Best Credit Unions

Blue Federal Credit Union has a full-service menu offering checking, savings, money market, and CD accounts. It also offers health savings, IRA, and business accounts, and multiple credit cards. Moreover, Blue has most of the loans you could want, including mortgages, vehicle loans for students, personal, and business loans. It has great rates and in-person access.

Fees are low or non-existent for most accounts. Plus, rates on savings and CDs are higher than the national average. Meanwhile, its high-yield checking option is one easy to qualify for, requiring just 10 debit transactions per month instead of the more typical 12 to 15.

Blue participates in the Co-Op Shared Branch network of credit unions. This enables you to bank at more than 5,000 credit union locations throughout the U.S., as well as use more than 30,000 nationwide ATMs.

Blue Federal Credit Union targets Wyoming and Colorado. People in those states who don’t meet the credit union’s standard eligibility requirements can join by simply donating $5 to the affiliated Blue Foundation and keeping a minimal $5 in savings.

Liberty Federal Credit Union (LFCU) covers all the checking account options, including a basic free checking account, debit card, or a money market account that pays more than the national average. They also have two accounts in which you can earn a phenomenal rate or rewards if you use your debit card regularly.

If you’re willing to regularly use a debit card, you can earn much more with LFCU’s Vertical Checking account. This high-yield account currently pays 3.45% APY on balances up to $20,000.

To earn this impressive rate in any given month, make at least 15 debit card purchases, arrange for one or more direct deposits, login at least once via online or mobile banking, and sign up for paperless statements.

With the same monthly qualifications, you can instead opt for Platinum Rewards Checking, which pays one point per dollar spent with an LFCU credit card, or two dollars spent with an LFCU debit card. Redeem accumulated points for merchandise, cash back, gift cards, or travel.

Joining LFCU is easy and open to all who are members of organizations in its field of membership or employed by or retired from an employee group in its field of membership. Membership entitles you to all the banking and loan services the credit union offers. Just make a $5 donation to their affiliated nonprofit, the Mater Dei Friends & Alumni Association, and keep at least $5 in your member savings account.

If a high-yield savings account is among your banking priorities, Alliant Credit Union is an excellent option.

Its High-Rate Savings currently pays almost nine times more than the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)’s recent national average savings account rate of 0.33%, and it has no fees as long as you sign up for paperless statements.

It also offer a high-rate checking account, teen checking, and certificates of deposit (CDs) with competitive rates. All this makes it a viable option to handle most of your everyday banking needs. 

What you can’t get with Alliant is in-person banking, as there are no Alliant branches and they don’t participate in the shared network for credit unions. But you can access a very broad and deep network of ATMs, with 80,000 of them fee-free across the country, and up to $20 reimbursed to you per month for any ATM fees you incur out-of-network.

Joining Alliant is not only easy but free. If you don't meet standard eligibility requirements, you can become a member of Alliant's affiliated nonprofit Foster Care to Success. Alliant will cover the one-time $5 membership fee.

Hiway's one-year CD rate is greater than the FDIC’s recent national average of 1.28% APY. And for a five-year certificate, you can earn more than double the national average of 1.21% APY. Those with modest savings can open a CD with just $500. You can earn more by putting a bigger balance into the CD, with additional rate tiers at $10,000 and $25,000 per certificate.

A visit to Hiway’s website quickly impresses with a customer-friendly design and a full slate of bank account types. These include HSA, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, Youth Savings, as well as IRAs, credit cards, all major consumer loans (other than student loans), and business offerings. As a member of the Co-Op Shared Branch network, you can conduct in-person transactions at 5,000 credit union offices nationwide.

If you don’t live or work in Minnesota or qualify through your employer, you can join Hiway with a simple $10 donation to either the Hiway Credit Union Foundation or the Minnesota Rec & Parks Foundation, plus $5 deposited into a member savings account.

Service Credit Union puts the focus on active duty military personnel, veterans, and their family members. The result is a full-range credit union that pays some of the best rates available.

At Service, you can earn many times the average national rate on savings accounts. A balance up to $500 currently earns 5.00% APY.

Service offers other great reasons to join. Its checking account is free, has no minimum balance requirement, and pays interest. Its CDs have a low minimum deposit requirement of just $500 with competitive rates. It also offers a holiday savings account that pays an appealing rate.

Among Service’s most attractive offerings is its Deployed Warrior Savings account, which is open to those currently on active duty in a combat zone. For those who qualify, the account pays an eye-popping rate of 10% APY on balances up to $10,000.

Membership in Service Credit Union is open to anyone who is active duty military, a veteran, or a current or former employee of the Department of Defense or other select employers. Those who are directly related to a military individual are also eligible, including not just immediate household members but also siblings, parents, grandparents, and grandchildren. In addition, non-military individuals can become members by joining the American Consumer Council (free of charge) or the Financial Fitness Association.

California-based First Tech offers a Start Up Checking account for kids. This account features a great rate, no fees, and is open to any age child up to age 18. With parental consent, your child can have a debit card. The checking account also has no minimum balance requirement.

First Tech has plenty to offer parents as well, providing a full array of accounts, credit cards, and loans. Especially attractive is no membership fee, not even a required donation. All that’s required is that each member keep $5 in their member savings account.