About a month ago, I was checking out the SoFi events page when I came across a SoFi event that I couldn’t miss – free tickets to the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. These weren’t just regular tickets either. They were in the SoFi suite, with free food and drinks and access to the pre-game VIP hospitality area at the game (i.e. more free food and drinks). Check it out:
Since I went to Wisconsin for college, I had to take advantage of this opportunity to see my alma mater play. And so, without thinking too much about it, I looked at my calendar to see if that weekend was clear, quickly messaged my buddy to see if he was down to go to the game, and then snagged two free tickets for myself. (SoFi has a limited number of seats for each of its events, so I didn’t want to risk missing out).
With a little bit of travel hacking, I was able to snag a room at the Hyatt Regency right next to the stadium using 16,000 Chase points. I then found a $40 flight from Minneapolis to Chicago and used about 4,000 Southwest points for the return flight that Sunday from Chicago. My friend picked me up in Chicago on his way down to Indianapolis from Madison. All in all, my Big Ten Championship weekend cost me less than $100.
Tickets for a game like this can easily cost over $100 per person. Tickets in a suite (with the VIP hospitality ticket) are obviously worth much more than that, probably $1,000 per person or more. But because I had previously refinanced my student loans with SoFi, I was able to go to the game and the pre-game VIP area completely for free!
It’s access to events like these that I think differentiates SoFi from a lot of other student loan refinancing companies. Most people, even people who are already SoFi customers, don’t know about these perks. They should though because these events give you a great chance to get a bunch of free stuff and experience things that you otherwise might not get to do.
Indeed, over the past 2.5 years, I’ve received literally thousands of dollars worth of free food, drinks, and travel from SoFi – all because I refinanced my student loans with SoFi over two years ago. If you have student loans and are thinking about refinancing them, these SoFi events are something that you can (and should) take advantage of too.
SoFi Events – A Reason You Should Refinance Your Student Loans With SoFi
Getting a lower interest rate on your student loans is undoubtedly the primary reason to refinance them. The lower your interest rates are, the faster you’ll be able to pay them off. Everyone’s situation is going to differ a little bit, but in general, I think you should refinance your student loans if these three things apply to you:
- You make a decent income;
- You want to pay off your student loans fast; and
- You aren’t seeking any form of loan forgiveness
There’s no shortage of student loan refinancing companies that you can use – tons of new companies have popped up over the years. When I refinanced my student loans back in 2015, I did it with three of the largest and most popular student loan refinancing companies out there (SoFi, CommonBond, and Earnest). I detailed my entire experience refinancing my student loans with each of these companies in a post from last year.
The truth though is that, for the most part, these companies are all pretty much the same. There might be some slight differences in interest rates between the companies or the types of signup bonuses that they offer, but all in all, the differences probably aren’t going to be all that much. Unless you’re getting a much lower rate from one company over another, the key differences between these companies will be in the perks that they offer you.
That’s what makes these SoFi events such a big deal to me. In the past 2.5 years, my wife and I have probably gone to about a dozen or so SoFi events in the Twin Cities area (and now, around the country). These include:
- Multi-course dinners at fancy restaurants that I would never be able to afford to go to;
- Open bar happy hours at cool cocktail bars;
- Casual pizza and rock climbing events at local climbing gyms;
- A debt payoff dinner in Brooklyn in which SoFi gave me $500 for airfare and two nights at a cool Brooklyn hotel (I won this prize by submitting a short essay about what paying off my debt meant to me – check out my post about that experience here);
- And of course, my most recent trip to Indianapolis in which I got free VIP tickets to the Big Ten Championship (check out my perfect field goal kick below).
If you add it all up, that’s thousands of dollars worth of free stuff that I’ve received from SoFi (not to mention that I keep getting SoFi shirts at basically every event I attend – I probably have 5 or more SoFi shirts at this point, plus the coveted SoFi hoodie). And the great thing is that you don’t have to attend these events by yourself. SoFi allows you to bring a guest with you to every event so you’re never forced to ride solo.
The dinners and happy hours are offered in major cities throughout the US, so if you live in a big city, you can expect to see a SoFi event in your area at least once per quarter (here in Minneapolis, we get a SoFi event about 4 to 6 times per year). Take advantage of these events to get yourself a night out at a fancy restaurant on SoFi’s dime.
I’m not the only blogger that has learned about this side benefit with refinancing student loans with SoFi. My friend Krystel over at All She Saves refinanced her student loans with SoFi and has also been taking advantage of these events. In fact, there’s a SoFi event coming up this month at a fancy restaurant in our city and she recently asked me whether I was going to be there. Of course, I was – I was the first person to sign up for the event!
It’s important to note that none of the events I’ve attended have anything to do with me being a blogger. In fact, I’ve never talked about these events to anyone at SoFi (they don’t know about this blog, I don’t think) and my ability to go to these events are the same as anyone else who is a current or former SoFi member.
Refinance Your Loans With SoFi At Least Once
One of the more interesting things about these events is that you can still go to them even when you no longer have a loan with SoFi. I paid off all of my student loans back in 2016, and I actually paid off my SoFi loan back in 2015. Despite not having an active SoFi loan for over 2 years, I’m still allowed (and even encouraged) to attend every SoFi event.
In other words, for pretty much anyone who is thinking about refinancing their student loans, refinancing with SoFi should be one of their top considerations. Remember, you can refinance your student loans as many times as you want (I refinanced my student loans 3 times with 3 different companies).
