I agree that in general these kinds of things don't work. That's why I wrote the extended footnote explaining that I've used this company for 10 years and had 20 friends sign up for it, that none of us have ever been charged any fees, etc. I wouldn't just recommend any random online deal without knowing it worked.
Also, if you know how competitive online ad pricing for banking are, it's easy to understand how the cost to acquire a new customer for ING via advertising is easily > $50. But they're a smart, progressive, company so they're fine paying you directly if you sign up without having to be advertised heavily to.
If I gave you $50 you hadn't planned on receiving, would you consider giving it to charity?
Here's your chance to find out.
Just in time for the Tallin-Evans matching fundraiser, ING Direct has started offering a free $50 cash sign-up bonus. I've personally used ING for 10 years and referred over 20 people to similar promotions of theirs in the past so I can confirm that this is legit.1
It's a simple, effective way to get started as an optimal philanthropist for free:
Full disclosure: I was an SIAI Visiting Fellow in 2010. I've also used ING Direct as a customer the past 10 years, but otherwise have no financial interest in them.
[1] This isn't one of those bogus "intro" deals where you have to make sure you cancel the service later on or risk getting charged fees. ING has no fees, no minimum balance requirements, no sleazy marketing emails, and consistently good savings rates. If you want to use them for their good service after signing up, great, if not, no worries. All you have to do to qualify for the $50 is make 3 small purchases you were planning to make anyway with their new debit card. I know it's a trivial inconvenience, but I think it's worth it to be able to donate up to $100 to charity without actually spending any money.
[2] Profit denominated in warm fuzzies, karma, and post-Singularity catgirls.