Subscribe

Do most credit unions try to verify that you are indeed eligble...?

ONLY A HANDFULL ON THE LIST ARE WORTH JOINING. MOST PAY VERY LOW INTEREST RATES ON C.D. ACCOUNTS.





You must be a Texas resident with Texas address Thank you for choosing A Federal Credit Union as your financial partner. For your convenience, opening a savings, checking or certificate is available to you 24/7 from the comfort of your home or office which federal credit union is best to choose also easy

Thanks for all of the hard work Ken.

Kinecta FCU in Manhattan Beach, CA is another credit union anyone can join. One would join the Santa Monica Co-op and become eligible ($10.00). Kinecta is also a member of the shared branch network.







http://www.kinecta.org

I joined Penfed years ago for good CD rates. I also wanted the gas card. Well, I had 2 credit cards maxed out on 0% balance transfers so my credit was only "good" as opposed to very good and i gor REJECTED for the card. I later tried again, pointing out how much I had on deposit and was approved. A low limit but thats fine.



Wish there would have been a way around the $10-15 it cost me to join that military orginization though.



Recently, I found a little tiny credit union NEAR me that had 1.25% money market but their field of memberships is only for people who live or work in that tiny little city. No "worship clause". So I havent bothered.







Plus, about as soon as I showed up with $200k, they'd lower their rates probably !

Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union based in Minnesota is open to all and requires only a $10 minimum balance in savings (basically the membership fee).



They have excellent online banking and free checking. I live a state away and wouldn't dream of changing banks.

adonde? do i recommend cap one i think we are eating to many of fluffys biscuits #16: I was referring to your post as #14 "ps bank at capital one". What else does that mean?? Sometimes I think I am in the Twilight Zone when I post on this forum. Maybe "you" need a few of Fluffy's dog biscuits.

I've removed the mystery text in Paoli's #17 comment. Sorry about that. I think you have to be careful when you copy into the comment text box. If the source has special formatting, the copy can cause the format code to be shown as text.

Thank you so much Ken for your quick help! I will try to be more careful when I post my posts or replies in the future. Did not realize you work weekends too! No wonder this is such a great forum!

did not want to make the mistake of serving the wrong pie on truduckin day btw will ask my brother in law for those cds you are looking for he is a real whiz and has mucho dinero #22 How do you know about "Turducken Day"? I bet you even know how it's done. I don't think it matters what pie you serve as long as you do the Turducken the right way. Yummy! Thanks so much for thinking about me and my needed CDs when you see your brother-in-law "with mucho dinero". But I will need the info for 2012. You have a great "Turducken Day"!

YEP as fresh and as yummy as it gits my son in law goes huntin lives in north carolina and does the whole deal #24 What did you ever do to deserve a son-in-law who has "mucho dinero", hunts, AND knows how to fix a Turducken!! Do you know how expensive those are if one has to buy it already made? What a feast you are going to have. THAT would even be able to get my mine off of CDs for at least "one" day! I'll be thinking about you and yours feasting while Fluffy and I will have to make do with a creepy fried chicken! If 2012 goes well for me financially, maybe "I" can be eating Turducken next year! Enjoy it while you can!

Paoli



I am not at all worried about the information I posted.



I would suggest you might have paranoia issues !



LOL

hay papi going on holiday will check out the rates for you dont eat to much of that crappe chikcen

Hay Papo #26. Have a great holiday! BTW, "my" fried chicken is delicious! It's made the "old fashion way"! Thanks for offering to check out rates for me so maybe one day I can go on "holiday" too!

AILOI is a french garlic mayo sauce that goes really well with fried chicken

is a jokre fluffy and a blind baboon could do a better job of saving the economy

I'm told Ailoi is a delicious sauce like you've indicated but I have never tasted it. I don't like anything on "my" fried chicken.



#33 How I wished I didn't agree with you about Fluffy and the Blind Baboon and the economy. I was just reading today how the Dems and Repubs both have "no" idea what to do. I guess I will be voting "Independent" this go round. What a mess they have gotten us in!

what no grits or as we yanks call it polenta with some collards and red eye gravy and a hunk of pecan pie now that be some gooood eats yall

We Southerners call it "grits" and we eat it for breakfast except if you are poor and you use it as a main dish with potatoes and ham in it. I've had it both ways. I never said I was only having fried chicken by itself. Even people who can't get 6% CDs have side dishes with the chicken. Mine is fried rice with fried mushrooms and water chestnuts and some yucky vegetable (for health's sake!). Oh! And a pie is definitely a necessity! I haven't decided what kind yet. If Southerners know how to do one thing, it's how to enjoy good food! If all else fails, there is always "Meals on Wheels"! (Just joking!)