My advice: refinance your student loans at least once with SoFi. Just get yourself to be a SoFi member. If you have a good income and a good credit score, you’ll probably get a great interest rate anyway, and even if you think that you can get a better rate somewhere else, you can do that later. It’s basically a win-win to start your refinancing journey with SoFi – you’ll get a lower rate than what you’re already paying and you get to go to all of these free SoFi events.
If you refinance your student loans using my link, you’ll also get a $100 signup bonus. Not bad to get paid, lower your student loan interest rate, and get all of this free stuff too.
Will these SoFi events keep going for the long term? Who knows? SoFi keeps getting bigger – it’s possible they won’t be able to sustain all of these community events forever. But I’ve always said to take advantage of this kind of stuff while you can.
I’ve gotten thousands of dollars worth of free stuff from SoFi, eaten at cool restaurants that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to go to, and had experiences that I won’t forget. You can do the same too.
Are any other SoFi members out there taking advantage of all these free events? Are there any other student loan refinancing companies that are doing cool things like this?
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:
- GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
- Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($10) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022. As long as you get your account opened before October 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($350) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $300 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Fifth Third Bank ($250) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- OnJuno ($100) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $250 or more. The account has no fees or minimum balance requirements. Even better, the bonus posts immediately after you meet the requirements. If you can meet the direct deposit requirements, OnJuno is an easy bank bonus that’s worth snagging. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
- Varo ($50) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $50 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Spiral ($50) – Spiral is a fintech bank that's currently offering new customers a $50 signup bonus after opening a free checking account with them. The Spiral referral bonus is especially good because it's a free checking account and doesn't require a direct deposit to earn the bonus. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Spiral Bank bonus.
- One Finance ($50) – One Finance is a fintech bank that’s currently offering a $50 signup bonus if you open an account using a One Finance referral link and have a direct deposit of $250 or more. This is a completely free bank account with no minimum balance requirement, so if you can meet the requirements, it’s worth doing. Check out my One Finance referral bonus guide here.
- Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
- Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- Upgrade Bank. Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Note that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022.
- Novo Bank. Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
What a trip! Congrats on this. I wish I had student loans.. I’d definitely use your link!
I’ve had a few debt-free people say the same thing when they hear about all these events I go to! Hopefully these good times keep rolling!
Yes yes yes! I can’t love this post any more than I already do. I’m so glad I found a SoFi companion to attend all these amazing events with. Tom is going to be SO mad when he sees how great the seats were at the Big 10 Championship Game. Looking forward to our dinner with SoFi next week… lobster and steak here I come 😉
P.S. Awesome field goal! You should try out for the Vikings 🙂
Thanks Kyrstel! I’ll see you there! I checked the menu for the restaurant and it’s normally over $100 per person for the four-course menu and a drink pairing. So, I think we’re getting our money’s worth!
You know Krystel! Small world. While I’m fortunate to have no student debt – I’m introducing Sofi to my little sister who does (private school, amirite?). Anxious to see how it pans out for her!
I am jealous!! That is awesome, FP!! Good work.
Thanks man! It’s a perk that a lot of folks should take advantage of.
Dude. This is my plan for a slow Friday. I’ll even try using your link. I’ve got to find a way to get to next year’s MSU v. Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game. 🙂
Excellent finds here – makes me wonder what other “freebies” are out there for the taking if we just look a little harder.
Haha, I’m really hoping that they have that Big Ten Championship event again next year. SoFi is a sponsor for the Big Ten, so I bet they get the same suite every year.
Holy crap! After reading this post, I almost wish I had student loan debt. Glad you had a terrific time at the championship, my friend. Cheers.
Thanks Mr. Groovy! You’re not the first person who’s said that to me haha. Probably better not to have the student loan debt, but at least I got a little something back for it.
I have definitely heard of them and knew people really liked them. But this post gave me way more of an inside look. Glad they’re treating you well!
It’s an easy way to get something back for something you’re already doing anyway. The student loan refinancing companies are all pretty similar. If you’re getting a similar rate all around, might as well get that free stuff too!
What a great perk and awesome seats! Too bad Wisconsin didn’t win though.
I went to Northwestern, so hoping I get to go the the Big Ten Championship soon to see my Wildcats play there.
By the way, who was the Big Ten celebrity at the meet and greet?
Yeah, it was a bummer we couldn’t pull it off!
The big ten celebrity was Ron Dayne – I bet you could have guessed that. I think that’s basically how he makes money now.
Great that they have awesome events as part of the perks. I just snagged $500 for refinancing my student loans a little over a year ago but I think I’ll be refinancing again with your link. Why not right? It’s wonderful that there are so many more options to refinance nowadays.
I have a Sofi Refi account myself but didn’t know or participated in any freebies events. Maybe because I don’t live in a big city.
Ah yeah, if you’re not in a big city, you won’t have any events.
Thanks for the great article. I’ll pass it along to my son who has graduate student loans. We live in LA with the new Sofi Stadium, so I’m sure they have/will have fun events here.
I’ve done a few events like you mentioned through other means like my cable company. They invited us to see a hockey game in a suite with other account holders, then they surprised me with seats on the ice that were next to Jerry Bruckheimer the producer. It was wild!
I wrote these posts before the pandemic and of course, there haven’t been any events since. Really wondering what the world of these events will look like post-pandemic.
Me too! The virtual events I have done don’t quite measure up.