@Tinkiegrrl wrote:I joined Affinity Federal Credit union largely for their Cash Rewards card down the line, however I think I'm going to actually use their other accounts significantly anyway. 2% APY on up to $2499 is better then what I'm getting currently anyway, and while I haven't really used debit cards for anything since I started using credit cards, the 1% cash back for debit card purchases will be nice to have for the odd merchant who will take debit but not credit. Also, as I'm on Staten Island getting to a NJ branch is actually rather easy for me. In a way, this is a local credit union to me, which will be nice.
Here's the question: I used the link for the $150 sign up bonus for the checking account. I have no issues transferring my direct deposit over to this account, so that's no issue. The issue is the 10 debit card purchases. Will it count if I make small re-loads to my Amazon account? I don't like entering my debit info in a lot of places. My debit card was skimmed twice in the past and my checking drained. It's a large reason why I finally cracked and got into credit cards after living most my life credit free.
1. I 100% agree with you on not using debit cards, which is why I ignore the various offers to beef up my rewards and/or interest with checking accounts if I do a certain number of debit card transactions.
2. I have read in this forum that some folks who have that type of account satisfy their debit card purchases requirement by buying a bunch of 50 cent Amazon gift cards. I personally stay away from that type of thing, because I'm nervous about a bank coming down on me for 'gaming' their system. I really have no idea if that would happen; I'm just the nervous type 
3. I personally do have that 'cash back' checking account with Affinity, but the only reason I have it is that it has 2-day early direct deposit, a feature I love. Affinity's regular checking account doesn't have that feature.
4. I too find Affinity to be a pretty decent credit union. In my case, they've been overly conservative in their underwriting towards me, IMHO. But what the heck. They've been reasonably generous to other MyFICO'ers.
@SouthJamaica wrote:
@Tinkiegrrl wrote:I joined Affinity Federal Credit union largely for their Cash Rewards card down the line, however I think I'm going to actually use their other accounts significantly anyway. 2% APY on up to $2499 is better then what I'm getting currently anyway, and while I haven't really used debit cards for anything since I started using credit cards, the 1% cash back for debit card purchases will be nice to have for the odd merchant who will take debit but not credit. Also, as I'm on Staten Island getting to a NJ branch is actually rather easy for me. In a way, this is a local credit union to me, which will be nice.
Here's the question: I used the link for the $150 sign up bonus for the checking account. I have no issues transferring my direct deposit over to this account, so that's no issue. The issue is the 10 debit card purchases. Will it count if I make small re-loads to my Amazon account? I don't like entering my debit info in a lot of places. My debit card was skimmed twice in the past and my checking drained. It's a large reason why I finally cracked and got into credit cards after living most my life credit free.
1. I 100% agree with you on not using debit cards, which is why I ignore the various offers to beef up my rewards and/or interest with checking accounts if I do a certain number of debit card transactions.
2. I have read in this forum that some folks who have that type of account satisfy their debit card purchases requirement by buying a bunch of 50 cent Amazon gift cards. I personally stay away from that type of thing, because I'm nervous about a bank coming down on me for 'gaming' their system. I really have no idea if that would happen; I'm just the nervous type
3. I personally do have that 'cash back' checking account with Affinity, but the only reason I have it is that it has 2-day early direct deposit, a feature I love. Affinity's regular checking account doesn't have that feature.
4. I too find Affinity to be a pretty decent credit union. In my case, they've been overly conservative in their underwriting towards me, IMHO. But what the heck. They've been reasonably generous to other MyFICO'ers.
I'm pretty brand spanking new to credit, so unless they give me a card with a $400 limit and refuse to raise it like my Quicksilver, I'll probably be happy with whatever they give me as a limit. I don't intend to apply for the card until maybe March, when I hit a year of credit history. I only have 9 months right now.
You can get early pay from Capital One as well by the way. They're my main bank right now. They also have branches near me. I think most internet based accounts offer it these days.
I can probably hit the 10 debits by using Apple Pay. I use door dash and slice a lot. I'm a terrible cook, lol. Both apps take Apple Pay, so I can use the debit through that without needing to enter the number into anything. Might do that, but it'll cut my cash back down in half for those 10 meals. I get 2% from the Apple Card right now. In the end though, $150 will be more...