Key Takeaways
- A start of a new year brings plenty of bonus offers from various financial service companies.
- The best places to look for bonuses are from banks, cryptocurrency
banks, student loan refinancers, and all-in-one companies like SoFi. - In particular, 2022 is the best time invest in cryptocurrencies as the likes of Ethereum and Bitcoin are rising in value.
Of all the kinds of free money out there,
getting a bonus for doing what you were going to do anyway is an easy
favorite for many. Financial service companies are always eager for new
customers and handing out bonuses is an easy way to attract new clients.
Regardless of the cash bonuses you can get just by creating an
account, 2022 is a great time to start investing in cryptocurrencies.
Even skeptics are now giving crypto a second look because you’re less
likely to run into a scam and it’s possible to get some significant
returns. Ethereum, for instance, rose almost 400 percent in value between December 2020 and 2021, while Bitcoin managed a 63 percent gain despite a significant mid-year dip.
SoFi
SoFi deserves a special mention. While this company is still an
accredited financial institution, they work from a playbook very
different from most banks. In effect, they try to be a personal
financial advisor that happens to handle your money.
To entice customers to move their money over, SoFi is offering up to $2,230
in incentives. You can get these incentives by doing things that will
set you on the right financial track. The offers are as follows:
- Receive 1,000 SoFi points by tracking your credit score using SoFi Relay.
- Enter for a chance to win $250,000 in prizes by opening an active investing account.
- Apply for a personal loan to receive up to $1,000 in cryptocurrency.
- Get $20 from viewing your mortgage rate through SoFi.
- Obtain up to $100 in Bitcoin when making your first trade through SoFi’s crypto platform.
- Set up direct deposit with SoFi to receive your paycheck up to two days early and a free $100.
- Earn up to $1,000 when refinancing a student loan through SoFi Money.
- Gain $20 from viewing the interest rate on a private student loan.
Make sure to act soon as many of these offers expire on January 31.
Student Loan Refinance Companies
A college degree is supposed to be your ticket to a brighter future,
but the debt can cripple you financially. If you’re currently locked
into an interest rate that no longer makes sense or your financial
situation has changed, examining your options can save you plenty of
money in the long run.
Simply put, a student loan refinancer will buy your debt from your
existing company, allowing you to renegotiate terms like the loan period
and interest.
To help, here are some student loan refinance companies that offer an immediate financial incentive to working with them.
Education Loan Finance
Education Loan Finance will return up to $1,275 to you if you sign up with them using the correct referral link. However, this figure only applies to debt of over $150,000.
Given that the average outstanding student loan is $38,792, it’s more likely that your refund will be $300. Luckily, you can boost this by $400 each by getting your old college friends to refinance with Education Loan Finance as well.
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Splash Financial
Compared to Education Loan Finance, Splash Financial pays a somewhat lower referral bonus of $200. However, they offer a sign-up rebate between $300 and $1,000, depending on the amount of debt you refinance.
Note that Splash isn’t a lender itself. Instead, they will contact
several student loans refinance companies on your behalf. This may or
may not get you a better rate.
Credible
Credible operates in a similar way to Splash. Their bonuses range from $100 to $1,250.
As a loan referral service, one of Credible’s biggest draws is a very
simple application process. After completing the application, you’ll be
able to view a menu of loans available to you. These are displayed as a
list complete with the interest rate, repayment period, and the amount
you’ll have to repay each month.
Banks
Banking is a surprisingly cutthroat business as each one tries to
lure customers away from its competitors. One way they do this is by
offering cash bonuses to people who are willing to switch their accounts
to a new bank.
Citi, for instance, is currently handing out rebates of between $300 and $1,500
to new customers who sign up for their Citi Priority checking account.
Unfortunately, you’ll need to deposit at least $15,000 within 20 days
and keep it there for two months to qualify. This figure rises to
$200,000 if you hope to snag the full $1,500.
Fortunately, receiving $225
from Chase doesn’t require you to have nearly as much cash. All you
need to do is open a new Chase Total Checking account and arrange to
receive your paycheck by direct deposit.
Another excellent opportunity for earning a bonus comes from HSBC and their Premier Checking account.
As long as you receive a total of $5,000 per month by direct deposit,
you’ll get an extra $450 with very few strings attached for each of the
first three months. The bad news is that this offer is aimed mainly at
people who are already pretty solvent. Unless you maintain that $5,000
per month deposit rate or have at least $75,000 saved, you’ll get
slapped with a service fee of $50 a month.
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Crypto Bank Accounts
We’re not suggesting that you put your entire life savings into
crypto, but risking only as much as you can afford to lose is an
excellent example of the barbell investment strategy. How are you supposed to get started, though, if you don’t know a blockchain from a meatball sandwich?
In a nutshell, the answer is a cryptocurrency account. Instead of
managing your own digital wallets and dealing with inscrutable
exchanges, cryptocurrency accounts make it easy to trade
cryptocurrencies for cash and vice versa. Better yet, several platforms
will give you a bonus just for showing up or asking your friends to do
so.
Crypto.com, for instance, will award you up to $2,000
for each person who uses your referral code. The payout is based on the
size of their initial deposit, plus 50 percent of their trading fees
during the first year. Depending on how much of Crypto.com’s own coin
they initially buy, the person you referred can count on $10 to $50 for
themselves. A deposit of about $1,700 is required to qualify for the $50
reward at present prices.
Hodlnaut, meanwhile, will add $20 to any initial deposit of $1,000 or more. Moreover, you can receive another $20 for each new user you refer.
BlockFi
works slightly different, presenting you with a bonus based on your
initial investment. For example, you receive $20 in Bitcoin for
depositing $1,500. The only catch is that you must maintain this balance
for two and a half months to be eligible.
While these are some of the most attractive bonus offers on
cryptocurrency accounts at the moment, don’t think there aren’t others.
These accounts vary widely regarding which coins are supported, interest
rates, fees, and cashback on card purchases. In other words, be sure to
check out the likes of Coinbase, KuCoin, Gemini, and eToro as well.
Being Smart About Hunting for Bonuses
Switching financial service providers is a lot like going to the
dentist for a checkup: scary, confusing, and apparently not all that
urgent. As a result, many of us postpone checking out our options,
possibly losing quite a lot of money in the process.
In reality, there’s a pretty good chance that you can find a better
deal if you only look around. Cash bonuses can sweeten the pot, but
don’t allow them to sucker you into doing something that isn’t really in
your best interest. With financial matters, be sure to always read the
fine print and do the math before committing to any decision.