I was checking some of the "open" credit unions on the above list and on a couple of other sites I found through Google. Unfortunately, most do not have good rates, imo. What I am wondering, does Ken have a page in this forum which weeds out the worse and gives us the ones with the best rates? It would make it easier on us rather than having to check every CU on the list. Is this what is done when we go to the CD page? Are the CUs listed the only ones with the best rates? Thanks for any advice or info. Ken used to report all the very best credit union rates rates , but must have got caught up with legal issues. It does pay to go through the entire list as there are credit unions paying 3% interest. I wish there was a site that narrowed down the best . Which ones are paying 3%? I still post weekly on the best rates from both all-access credit unions and internet banks. Here's the link to the weekly summary

Ken's list is as good as you get in one place. There are some that are not on it ---- but very few.







Hard to find "good" rates anywhere.



I assume you are looking at the correct list/s.

Nice list. I will check it out. Thanks!

You forgot to include my credit union, Signal Financial Federal Credit Union in Kensington, MD. I was able to join after I became a member of WABA (Washington Area Bicycling Association) and they even picked up the tab! Best of all I opened my account online and jointed WABA and Signal Financial at the same time. Couldn't be happier with their great rates and service.

I compared the most recent list of credit unions paying over 1.9% to this list and found only 3. Connexus, Riverland and Melrose. How do I ask a general question about credit Unions?

Becu?

About BECU , it doesn't appear that there's an easy way for people outside of WA state to join. The only possible way I see from their membership page is through the Museum of Flight. However, BECU's membership page only says employees of Museum of Flight and not members of Museum of Flight.

20th Century Fox is NOT open to ANYONE. I live in LA and I do not qualify.



http://www.foxcredit.com/join.php

@Anonymous #45, you should be able to qualify for 20th Century Fox FCU by joining the Best Friends Animal Society-Los Angeles Chapter in Woodland Hills. However, it does appear that the credit union has made it more difficult to join compared to my last review in 2010 . It's not clear if anyone in the nation can qualify for this Best Friends Animal Society and the other association which I mention in my review. These now appear limited to locals. Also, the credit union removed links to applications for these associations. Because of these changes, I've decided to remove 20th Centuty Fox FCU from the list.

If you are looking for a rate on a 12 month certificate, do not bother going through this entire list. Digital, FirstMark and Pentagon are about the only three of the 74that will have something of 'value' in this area. Yes, I went through them all!



Some of the banks on this blog have similar rates and you do not have to jump through the hoops of becoming a member of some innocuous organization.

I joined Northwest Federal Credit Union in Herndon. They have several Northern Virginia branches, one close to where I live and another close to where I work. I became a member by joining the Financial Awareness Network, INC. for $10 - a great group that promotes financial education, so joining was a win-win. I called FAN to see how to join and they were very nice and told me I could do a one-step process at time of applying for membership with the crdit union. Northwest Federal Credit Union people are great. Very patient and courteous. CD rates are about what everyone is offering, but they do have promotions, just be sure to read all the fine print.

Do not use Astera Credit Union! Astera Credit Union has kept from me my account number and bc of that: fined me, reported me to collections, and raped me for profits. I have tried for over 6 months to get my account number so that I could give them the insurance documents they already had on file, but Astera refused to give it to me no matter how many times I ask for it (up to 36 and now threatening legal action to get it). Without it, I cannot access any of my financial information at their bank, I don't know how much they fined me for or if I really am getting it all back. Their VP had to fix the collections issues and I still have no way of accessing my account statements or information, which is legally and morally wrong. It's been a nightmare, the only communication I get from Astera has been form letters and ignorance and all I want to view my account statement that wasn't even mailed to me, they lied and said that it's my fault for losing my address change when I changed it back in August.

Xceed and Western Federal are employee based credit unions. Not open to everyone.



Not so, I have joined both. I know I joined Xceed via a cheap membership in an outside organization, which I had to join separately and then show Xceed the enrollment. I think I joined Western (now Unify) the same way, although that was some years ago, can't really remember, but I know it was not an employer-based way.

I went to the website for Justice Federal credit union and I don't think it's open to everyone. Did I miss an easy way to join it? Join the National SHeriff's Association for $41, that will give you membership

Lockheed federal credit union stole my house I believe that they double dipped from the Feds. There was no reason not to work with we had pay timely for 10 years and now I was in the middle of a divorce. Debra made me and my broker jump through hoops for 6 months turned around and lied foreclosing on my home that I had been fighting for for 3 years alone as a single mom with family backing...They changed their name due to that fact that they are PURE FRAUDS.,,.....they are a complete disgrace I even went to NACA was approved for everything they told me if it wasn't a credit union I would D be walking away with my loan..MY LOGIX DROWN! Nicole....

