Citizens Equity First Credit Union Promotions: $25, $175, $225 Checking, Referral Offers [CA, IL]

Check out the latest Citizens Equity First Credit Union promotions, bonuses, and offers here.

Update 1/17/25: The $175 and $225 checking offers have been extended through 6/30/25.

Citizens Equity First Credit Union Promotions Review

Since their formation in 1937, Citizens Equity First Credit Union has grown to over 330,000 members. They have also grown to over 27 membership branches across Illinois and California.

I’ll go over Citizens Equity First Credit Union offers below.

Citizens Equity First Credit Union $225 Checking Bonus

• What you’ll get: $225 bonus
• Availability: CA, IL (Branch Locator)
• Credit Inquiry: Soft Pull
• Credit Card Funding: Up to $50
• Early Termination Fee: None listed
• How to earn it:
  • Open a qualifying new, first-time Checking account.
  • Complete the bonus reward requirements:
    • For Checking accounts only, you will receive a $200 Savings credit as a bonus if you open a new, first-time Checking account between 1/1/25 and 6/30/25 and reside in California. To receive the bonus, you must:
      • (i) qualify for a Checking account;
      • (ii) open a new, first-time Checking account with a deposit of $25 or more;
      • (iii) satisfy one or more of the following account requirements within the first full calendar month after account opening:
        • have a minimum individual balance of $5,000 or minimum household balance of $10,000,
        • make 5 or more purchases of at least $15 with your CEFCU Debit Mastercard linked to this new Checking account, or
        • have direct deposits totaling $500 or more on this Checking account or associated Savings account;
      • (iv) agree to receive your CEFCU Savings account statements electronically, via CEFCU eStatements,
      • (v) maintain your open Checking account in good standing as of the bonus fulfillment date, and
      • (vi) have a valid Social Security or Tax Identification number.
    • Your bonus will be deposited to the CEFCU Savings account associated with your new Checking account within 4 to 6 weeks of the end of the first full calendar month after account opening if you satisfied one or more of account requirements (item iii) and agreed to receive your CEFCU account statements electronically (item iv) before the end of that first full calendar month.
  • For new, first-time Checking accounts only, you will receive a $25 Savings credit as a bonus when you use your CEFCU Debit Mastercard linked to this new Checking account for 5 or more purchases of at least $15 each month, for the first three full calendar months following account opening.
    • Your bonus will be deposited to the CEFCU Savings account associated with your new Checking account within 4 to 6 weeks of the end of the third full calendar month following account opening.

(Offer expires 06/30/2025)

Citizens Equity First Credit Union $175 Checking Bonus

• What you’ll get: $175 bonus
• Availability: CA, IL (Branch Locator)
• Credit Inquiry: Soft Pull
• Credit Card Funding: Up to $50
• Early Termination Fee: None listed
• How to earn it:
  • Open a qualifying new, first-time Checking account.
  • For Checking accounts only, you will receive a $150 Savings credit as a bonus if you open a new, first-time Checking account between 1/1/25 and 6/30/25.
    • To receive the bonus, you must:
    • (i) qualify for a Checking account;
    • (ii) open a new, first-time Checking account with a deposit of $25 or more;
    • (iii) satisfy one or more of the following account requirements within the first full calendar month after account opening:
      • have a minimum individual balance of $5,000 or minimum household balance of $10,000,
      • make 5 or more purchases of at least $15 with your CEFCU Debit Mastercard linked to this new Checking account, or
      • have direct deposits totaling $500 or more on this Checking account or associated Savings account;
    • (iv) agree to receive your CEFCU Savings account statements electronically, via CEFCU eStatements,
    • (v) maintain your open Checking account in good standing as of the bonus fulfillment date, and
    • (vi) have a valid Social Security or Tax Identification number.
    • Your bonus will be deposited to the CEFCU Savings account associated with your new Checking account within 4 to 6 weeks of the end of the first full calendar month after account opening if you satisfied one or more of account requirements (item iii) and agreed to receive your CEFCU account statements electronically (item iv) before the end of that first full calendar month.
  • For new, first-time Checking accounts only, you will receive a $25 Savings credit as a bonus when you use your CEFCU Debit Mastercard linked to this new Checking account for 5 or more purchases of at least $15 each month, for the first three full calendar months following account opening.
    • Your bonus will be deposited to the CEFCU Savings account associated with your new Checking account within 4 to 6 weeks of the end of the third full calendar month following account opening.

(Offer expires 06/30/2025)

Citizens Equity First Credit Union $25 Referral Bonus

• What you’ll get: $25 referral bonus
• Availability: CA, IL (Branch Locator)
• Credit Inquiry: Soft Pull
• Credit Card Funding: Up to $50
• Early Termination Fee: None listed
• How to earn it:
  • Earn $25 Referral Bonus
    • Fill out the Official Referral Certificate web form with the required information.
    • Click Submit.
    • That’s it! You and your friend could both receive up to $25 via automatic deposit to your Savings account within 4–6 weeks.
  • Earn $50 Business Referral Bonus
    • To receive the $50, you must be a CEFCU member in good standing and refer a non-member who must open a new CEFCU Savings account and a new CEFCU Business Checking account, Business Loan, or Business Credit Card.
    • Just fill out the Referred By section of the Official Referral Certificate*. Then simply give the certificate to a friend or member of your network.
      We’ll help your friend fill out the rest at account opening.
    • Once the qualifying accounts have been opened, CEFCU will deposit $50 to your Savings account within 6-8 weeks.

Editor’s Note: Citizens Equity First Credit Union is also offering a $50 referral bonus for business checking accounts. Check it out here.

(Offer expires 06/30/2024)

How to Avoid Monthly Fees

• Checking: None
• Dividend Checking: $6.00 fee for each statement period that the average daily account balance drops below the minimum $2,500 level.
• Basic Business Checking: If you keep a $2,500 average daily balance, there’s no monthly service fee.
• Dividend Business Checking: $6.00 fee for each statement period that the average daily account balance drops below the minimum $2,500 level.

Author’s Verdict

These bonuses are rather generous so don’t forget to check them out while they last. The second promotion requires you to attend a networking event, so if you want to make more connections and earn a bonus, be sure to check this out.

For more current offers, check out our bank bonuses page. Compare Citizens Equity First Credit Union rates for CDs and Savings with our best rates for Savings  and CD accounts.

Be sure to check more popular bank promotions include Chase Bank, Discover Bank, TD Bank, Huntington Bank, HSBC Bank and many more.