Fairwinds Credit Union will give you a $175 bonus when you open a Preferred or Signature Checking Account and complete payroll deposit(s) totaling $1,000 or more within 60 days of account opening.
On top of that, through the Fairwinds CU Refer-A-Friend Program, you can earn up to $750 in bonus rewards per year for referring your friends to join Fairwinds Credit Union.
The Fairwinds Preferred Checking Account has a $25 minimum opening deposit and a $10 monthly service charge that is waived with either $1,000 in total monthly direct deposits or with a $10,000 or greater average monthly deposit balance.
Plus, Fairwinds CU serves members throughout the U.S.A. and the world, so you can become a member regardless of where you live.
In order to join Fairwinds CU, you only need to deposit a $5 membership share, which gives you ownership in the credit union with access to all of the benefits of membership.
For additional nationwide credit union promotions, please view Financial Partners Credit Union, Langley Federal Credit Union, and Digital Federal Credit Union as well.
How To Earn $175 Fairwinds Checking Bonus
1. Join via a current Fairwinds Credit Union member’s referral link to get started (see below for current referral links).
2. Open a Fairwinds Preferred or Signature Checking Account.
3. Receive cumulative qualifying direct deposit(s) of $1,000 or more (excluding the new account deposit used to fund/open the account) within 60 calendar days of opening.
4. Your $175 referral reward will be deposited on or about the 15th day of the month following the deposit of the qualifying funds.
Fairwinds CU Referral Links to Use
The following referral links will provide you with a $175 bonus when you join Fairwinds Credit Union and complete the requirements:
- Fairwinds Referral Link #1 – From Daniel
- Fairwinds Referral Link #2 – From Gina
- Fairwinds Referral Link #3 – From Nathan
- Fairwinds Referral Link #4 – From Nic
Please feel free to share your experiences with Fairwinds and your referral links in the comments below this article, and we will post them here as long as you provide some details about your experience.
Fairwinds $75 Refer-A-Friend Program
Once you join Fairwinds Credit Union, you can earn up to $750 in bonus rewards per year for referring your friends and family to join.
In order to participate in the Fairwinds Referral Program, you must be a member in good standing and be an owner of a Fairwinds consumer Spending or Checking Account.
To access your Fairwinds referral link, visit “Additional Services” under the online banking menu, and then go to “Refer and Earn” to get your link.
When your referrals join via your unique referral link, open a Fairwinds consumer Preferrer or Signature Checking Account, and receive cumulative direct deposit(s) totaling $1,000 or more within 60 days of opening, they will receive a $175 bonus reward, and you will receive a $75 bonus reward.
The qualifying direct deposit must be an Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit of a paycheck, pension, or government benefit (including Social Security) from the government or an employer.
Person-to-person transfers (such as Zelle, PayPal or Venmo) and bank transfers between a Fairwinds account or an account at other financial institutions or brokerages do not qualify.
Referral rewards will be paid to each party on or about the 15th day of the month following the deposit of the qualifying funds into the referred individual’s new Preferred or Signature Checking Account.
You may receive a total of up to $750 in referral rewards per calendar year.
Reader Experience from Fairwinds Member
The following details have been provided by our reader Gadget.
What my experience was:
Appears to be available nationwide, as I am Out of State in Virginia. The application is really simple. No hard pull – does pull Chex, but not inquiry sensitive. I confirmed they do not pull EWS. In the shopping cart in the upper right corner of the application, you will see the products they automatically selected (Freedom Spending account, Membership Share, Debit Card, and the referral code you used). They make it so you do not have to select individual products.
P1 had next day approval, as I believed an identity question had two valid answers. P2 had instant approval, which shows the member number at the end of the application. Out of five identity questions, I’d expect only one or two to be valid. If you have never seen a specific question before and you are undecided which is the right answer, I’d go with “none of the above”. If not instantly approved, the “Welcome to FAIRWINDS” approval e-mail has your member number so you can sign up for online banking.
