, you get $15 in free downloads initially and $5 in free downloads each month you meet account qualifications. You must purchase iTunes and Amazon downloads with the debit card associated with the checking account.

SmartyPig has a “Race Out of Debt” contest that will award one lucky winner $4,951. That’s the amount of the average American’s credit card debt, which recently reached an 8-year low. SmartyPig, a consumer finance website that helps people reach savings goals, is sponsoring the contest between Sept. 14 and Sept. 27, 2010. New and existing savings account customers can enter the contest by:

• Following the instructions to activate a new SmartyPig goal under the new category “Race Out of Debt”
• Entering a qualified checking or savings account from a credit union or bank
• Making an initial deposit of $25, which begins earning a savings rate of 1.75% annual percentage yield (APY)

On Sept. 27, SmartyPig plans to randomly choose 10 finalists who will be assigned a pig on the SmartyPig Farm. The pigs will race to decide who wins the prize. The video of the race will be posted on the SmartyPig website on Sept. 28, and the winner will be revealed. According to the SmartyPig site, the actual race will take place on a farm in eastern Iowa that has donated its pig facilities for the day.

SmartyPig is based in Des Moines, Iowa, and has a banking relationship with BBVA Compass. All deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC).

Open a KeyBank checking account and you may qualify for a free Sony bloggie, a pocket-sized camera that captures high definition MP4 video and 5 mega pixel images that you can upload directly to the Web to share on sites such as YouTube. The deal is only for people who open new checking accounts by Oct. 8, 2010.

Only individuals who live in Cleveland, Eastern Ohio, Idaho, Western New York, Oregon, Seattle Cascades, South Puget Sound, Central New York, Rochester, Maine, Northwest Ohio, Michigan, Capital Region New York, and Hudson Valley New York can qualify for the promotion. Customers can open accounts at local banks, by phone, or at www.key.com. Checking accounts opened at KeyDirect.com are not eligible for the offer.

The following personal checking accounts are eligible for the promotion:

• Key Express Free Checking
• Key Coverage Checking
• Key Advantage Checking
• Key Privilege Checking
• Key Privilege Select Checking

Business checking accounts eligible for the promotion are:

• Key Business Free Checking
• Key Business Reward Checking
• Key Business Checking
• Key Business Money Market Checking
• Key Business Sweep Checking

To qualify for the Sony bloggie, checking customers must make one transaction with a KeyBank Debit MasterCard and a combination of two direct deposits and/or automated payments of $100 each by December 12, 2010.

Open a Bank of Greene County checking account and get a free 8GB iPod Touch. The offer is good until Sept. 30, 2010, for any new personal checking account. Bank of Greene County is based in Catskill, NY and you must visit a branch to open an account. The terms of the iPod Touch offer require that you sign up for direct deposit and use your Visa Check Card twice.

All Bank of Greene County checking accounts include:

• Free online banking
• Free bill pay
• Free Visa Check Card and Visa Rewards

The Bank of Greene County has several checking accounts to choose from. They include the Free e-Checking account, which has no minimum balances and competitive interest rates. The Totally Free checking account has unlimited check writing and no minimum balance. The Tech/Image Checking has no service charge with direct deposit and check images are available upon request. Green Plus Checking offers detailed monthly statements, competitive interest rates, and check images available upon request. The Premiere Checking is a high-yield account that offers free unlimited checks, free American Express Travelers Cheques, free money orders and bank checks, and free Internet Bill Pay Plus.

Many banks offer safe deposit boxes for customers, who use them to squirrel away jewelry, savings bonds, stock certificates, insurance policies, coins, and other important documents and keepsakes. You can put whatever you want in a safe deposit box so the sky is the limit.

You keep a key and the bank keeps a key. Both keys are required to open a box. In the event of an emergency, banks can drill open safe deposit boxes. Also, there have been cases where thieves have opened safe deposit boxes to get at the contents.

Whether you want to put your savings bonds, cash, or other valuables in a safe deposit box is up to you. It’s also up to you to insure any contents of a safe deposit box against theft or disaster. Banks have a policy of not asking about safe deposit box contents, so bank employees can’t back up your claims of missing or damaged items.

Stay current on the fee for renting a safe deposit box. If you fall behind, after a certain amount of time, the box gets opened. The contents may be kept for a period of time but once that period has passed, whatever unclaimed items were in the box can end up on the auction block.