Ardent Credit Union (PA) Offers $350 Checking Account Bonus

In addition to offering a limited-time 15-month CD Special earning a wow-worthy 2.00% APY, Ardent Credit Union (Ardent) also has a $350 Welcome Bonus when opening a new checking account.

As stated on the Welcome to Ardent Free Checking landing page, earning the $350 Welcome Bonus entails the following:

Open a Cashback Checking or High-Yield Checking account (new checking account holders only) and enter the promo code CK350.

Then, earn cash when you do each of the following within 90 days of account opening:

1. Enroll in eStatements (earn $50)

2. Make 8 qualifying debit card purchases (earn $100)

3. Receive two or more qualifying direct deposits of $250 or more (earn $200)

Some of the important fine print on the Accounts Comparison page includes,

Offer valid through December 31, 2022. However, this offer may end at any time.

[...]

To be eligible for the bonus, regular deposit and transaction activity consistent with normal day-to-day spending patterns must be evident throughout the 90-day qualifying period.

Existing members are eligible for the bonus as long as they have not been a primary or secondary signatory on an Ardent CU checking account in the last 12 months.

The bonus will be deposit into the new checking account between 95 and 120 days following account opening.

High Yield Checking

The High Yield Checking account currently earns 1.00% APY on qualifying balances up to $25k. Qualifying balances above $25k earn 0.10% APY, with non-qualifying balances earning 0.01% APY.

The monthly qualification requirements include,

• At least 8 debit cards purchases
• At least one direct deposit or ACH credit per month
• Receive e-Statements each month

The High Yield Checking account has no monthly service fee, no minimum balance requirement, and no minimum opening deposit. Unlimited check writing is available (initial order of checks is free) and a fee-free debit card will be issued following account opening. Nationwide ATM fees will be reimbursed per month up to $25 per month ($4.99 maximum per transaction), if all qualifying requirements are met. There is a limit of one account per member.

Cashback Checking

The only difference between the High Yield Checking account and the Cashback Checking account is that Cashback Checking earns 1.00% cash back on debit card purchases rather than 1% APY on qualifying balances up to $25k. All other requirements, conditions, and limitations are the same.

The 1% cashback is limited to the first $800 in monthly debit card purchases with an annual maximum of $96 ($8 per month).

Availability

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Ardent Credit Union’s field of membership (FOM) is community-based, with individuals who live, work, worship, attend school, or volunteer in the southeast Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia, eligible to join.

Businesses located in those five counties are also eligible for membership.

Relatives of current Ardent CU members also qualify for membership. In this instance, relatives are defined as “parent, sibling, grandparent, spouse, child, grandchild, stepparent, stepchild or stepsibling.” Household members (any person sharing a residence as part of a single-family unit) are also eligible for membership.

Joining Ardent and/or applying for the $350 bonus can be done online (using promo code CK350), or at any of six Pennsylvania branches located in Blue Bell, Philadelphia (3), Phoenixville, and Wayne. Note: access to two of the branch locations (the Philadelphia Navy Yard and Collegeville) is restricted to GSK employees only.

If you plan to join in-branch, the Membership Application is available for download.

All Memberships are required to have an open Ardent Savings account
with a minimum balance of $5.00 to be a member in good standing.

Ardent members have access to more than 5,600 CO-OP Shared Branches and 30,000 fee-free CO-OP ATMs.

We are part of a great Shared Branch community. With locations
everywhere you can always stay part of the Ardent Credit Union family.

Credit Union Overview

Ardent Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 2.19% (excellent), based on September 30, 2021 data. In the past year, Ardent has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $14.8 million, an above average annual growth rate of 2.13%. Please refer to our financial overview of Ardent Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 22637) for more details.

Ardent Credit Union was established in 1977 as the Sb1 Federal Credit Union for the benefit of GlaxoSmithKline employees. Ardent is currently Pennsylvania’s 18^th largest credit union, with nearly 37,000 members and assets in excess of $796 million. The Arden re-brand occurred six years ago, and according to a May 2016 CU Insight press release,

”Ardent is a name that’s about passion”, says Rob Werner, President/CEO of Sb1 Federal
Credit Union. “It reflects our spirit and drive to serve our members and connects us to our
proud Philadelphia roots. The name Ardent stands for everything banking should be—passionate, caring, and intensely devoted to the people we serve.

Bottom Line

Even though rates have begun to rise, checking and savings bonuses still offer a significant return not available in either a short-term CD or liquid account. To use my standard example, earning $350 in three or four months in a top-rate online savings account (currently earning 0.75% APY) would require a minimum balance of approximately $160k or $140k, respectively.

If you don’t qualify for the Ardent Credit Union checking bonus, our list of the best savings and checking account bonus offers can help you find a bonus that fits your financial needs.

The above information and rates are accurate as of 3/7/2022.