If you use PayPal to fund, the maximum is $500 for spending and savings $5 (auto-filled) for membership share. I had issues when using Firefox browser and PayPal. When I’d get to the next screen after entering the amount, the Yellow Button to login to PayPal did not appear so I could not proceed. Use Chrome or Edge. Firefox may work fine for other funding methods but I closed out and started over. I hear others had the same issue with mobile browsers as well. Anyway, the charge is pending as a purchase, not a cash advance.
The referral tracker (maximum of $750 per year) and your own referral link are found in the online banking menu under “Additional Services”, “Refer and Earn”, available as soon as you have account access. However, the referral numbers do not populate right away and I am unsure when it will update, and if it will show the users that used your link or just the number that were successful.
I suspect this offer will die sooner rather than later. These offers don’t come around that often. Highly recommend using someone’s link that is available for questions that may arise.
End quote:
Please feel free to share your experiences with this Fairwinds Credit Union referral promotion as well as your referral links in the below comments.
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Daniel says
My referral link:
https://www.fairwinds.org/referral/bisw773916
From their website:
To help celebrate our 75 years of financial freedom, we are offering you $175* when you open a Preferred or Signature Checking Account and complete payroll deposit(s) totaling $1,000 or more within 60 days of account opening. Plus, will receive $75 for introducing us to you!
Gina says
Referral bonus still active.
fairwinds.org/referral/sale720325
Nathan says
This is a pretty easy bonus and $175 to earn. Please use my referral if you’re interested and thank you.
https://www.fairwinds.org/referral/tran730078
Daniel says
This is a very simple bonus. I can attest that it pays out very fast…on the 15th of the month after meeting the requirements. Plus its a keeper as you can earn $5 gift cards by learning with ZOGO. Many Credit Unions offer this but this is the only one that I know of that has ZOGO integrated INSIDE their website! I hope you can make an easy $175 by using my link. fairwinds.org/referral/schl754574
Nic says
Referral program is back through June 2024.
Pretty easy $$. You can use my referral to take advantage.
fairwinds.org/referral/sale720276
BRIAN ANDERSON says
would anyone know what banks would be accepted for an ACH transfer ?
JDiB says
This was a straightforward bonus. Bonus is paid around 15th of each month so if you don’t get it right away don’t stress.
Rea says
My partner and I have both had a great experience with Fairwinds. It was really easy to open our accounts, and we both got our bonuses right away. They even called to welcome us! Thank you to anyone who uses my referral code below to join! You can then refer people here yourself.
Nick says
This credit union’s lack of fees and good customer service is definitely worth the short time to apply! I will probably make this my main account for everything.
Yolanda says
This was an easy sign up. They didn’t send a confirming email, but left a vm on my phone the day after I applied saying that my acct had been approved. I logged in using the user name & password I entered when filling out the app.
Gadget Bank Bonus Geek says
In the past, they have been pretty strict on what counts as a Direct Deposit, but maybe consider timing your income tax refund to trigger the bonus! (There is no mention of recurring, so one time should count.)
Past funding options: Bank ACH, Debit Card (Visa/Mastercard), or Paypal for $505 total. They do pull Chex but are not sensitive to inquiries.
FX says
I was able to join online easily and use PayPal for initial funding via Edge browser.
ethan gao says
I linked up discover to paypal first and made sure I opted for 5% back at paypal on the discover website first.
KC says
It was super easy to open. If you sign up for Brex, you can do direct deposit using their ACH transfer feature which is what I did. That worked to trigger the bonus.
Rea says
This is an exceptionally easy offer: quick online application, and everyone qualifies! If you have not signed up already, do it now while the offer lasts. I funded my account for $500 using PayPal and a credit card. It showed up as a purchase, so this is a great way to meet minimum spend requirements for introductory credit card bonuses as well!
Matt says
Hi everyone,
A couple quick notes for those clicking on my link/signing up for Fairwinds: Use Google Chrome. Initially, I tried using both Firefox and Safari but would continually be greeted with an empty landing page when trying to fund my account. Also, after opening the account (which was extremely easy to do), it takes a couple of hours for the account, with your funds, to actually appear. Don’t be alarmed when your online account doesn’t immediately appear. Onward for the account opening steps…
1. Click my referral link above and complete the application above. My referral code “loeb711576” should appear in your shopping cart.
