Get $50 AND A FREE Bank Account...

I've been banking with ING Direct for a little while now...approaching 2 years soon!

A major reason I like ING: they offer an awesome chequing account...called "Thrive Chequing"

                                        

Why do I love Thrive chequing?

• It's (mostly) FREE, that's right there are no bloody bank fees each month;
• No minimum balance required;
• Unlimited transactions...you don't get dinged if you have 10 or more transactions to do simple things such as paying your bills, paying by debit or depositing money into your account 
• They pay you interest! Ok, it's not much (0.25%), but the fact that they pay you something, while the other banks charge you..is a big plus;
• First cheque book is free (50 cheques), if you want more than 50, than I believe it will cost you $12.50 for each additional cheque book, which is still cheaper than the big banks;
• 30 Day Whoops Protection, you'll be covered by up to $250 if you'r bank account is short and you won't pay any fees or interest on the overdrawn  funds as long as you pay it back within 30 days;
• Free E-mail Money Transfers, you can transfer money for free to anyone, even if they're not with ING Direct, but you'll need to enter their banking info (account #, transit #, and institution #) to transfer the funds..a small hassle, but it's free!;
• Low-fee Interact e-Transfer, or if you don't have the recipient's banking info or just too lazy, you can transfer them money through Intract for a $1 fee...which is again cheaper than the big banks;
• E-mail Alerts...you can set up your account so that you get an e-mail alert each time there's a transaction in your account; and
• ING has a cool and very user-friendly user interface...I love orange!

What's not so great about Thrive?

ING uses the Exchange Network, such as Alterna, HSBC, National Bank and other banks so the number of ABMs you can use for free to withdraw/deposit money into your ING account can be limited in comparison to the major banks and the number of ABMs varies in each city. For myself, there's a sufficient number of ABMs in my city...even an ABM at my workplace...so it works great for me.  

You can check how many ABMs are in your city and their locations here.

You can do online chat, e-mail or speak on the phone for ING customer service, but if you want face-to-face interaction for your banking needs then ING won't be your cup of tea. If you're more comfortable with a  physical branch, you could continue to bank with one of the big banks, and open up an ING account on the side to reduce the fees you have to pay. You are allowed to have more than one bank, so that's always an option!

So, if you hate bank fees and want to save money...then welcome to Thrive!

Lets also not forget about their awesome referral bonuses. Right now, you can get $50 for opening a chequing account or any account if you're a new customer and depositing $100 with ING. Just remember to use an orange key to get the bonus. I'd be grateful if you use orange key: 35561445S1.

Happy banking....if you're with ING that it is ;)

2 Weeks Left for the DOUBLE Orange Key $50 Bonus

ING Direct Canada's promo, where you can earn $50 for opening a new account with ING  will end on December 31, 2012. After December, it will go back to $25 for orange key referrals.

If you've been thinking of making an account with ING, now is a great time to make the leap.

You'll get $50 by opening any account (chequing, savings, TFSA, RSP, etc.) and depositing $100. You're free to keep the money there or transfer it to another account once you earn your $50 bonus. 

Just remember to enter an orange key in the orange key field when you fill out the form, to qualify for the $50. It would be most appreciated if you use my key: 35561445S1.

You can then refer others (up to 50 referrals) to get more bonuses!

Happy double savings!

It's The Time To DOUBLE Your ING ORANGE KEY BONUS!

My favourite promo is backkkkk!

ING Direct Canada  is offering double the orange key bonus again for a limited time. They're giving away $50 instead of $25 for orange key referrals. It is when ING runs this double bonus promo that it is truly the best time to sign up for an account with ING Direct, if you haven't already yet! Hurry, this promotion ends December 31st (after December it will be back to $25 for referrals)!

Source: ‘Tis the season for a double referral Bonus!

Steps to get your $50:

1. Go to ING Direct Canada and click on the Sign Me Up tab

2. Choose the account you want to open (savings account, chequing account, RSP, TFSA,etc.)

3. Complete the form.

4. Input 35561445S1 for the orange key field

5. Mail a cheque from your current bank account to yourself in the amount of $100 

6. Ensure you write down your client # on the memo line of your cheque

7. Mail the cheque to ING.

Once ING receives your cheque, they will automatically link your new ING account to your current bank account, and deposit the $100 funds as well as the $50 bonus! You'll then get your own orange key to start referring others to get more bonuses! The more you can refer, the more bonuses you will earn! 

