Welcome to Bonus Hustle
Welcome to Bonus Hustle— a blog where I hope to help you and I earn extra cash through bonus offers.
The “Side Hustle”
A few months ago, I signed-up for a rewards credit card with a large sign-up bonus. I looked into ways to help meet the minimum spending amount within the 90 day time limit for the sign-up bonus. I ran across blog comments mentioning banks accepting an opening deposit with a credit card coded as a purchase. In addition, some of these bank accounts offer a cash sign-up bonus, so I started opening a few savings and checking accounts.
Around the same time, I was reading and listening to podcasts about financial independence. Earning extra income through a side hustle, and diversifying your sources of income, is an important part of the path of financial independence. Starting a venture is an activity I am interested in and also feel is a big hole in my plan for financial independence.
“Earning extra income through a side-hustle, and diversifying your sources of income, is an important part of the path of financial independence.”
As the bonuses started to roll-through, I decided to share my experience here and keep track of my progress. Being a new dad and not having a ton of time, I decided researching and pursuing these bonus offers is something I could write about. I will try to steer my emerging bonus hustle into my first side hustle. This blog is starting out as a journal and hopefully will also serve as a guide to whoever is interested in this topic. I am not sure how sustainable the activity will be in the long-run, but I will see how far I can take it.
“This blog is starting as a journal for my bonus hustle, and hopefully will also serve as a guide to whoever is interested in this topic.”
Beginnings of the Bonus Game
I first started with a travel rewards credit card, but the credit card points game can be a complex process when trying to maximize rewards redemptions. Getting credit card bonuses goes more slowly if you value your credit score. Also, the premium cards are more difficult to get approved for and can demand a large amount in spending in a short amount of time to bag the sign-up bonus.
To indicate how complicated it can be, there are lengthy courses being offered for free on the internet with flow charts, case studies, and even entire podcast episodes where the hosts and guests could talk about every tip, trick, and caveat for hours.
So, to fill-in the time between applying for new credit cards, I turned to other banking products. For a modest amount of time, and shifting money around, earning bank bonuses in their various forms may be an appealing option for you.
Basic Financial Checklist
Before getting started, some things to keep in mind:
- Build-up your emergency fund
- Ensure all your bank accounts are in good standing with positive balances
- Check your credit score
- Focus on getting rid of any credit card debt
- Figure out a method to stay organized and automate reminders
There are two main types of bank bonuses savings/checking
If you are a W2 employee, checking account bonuses can be a way to earn money without a holding period. There are methods of triggering direct deposits with bank accounts you own to be able to make moves faster or scale up beyond the size of your monthly paycheck.
Goals for the Blog
- Be a trustworthy source of information and only recommending reputable bonus opportunities
- Explore topics related to financial independence, banking, general opportunities to earn bonuses, ideas for investing to maximize those earnings
- Create a space for discussion and discovery
“For a modest amount of time, and shifting money around, earning bank bonuses in their various forms may be an appealing option for you.”
