Credit Union love (why do you love yours)

[Anonymous]

I just got the promise and figure it won’t hurt to have a 4.99% no transfer fee card avail. Probably won’t use it much though...

[Gmood1]

Yup, I've been getting the offers several times a year with Navy.Didnt matter if I had a BT already on it either. Christmas they offered something similar depending on how much was spent on the card. Either 6 months or 12 months 0% offers.

[Anonymous]

I knew I wanted in with Navy for a reason! PenFed has that on their PCR, but I use it as my daily driver, so i would never want it to be free for a bal transfer. Hopefully they crack one day soon!

[Gmood1]

Yup, it's funny. I have one card with Navy. I haven't swiped that card in a year and a half. lol
It stays in my night stand. It's strictly for 0% BT offers.

[Anonymous]

I love my CU for the 2.5% APY on my checking account up to 20k.  And the promotion when I signed up was 4% APY for the first 6 months.  I have to use their rewards CC 15 times a month to qualify but I'm earning cash back on those transactions as well.  

[Adkins]

RBFCU - have done business with them for close to two decades, never any problems

NFCU - member for three months, so far so good!

I'm looking at PenFed for the shiney cards!

[Guyatthebeach]

Here's why I love credit unions: they are so much easier to deal with than banks!

SCSCU( a local credit union) was the only credit union/bank that would even let me open a checking account while I was going through my chapter 7 bankruptcy. They have excellent customer service that rivals the big CU's and better ratesThe day it was discharged I was able to open a secured credit card and get a secured loan. Six months later that card graduated to an unsecured Visa. Now 6 years later, that Visa is the second lowest APR I have at 8.9%, a line of credit, and found out today, I have a preapproval for a car loan for 1.99%.

SDFCU has the third lowest rate at 9.9 and I get preapproved loans every year.

NFCU gave me largest tradelines. I love the service and the CD rates are excellent.

Penfed is easy to deal but they are extremely conservatve.

Founders FCU is the most conservative, but they have great service

CU's are definitely member driven. If you look at some of the smaller local CU's, their service and rates could be the lowest you find.

Guyatthebeach

[RicHowe]

I just joined PenFed. They are a bit clunky - what with the Q Clearance you need to have just to speak to a CSR...

"Type the following numbers..."
"Now enter your member ID..."
"Now enter your year of birth..."
"What were you calling about again..."

I had to leave Capital One 360 since they inherited me from ING - how I miss my old Electric Orange account. 😢

We'll see how it goes.

[UpperNwGuy]

I've been a member of Navy FCU for 44 years and PenFed for 25 years.  Both have been very good to me.  I've had a mortgage with Navy, a car loan with PenFed, signature loans with both, and credit cards with both.  Loan rates have been low, and customer support has been helpful at both institutions.  However....

1.  Now that I am retired and no longer have a government employee identification, I can't get access to most of the Navy and PenFed branches, as they tend to located inside of the security perimeter of military bases or government buildings.  That's a bit of an annoyance.

2.  In general, I am not impressed with either institution's current portfolio of credit cards.  I like the 2% PenFed Power Cash despite its somewhat clunky website, but none of PenFed's other cards have decent rewards.  The 5% gas card is not open to new applicants and will probably go away completely within a year or two.  The Platinum Rewards has not been competitive since they devalued the points.  And their travel card is cumbersome.  Navy has a somewhat decent Cash Rewards card with a redemption process that should be a model for all other card issuers (any amount, any time, with rewards posting as soon as the charge posts), but 1.5% cash back is no longer competitive with either PenFed or USAA.  The Flagship Rewards card has an annual fee, but is not competitive with other fee-based cards.  The GO Rewards and More Rewards cards each require redemptions to be in $50 increments, a policy that is clearly meant to encourage what the industry calls "breakage."

[Anonymous]

My local CU (general Electric CU) gave me a VISA with a nice limit, twelve months interest-free on all purchases made in the first 60 days, then 12.49% after that, and a 72 month used car loan for one of my kids at 3.64% on a 2014 Accord that we had leased and she wanted to buy when the lease was up.  

They can be disorganized and difficult to work with in person, but the rates are great and a branch is right around the corner from my office.