Kinecta FCU is a nightmare, beyond horrible. On my previous car loan, they could not get the auto pay transfer right and kept claiming my account was overdrawn, and charged me late fees (after I raised hell, they refunded them). This was NOT a one-time occurrence, it happened repeatedly. When it happened yet again, I called them to discuss and actually kept a detailed record of how long I waited on the phone to speak to someone. That detailed record has since been thrown out but I remember that I called multiple times after waited I think well over an hour (combined times) and NEVER reached anyone. The phones just rang and rang with NO reply. I actually drove to their Westminster office in POURING RAIN, soaked, to try to solve the problem (and took my notes with me), and was furious when I arrived. They said their phones were just fine, no problems at all. Needless to say, I canceled my accounts with them and I believe paid off the remaining loan balance just to get away from them. I later wrote a detailed letter about this hellish experience to MANY upper-level administrative staff in Kinecta, detailing the number of calls I had made and the time I waited on hold on each call, and NEVER heard a word back. As a businessman myself, if I ever did that I would expect my clients to NEVER return. For your own sanity PLEASE avoid these people like the plague.

Why was MSU added? You need some sort of university affiliation to join. The requirement is right at the top of the paper application.

Delete Pacific Resource CU. They merged with Nuvision FCU (also on the list) effective July 1, 2013.





@anonymous #58, Thanks for alerting us on the merger. Pacific Resource CU has been removed from the list. @anonymous #57, About MSU, please refer to the credit union's Who Can Join page @anonymous #58, Thanks for alerting us on the merger. Pacific Resource CU has been removed from the list.

add:



SECU

Baltimore, MD

There really shouldn't be any federal credit unions on this list, according to a September letter to federal credit unions from NCUA. http://www.ncua.gov/Resources/Pages/LFCU2013-03.aspx State-chartered credit unions may have more expansive laws on field of membership than federal law, but they still have certain requirements (every state varies). Not all states will allow you to join an association or donate to a specifc group just to be able to join the credit union. Field of membership still is one of the things that distinguishes credit unions from banks. Look for "community" credit unions in your geographic area, that generally are open to anyone who resides within a specified geographic area.

Thomas Hinton, American Consumer Council

www.americanconsumercouncil.org This is true. Federal credit unions (As well as state and community chartered credit unions) all have specific membership criteria and requirements. So, to suggest "anyone can join" is not accurate.Thomas Hinton, American Consumer Council

Ken, am I missing something or why would you not include the list that can be joined on the CD search screen so I can see the highest paying credit unions that I can join? Otherwise what use is it? Takes awhile to sort thru and pick the highest payer that I can join. thanks, You can filter the tables to show these all-access credit unions. Please refer to this blog post for details.

Llogix Credit Union is not open to anybody. They have a note that says: To become a member of Logix, you must reside in California, Arizona, Washington D.C., Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Texas, or Virginia, or must be verified as related to an existing Logix member. Thanks. It looks like Logix just recently added these state restrictions. I've updated the post.

You list McGraw Hill as open to all. The online application asks which company you are associated with. Is there one in that list that is an organization anyone can join, or is this a new requirement and the credit union is no longer open to everyone?

theres over 2,000 credit unions in the US.... you listed 70 Of those 2000 how many are open to anyone that wants to join?

Not everyone can join #13 Belvoir FCU. Only military, their families and those working on Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

CSR informed me that American Heritage Federal Credit Union - Philadelphia, PA (online application) is not an all-access credit union.

Its a good list but it would be better if it told which ones were free membership AND what is the easy way to join. Some require $30 to join an association first before joining the CU.

are there any credit unions in the miami-dade FL area that anyone can join?

I leave in detroit mi can you find me one

Nikkei Credit Union (https://www.nikkeicu.org/membership/join-nikkei-cu) is based in LA/OC and is open to anyone who joins the Japanese American Cultural Community Center ($45 for individual membership). Currently have 1.49% rate for a 36 month auto loan which is pretty good. Without looking...I'll bet the savings rate for a 36 month CD is...well...way south!

Hi, Ken

This list is a marvelous resource for your readers, and the way you have kept up with so many changes is also impressive. Thanks!



I do notice, though, that the name change from Tobyhanna to Valor is not yet reflected. The link works, though, and comes up as Valor, so maybe it's not a big deal. I like the Tobyhanna name more, too; it just sounds better!

