America First Credit Union Review 2024

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At a glance

4.2

Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5

Bankrate Score

CDs

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Checking

Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5

Savings

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

MMA

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

About Bankrate Score

Overview

America First Credit Union is best for those who live, work or are involved in eligible areas of the Western U.S. Its CDs and checking account stand out for their low fees and interest-earning potential.

Highlights

Highly Rated App
No Monthly Fees

Overall

Members of America First Credit Union maintain membership by opening a savings account and keeping at least $1 in the account. They also have access to a full suite of deposit products, mobile banking services, loans, credit cards and more. There are minimal fees associated with the credit union’s deposit accounts. Rates on CDs are competitive, but they are less so for share savings and money market accounts.

Pros

Members have access to over 30,000 ATMs through the CO-OP network.
CD rates are competitive.
Most accounts don’t have monthly fees or minimum opening deposit requirements.

Cons

Rates on savings and money market accounts are not very competitive.
Branches are limited to a few states in the Western U.S.

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America First Credit Union banking products

3.0

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

See methodologyCompare savings rates

SCORE BREAKDOWN

APY offering:

0.05%

Rating: 1 stars out of 5

1/5

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest.

Minimum balance to earn interest:

$1.00

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest.

Monthly service fee:

$0.00

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met.

Minimum balance to avoid fee:

$0.00

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee.

Access to funds:

Great

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder.

America First Credit Union savings overview

To become a member of America First Credit Union, you must open a share savings account, and it must be opened at a branch. But the share savings account only requires a $1 balance to open and maintain. There’s no monthly fee. However, a $2.50 inactivity fee will be charged monthly if there have been no transactions for one year or more.

There is no transaction limitation on the share savings account. The rate earned, though, is very low.

Pros

Only $1 is needed to open the account and maintain credit union membership.
There’s no monthly fee.
Account holders can make unlimited transactions.

Cons

The APY is minimal.
The account can’t be opened online.

See how rates for this account have changed over time. Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

America First Credit Union

APY

APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24.

APY

APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24.

National average APY

How do we get this data?

Bankrate independently tracks hundreds of APYs and product details for banking institutions nationwide. We retain the historical data of every rate we track in our database. If there are any gaps where we weren’t actively tracking a rate at the time, the graph will reflect the missing data.

Date Bankrate gathers rate data either directly from our partners, or through our proprietary rate surveying service. The rate change date is based on when Bankrate received or captured the rate change and may differ from the actual date the rate changed.	America First Credit Union APY APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24. APY APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24	National average APY The “national average” is determined by Bankrate’s comprehensive national survey of savings accounts and CDs and reflects the monthly average APY for each product.
06/04/2024	0.05%	0.58%
05/07/2024	0.05%	0.59%
04/02/2024	0.05%	0.58%
03/05/2024	0.05%	0.57%
01/02/2024	0.05%	0.58%
12/05/2023	0.05%	0.57%
11/07/2023	0.05%	0.60%
10/03/2023	0.05%	0.58%
09/05/2023	0.05%	0.57%
07/04/2023	0.05%	0.54%
06/27/2023	0.05%	0.49%

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America First Credit Union CD overview

America First Credit Union offers nine share certificates at different APYs, each covering a specified term range. The shortest term available is three to five months, while the longest is 60 months. All certificates have a $500 minimum to open.

Rates on America First’s certificates are competitive. The highest rate offered, on the six- to 11-month certificate, is among the best rates you can find.

There are a couple of specialty certificate options. One is a 12-month Flexible Certificate, which allows members to deposit additional funds into the account each month. There’s also a bump-up option for all terms, though the rate is typically less than a regular certificate’s.

Pros

Members can choose from a wide range of terms.
Only $500 is needed to open any of the nine share certificates offered.
APYs are competitive.
Specialty options are available, including a bump-up option.

Cons

See how rates for this account have changed over time. Select the CD term length from the dropdown and interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

America First Credit Union

APY

APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24.

APY

APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24.

National average APY

Term length

How do we get this data?

