S.P.A.M. - $50 free at ING Direct

If you open a savings account at ING Direct (an online bank), they'll fund your account with $50. You only need $1 to open the account, and it's linked to an existing account. If you have a spouse on your regular checking account, you can BOTH sign up for savings accounts at ING ($50 each), and link the SAME account to both new accounts). You can also refer people -- they'll get $25 and you'll get $10 when they sign up (so if you have a bunch of kids....)

I'm wondering with all the "free checking" banks out there, why not go open an account (normally takes like $10) with all of them, then create an ING Direct account for yourself (+$50) and your spouse (+$50) linked to each one?

I know it's not miles, but this seemed like a deal other FT'ers would like, and I can just see some of you signing up with your extended family and raking in thousands of bucks. The $50 is good for me; plus they have a better interest rate than most brick-and-mortar savings accounts.

I'd be interested to hear of any "ING runs" people make....

[Edited to add link]

Go to http://www.ingdirect.com/taxcut and enter code 58978755 where it reads "Retail/Direct Customers, please enter offer ID..."

Link?

I'm quite sure additional checking accounts can only be tied or "connected" to your existing ING account, and not used to create a totally separate one.

If they were adding 50 miles to your account, this might belong here.

Indeed, off to SPAM this goes.

Regards,
Gary
aka gleff
MilesBuzz and Delta moderator

They won't let you open multiple accounts (certainly not enough to get thousands of dollars) under the same ssn.

Wow, easy money. Cool! I was skeptical at first but didn't see any fine print requiring a certain opening balance to receive the $50.

Furthermore, the Personal Account Legal Disclosures are written in clear, concise language to make it readable. Even though reading and understanding legalese is my job, it sure makes it a lot easier and more pleasant when things are written in plain English! ^

The only downside is I really hate giving out my social security number online. Still, ING is legit and has been around for a while, and banks always do insist on having it to open an account. So overall I'd say this is well worth the slight hassle of opening the account, going through the verification process, and giving them the requested info in exchange for $50. Plus it really is a good interest rate for a savings account with no required minimum opening balance.

Thanks for posting this, holland! ^^

This seems to be too good to be true :eek: .
Can anyone think of potential catches? How can they offer you $50 and such a high interest rate (for a savings account)??

This seems to be too good to be true :eek: .
Can anyone think of potential catches? How can they offer you $50 and such a high interest rate (for a savings account)??

Because they have little to no overhead.

Thanks so much holland!

It's a perfectly legit offer, and everybody who is eligable should take advantage of it.

We've used them for fundraising for a non profit, where all the members refer each other for the $25 sign up bonus and the $10 referral bonus, and then give it back to the group.

They do it for one reason - It brings in customers. The average bank spends $63 to bring in one customer. Advertising, support, etc. ING gets around all that by just paying people $25 to join, saving a ton of money (or $50 at tax time). I don't know anybody who has signed up with them that still isn't banking with them. They get you in the door, and they keep you.

If it matters though, and it does for some, all the free money is reported as interest at tax time. I don't care, I'll gladly pay a few pennies on it, but for some it does matter.

I don't care, I'll gladly pay a few pennies on it, but for some it does matter.
More than a few pennies for most of us, but it's still better than a hole in the head.

Offer is for buyers of TaxCut software. Not sure if code will work more than once.

This seems to be too good to be true :eek: .
Can anyone think of potential catches? How can they offer you $50 and such a high interest rate (for a savings account)??

No catches, except that it takes a couple days to actually transfer money as I remember.

They are legit and highly recommended by people like Clark Howard the consumer guru. A writeup is embeded on http://clarkhoward.com/library/tips/banks.html

Their rates may be compared at http://www.bankrate.com

I have an account with them. Easy and great rates.

No catches, I did this deal a few month ago. The interesting thing is that I was originally planning to get the $50 and close the account, but their customer service is so good, I transfered much of my money there. There are banks which offer a higher APR then ING (Emigrant Direct offers 3.25% ), but ING's website and customer service are hard to beat.

Thanks for the reassurance, I'm in the process of opening an account :D ^ .

Worked well for me. Thank you!

I verified my account today, and see my $50.

Remember, you can get money for referring people. You get $10 and they get $25. You can do that for 25 people giving you up to $250. I'm on my way to do that as well. And if anyone would like to get $25 less, but help me out, PM me, and I'll invite you!

I've had an ING Direct account for almost two years. No complaints, and there are no catches from my perspective. The high interest rates and referral bonuses are icing on the cake. :)

How long after opening the account can someone withdraw the $50?