I thought these were open to 'anyone" :(

Also,



It may be helpful to list next to the CU name if they require a clean Chex/EWS & which CR's they pull I echo this!

Anyone can join Langley FCU that serves Newport News, VA and the surrounding area by joining one of four different associations for as little as $5. The associations are in a drop down window in the online application. https://www.langleyfcu.org



Thomas Hinton, President, American Consumer Council Thanks for your article. I wanted to offer a few points of clarification. While the American Consumer Council (ACC) is certainly a big fan of credit unions because they are member-focused and non-profit financial organizations, it should be noted that ACC has its own membership criteria that consumers must meet before joining ACC http://www.americanconsumercouncil.org/ . Also, each credit union has its own unique membership criteria and field of membership that individuals must meet in order to qualify for membership. So, to suggest that "anyone can join" is inaccurate. At ACC, we always encourage consumers to contact their local credit union to see if you meet that credit union's membership criteria,Thomas Hinton, President, American Consumer Council

I recommend that you add the Evangelical Christian Credit Union. www.eccu.org They dont have anything special, do they ?



19 Month Promotional Certificate19 Month Certificate: 1.25% APY with $10,000 opening balance

Thats all I see and its not really noteworthy.

U left off the best navy federal I see two possibilities:



1. Ken might not be aware anyone can join NFCU , , or



2. Ken might prefer not to make the path into NFCU public. A few service members are, perhaps understandably, resentful of the wrinkle that allows anyone into NFCU, which is a great CU. There is one instance, here on the net, of someone having purposely disseminated FUD regarding the method of entry. The FUD was eventually exposed and nullified, but not right away, and many people were led astray by it. Sounds like "you" are also engaging in FUD. What are your facts? Well, in another forum here on the net, posters there outlined a way into NFCU. This happened several months ago. At one point a poster there, I believe only one person (not sure), posted what was frankly a bald-faced lie which led many others astray. The lie was regarding an element essential to the way into NFCU, then under discussion, and about which others had earlier posted. The lie was eventually, within a week or two, exposed as such. But it caused disruption and concern for a number of people before being exposed. This is the internet and nobody will ever know why somebody lied so boldly. My own guess is that it was an annoyed service member, or retiree, doing the nasty deed. But I really do not know. It could have been anyone, doing that for reason(s) unknowable. The bottomline is if a membership status/application is arguably wrong, in spite of that CU granting membership status, the NCUA will look at it at the time it/if it takes over a CU before paying anything out....thus, the "truth" is always best! Agreed. Very well stated. At this point it appears the order might have emanated from the NCUA itself. Though whether it was an order or merely a permission remains unclear, at least to me. But the end result is the same in either case. You may be right, but I would prefer to see confirmation of your theory in writing published from the NCUA. Good luck on that happening

FWIW I can now confirm it is possible for anyone to join NFCU. The cost to join is $25. I'm not going to post details because this is Ken's website, not mine. I believe Ken might prefer the details of how anyone can join NFCU not be posted. Those details are available elsewhere on the internet if you search. If Ken posts a permission I will go into detail.



It took nearly two weeks to get in. I joined now in hopeful anticipation of possible CD specials upcoming. I've always envied NFCU members and wanted to be an NFCU member, but I do not qualify for membership through any of the traditional, well known, pathways. Frankly, when I learned (by accident) about the route to membership I ended up following, I had my doubts. Joining NFCU is notoriously difficult. But it was worth losing $25, in my view, to try. As the matter turned out everything went well and I was granted entry, so I'm quite happy.

New way to charge fees...$25 for x thousand = If you arent going to post the details in the comment section because its Kens website, why post at all ?

I think the other poster is very confused about what kind of group DA is. It is Ken's group but it's the information we "all" share with one another about what we know and/or find out which can be helpful to the group that makes DA as popular as it is. I never knew we had to get permission from Ken to share "details" as long as we read and follow the rules for DA. I read DA daily to get information as much from other posters as I do from what Ken takes the time to post for us. If Ken doesn't want certain info posted, I think it should be listed in his posting rules. Or one can PM Ken, before he/she posts the details and find out beforehand if it is ok to post. Just my thoughts. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission IT's all over Credit Boards site. Why hide it"?



San Diego Navy League welcome letter,



Now you dig for more info. If you want to contribute, then do so. #117



You could be right, and it would be interesting to know why. Ken obviously is monitoring these conversations because anyone can see just above your post he has removed several earlier posts. I am a long time reader here and I know Ken is a member of Navy Federal because he has told us that. He had a way to get into NFCU because of some kind of connection to the military he has.