Get $100 Apple Gift Card + $25 Cash + Chance to Win $5000 Apple Gift Card!

If you're a fan of Apple's products, now is a good time to open a chequing account with ING!

ING Direct Canada is running a promotion for their Thrive chequing account, where you can get $100 Apple gift card when you:

1. Open up a Thrive chequing account;
2. Deposit $100;
3. Switch your payroll to be deposited into your Thrive chequing account.

Source: Get $100 Apple Gift Card

You do not have to be a new customer to qualify for this promo. If you already have a chequing account with ING, but do not yet have your payroll deposited there, if you make the payroll switch now, you'll get the $100 Apple gift card! The gift card will be mailed to you within 30 days of your first payroll deposit into Thrive. Note, if you already received a payroll bonus in the past, you will not qualify.

You will also be entered for a chance to win 1 of 10 $5000 Apple gift cards! If you're lucky, that will be a very nice gift card to have!

This promo ends on December 31, 2012.

PLUS:

If you are a new customer, and you use an orange key referral code when you apply for the Thrive chequing account, you will get $25 deposited into your chequing account. It would be most appreciated if you use my orange key: 35561445S1.

Of course, once your account is open, you will get your own Orange Key and can start referring others to get more bonuses! 

ING Direct Canada: Change of Owners!

So as you may have heard by now, ING Direct Canada will soon be owned by Scotiabank....

It's kinda funny because not too long ago, I was a Scotiabank customer...then I got tired of paying ridiculous chequing fees, maintaining a minimum balance, and ensuring that I don't exceed the transaction limit each month, so that I don't get charged their stupid fees. Once I heard about ING's free Thrive chequing account, I opened up an account with them and it's been adios Scotiabank ever since! Now, to my horror, ING Direct Canada will be owned by Scotiabank. Apparently, ING's parent company is not doing so well in the home country, so they're selling their profitable US and Canada subsidiaries to raise some cash.

The good news: Scotiabank says they will not make any changes to ING, at least for the next 18 months...

The bad news: Scotiabank will likely eventually make some changes...what and how much? Only time well tell!

For now, I'm not going to be rash and close my ING account. I'll stick with them as long as they continue to offer the free Thrive chequing account. However, if they do change that, I'm outta there. I'm hoping that one good that might come out of this is that ING customers will be able to start using Scotiabank ATMs, similar to how PC Financial customers can use CIBC machines.

I will update if anything changes!

Here's the official press release: Agreement announced to sell ING Direct Canada to Scotiabank

$50, $100, $150,.........$2,000 ING Orange Key Bonuses!

There's only 25 days left to take advantage of ING Direct Canada's double bonus, $50 for each referral. Promo ends Aug 31, 2012.

Remember, you can refer up to 50 people using your orange key, earning over $2,000, not bad, eh?

If you don't already have an account with ING Direct, and thinking of making one, please consider using my orange key: 35561445S1 when you sign up for your first account with them. 

Instructions on how to sign up with ING are in my previous post (July 4, 2012). Once your account is created, you'll get $50 plus your own orange key and you can start referring others to get more bonuses.

Happy bonus savings!

It's Backkk...Time to Double Your Orange Key Bonus!

ING Direct Canada has a promotion going on this summer, and is giving away $50 instead of $25 for orange key (35561445S1) referrals. Now is better than ever to sign up for an account with ING to get your free $50! Hurry, this promotion ends August 31st (after August it will be back to $25 for referrals).

Source: The Summer of Sharing 

Steps to get your $50:

1. Go to ING Direct Canada and click on the Sign Me Up tab

2. Choose the account you want to open (savings account, chequing account, RSP, TFSA,etc.)

3. Complete the form.

4. Input 35561445S1 for the orange key field

5. Mail a cheque from your current bank account to yourself in the amount of $100 

6. Ensure you write down your client # on the memo line of your cheque

7. Mail the cheque to ING.

Once ING receives your cheque, they will automatically link your new ING account to your current bank account, and deposit the $100 funds as well as the $50 bonus! You'll then get your own orange key to start referring others to get more bonuses! The more you can refer, the more bonuses you will earn!

Enjoy the summer!