I think it's days, but don't remember for sure. I think they put it right in for you.

I can't seem to get the offer to work. I followed the link and entered the code, but I was taken to a page with this message:

Unfortunately, the Offer ID or Order Number you entered is not valid. Please note, the $50 account-opening bonus is only available to purchasers of 2005 TaxCut® software, and there is a limit of one bonus per TaxCut product purchased.

Is there any other way for me to get the free $50?

I would suggest you try again. Used link in first post, copied promo number, pasted into appropriate place, continued through to open account for wife. It's definitely working.

Good luck, and THANKS AGAIN to OP!

I can't seem to get the offer to work. I followed the link and entered the code, but I was taken to a page with this message:

Unfortunately, the Offer ID or Order Number you entered is not valid. Please note, the $50 account-opening bonus is only available to purchasers of 2005 TaxCut® software, and there is a limit of one bonus per TaxCut product purchased.

Is there any other way for me to get the free $50?

Just keep trying; I've seen other reports on other forums of similar behavior, but it works eventually. Wait a day and try again...

Nice :) Free $50 in my account, and another $50 in my wifes. We'll combine them in a month or so :D

Thanks for the $50.

Sam

thanks so much for the $50. Signup was such a snap and this morning the 50 dolla was in my account. The only downside is that it is technically "interest" and therefore will have to pay taxes on it in 2006. Oh well. Thanks anyways!

Is it possible to get this $50 signup bonus and also the $25 referral, or is it one or the other?

Jeff

As far as I can tell, you can't do both.

Opened up an account and the $50 showed up a couple days later. Great interest rate too. I'll be adding an additional checking account so I can take advantage of it too. Thanks!

How long after opening the account can someone withdraw the $50?

FWIW - I have deposited a few hundred dollars in my new account. I opened the account last week (20th?). No money shows as available. I know that deposits aren't avaliable for five business days, but it will be interesting to see when the bonus becomes available.

That being said, I am going to keep this as a primary savings account. It's easy to transfer money into it from WAMU (or any other bank), and it's a good rate from a well-known name.

Sam

This seems to be too good to be true :eek: .
Can anyone think of potential catches? How can they offer you $50 and such a high interest rate (for a savings account)??
No catches... the reason (as others have mentioned) is low overhead.

How long after opening the account can someone withdraw the $50?
After the deposit is posted (may take 2-3 business days), there is a ten day hold on the initial deposit (and five days on all additional deposits). One reason for this is to discourage money laundering. The bonus funds must remain in the account for 30 days, i believe.

Is it possible to get this $50 signup bonus and also the $25 referral, or is it one or the other?
They are not combinable. The referral code goes in the "same spot" as the Taxcut promo code, so only one can apply.

If anyone has any other questions/problems, feel free to contact me via PM or email and I'll see what I can do for you. ;)

Disclaimer: Although I am currently employed by ING DIRECT, I am speaking on behalf of myself only, and I do not speak on behalf of my employer. Please do not treat anything in this post as an official statement of the company. Thanks.

nice to see people getting $50 by going direct, rather than getting only $25 by being referred

FWIW, I would deposit a couple thousand of dollars and open a Citibank account for the $200 bonus cash

Thanks, OP. Easy as anything could be and a great savings rate. Made small initial deposit for both Ms. Upgrader and myself but definitely will consider larger amount in the near future after appropriate consultations.

FWIW, I would deposit a couple thousand of dollars and open a Citibank account for the $200 bonus cash

Got a link to the Citibank deal?

Here's the Citibank link:

http://citi.bridgetrack.com/cbol/200_offer/CEH2/default.htm?ProspectID=25AA7D7D2266422CB4C75C32DBB 498D3

Interesting, what about current ING customers?? We signed up long time ago with $25 sign on bonus..

I just signed up with ING. Put the code in the right place, but didn't see any mention of the $50. No mention of not getting it either. I customer support is as good as you guys say I'll just call and explain it to them after I verify my account. Not a bad rate, anyway, and the automatic savings thing will be good.

I signed up for a new account, also listed my wife as a joint member. Wanted to establish a new acct for her w/ me as joint member, so she'd get her own $50 bonus. Screen comes up saying any additional accounts with her have to be done via 'Open New Account' link after logging in as her. I started to go thru that but it doesn't look like there will be a place to enter the promo code.

Is there any way to do this? If I removed her from my joint account (if this is possible), would that work?

Jeff

Great find! Thanks! Mentioned the bonus on the last page about account information, so shouldn't be a problem.

