ffI

When I read the letter to the associates, it clearly said that "we do not want to encourage the kinds of accounts that will lead to no real relationship"

baxterboy12

Enrolled my existing Suntrust checking acct on the day the promo broke and also opened a new joint checking account for Mrs. Baxterboy12. Online chat rep from Orlando, FL said existing accts were eligible.

Got all 4 debit cards in the mail yesterday and today, already made 4 purchases, one on each. Employer allows paycheck to be split among 10 bank accounts, so direct deposit will be easy.

Hoping for 30K x 4 for $75 x 2 but expect 30K x 2 for $75 x 2.

Have Surepay mortgage set up for original acct, so $17/month fee will be waived indefinitely. Will keep minimum balance of $5K in new acct to avoid fees in case Delta pts take longer than 2 month waiver period to post.

Online chat rep said must be different Skymiles #'s for each acct, so I gave Mrs. Baxterboy12's # for the 2nd checking acct. Not sure if this is true or not.

Tried to open acct for 18 month old daughter, but have to go to branch to open that joint acct.

Considering doing business checking accts but not sure I want to fool with 30K Skypesos for $120. RT's from BNA are usually 40K in coach and Southwest is typically 15-20K. Have CP with WN so this makes all domestic flights half price. With 18 month old we have limited int'l travel opportunities.

Good luck to everyone, looking forward to seeing how this one pans out.

CVG_Kid

This is the question I need an answer to in order to pull the trigger. Normally try to avoid fees for points unless I need the points but would do this if authorized users prompted additional bonus. Delta account easy enough to create. I'd use the account for debit card purchases.

Skypesos are a higher value threshold before I pull the trigger.

elizadoo

I know how to do PayPal direct deposit but can't use it for this SunTrust account.

So I need to send it in through my ING, but have never done it.

----------------

EDIT: Thanks, centri (post #155)

centrifuge41

My Accounts > External Accounts > Add Link

Then you get to spend a few days doing the trial deposits. Then, you can move money from ING to Suntrust: Transfers & Deposits > Transfers

AnitaBryant63

So do we know if PayPal transfers qualify as a direct deposit with SunTrust?

DCBob

SunTrust wants REAL customers, not those trying to obtain their reward debit cards just to get bonuses and then promptly close their accounts. They have obviously instituted an algorithm to sniff out those ONLY looking for bonuses.

Greed has shut down a lot of good promotions. Remember the US Mint?

I have been a SunTrust customer for 25 years with more than one high balance SunTrust account - this is the type of customer they are looking for. If you are trying to take advantage of them, they have decided it's best to get rid of you as soon as that's clear to them. One red flag is opening a SunTrust account in a branch located in a state where you don't even live. Another red flag would be opening up a lot of rewards credit card accounts in a short period of time. SunTrust is not an internet bank - it's a brick and mortar institution - and they want to see their customers in person to establish a profitable relationship in banking. They are not like most other banks, as you will find out as soon as you step into a branch!

ma91pmh

Dcbob you are right suntrust are like no other bank. Go into any branch and be amazed at the incessant sales pitch of crap you don't want. Swoon at the clumsy and difficult to use website. I will grant you there phone service is friendly though not entirely empowered

My guess is they are closing accounts opened online in states where they do not have branches. I opened mine online but am in nc. Account appears open. I wi be closing as soon as miles podt

milesnow

Sad isn't it? There is always that small group of people that ruin it for everyone else. I have opened my last two bank accounts because of promotions but I still continue to use one and only closed the other after 2 years and increases in their fees. I hope that banks get sophisticated enough to sniff out all of the bonus hounds which might allow them to offer better bonuses for true potential customers.

tkey75

Same here. I opened several Chase accounts for hundreds of thousands of miles, and have stayed with them after the earnings dried up because of the relationship I have formed with my local branch. That's pretty much the way it's supposed to work. We'll see how it goes with ST.

BillyBaloney

If a bank offers a promotion for opening an account, I don't see anything wrong with taking them up on it as long as you play by the rules that they lay down. All of the other propaganda suddenly flourishing here really doesn't matter.

You can take advantage of any promo, just make the correct $ deposits and keep the account open for at least the minimum amount of time. Then do whatever you want to.

To answer about Paypal - NO - this would not count as a direct deposit.

FredFnord

As an update to my previous post, here is my story now:

• I apply for a suntrust account, but am 'timed out' before I get to the funding page.
• I try again, with a different browser and different computer. Same result.
• At this point, two ambiguous 'thank you for signing up' emails are sent to me. They're poorly formatted, full of jumbles of numbers and letters, and tell me nothing at all useful.
• I call in the next day, and tell them what happened. They say I'll receive an email within 24 hours with account info. No apologies.
• I call them back today, not having received an email. They say, 'Oh, your accounts have been closed. No, we don't inform people of that unless there is money involved… we just close it and don't tell them. They were probably closed because you tried to open more than one at a time, but I don't know for sure because we don't ever indicate a reason for this sort of thing.' STILL no apologies.

So, in summary, they: can't get their computers working properly, can't figure out that the multiple accounts were due to a problem with the application process even when I tell them this over the phone and ask them to close one of the accounts, don't inform the user that his account applications have been denied, and refuse to tell me why they've done so... they can only speculate.

This is a professional institution? This is a bank that I am supposed to do business with? I actually wanted to open and use an account from these guys, but with this level of competence, they're absolutely right to be worried that people will just take the points and run. Honestly I recommend that people run, with or without the points; giving these clowns your SSN is just asking for trouble.

gvol21

I believe the monthly fee is waived for the first 2 months, but we'll have to wait longer than that for the miles to post (and probably want to avoid the $25 early acct closure fee). If you can keep $3,000 or more in the account, the monthly fee is waived.

asandrs

Re their mickey mouse setup it could be why (as of March 14) they are in this select group -

"Four US financial institutions, including Citigroup, have failed stress tests designed to show they could withstand a financial shock.

The Federal Reserve said Citi, SunTrust, Ally Financial and MetLife failed to show they have enough capital to survive another serious downturn."

gvol21

Also, FWIW, I live outside a SunTrust area and received my welcome package and signature card in the mail the other day, so I'm not sure if one's location is a reason for acceptance/denial - probably other factors (as already pointed out) at work here.