Upgrade $500 or $150 Offer – What to Choose?

Upgrade offers various products and somehow they seem to make all of them attractive.

$150 Checking Offer

Currently, they are offering a $150 checking offer via referral. The referred gets $150 while the referrer gets $50.

Once you sign up for Rewards Checking Plus and direct deposit at least $1,000 in 45 days, you will get $150 while I will get $50.
https://upgrade.com/r/X9cV6WETh4

Terms and Conditions at a Glance

If you do not currently have or have not previously had a checking account through Upgrade, you can receive a welcome bonus if you

1. use an existing customer’s unique referral link to open a new checking account through Upgrade, subject to account approval, by the offer period, and
2. set up direct deposit and make $1,000.00 in eligible direct deposits within forty-five (45) days from account opening.

You can read the full terms and conditions here.

1-2% Cashback Debit Card

Upgrade checking account comes with a debit card that can earn 1-2% cashback.

1. Active accounts (defined as an account with a monthly $1,000 direct deposit) earn
   • 2% cashback on common everyday expenses at convenience stores, drugstores, restaurants and bars – including deliveries – and gas stations, as well as recurring payments on utilities and monthly subscriptions including phone, cable, TV and other streaming service
     • maximum of $500 in 2% rewards per calendar year (afterward you earn at a 1% rate)
   • 1% cash back on all other eligible debit card purchases
2. Non-Active accounts earn
   • 1% on above mentioned common everyday purchases
   • 0.5% cash back on all other eligible debit card purchases

Up to $500 Checking + Credit Line Card Offer

I have blogged about their various credit line card (for example, 1.5% BTC card or 2.2% card) offerings “easy” $400-$500 bonuses before and it appears some form of $400-500 offers still exist on the interwebs. These are “easy” offers in a sense that they just require you to make three purchases with a debit card.

You can follow the same method from the previous $400-500 bonus offer post to generate a $500 offer (that is, modify “rcwbxxx” to “rbw500” in the URL).

Closing Thoughts

Signing up for Upgrade can lead to a painful verification process for some. Nevertheless, I think it is worthwhile to have an account with Upgrade. Do you just want to go for a checking account or do a combo for a higher bonus is entirely up to you. Personally, I suggest doing the combo but if you plan to only open the checking account, then consider supporting the blog by using the referral link. As far as I know, the credit line (I don’t think I have ever used mine) doesn’t report to your credit report.

Upgrade accounts also may be worth hanging on to because they have sent out a targeted $75-$150 offer for existing customers and similar offers may return in the future. Plus, their 1-2% debit card is a fairly decent deal on its own. By the way, did you know that they offer a Premier Saving account with a 4.81% APY on balances of $1,000 or more?

Once you sign up for Rewards Checking Plus and direct deposit at least $1,000 in 45 days, you will get $150 while I will get $50.
https://upgrade.com/r/X9cV6WETh4