My daughter banked at our credit union 3 years while living where there were NO BRANCHES

[K8-EEE]

There were no branches where she lived but IT WAS EASY!

A lot of people may not know this but many credit unions are in a common association, with ours (First Entertainment) you can use ATMs of any other CU for free (she used the ATM of the student & faculty unions at her University) and also, at any 7-11.

Her teaching assistant job was set up auto-pay and any little checks she got were easily deposited by mail, or she could have gone to another CU.

The rates and services are so much better at the CU, and the customer service is like night and day. The call center is HERE IN MY COMMUNITY and not in India!

There's just no downside and remember your DEBT is an "asset" for a bank too, if you have B of A or Chase or Citibank balances, see if your CU can make you a loan or give you a new credit card to transfer the balance. Check the transfer fee vs. the rate they give you, I'll bet it would work in your favor.

[Trailrider1951]

1. This is exactly what I do

My credit union is the Ohio University Federal Credit Union in Athens, Ohio. OU is my alma mater. I now live near Austin, Texas, and I use the University Credit Unions here to do my banking. Fire your bank(s)!

[abelenkpe]

2. K & R

and first entertainment rocks!

[Cirque du So-What]

3. I have heard the 'inconvenient' excuse used here quite often lately

Thanks for getting this info into a thread of its own, where the CU holdouts will have a harder time of serially rejecting any & all suggestions out of hand.

[customerserviceguy]

12. What if you have NO credit unions

near your work, and in your home area, they're just not open by the time you get home from a commute?

Also, while there might be really top quality CU's that would be great to join, often you have to live or work in the area where they're established. I'm not against the idea of credit unions, where they function well, they ably serve their members, but not all are as good as the best, especially in some areas of the country where the banks have pretty much dominated.

[immoderate]

4. At which of those convenient places can you deposit a check?

Mailing in deposits is not good for me.

--imm

[Obamanaut]

5. But mailing in deposits IS good for many. And for those, it works.

I've mailed many deposits over the years to one of the two credit unions I use, and the other one recently put a kiosk in my small town with a branch office in the neighboring town about 25 miles away.

The one without a kiosk here has not seen me inside their building for about 10 years - their closest office is about 85 miles, but there are several ATMs available here I can use with no fee.

What doesn't work for some, does for many others.

[immoderate]

7. I don't deprecate the idea, except for me, And that's not always.

These days I sometimes find myself on a narrow margin, and I have to be able to deposit cash or checks immediately. At least, there are those times.

--imm

[aquamarina]

6. Can't you deposit your checks using the local credit union's

ATM machine with the debit card issued by your credit union? If you have a debit card from your credit union, this shouldn't be a problem. I do this all the time.

[immoderate]

11. Thanks. I was checking on that. There appears to be one close enough.

It's like a lot of these CUs are in cahoots as far as deposits are concerned. :dunce: I don't get out much.

--imm

[K8-EEE]

9. Google "remote check deposit" + "CU" + your zip I'll bet

you will find one where you can scan your checks from your phone!

[immoderate]

14. You were OK up to "where" (I was checking that after I posted) but...

I don't have one of those phones! Maybe I could use my scanner.:shrug:

But I did find reasonably close CU. And access to cash machines, though that's less necessary than it used to be, cause every place takes plastic these days.

Thank you. :)

--imm

[City Lights]

8. Thanks for pointing this out, K8-EEE!

We belong to two CUs. One is a local CU, and one is a company CU headquartered in NY. We handle deposits/withdrawals for both CUs from the CU that is local. It's a breeze! Plus, we recently got a credit card through the local CU and no longer use our Chase Visa! It's a win-win situation! :bounce:

[kestrel91316]

10. I kept my local CU account in CO for several years after I moved to CA.

I just mailed in my deposits, and mailed my car payments to them, too.

It was a slower time then, lol.

[Katashi_itto]

13. I do the same. I live in New Orleans. Credit Union is in New Mexico.

Anything is better than a bank.

Course I miss my horses, sigh.

#OccupyNavy

[SlipperySlope]

15. Going on NINE years without living where a branch is

Right now my nearest branch is 30 miles away, but it is as easy as the OP says.

First, almost everything I need to do can either be done online or at an affiliated ATM. I rarely have to go into an affiliated branch to carry out an odd-ball transaction.

Only once in NINE years have I had to go to a branch of my actual credit union, and that was to deal with a lost wallet and card replacement.

[K8-EEE]

16. I'm old enough to remember having longer lunches for pay day, to stand in line at the bank!

Don't miss those days -- I love online banking and billpay!