Workaround using T-Mobile Money: How to get the $100 Chime Referral Bonus without a qualifying direct deposit

This method worked for me, and it might work for you.

One of the easiest referral bonuses is Chime’s $100 referral bonus.

You can read about it here.

If you’re like me and don’t get paid through a traditional direct deposit payroll service, you might feel like you’re out of luck.

Thankfully, Reddit’s /r/Churning subreddit pointed me to Doctor of Credit’s list of workarounds that triggers a Qualified Direct Deposit using regular bank transfers.

Unfortunately, this list is often not updated to remove methods that no longer work.

Scrolling down to Chime’s and clicking on each method, I came across a successful Qualified ACH Direct Deposit spoof using T-Mobile Money, the latest successful completion done in Dec ’22.

I gave it a shot.

My Dad uses Chime too so first, I signed up for Chime with his referral code.

I also signed up for a free T-Mobile checking account.

A week later I got my Chime and T-Mobile Money card, activated both, and initiated a transfer of $240 from my Discover High Yield Savings account into my T-Mobile Money account.

I then connected my Chime account to my T-Mobile Money account which involves putting in your Chime’s Routing and Account number for bank certification, waiting for the test deposits to hit, and confirming them on T-Mobile Money.

With $240 now in my T-Mobile Money account and my Chime account connected, I initiated a transfer from T-Mobile Money for $220 to my Chime account.

Two days later the $220 hit my Chime account and so did the $100 referral bonus for my Dad and I.

To sum, to get the Chime Referral Bonus without an official qualified direct deposit, sign up for Chime and T-Mobile Money, connect your T-Mobile to Chime, fund your T-Mobile Money Checking acct. with $200 or more, and then transfer that money to your Chime.