As somebody else already posted, I agree opening of Navy Federal to the general public might not be sitting all that well with military people because previously it was sort of a special perq reserved solely for them and a darn good one too. Just sayin'. With the discussion here regarding NFCU being ongoing, I want to post something I was told by an NFCU representative recently. As you know, membership is currently open to retired military but not to former service members (i.e., veterans) who did not make a career of the military. The representative told me NFCU is currently working to expand its field of membership to military veterans. Nothing was said about when this might come to fruition.



So if you're a veteran the day might be coming, sooner or later I do not know, when you can join NFCU without having to pay the $25. I certainly applaud efforts by NFCU to expand (free) membership eligibility in this manner. It's the right thing to do for our vets. The highest rate you can earn with Navy FCU on a cd and no maximum limit is 2.15%. So I am trying to understand why it is such an outstanding achievement to have figured out a way to join Navy FCU without having any military connections. Sure. NFCU has a history of offering, from time to time, really attractive CD specials. It also has a reputation of being difficult to join, of being off limits for many of us.





For savers, a strategy which has emerged in recent years is to join (whatever) CU in anticipation of, in hope of, good CD deals in future. Basis for this approach is difficulty of joining hastily, following actual announcement of a special CD deal, when everyone is trying to squeeze into the door at once. Good CD deals can be lost while one is awaiting membership to finalize.





There are well over 6,000 credit union in the USA and it is clearly impossible to join even a tiny fraction of so many institutions. We try to identify those most likely, based on their history, to offer good CD deals in future. There is also one other factor: location. Credit unions in certain market locations tend, in general, to offer better CD deals. I think the top location is Washington, D.C., and vicinity. Another good location right now appears to be, believe it or not, Iowa.



NFCU is located in the vicinity of D.C. and it has a history of offering good CD deals. When you can find a way into a CU like that which checks two boxes on the list of desirable attributes, joining makes sense. Speaking personally, I also was able to get in on the (albeit small money) $20K/20 month 2% CD deal which ended yesterday. That alone was not reason enough to join, but I will be happy to take the income from that deal regardless, along with my new membership, and wait for better opportunities down the line.



There is one final aspect to anticipatory joining of credit unions: maintenance. It comes down to the fact that if there is no activity in (whatever) CU account they will kick you out. Maintenance is a PITA, but not nearly as large a PITA as once was the case. I've been actively using ACH for less than fifteen years. If I still were using snail mail and paper checks I'm not certain I could deal with the maintenance issue. But today everyone has an Alliant account and just rifles out a small ACH deposit to each of their CUs whenever required. The time expended on such maintenance as this is minimal. Alternatively, you can open two accounts at the CU (e.g., savings and checking) and simply move money between the two accounts periodically. Candidly, maintenance is still a PITA. But it is doable, not very time consuming, and necessary to the strategy. Wishful thinking on your part about the benefits of joining NFCU for future expectations. Do you recall how great rates once were at Penfed? Was told yesterday by rep there that more NFCU special CD deals are already in the works. You obviously have reached your own contrary conclusion. But I'm not really sure why you would post so negatively about NFCU, a CU many Americans find beneficial. NFCU is America's largest CU for good reason.



PenFed? I'm a member who has no complaints, still benefiting on daily basis from those great rates and appreciative of the income. Were I not already a member of PenFed I would join. Just stay away from their "reward" credit cards, which suck.

I belong to SunState Federal Credit Union in North Central Florida. I will probably be moving to Michigan but didn't see it listed. Might it have been overlooked or is it not a participating institution?

Anyone can join Wings Financial by making a $5 to the Wings Financial Foundation.

Golden 1 Credit Union in California now has an open membership who joins through the Financial Fitness Association ($8 membership fee) Just be aware with Golden1 that outside of CA you'll be limited to deposit products only, no loans/CCs.

Coastal Federal Credit Union website says "Join the NCSEA (NC residents only)" - not nationwide. Also, Mountain America Credit Union is available to anyone nationwide that is a PTA member (and have a $100 bonus promo). National PTA is on their SEL. You local PTA membership is usually between 5-10 bucks. Thanks for the comment. We have removed Coastal FCU from the "big list". And for Mountain America CU, we currently list American Consumer Council as an association that can be joined to qualify for MACU membership. ACC is worth the 15$ Lifetime Membership

Self-Help Credit Union is listed twice, with a slightly different name (Self-Help Credit Union vs Self-Help Federal Credit Union) Thanks for the comment. These are actually two different credit unions with separate NCUA charter numbers. They're both under the same Self-Help family of organizations, and they are very similar. Most of the Self-Help CU branches are located in North Carolina. Self-Help Federal CU has branches in California, Illinois and Florida.