Incredibly a great offer. Thanks for the mention! ^

for the record, while the $50 special offer is great if you aren't putting much money in and running, several other bank offers higher interest rates and the difference would equal the $50 in a year at a $2,000 level, faster at higher levels.

http://www.bankrate.com/kip/rate/mmmf_mmaratehome99.asp?params=DC,20&sort=2&product=36

for the record, while the $50 special offer is great if you aren't putting much money in and running, several other bank offers higher interest rates and the difference would equal the $50 in a year at a $2,000 level, faster at higher levels.

If you had $2000 that you needed to save, I'd put $1999 in one of those other banks, $1 with ING Direct, and then collect your $50. ;)

Finally did this myself. Thanks again for the great tip! All looks fine to me. I put in 100 bucks (feel bad giving them just $1 ;)), and the final page does say "...your bonus will be credited", so all signs point to this offer still working.

for the record, while the $50 special offer is great if you aren't putting much money in and running, several other bank offers higher interest rates and the difference would equal the $50 in a year at a $2,000 level, faster at higher levels.

http://www.bankrate.com/kip/rate/mmmf_mmaratehome99.asp?params=DC,20&sort=2&product=36

I think you're missing a "zero" in that number.

To get an extra $50 in interest in one year on $2,000 would require an additional interest of 2.5%, and since ING is currently offering 3% that would mean finding a bank that would give you an annual interest rate of 5.5% on a $2,000 deposit. Not likely today!

However, if you put in $20,000, you could get the additional $50 and break even over the ING offer.

Even if you found that magic bank that matched it for $20,000, it still wouldn't be as easy to deal with as ING. They can't possibly be a bank because they don't put you through any of the hassles all the other banks do, dealing with them is a breeze.

Just a note, the citibank $200 deal mentioned in this thread has apparently expired. Shuffle still good though, if anyone cares.

Also, for those who don't direct deposit, apparently citibank counts paypal and ING transfers as DD. That way you don't need a minimum balance after you fund the account.

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?start=0&catid=52&threadid=432086

Is the www.ingdirect.com/taxcut with offer code 58978755 still available?

Is the www.ingdirect.com/taxcut with offer code 58978755 still available?
Yup, looks quite like it . . . it should be good until December, 2005. ^

"$50 Bonus is only available for new accounts with a new customer as the primary account holder. Limit one bonus per order number. ING DIRECT Orange Savings Account. $50 Bonus starts earning interest upon account opening, but is unavailable for withdrawal for 30 days. This is an online-only promotion. This offer is only valid for purchasers of TaxCut®. Valid through 12/31/05."

I opened the account, and by the time I confirmed the deposits, the $50 was sitting in the account. It's only been two weeks, so I don't have access to it yet, but I was surprised how quickly they put the money into the account.

Didn't work for me. Received this error message after entering 58978755 as reference code...

* Primary Applicant Information ErrorsThe reference code you have entered is not in our records. It may have been entered incorrectly or may no longer be a valid promotion. Please double check and correct if necessary. If you are having difficulty you can call an ING DIRECT Sales Associate at 1-888-ING-7868 between 7 AM and 9 PM.

I opened my account about 45 days ago, got my free $50 freed up a few weeks ago, and recently withdrew the money. This was a sweet, easy to execute deal. Thanks to the OP!

Didn't work for me. Received this error message after entering 58978755 as reference code...

* Primary Applicant Information ErrorsThe reference code you have entered is not in our records. It may have been entered incorrectly or may no longer be a valid promotion. Please double check and correct if necessary. If you are having difficulty you can call an ING DIRECT Sales Associate at 1-888-ING-7868 between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Did you enter it on the applicant info page? It did the same for me, so I removed it from there and it worked. Apparently, you don't need it there, if you use the http://www.ingdirect.com/taxcut link and enter the 58978755 code where it says, "Retail/Direct customers please enter the offer ID on the ING Direct insert." That's the only place I entered it, and it worked for me.

Go to http://www.ingdirect.com/taxcut and enter code 58978755 where it reads "Retail/Direct Customers, please enter offer ID..."
To the OP: I'm assuming you got this information because you actually purchased TaxCut and saw the offer flyer inside? If this is the case, I am wondering whether the offer number was printed with the rest of the flyer, or if it's an individual-type serial number (printed individually on the flyer by a separate printer, after the flyers were printed in bulk). Hopefully this question makes sense. :)

Anyway, it seems that everyone on this thread has been able to get their $50 using this number, so even if it's "individual" it seems ING will honor multiple uses of the offer code. That's obviously really good. I'm just wondering whether this could end up like the Hilton HHonors "instant Gold" code where it eventually gets revoked due to multiple uses...

