Learn more about SAFE Credit Union promotions, bonuses, and offers here!
Update 6/26/25: There is now a $600 checking bonus available through 12/31/25.
About SAFE Credit Union Promotions
Established in 1940, SAFE Credit Union is headquartered in Folsom, California, and has since then expanded to 23 locations. They offer money market rates that are 8X the national average and have an A health rating. If this does not interest you, but you still want to save big, you can see all these nationwide bank bonuses for more suitable offers.
| Eligibility: Membership in Safe Credit Union is open to those who live, work, attend school or worship in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, Yuba, Amador, Sutter, Butte, Contra Costa, Nevada, San Joaquin, Solano, or El Dorado counties in California. (Membership requirements are listed in the online application) See current membership details |
I’ll review the offers below.
SAFE Credit Union $600 Checking Bonus
- What you’ll get: $600 bonus
- Account Type: Checking
- Availability: CA (Bank Locator)
- Direct Deposit Requirement: Yes (see what works)
- Credit Inquiry: Hard Pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown, let us know
- Credit Card Funding: Unknown
- Monthly Fee: None (see below on how to waive)
- Early account termination fee: Not listed
- Household limit: None listed
(Expires 12/31/2025)
| BMO Smart Money Checking ($400 cash bonus*) | KeyBank Checking ($300 bonus) |
| Chase Private Client ($3,000 Bonus) | HSBC Premier Checking (Up to $3,000 Cash Bonus), |
How To Earn Bonus
HOW TO EARN BONUSFINE PRINT
- Get $300 bonus:
- Open a SAFE checking account using promo code SAFE600.
- Set up qualified direct deposit.
- Enroll in eStatements.
- Have at least $1,000 in qualified direct deposits post within the first 60 days. Then receive at least $1,000 in direct deposits each month for the next two consecutive months.
- Get another $300 bonus:
- Complete all requirements to Get $300.
- Reach at least $2,500 combined balance within 30 days of opening the account. (Your direct deposit amount qualifies toward this total.)
- Maintain the $2,500 balance for 90 consecutive days after meeting balance requirement.
- Must meet the following requirements to qualify for the first $300 of the Get $600 Checking Promotion (Promotion): 1) Have no previous or existing member relationship with SAFE Credit Union, 2) Open a SAFE checking account with promotional code SAFE600 and $25 minimum deposit by 12/31/2025, 3) Set up and post the first qualified direct deposit(s) to the new checking for at least $1,000, coded as employer, retirement, or approved government benefits (e.g., Social Security) within 60 days of account opening, 4) Continue qualified direct deposit(s) for a total of three consecutive months, and 5) Enroll in eStatements.
- To qualify for the additional $300, you must: 1) Qualify for the first $300 of the Promotion, 2) Deposit at least $2,500 into any of the SAFE share accounts owned by the new checking account member within 30 days of opening, and 3) Maintain the $2,500 for 90 consecutive days.
- Additional Promotion requirements: Member must be in good standing at the time of promotional disbursement.
- Promotional amount(s) will be posted to your checking account within 30 days of qualification. SAFE complies with applicable tax reporting requirements.
- Member is responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes.
- Not available on business or organizational accounts. Cannot be combined with other account opening offers.
- SAFE checking account rates, fees, and terms can be viewed at www.safecu.org and will be provided prior to account opening.
- Any inquiries or disputes related to the promotion(s) will be decided by SAFE Credit Union and must be submitted within 180 days of opening the account.
- Promotion(s) may change or be canceled at any time.
SAFE Credit Union $100 Referral Bonus
SAFE Credit Union is offering a $100 bonus when you refer friends/family to open a new qualifying checking account and complete the requirement
- What you’ll get: $100 bonus
- Account Type: Checking
- Availability: CA (Bank Locator)
- Direct Deposit Requirement: No
- Credit Inquiry: Hard Pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown, let us know
- Credit Card Funding: Unknown
- Monthly Fee: None (see below on how to waive)
- Early account termination fee: Not listed
- Household limit: None listed
(Limited time offer)
| BMO Smart Money Checking ($400 cash bonus*) | BMO Smart Advantage Checking ($400 cash bonus*) |
| Bank of America ($300 bonus offer) | Chase Total Checking® ($300 bonus) |
| KeyBank Key Smart Checking ($300 bonus) | SoFi Checking and Savings ($325 bonus) |
How To Earn Bonus
HOW TO EARN BONUSFINE PRINT
- Your friend opens a SAFE checking account and meets the reward criteria within 60 days by making 10 debit card purchases.