2. Fund your new accounts with a maximum combined amount of $505. Through PayPal, I linked my Barclaycard Arrival Plus. When opening up checking accounts (cough MS cough), I have never had any issues when self funding with Barclaycard. Credit union CC, at least in my experience, are also easy funding sources.
3. Assuming you are immediately approved, you will receive a Welcome to Fairwinds email with a username and password. You can also create your own username and password—my recommendation.
4. When you login to your account, if you funded with PayPal/credit card, you should see that $200 of your balance is immediately available. Fairwinds, apparently, places an ACH hold on your other $300.
5. Remember to make your $200 direct deposit within 45 days of opening your account. I immediately made a deposit from my Schwab checking account and will report back if it codes as a DD. Referencing another post, I recommend utilizing a number of banks (will use Wells Fargo, Redstone myself) for a substitute DD.
Happy to answer any questions…send me an email if you have any difficulties.
Thanks,
Matt
Michael says
For anyone who hasn’t signed up yet, do it while it’s still available! Follow these steps to make sure you get your bonus:
1. Apply using my referral link above and make sure you can see my referral code “laru709567” when you hover over the shopping cart in the upper right hand corner of the application. You should also see that you are applying for a member share savings account, checking account and debit card in the same application window.
2. Fund the account with your PayPal account with a credit card, or a credit card as a debit card for up to $505 total. If you have a Discover CC, your bank funding will earn you 5% cashback on your funding amount for this quarter. The full amount is made available within your account in just a few days.
3. If instantly approved, sign up for online banking with the member number they send you by email. If your app goes pending, wait for an email with your approval, or instructions with docs needed in order to process your application.
4. Access your account number and referral link immediately to share with others.
5. Make sure to get your $200 DD in this month if you want to get your $100 bonus by the 15th of next month! If not, you still have 45 days from when you first sign up to qualify, provided that your DD is qualifying in their system. I personally will be trying as many different bank account transfers as possible since I don’t have a real DD to use for this offer currently.
If you use my referral, I would be forever grateful, and please let me know! Thanks so much!
Bec says
It was easy to open this account and set up online banking. My app went pending, but nothing else was needed and I received the welcome email within an hour.
Have a great day!
Victoria says
I signed up for this yesterday, my app went pending, and I got approved today, no docs necessary.
I suggest that you complete the following steps to ensure that you receive your $100 bonus from this offer:
1. Sign up with my referral link above and complete the application above. Make sure that my referral code “foti709568” is visible in the shopping cart in the upper right hand corner of your application page along with your membership share savings, checking account and debit card order.
2. Fund your new accounts with a maximum combined amount of $505. PayPal CC funding works well for this, and if you have a Discover credit card, you can earn 5% cashback on your bank account funding this quarter. Unfortunately, you cannot fund further accounts you open with this credit union with PayPal or a credit card.
3. If you are immediately approved, go ahead and sign up for online banking with the member number they send to you by email. If your app goes pending, wait for an email from them telling you that you’re approved, or send in whatever docs are necessary to continue with your application.
4. When you login to your account, if you funded with PayPal/credit card, you should see that $200 of your balance is immediately available for use. While you’re there, grab your referral link and share.
5. Don’t forget to make your $200 direct deposit within 45 days of opening your account. If you don’t have a real direct deposit to use, try making $200 transfers from several different banks to see which one will trigger the bonus. Hopefully any bank transfer will work for this, but it’s hard to tell right now because we don’t have any successful DP’s for this bank yet. The earliest you can get your bonus is August 15th if you make your direct deposit this month, so I’d make it rain with DD’s just to be safe.
If you decide to use my referral link above, please let me know so I can track it as I am limited to 10 referrals or $1k in referrals.
Thanks in advance!
Matt says
Hi Victoria, Thanks for the helpful information; I used your line.
Matt
Victoria says
Thank you!
