Best credit unions

If you’ve heard about old school banking from your parents or grandparents – fee-free checking and being treated like a member of the family – you may want to look into credit unions. There’s probably one located in your community, and even if there isn’t, credit unions today operate much like banks by offering their services online. You can have access to a credit union, and even the best credit unions, from your computer or mobile device. 

In this guide, I’ve prepared a list of what I believe to be the best credit unions in America. Read the descriptions of each then choose one that you believe will work best for your personal needs and preferences. You may be surprised to find that credit unions provide just about all the same services banks do, but without all the fees and limitations.

Pentagon Federal Credit Union, more commonly known simply as PenFed, is one of the largest credit unions in the country, with more than $25 billion in deposits and two million members. And though the credit union has only 50 branches, they offer their services in all 50 states. The credit union was originally established for the benefit of members of the armed services, it’s now available to all consumers. 

I like PenFed for their car loan programs. Not only do they offer loans for new and used cars, and for both purchases and refinances, but they also offer their car buying service for both new and used vehicles. It provides discounted vehicle pricing when you purchase through the service, as well as mechanical breakdown protection and GAP coverage

You can open a Premium Online Savings Account with just $5, and though the interest rate on the account is on the low end of the spectrum, there is no monthly maintenance fee. Plus, you’ll have access to more than 68,000 fee-free in-network ATMs across the country.

PenFed offers their Access America Checking, which requires a minimum of $25 open. But it’s an interest-bearing account currently paying 0.20% on balances below $20,000, and 0.50% on balances above. There’s a $10 monthly fee, but it can be waived if you maintain a daily balance of $500 or more or set up a monthly direct deposit of at least $500.

The credit union also offers money market savings certificates of deposit, IRAs, rewards credit cards, car loans, home financing, and personal loans. 

Navy Federal Credit Union is the largest credit union in the US, with nine million members and more than $110 billion in total assets. The credit union was originally set up to provide banking services to members of the United States Navy, but eventually extended services to members of all branches of the US military, as well veterans and their families. Unfortunately, however, the credit union is not available if you are not a current or former member of the military or a military family member.

They offer several checking accounts, with the Flagship Checking account being the most noteworthy. It currently pays interest ranging from 0.35% to 0.45% APY, and though there’s a $10 monthly service charge, it’s waived with an average daily balance of $1,500 or more. The account also reimburses up to $120 per year in ATM fee rebates with direct deposit. It comes with a debit card that can be used fee-free at more than 28,000 in-network ATMs.

Navy Federal currently pays up to 0.25% on savings accounts, 0.50% on money market accounts, and up to 1.30% on CDs with terms of up to seven years. Of special interest is their Special EasyStart CD, which pays as high as 3.50% APY on a 12-month CD with a minimum deposit of $50, and a maximum of $3,000.

Based in Chicago, Alliant has more than $12 billion in assets and over 500,000 members nationwide. The credit union has been in business for over 80 years, and though it’s headquartered in Illinois, it offers its services to members across the country.

Alliant’s High-Interest Checking account pays 0.25% APY on all balances and has no monthly service fee or minimum balance requirements. You’ll also have access to more than 80,000 fee-free ATMs, as well as up to $20 per month in ATM fee rebates for out-of-network transactions.

On the savings side, they offer their High-Rate Savings account, currently paying 0.75% APY on all balances. There’s no minimum or maximum balance limit, and you can open an account with just $5. And there are no monthly fees to reduce the interest you’ll earn on your balance. 

Alliant also offers certificates of deposit, custodial accounts, traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs, as well as trust and custodial accounts. And on the lending side, they offer home loans, auto loans, RV loans, personal loans, commercial real estate loans, and credit cards. 

Commonly known as BECU, Boeing Employees Credit Union has more than 50 branch locations in Washington state and in South Carolina. The credit union offers checking and savings accounts, a money market account, CDs, IRAs, and four different Visa cards. Loans include home loans, vehicle loans, student loans, and personal loans. 

BECU offers perhaps the widest range of business banking and business services in the credit union universe, although the types of businesses they service are fairly narrow. 

One of the limitations of BECU is membership. To join, being an employee of Boeing is an obvious advantage. But otherwise, you are required to “live, work, worship, or go to school in Washington state and select Idaho counties, or live or work in select Oregon counties”, or belong to other select associations. I can also presume the same applies for residents of South Carolina, since the credit union now has two branches located near Charleston. 

DCU is a Massachusetts-based credit union with just 23 branches in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. But the credit union offers its services on a nationwide basis. I am a member of DCU and have been for nearly six years, and can attest that they provide one of the best banking services I’ve ever experienced (and no, I’m not being compensated for this endorsement in any way!).

DCU offers all the services you would expect from a credit union, like checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as CDs. They also offer credit cards, student loans, auto loans, personal loans, and home loans.

Of special interest, they offer free checking, and their Primary Savings account, currently paying 6.17% APY on the first $1,000 deposited into the account (it drops to 0.25% on balances exceeding $1,000). On the credit card side, DCU Platinum Visa is available with no annual fee and an 8.50% APR on purchases for well-qualified individuals

But one of the qualities that distinguishes DCU from other credit unions, and much like BECU, is that they do offer business banking accounts. This includes business checking and savings accounts, as well as small business loans, and financing for commercial real estate, and other commercial and industrial loans.

Connexus is a credit union operating 13 branches in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and New Hampshire, but they make their services available in all 50 states through their digital banking platform. The credit union has over 375,000 members and nearly $3 billion in assets.

Connexus offers its Xtraordinary Checking account, which pays an incredible 1.75% APY. To earn that rate, you’ll need to make a minimum of 15 debit card purchases or $400 in net spend purchases using your debit card per month. What’s more, the account requires no minimum balance. And though the attached debit card is available for use at more than 54,000 in-network ATMs, the credit union provides up to $25 per month in rebates for out-of-network provider charges.

Connexus also offers savings and money market accounts, as well as CDs that pay interest rates above 1% on balances of $5,000 or more. They also offer IRAs, consumer and business credit cards, auto loans, recreational loans, personal loans and lines of credit, student loans, and home financing.

I started with checking the competition – looking for the credit unions that most frequently appear on “best credit union” lists. I then drilled down further, to look at the specific product offerings of each, as well as what each credit union specializes in.

Except for Boeing Employees Credit Union, each of the credit unions on this list makes their services available on a national level, even if they are only locally-based. They also offer all the services you would normally find at a bank, including checking and savings accounts, money markets, certificates of deposit, and loans of all types.

And naturally, greater weight was given to credit unions that specialize in a specific area. For example, Navy Federal Credit Union specializes in offering their services to active and retired members of the US military and their families. Boeing Employees Credit Union is practically unique in the credit union world, in that they do offer business services, bank accounts, and loans. 

Credit unions can offer you the same services as your bank does. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that they do it by charging lower fees – or no fees at all – and either paying you higher interest on your deposits or charging less on loans or credit cards. That’s because credit unions are nonprofit organizations that pass their business profits on to their depositors rather than shareholders.

And as a member of a credit union, rather than a customer at a bank, it’s often easier to get approved for a loan or credit card. Credit unions can be especially good institutions to get credit if you have a low credit score. They typically offer either secured credit cards or provide credit builder loans specifically to help improve your credit score.