I note, you have not listed Financial Partners FCU on the list of easy access CUs. They have a back door, secret way anyone can join, by joining the Downey Rose Float Assn. for, as I recall, $5, which you can join via Financial Partners. You have to ask them about that, they do not publicize it. (Yes, that is referring to the Rose Parade, and Financial Partners is HQ'd in Downey.)



Secondly, it would be very helpful if you provided options for the sort. You have it presented here by CU size. So, I had to troll through everything on the list to see if Financial Partners was on the list. It would be helpful if we had the option to sort alphabetically. Thanks for the info on Financial Partners FCU. I see they now publicly list AARP membership as one way to qualify.



About sorting, you can sort alphabetically. Just click on the "credit union" heading at the top of the table. To switch back to sorting based on size, click on either the "Assets" heading or the "Branches" heading.

Ken, I appreciate all the information you provide to better our selfs financially. I took advantage of this special membership. I have alot of close friends who are in the military in the armed forces. I'm process of joining as well into the military. The field of membership is very interesting. I have noticed the level of service with NFCU is very good they go above and beyond to make sure their members are taken care of and sad to report as of April 17, 2017 they will be removing their coin machines.

United Nations Credit Union is a very large Credit Union not ono here

Navy Federal Credit Union might be coming off the list... :-( As of a few days ago,

"NFCU is no longer accepting Navy League - San Diego"

https://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=593109 Thanks for the comment. I confirmed with a Navy Fed CSR that Navy League San Diego can no longer be used to join Navy Fed. We will be making updates to the relevant blog posts and to this big list soon. I can understand NFCU eliminating eligibility through membership in the Navy League, San Diego Council, being they recently expanded their membership eligibility base by opening it up to all military veterans who were honorably discharged and to immediate family of current members or those eligible for membership.

Absolutely wonderful list, Ken!

apple finance credit union in Virginia USA is not one of the list . And couldnt find its website Thanks for the comment. You're right. Apple FCU should have been on the list. It has been added. 2.60% @ 10 yr ?

uh uh

What about American airlines credit Union? Sync...do you think it is open to everyone? If so, why?

Did not see a credit union or US NAVY CREDIT UNION Please refer to this blog post on Navy Federal Credit Union. The backdoor that had allowed anyone to join has disappeared. If another backdoor is found, please let us know.

I've dealt with a few of these, and here are my experiences and info I've gotten from various CUs I've researched. I try to keep it updated, but always double check with them first:

1) PenFed: HP on EQ to join, will reuse that for at least 30 days for other products. Also, if you open a checking account after you're already a member, they'll HP you for that.

2) Golden1: Have read on other boards that you can get deposit accounts outside of CA, but not credit products. HP on (probably) EX to join, but I've heard mixed results on that.

3) Alliant: SP on EQ to join + Chex. Very friendly, decent rates, good online banking. ACH transfer speed & limits are awesome.

4) DCU: Now a SP on EQ to join. I think they've raised them, but a couple years ago 680 would get you the best rates at least on auto loans. Refi'd a loan from 15% to 2.49% with them! 5% APY up to $1000 on your primary savings.

5) Bethpage: SP to join

6) MACU: HP on EX to join, will reuse HP (not sure on time window)

7) LMCU: HP on EX (used to be TU, but CSR told me EX last week) + Chex. Reports are they're pretty Chex INQ, new account, and exposure sensitive.

8) DFCU: Told no credit check to join, don't know about Chex

9) A+: HP on EX, will reuse for 60 days

10) Affinity Plus: HP on TU, told will NOT reuse for other credit products

11) AgFed: No HP, possible SP on EQ + Chex

12) Air Force FCU: SP on EQ + Chex

13) America's CU: HP on EX, will reuse for 30 days

14) Apple FCU: SP on TU + Chex

15) Bellco: HP on *probably* EX

16) Blue FCU: Reports are they're very Chex INQ sensitive

17) CapEd: SP on EX or TU

18) Chartway: SP to join, use all 3 bureaus and is geographical. East=EQ, Central=TU, West=EX

19) Connexus: HP on TU, don't reuse

20) Consumers CU (IL): HP on TU to join, will reuse if you call them. If you apply online, it'll auto-pull again. Great rates, nice customer service, cash rebate card is good. Online banking is pretty terrible though.