Dominique says
Approved OOS from California! My app went pending, but was approved shortly after my photo ID was sent in by email. How to get this bonus:
1. Apply with my referral link above. Use Chrome or Edge on desktop if possible as problems have been reported with Firefox and mobile browsers. There will come a point in the application where you can see and verify that your referral code (found in the link) is attached to your application.
2. You can fund your checking and savings accounts combined with up to $500 via PayPal. I used my Discover CC with PayPal to get 5% cashback for this quarter. For me, only $200 of my credit card funding was available upon logging in, the rest is still on hold. If you want to use your CC to fund without PayPal, try entering it as a debit card.
3. If approved instantly, then move onto the next step below. If your app goes pending, either wait for an approval email, or send any needed documents by email when requested. You should be approved shortly after this, I don’t know of anyone who has been denied by this credit union as of yet.
4. Login to your account with your membership number sent to you by email. Obtain your referral link to share with others by going from “Additional Services” to “Refer and Earn” in the drop down menu. You can make up to 10 referrals or $1000 with their referral program. There is a referral tracker that you can use to track your referrals with. You may or may not need to wait to obtain your referral link to share.
5. Make a $200 direct deposit within 45 days to your new checking account. There are no datapoints as to what will trigger the bonus currently, so I would try several different bank account transfers to trigger this unless you have a real DD to use.
That’s it! Not sure how long this one will last for. Once you complete all requirements, you should see your $100 bonus post to your account by the 15th day of the month following your qualifying direct deposit. I am also wondering if you can open additional accounts with this credit union with PayPal funding in order to max out this quarter’s 5% Discover bonus. Thanks in advance to anyone who uses my link above to sign up.
Eric says
I signed up a few days ago. My accounts were approved instantly but the actual accounts didn’t show up in my online account until the next business day.
I used my Bank of America Cash Rewards MC through PayPal for funding and it went through with no issue. It counted as an “online” purchase for the higher 3%/4.5%/5.25% rate.
You can also fund with debit or ACH if you prefer.
I would recommend leaving most, if not all, of the credit card funding in your account for at least a couple of weeks as I have seen some DP lately of other banks freezing accounts and there’s no reason to take a chance before receiving your bonus.
There are no DP of what counts for DD yet but hopefully most, if not all, ACH will do the trick. Of course if you have an employer or government DD to use, that would all but guarantee receiving the bonus.
Michelle B. says
1. They do pull Chex, as I confirmed same day pull, but are not inquiry sensitive online. Instantly approved out of state.
2. If not instantly approved, usually arrives next day via e-mail, subj: “Welcome to FAIRWINDS”. Member # in the e-mail allows you to enroll in online banking.
3. No hard pull, no ETF, or monthly fees.
4. In your cart in the upper right of the application, you will see the products you are applying for (Spending Account, Membership Share, & debit card) and the referral code you used.
5. Funding options: Bank ACH, Debit Card (Visa/Mastercard), or Paypal for $505 total. Many are opting to use PayPal & Discover for 5% quarterly bonus, but you may be able to use any credit card, including Amex. Nobody has reported getting hit with cash advance, only purchase.
6. Possible Direct Deposit substitutes are unknown at this time. Bonus payout, per terms, is the 15th of the month so we may not have confirmation until mid-August. Please “Don’t call the bank”… to ask if you ACH xfer counted as a DD.
Warnings:
1. Identity questions, if presented, are a little wonky. Expect 3-4 out of 5 to be N/A.
2. Some web browsers do not give the PayPal login button and will be blank. Use Desktop Mode if on a mobile device, Chrome or new MS Edge, not Firefox. Just start over in a new browser, no harm, no foul, other than time wasted.
3. Accounts opened after normal banking hours, even when auto approved, do not necessarily show up instantly in online banking. Expect to wait until next business day if it happens to you.
4. Referral tracker is usually available once you have online banking access under Additional Services > Refer and Earn. Limit $1000/yr.
5. Be aware, they do hold all or some of your credit card deposit, TBD on length of that hold. Initially I had $0 available, and then went to $200 next day. Full acct number and RTN available in online banking, but it’s always a good idea to wait a few days before attempting external transfers into a new acct.