I'll probably take my chances and use the code anyway, but I'm just wondering. :)

Also, another question for those of you who have already opened accounts: if you are married, did you open one account for yourself AND one for your spouse? If so, did you get the bonus both times? Has anyone opened 2 individual AND a joint account (i.e. 3 accounts) and gotten the bonus on all 3?

Just wondering. :)

I made the mistake of opening my first account joint between myself and my wife. Unlike perhaps other instititions, it wouldn't let me open an individual account in my wifes only name, it said she was already a member. Had I know that, I would have opened 2 individual accounts, then seen about adding each other for joint access.

Jeff

What a great find. My $50 just posted!

To the OP: I'm assuming you got this information because you actually purchased TaxCut and saw the offer flyer inside? If this is the case, I am wondering whether the offer number was printed with the rest of the flyer, or if it's an individual-type serial number (printed individually on the flyer by a separate printer, after the flyers were printed in bulk). . . . I'm just wondering whether this could end up like the Hilton HHonors "instant Gold" code where it eventually gets revoked due to multiple uses...

I'll probably take my chances and use the code anyway, but I'm just wondering. :)

It appears to be the same code for all TaxCut purchasers.

I bought TaxCut, and already have an ING Direct account, so the flyer enclosed with the software didn't interest me (particularly as the details were already posted here). However, in light of your question, I just pulled out the package and checked, and my "Offer ID" number is the same as the above. I hope that puts your mind a bit more at ease. :)

Did you enter it on the applicant info page? It did the same for me, so I removed it from there and it worked. Apparently, you don't need it there, if you use the http://www.ingdirect.com/taxcut link and enter the 58978755 code where it says, "Retail/Direct customers please enter the offer ID on the ING Direct insert." That's the only place I entered it, and it worked for me.

Yes, I removed it from the applicant info page and did not receive the error message. $50 posted before I've even verified my account, so code is still working. Thanks FT!

yup...still works great...got my $50...thanks FT and holland for posting this!

Thanks for posting! Got my $50 today - very easy process.

It appears to be the same code for all TaxCut purchasers.
Thanks Counsellor, it definitely does put my mind more at ease. :)

I made the mistake of opening my first account joint between myself and my wife.
Hmm... guess that means joint accounts wouldn't work if an individual account already exists. Thanks for the info!

Just wanted to say thanks to holland! I opened up an individual account for myself and another one for my wife; both accounts received their bonus on the first biz day after opening, along with the opening deposit. Woohoo! Thanks again, holland!

Maybe we should all PayPal the OP a couple bucks as a referral bonus? ;-)

I LOVE ING DIRECT. Thanks again to the original poster. I've even referred several people, and they LOVE ING too.

i.e., as the account that receives the direct-deposit paychecks from employers, and/or as the account used to pay things like mortgages via automatic transfer?
I'm thinking of doing that and even using that account to pay off the mortgage automatically, but their unusually long holds on deposited funds (at least 5 business days) makes me nervous. Last thing I need now is a late payment on my mortgage because of a hold on the funds?
If anyone else is doing this/has tried it, please let me know how it worked it for you. :confused:

i.e., as the account that receives the direct-deposit paychecks from employers, and/or as the account used to pay things like mortgages via automatic transfer?
I'm thinking of doing that and even using that account to pay off the mortgage automatically, but their unusually long holds on deposited funds (at least 5 business days) makes me nervous. Last thing I need now is a late payment on my mortgage because of a hold on the funds?
If anyone else is doing this/has tried it, please let me know how it worked it for you. :confused:


I have my DD go to my ING account, then transfer out as needed to my money market/checking. In Philadelphia, they have an ING cafe, where you can drop off checks to be deposited. They even comp you a coffee when you make a deposit.

They've been great.

Thanks holland!

I just signed up for myself and my wife. Logged on to ING and we both got $50 on our accounts. Very easy and painless $50.

I've been banking with ING Direct for almost four years now and don't have a single complaint. Their rate is among the highest I've seen for a savings account that offers you almost immediate access to your funds. Transfers usually take from 1 to 2 business days. Their website is great, they don't have any redundant information, just what you need and they seem to be serious about security issues.

I have 22 referrals left for ING.com, which is an online bank. Its rates typically pay better then most banks and credit unions.

Open an account and you get $25, free. Full disclosure, I get $10 for each account opened.

PM me for a referral link. First come first served

Recent thread in this forum offering $50 free from ING Direct
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=419765

Recent thread in this forum offering $50 free from ING Direct
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=419765


Well pbbblt!!!! :)