Date Bankrate gathers rate data either directly from our partners, or through our proprietary rate surveying service. The rate change date is based on when Bankrate received or captured the rate change and may differ from the actual date the rate changed.	America First Credit Union APY APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24. APY APY last updated between 6/18 and 6/24	National average APY The “national average” is determined by Bankrate’s comprehensive national survey of savings accounts and CDs and reflects the monthly average APY for each product.
06/04/2024	4.20%	1.43%
04/02/2024	4.20%	1.42%
03/12/2024	4.20%	1.43%
02/06/2024	4.20%	1.42%
12/05/2023	4.20%	1.43%
11/07/2023	4.20%	1.45%
10/24/2023	4.10%	1.46%
10/03/2023	4.00%	1.46%
09/05/2023	4.00%	1.43%
08/01/2023	4.00%	1.38%
07/04/2023	4.00%	1.35%
06/27/2023	4.00%	1.33%

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America First Credit Union money market overview

America First’s Money Market Savings account comes with tiered APYs that increase with higher account balances. While rates are decent and higher than the share savings rate, there are better rates available elsewhere.

The money market account has no minimum balance requirement or monthly fees. There also is no transaction limit — members can make withdrawals over the phone, at an ATM or at a credit union branch.

Unlike the share savings account, the money market account can be opened online.

Pros

There’s no minimum balance requirement or monthly fee.
Some higher rates are available with higher balances.
There’s no transaction limit.

Cons

Rates are not competitive.

4.6

Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5

Bankrate Score

Compare top checking rates

America First Credit Union checking overview

America First offers a Regular Checking account that’s interest-bearing and has no monthly fee. There’s no minimum balance requirement to open the account, but you’ll need at least $500 to earn the APY. The overdraft fee is $25, which is slightly below average, and there’s no nonsufficient funds (NSF) fee.A Premium Checking account option is also available for a $6 monthly fee, though this fee is waived when members receive at least $500 in direct deposits, make at least 20 debit card transactions and maintain a balance of at least $1,500 each month. The Premium account comes with added benefits, such as up to $10 in ATM rebates per month, the ability to earn cash back rewards and a full identity theft protection suite.

Members have access to ATMs in Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Idaho, as well as free access to over 30,000 ATMs in the credit union CO-OP network.

Pros

You can earn interest with at least $500 in the account.
There’s no monthly fee or minimum deposit requirement to open.
Members have access to over 30,000 ATMs through the CO-OP network.

Cons

You won’t earn interest if your account balance falls below $500.

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Bank fees

Fee	Charged?
Overdraft fee	$25
Non-sufficient funds fee	None
Account maintenance fees	None for standard accounts
Out-of-network ATM fee	$1.50
Excessive transaction fee	None

Customer experience

Customer service. Member service representatives are available by phone from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. MT, weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT, Saturdays. Members can also contact the credit union via email and leave feedback on the credit union’s website. Additionally, the credit union’s website offers helpful tools, such as a variety of calculators and guides.

Digital tools. Many digital services are offered through the credit union, including Zelle, online banking and bill pay and Card Guard, which allows you to instantly lock or unlock your debit card from a mobile app. The credit union’s mobile app has high ratings on the Apple app store and Google Play.

Rewards. Members with an America First Visa card are automatically enrolled in ABC Deals, which gives cash-back rewards on certain purchases.

About America First Credit Union

America First Credit Union was founded in 1939 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Like other credit unions, it is a member-owned, not-for-profit institution. The credit union operates 120 branches, most of which are in Utah, with a few scattered throughout Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon. You must live, work or have some involvement in an eligible area of one of those states to become a member.

The credit union also has a charity foundation, which contributes to programs such as food drives, educational scholarships and providing hygiene kits to those in need.

Review methodology

With so many financial institutions to choose from, it can be hard to know who to trust. Bankrate’s ever-growing list of bank and credit union reviews is updated regularly. Our editorial team analyzes and reviews each institution across deposit products such as savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs). Banks are rated by important factors such as offered interest rates, fees, minimum balance requirements, access to funds and more.

We assign a score to each type of account and its features, weigh them carefully based on importance to account holders and determine an overall score. Read our full review methodology.

America First Credit Union Review 2024 | Bankrate (2024)

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Overall

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America First Credit Union banking products

America First Credit Union savings overview

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America First Credit Union savings rates

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America First Credit Union CD overview

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America First Credit Union CD rates

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America First Credit Union money market overview

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America First Credit Union checking overview

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About America First Credit Union

Review methodology

References