Are you a resident of New Mexico, California, Arizona, Texas, or Colorado looking for a great bank bonus? You’re in luck! Sunward is offering a sweet deal where you can earn a $225 bonus by opening a new account. Whether you’re a seasoned account hopper or just looking for a fresh start, this is a great way to boost your bank balance. I know I’m always on the lookout for the best bank bonuses, and trust me, this one is worth talking about! Let’s break down how it works and how you can grab this cash.
For bank bonuses available nationwide, see our list of the best bank promotions here.
Key Takeaways
- Earn $225 by opening a new Sunward account.
- Referral bonus: You can earn $75 by referring friends and family!
- Complete simple tasks like making qualifying deposits and using your checking account.
- There’s no cap on referrals, so you can earn even more by spreading the word.

How the $225 Bonus Works
It’s simple: Sunward is offering you $225 for opening a new account and meeting a few requirements. Here’s what you need to do:
- Open a savings account with a minimum deposit of $1.
- Open a Quick Cash or Money Manager Checking account.
- Make $500+ in qualifying deposits for two consecutive months within the first 90 days. Qualifying deposits can include payroll, government benefits, or P2P transfers—just be sure they’re not internal transfers or dividends.
- Complete one qualifying transaction (think debit card purchases, bill payments, or ATM withdrawals) with your new checking account.
Once you complete these, you’ll receive your $225 reward. It’s that easy!
Trending Checking Account Deal:
How You Can Earn $75 for Referrals
If you’re already a Sunward member, you can earn $75 for every friend or family member you refer to the bank. And here’s the best part: there’s no limit on how many people you can refer. So, if you have a lot of friends looking for a solid bank, this is your chance to rack up some cash.
To refer someone:
- Share your unique referral code (you should’ve received it via email from Sunward).
- Your friend needs to use your code when applying—either online or in-branch.
- Once they meet the requirements for the $225 bonus, you’ll get $75 deposited into your savings account.
It’s a win-win!
What to Know About the Bonus
There are a few key points to keep in mind to ensure you get your rewards:
- You must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Both the person you refer and you must meet the membership requirements, which include opening an account and making qualifying deposits.
- Rewards will be deposited within 90 to 120 days after the requirements are met.
- If you’re new to Sunward, you’ll need to open a primary savings account and at least one checking account (Quick Cash or Money Manager).
- The $75 referral bonus will be credited to your account once your referred friend meets all the criteria.
Our Take
This $225 bonus from Sunward is a solid deal, especially if you’re already thinking about switching to a new bank or opening a fresh account. The requirements aren’t difficult to meet—just a little bit of saving and spending—and you could have an extra $225 in your pocket! Plus, if you’ve got friends who are also looking to make a move, you can earn even more with the referral program. So, what are you waiting for? Open your account, refer your friends, and start earning!
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Referral code: 9r1w5
For anyone who hasn’t signed up yet, now is the time. It was an easy sign up and instant approval for me, no selfie required. Same for P2 and P3. I used Eric’s referral code to sign up. I was previously rejected at Sandia due to Chex, so this was a nice surprise for me.
– The only hassle so far has been obtaining my referral code, and it took multiple secure messages before I was able to receive it.
– I was able to fund my accounts initially with $500 total via my Affinity FCU 1% cashback debit card. The amount was immediately deducted from Affinity and posted to Sunward the next day. I haven’t tried making any other deposits yet, but I did receive my debit card in the mail in a timely fashion.
– I am not technically OOS since I am in CA, so I don’t know whether they had to sign me up for the ACC through them or not to qualify for membership.
– The referral code needs to be entered on the page of the application where they ask you to create a code word.
– If you are instantly approved, your member number will be displayed on your account approval page right after you apply, so be sure to use/keep that number to register for online banking afterwards.
– There is a $5 inactivity fee after 2 years, but no other significant fees that are charged on the Money Manager or Quick Cash checking accounts as far as I can tell from the fee schedule.
Thanks in advance to anyone who decides to use my referral code above to sign up.
Referral code – ngxvp
It’s the final days to sign up for this bonus. I would greatly appreciate it if someone were to use my referral code above to sign up.
Sign up was quick and easy for me as I was instantly approved. I am in-state for this one, but it’s available OOS as long as you consent to join the ACC through Sunward’s online application.
You’ll need to make a $500 deposit monthly into your new Quick Cash, Simple Spend or Money Manager checking account for 2 consecutive calendar months within 90 days of sign up. It looks like they accept checks and P2P transfers to satisfy this requirement, so it doesn’t look like they’re too strict on the transfers being actual payroll direct deposits.
You also need to make another type of transaction within your first 90 days after signing up, like a debit card purchase, bill pay or ACH debit.
Other than a $5 inactivity fee after 2 years, I could not find any significant fees that the credit union charges for their checking accounts.
You will receive $225 for completing the bonus requirements in full, and I will receive $75 for your referral if you successfully use my code on the application to register. You’ll find the text box to copy and paste my code on the page where you need to enter a unique code name for identifying yourself during phone calls to the credit union.
I would highly recommend this bonus given the easy requirements involved, and that there are few major fees associated with this credit union’s checking accounts. If you wish to refer someone else, be quick, as you’ll need to contact customer service in order to obtain your unique referral code, as the credit union won’t send it to you automatically.
Thanks in advance to anyone who chooses to use my referral code above to sign up for this great and easy bonus offer.
My referral code: gfdje
I signed up for the Money Manager checking and savings accounts with a referral code, and I was instantly approved. You can alternatively open the Quick Cash or Simple Spend checking account in lieu of the Money Manager checking account in order to qualify for this bonus.
Available nationwide via the ACC. I am actually in-state for this one, but if they opened an ACC membership for me, I am unaware, and they definitely did not ask for an ACC certificate of any kind during account opening. They accept up to $500 worth of debit card funding via Astra, and my 1% Affinity cashback debit card worked well for this.
I am assuming that any ACH will work for the deposit requirement, but I am not 100% sure about this, as the terms do mention something about payroll and government benefits. You need to make $500 deposits monthly for two consecutive months, and then make another type of transaction within your first 90 days such as a debit card purchase, ACH debit or bill pay of any amount. It can’t get any easier than that.
If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time. Please make sure to use my referral code above, and manually enter it on the application page where it asks you what you want your unique code phrase to be. You will receive $225 for successfully completing the bonus requirements, and I will receive $75 for your referral in turn.
You’ll want to apply by the current expiration date of 6/30/25 in order to get in on this bonus, but hopefully that date will be extended. If you want to refer others, you’ll need to contact the credit union directly in order to obtain your unique referral code for sharing. Thanks in advance to anyone who uses my referral code above to sign up, I greatly appreciate it.
It is actually nationwide now. They allow you to become a member of the American Consumer Council plus no Chexsystems. They use Blend now to verify identity like Navy Federal Credit Union. Referral code is nzih3 (Thanks for using). Code is entered several pages into application. At best its an instant approval….at worst an ID scan and a selfie with approval later that day or next.