21) EECU: HP on EQ to join, was told they don't reuse

22) ETFCU: SP on TU to join, Chex INQ sensitive. This was reported on other sites, and I missed it. Denied w/ ~5 INQs in the past year.

23) First Financial: HP on TU

24) GTE: HP on EQ

25) Hiway: HP on EQ, reuse for 90 days

26) Langley FCU: HP EQ, reuse 30 days

27) Marine FCU: SP EQ - **note, this is the one in NC, NOT the one in Wisconsin**

28) McGraw-Hill: SP EX

29) MSU FCU: HP EX

30) NASA FCU: HP EX

31) Northrup-Grumman FCU: No HP to join, they use EX for loans

32) NWFCU: SP on EX

33) NRL FCU: SP EQ

34) NuVision: SP EX

35) Ohio University CU: HP TU, reuse 90 days

36) PARDA FCU: HP EX, reuse 30 days

37) Partner CO: I was told SP on EX, but I've also heard HP other places

38) Premier America: Was told no credit pull, but they use EX. Have heard others report they got a HP.

39) Premier Members: HP on EQ or EX, couldn't answer if they reuse

40) SCE FCU: SP on EX

41) Self-Help: No HP to join

42) Signal Financial: SP EQ

43) Signature FCU: SP on EQ + Chex. Applied last week, still 'Pending', but another site did an article on their high-yield checking right around the same time, so I think they got inundated. The membership director actually posted on the article comment section, so I'm thinking there will be extra scrutinizing for a while.

44) Silver State Schools: SP on EX

45) SDFCU: HP on EX, very conservative

46) Superior Choice: Savings: No HP or SP, Checking: SP on TU, Credit: HP on EQ

47) Tampa Bay FCU: HP on EX

48) Trustone: HP EX, reuse 30 days

49) Unify FCU: SP on EX + Chex

50) University FCU: There have been discussions on other boards that if you're outside TX, they'll ask you to come into a branch to validate your identity, so YMMV

51) US Alliance: HP EX, reuse 30 days

52) Velocity CU: No SP/HP, probably Chex

53) Veridian CU: HP EQ, reuse 30 days

54) Wings Financial: HP EX, said MAYBE they'll reuse



Some not on this list:

Altra FCU - formerly Trane FCU (join the Altra Foundation) - HP on TU, will reuse

American Heritage Credit Union - Donate to Kids-N-Hope Foundation - HP EX, reuse 30 days

Interior FCU - join New Mexico Wildlife Foundation - HP EQ, reuse 30 days

Justice FCU - join Nat'l Sheriff's Assoc - HP EQ

Virginia CU: join Virginia Assoc for Career and Tech Education - no SP/HP (probably Chex)

United Nations FCU (UNFCU) - join UNA-USA - SP EX + Chex. My experience was pretty negative with them.



Financial Fitness Association CUs: ($8 to join I think)

CommonWealth Central CU

Financial Partners CU

Tech CU - SP on EX + Chex

San Diego County CU - HP on EX



Hope this all helps! Thanks for sharing your research notes. It's very much appreciated! "39) Premier Members: HP on EQ or EX, couldn't answer if they reuse"



For me, they used Experian. That was the only major bureau I've had absolutely no credit file or history reported with, so in their notice of adverse action they mailed me, they said I have a credit score of 0 according to Experian.



Was not aware they might use Equifax sometimes; if they'd have checked through that I might have gotten in since Digital Federal CU used them and approved me. Though DCU's credit inquiry was electronic and automatic, whereas PMCU had me wait for a live loan officer to manually assess my credit situation before declining me.

Is there anyway to annotate on the list which ones were added new within the last 6-12 months? Maybe with an asterick?

Hi, I live in California. Does anyone know of any credit unions located NOT in California that offer prize linked savings accounts, where you can be a member easily and that to have a prize linked savings account you don't have to live in that state?

add credit unions in massachussets Hanscom, DCU, and RTN are all in MA.

what about NIH FCu

Hello:

Credit Unions are great. Member owned coops. People first, not profits. However, I thought credit unions had a "field of membership" based upon common bonds? Like all work at the same employer or live in the same community. Donating $5 to a charity is nice but doesn't really create a traditional common bond.

Wasn't sure where to post this, but:

https://www.depositaccounts.com/banks/credit-union-of-the-rockies.html



Everywhere except one place on the page it says 52.80% interest rate. Scared the crap out of me until I expanded the rate history details and saw that this site's graph correctly shows it as 5.28%.



That would've been pretty great tho...



The highest savings rates I've seen after painfully exploring every credit union's site off this list range between 5% to 7.5%. As far as savings accounts with balance tier limits, I would not consider anything less than 3% APY.



