I tried this out myself before posting, and didn’t have any problems either getting paid or transferring funds to my other accounts, then using the money for whatever I chose. I don’t recommend things without testing them first.

Wachovia and several other banks have utilized referral programs like this as part of their customer acquisition strategy.

Just to add a bit more to the post, there are typically a small portion of customers that actually cost a company money to service - these customers are typically those that spend the least and complain / utilize company resources the most. In other words, these are usually the most high-maintenance customers who don’t spend enough to justify being kept on as clients. Some businesses have found it to be in their best interests to “fire” these customers.