- Once your friend meets the criteria, you both get your $100 reward emailed to you within 10 business days.
- You can get up to $500 in rewards a year for referring your friends!
- $25 required to open account. Reward criteria must be met within 60 days of account opening and rewards paid within 10 business days.
- Advocate: To qualify for a Refer Your Friend Program (Program) reward, the referring SAFE Credit Union member (Advocate) must be in good standing with SAFE and have belonged to SAFE for at least one business day. Limit $500 in referral bonuses per calendar year. A referred member (Friend) must comply with SAFE Program requirements for the Advocate to earn a bonus. Friend: For the Advocate and Friend to earn rewards under the Program, the Friend must enroll in the Program using the referral link provided by the Advocate. The Friend will receive a Program bonus if (1) they open a SAFE checking account with a minimum of $25, and (2) within 60 days of account opening have posted ten debit card merchant purchase transactions to their SAFE checking account.
- Reward Fulfillment: Both Advocate and Friend must be SAFE members in good standing at time of reward disbursement. Rewards will be disbursed in the form of prepaid card redemption options emailed by a third party, tangocard.com, to the Advocate and Friend’s emails within ten business days after Program criteria are met. Neither SAFE nor any third-party providing Program services will have any liability to Advocate or Friend for failure to deliver prepaid card redemption emails due to invalid email addresses.
- Additional Terms: SAFE complies with applicable tax reporting requirements. Advocate and Friend are responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes on bonuses (rewards). Not available on business or organizational accounts. SAFE checking account rates, fees, and terms can be viewed at www.safecu.org and will be provided prior to account opening. Program subject to change or cancellation without notice.
How to Waive Monthly Fees
- Freedom Checking: No monthly service fee with eStatements
- Perfect Cents Checking: No monthly service fee with eStatements and either direct deposit or 10 purchase transactions
- Prestige Checking: No monthly service fee with minimum daily balance of $1,000 or more
- Capitol Checking: No monthly fees
- Business Value Checking: $10.00 monthly waived with eStatements and either a $2,000 minimum daily balance or combined $4,000 in deposit and business loan balances, or a SAFE Visa Business Card.
- Business Checking: $15.00 monthly waived with eStatements and either a $5,000 minimum daily balance or combined $10,000 in deposit and business loan balances, or a SAFE Visa Business Card.
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Bottom Line
Be sure to take a look at SAFE Credit Union to learn more about their promotion. While this promotion is fairly easy to meet the requirements and provides great services. However, I can only recommend this promotion if it triggers a safe pull.
While SAFE Credit Union does have competitive CD and Savings rates for a traditional bank, it is still hard to beat online banks. Therefore you may want to check out our full list of Bank Rates and CD Rates.
Compare SAFE Credit Union Promotions with other bank bonuses from banks like Huntington, HSBC, Chase, TD, Bank of America, Citi, and more!
Feel free to comment below and let us know about any additional information we may have missed and whether or not this event triggers a soft pull. We value your feedback and will continue to keep you posted on the latest bank offers nationwide.
*Check back at this page for updated SAFE Credit Union promotions, bonuses, and offers.
You realize just about every checking bonus that requires direct deposit has a minimum, right? They also have two. One for $300 and one for $1000.
They require the minimum to make sure you’re a “serious” customer for lack of a better term. This one specifically they feel like if you have a $300 or $1000 direct deposit or more that you’ll be much more likely to remain a customer rather than set up a direct deposit of $50 and get a bonus. Banks want to make sure you’ll be a “sticky” customer which is why these bonuses are tied to direct deposits and using your debit card. The more you use their account the more likely it is you’ll stay a customer.
It’s not illegal, it’s a way to make sure new customer stay a customer.
This feels borderline illegal/discriminatory/UDAAP. They’re basically cherry-picking their customer to be rich folks, not working class customers. When you require the DD to be $1000+ every single time, then only people who actually make that much money “qualify”. If you want to require DD, that’s fine. But a minimum dollar limit on the DD? That’s questionable….
Thank you so much for featuring SAFE Credit Union’s Perfect Cents Checking $100 match promotion. I’m Carole Ferguson, and I work in the Marketing Department at SAFE Credit Union. While the promotion is now over, I need to point out that the image you are using is from SAFE Federal Credit Union based in South Carolina. We are SAFE Credit Union based in Sacramento, California. If you’d like, I can send you an image from one of our branches to replace the current on on the article. Thank you!