Similarly, I would not consider anything less than 3% for CD savings accounts since that seems to be near the cap for CDs, and several (even if rationally few) CUs have savings or MMA interest rates better than that if you don't mind distributing your savings across multiple CUs (since each have their upper bounds for the maximum balance such high rates apply to).



Alliant CU seems to have (and have had, the past few years) the highest savings interest rate with no balance tiering (also excluding things like rewards checking accounts and debiting 12 or 15 times a month), but then again a few commercial banks like Ally have better still. Huge thanks to semistatic for that list of credit inquiry methods CUs do since I've already been declined by two CUs for having no credit history and rarely enough a credit score.

Thank you for helping me find a CU in my new State/Town. I would have thought that being a life-long member in a CU would help me get into a new one when I moved. At least with your help I have found a new financial institution in my new home town.

Can you open any of these accounts without an in state address? Or if your mailin address and physical address are different?

I don't see Tennessee Credit Union in the list.

Michigan State Univ FCU: refuses memberships (even with excellent credit scores) -- even with memberships to Mich Conservation Assoc, if you've joined too many other CUs (unless you're local to a branch or have a concrete other method of qualifying). When I inquired about it (because their webpage states you could join through either Alumni Assoc or the conservation assoc, for $30) said that those memberships are used for people who don't have any other method, if the people would be a good fit for the CU. They thought I wouldn't be (even though I stated what accounts I would open there) because I live out of state, and told me I had opened memberships at other CUs lately, and suggested I try one of those. Thought it was pretty rude, since it went against their own statements on the website and what qualifies, but even with an excellent credit score (HP from Experian) they said I wasn't a good fit for them because I had opened accounts at other CUs lately. With so many people chasing rates these days, opening and closing accounts faster than traffic lights change colors, I can see their point. It appears Michigan State Univ FCU is being a bit more selective with their customer base. Rude, no, someone took the time to explain why they rejected your membership.

It looks like you can add American 1 Credit Union to this list. Their website states that "A cooperative is an organization of people united by a common bond. The common bond shared by all American 1 members is their association with our founding organization, Community 1 Cooperative. Our founders chartered American 1 as an associational credit union, meaning anyone who belongs to Community 1 Cooperative is eligible to join American 1."



https://www.american1cu.org/american-1-info



It also states "Membership in Community 1 Cooperative is only $3 and is open to anyone."



https://www.american1cu.org/community-1-info American 1 Credit Union has now been added to the list. Thanks for posting, and sorry for the delay.

Can we get an updated listed.

Vantage West Credit Union

Greater Arizona Bicycle Association

Ref: https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/6g3xgz/vantagewest_credit_union_az_giving_5_on_one/

Does anyone know a credit union that will give you a credit card based the volume you have in your account instead of your score?

- thank you Volume? You mean balance? Many have secured cards as does Discover. Discover appears to be the best secured card among nationwide banks. Id wager some credit unions may have similar or even better deals but I have not looked because my soore is fine.

Although the Elements Financial field of membership located at:

https://www.elements.org/about-elements/partner-with-elements/

is large. I am skeptical that anyone can join Elements Financial. What partner group is easiest to join for individuals who do not live in central Indiana? okay. I am going to answer my own question.

It appears that you can join Tru Direction non profit association for financial literacy.

https://www.trudirection.org/index.php?submenu=membership&src=gendocs&ref=MembershipBenefits&category=Join_True_Direction



https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/best-of/credit-unions-anyone-can-join/ I thought this article was helpful since it describes exactly what association and fee you would need to join in order to be eligible for membership for the given credit union. Its a little bit out of date (2015).

Some of the ones not listed that I've found



-Tower Federal Credit Union Maryland



-Black Hills Federal Credit Union South Dakota

Perhaps Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union should be added to the list:

https://www.psecu.com/about-psecu/become-a-member I believe the PRPS "loophole" closed a few years ago, even though the PSECU website isn't explicit about it. There are a number of discussions on other sites that indicate that this method was abused so now it is limited to PA residents.

Thank you SO much, Ken, for doing all this research! I had no IDEA there were so many credit unions even in New Jersey, my home state. I have used this list to find quite a few credit unions when the rates were much higher, and it has been a gold mine for us! I will also use it now that the rates are dropping. The very best feature is the "How you qualify" box. WOW! It saves so much work! The info is right there! Your list has all anyone needs to make the best financial decisions. You, my friend, are a DIAMOND! Much much much gratitude to you for this!

Service Credit Union out of New Hampshire is open to anyone via American Consumer Council