topic Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU in Personal Finance

Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

CreditCobra — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 22:03:10 GMT

With the recent news about the Redstone Visa Signature, I decided to apply for membership to the credit union with the intention of applying for this card.

https://www.redfcu.org/personal/credits-cards/visa-signature/

Friday, January 13th, 2022:

I signed up for the Financial Fitness Association membership online ($8.00 for a year), and that should have satisfied the membership eligibility (as I'm outside their territory). I applied online and heard back from them that they needed a copy of my driver's license. I provided that via their slightly cumbersome secure email system.

Saturday, January 14th, 2022:

Received another email requesting a copy of my driver's license. So I sent it in again.

Tuesday, January 17th, 2022:

Received another email requesting a copy of my driver's license. So I sent it in again.

Wednesday, January 18th, 2022:

Received another email from Redstone requesting that I video call in to verify some things. I wasn't home at the time I received the email, so I called in from my phone. Again they wanted a copy of my driver's license (this was the fourth time they'd received it). This time they also asked for a copy of my social security card and proof of membership eligibility. I didn't have those documents with me.

Placed a second video call to Redstone. Again, provided them with copies of me driver's license, social security card, and a printout of the email from Financial Fitness Association. Thought everything would finally get taken care of, but was informed that they may require a third video call the next day.

Finally received the following email from them:

I've provided them with all requested documentation, satisfied their eligibility requirement, and was still denied membership. At this point, it's not worth it for me to pursue this further. I hope others are having better luck.

This is far and away the most laborious process I've been through attempting to join a credit union. It made AOD's hoops seem insignificant.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

cashorcharge — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 23:16:39 GMT

Reminds me of my BECU journey...

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

northway — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 16:06:22 GMT

I've found that it's easier to just move on rather than play the back and forth games, unless you think the juice is REALLY worth the squeeze. Once you're on the fraud/risk department's **bleep**list, it's usually just not worth the hassle in the end. I've had a number of credit unions get pissy with me over the number of inquiries/new accounts reporting to the point where I basically just hang up on them and leave things be rather than try to play their game and explain every last excessive bit of information that they're trying to nail down.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

SouthJamaica — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 18:25:56 GMT

@CreditCobra wrote:
With the recent news about the Redstone Visa Signature, I decided to apply for membership to the credit union with the intention of applying for this card.

https://www.redfcu.org/personal/credits-cards/visa-signature/

Friday, January 13th, 2022:

I signed up for the Financial Fitness Association membership online ($8.00 for a year), and that should have satisfied the membership eligibility (as I'm outside their territory). I applied online and heard back from them that they needed a copy of my driver's license. I provided that via their slightly cumbersome secure email system.

Saturday, January 14th, 2022:

Received another email requesting a copy of my driver's license. So I sent it in again.

Tuesday, January 17th, 2022:

Received another email requesting a copy of my driver's license. So I sent it in again.

Wednesday, January 18th, 2022:

Received another email from Redstone requesting that I video call in to verify some things. I wasn't home at the time I received the email, so I called in from my phone. Again they wanted a copy of my driver's license (this was the fourth time they'd received it). This time they also asked for a copy of my social security card and proof of membership eligibility. I didn't have those documents with me.

Placed a second video call to Redstone. Again, provided them with copies of me driver's license, social security card, and a printout of the email from Financial Fitness Association. Thought everything would finally get taken care of, but was informed that they may require a third video call the next day.

Finally received the following email from them:

I've provided them with all requested documentation, satisfied their eligibility requirement, and was still denied membership. At this point, it's not worth it for me to pursue this further. I hope others are having better luck.

This is far and away the most laborious process I've been through attempting to join a credit union. It made AOD's hoops seem insignificant.

Thanks for the heads up.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

NoMoreE46 — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 18:30:03 GMT

Thanks for sharing @CreditCobra .

Which state are you in?

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

CreditCobra — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 18:34:42 GMT

@NoMoreE46 wrote:
Thanks for sharing @CreditCobra .

