Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 22, 2007)

I recently saw an advertisement offering a free toaster for opening a new bank account. If you happen to be opening a large account, something much better than a toaster is available. If you are looking to open a money market account of at least $10,000, you can earn a free roundtrip ticket on Airtran Airways.

The Deal:
Earn 16 credits in the Airtran A+ Rewards frequent flyer program (enough for a free roundtrip coach ticket) for opening a SunTrust money market account with at least $10,000.

How:
1) Open a money market account at SunTrust Bank with at least $10,000 by March 9, 2007. (You may also be required to open a checking account.) See details here.

2) Sign up for the Airtran A+ Rewards frequent flyer program, if you are not already a member, at the registration page.

3) Fill out a SunTrust Air Travel Redemption Certificate at the sign-up page by March 31, 2007.

4) Use your 16 credits for a roundtrip ticket on AirTran or save your credits for other rewards. See the full list of rewards here.

The Inside Scoop:
This is not a financial advice column, so I will just point out the fact that the small print indicates that the money market account earns interest rates starting at just 2.25% (or higher, depending on the size of the account) and you must keep the account open for at least 90 days. If you want to take advantage of this deal, I would advise you to compare the interest difference between this account and another higher interest rate account available at a local bank or an online bank and see if the interest you might give up during those 90 days is worth a free roundtrip ticket.

Various other restrictions apply – to ensure you are eligible for this deal, see the rules.