Which state are you in?

Out here on the west coast - Washington. I'm not likely to stop by one of their brances anytime soon.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

SouthJamaica — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 18:53:11 GMT

I just noticed that Redstone doesn't have a regular free checking account. So in my book they're not worth joining.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

northway — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:00:12 GMT

It's free with any size DD/ACH push. I've credited $1 a month for years with no issues.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

SouthJamaica — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:02:32 GMT

@northway wrote:
It's free with any size DD/ACH push. I've credited $1 a month for years with no issues.

Thanks, that's good to know.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 21:13:29 GMT

@SouthJamaica wrote:
I just noticed that Redstone doesn't have a regular free checking account. So in my book they're not worth joining.

That's for you, but the current interest in the FCU is for the credit card, not the bank account. A lot of the popular credit cards here are also at big banks with terrible checking/savings options.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

Shooting-For-800 — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 03:24:25 GMT

I tried 3 times through Rural King for membership and credit card.

I will never try again.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

NoMoreE46 — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 03:27:16 GMT

Thanks for the reply @CreditCobra - was asking for DP purposes.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

NoMoreE46 — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 03:38:17 GMT

My quick math says that I would earn ~ $250 more annually on dining, fuel and utilities IF I got this card.

Normally I would try for this but my personal goal of getting under 2/24 is currently preventing me to app.

I do live in northern FL so I would like to think my app would be under less scrutiny than those from non- border states for this Alabama bank.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

CreditCobra — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 03:50:59 GMT

As I said, I hope others have better luck. I never even got close to this card, I was just trying to gain membership to the CU first. I've never experienced anything like this before. Typically, it's a DocuSign or two and some email back and fourth, maybe a phone call. But multiple video call, and then having to produce the same documentation again and again each video call. That's a whole new level of hassle. Too many red flags for me. I'm out.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

RootDet — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 06:40:01 GMT

honestly for out of state applications, I have had 10x the success mailing in membership applications with my license, social card, proof of address, proof of membership eligibility, and anything else they may need. That is how I finally managed to get into BECU and a few others. I send it out by certified mail as well.

The online apps work only like 1/3 of the time and I stopped using them.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

creditfan — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 07:00:48 GMT

@northway wrote:
It's free with any size DD/ACH push. I've credited $1 a month for years with no issues.

has been doing the same thing. $1 push every month to void fee.

I was consider myself lucky when see OP go through all the hassle.

Mine bam 1-2-3 I am in

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

CreditCobra — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 20:43:13 GMT

@RootDet wrote:
honestly for out of state applications, I have had 10x the success mailing in membership applications with my license, social card, proof of address, proof of membership eligibility, and anything else they may need. That is how I finally managed to get into BECU and a few others. I send it out by certified mail as well.

The online apps work only like 1/3 of the time and I stopped using them.

This is excellent advice. Thank you for sharing.

Re: Denied Membership at Redstone FCU

Guyatthebeach — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 13:11:34 GMT

CreditCobra,

Sorry to read this, but this proves a point I've made ever since I had issues with joining BECU. Sometimes the effort to join and send pages of documents isn't really worth the rewards. I'm a little surprised that Redstone approved your membership right off the bat. I know people that joined online without going the Rural King route.

Ever since the challenges I faced to join BECU, I only join CU's and banks with branches near me. If I'm going to join an organization and send in a bunch of documents to join, I want a physical branch near me in case I need to sign something. I'm also at the point in my life where I already get the lowest loan rates and I'm only interested in maximizing the rewards on the credit cards. There has to be a really inticing reason for my to join another CU online where there are no branches near me. I just don't see that happening right now.

Also you can direct deposit or do a ACH transfer for $1.00 for their rewards checking account and Brighter Day savings account. Anything thing I like about Redstone is if you have a car loan offer available and you use it, they don't do a HP. They didn't when my wife got her car loan.

Guyatthebeach