State Department Federal Credit Union

[hegemony]

Thanks to MMWTHREAD for this thread:

 

http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=453098

 

SDFCU looks interesting. credit card includes

 

* Emergency Message Service: Record or relay messages to immediate family or business associates.

* Medical Referral: Provides medical referral, monitoring and follow up.

* Legal Referral: Arrange contact for attorneys and US embassies or consulates.

* Emergency Transportation: Arrange transportation home or to nearest medical facility.

* Emergency Ticket Replacement: Assistance with carrier's lost ticket reimbursement.

* Lost Luggage: Help through carrier's claim procedures or arrange shipment or replacement items.

* Emergency Translation: Provides telephone assistance and locates local interpreters.

* Prescription Assistance: Helps in getting prescriptions replaced.

* Valuable Documentation Delivery: Transport critical documents left at home or elsewhere.

 

also a 1% FETF.

 

currently you get 5000 "flex points" for opening a new card.

 

jumbo CD rate 5 years 2.9.

[hegemony]

and travel assistance

 

https://www.sdfcu.org/TravelingServices

[johnnyt6]

can anyone join?

[Atlanta]

It looks like anyone can join:

 

 

If you are not eligible to join through any of the listed groups or affiliations, you can join SDFCU through the American Consumer Council (ACC), a nonprofit advocacy group established in 1987 to protect consumers. When opening your SDFCU account you will need to choose ACC on your application, this will automatically enroll you as a member of ACC. There are no hidden fees to join ACC through your membership at SDFCU. To begin your application, please follow the steps below:

 

* Click Join Now and “Continue”

* Select “I do not have accounts with SDFCU yet”

* Select “American Consumer Council” from the drop down box and hit “Continue”

* Follow the instructions.

[creditmonitor2010]

After my mistake in bringing up NWFCU from the American Consumer Council site, I'd just caution people about dealing with these smaller CUs. I think I'm going to stick with top 50 and local CUs.

[brainchasm]

After my mistake in bringing up NWFCU from the American Consumer Council site, I'd just caution people about dealing with these smaller CUs. I think I'm going to stick with top 50 and local CUs.

Sorry, what mistake?

[johnnyt6]

From what I am seeing, the originations are a way in that the credit unions do not like or care for. I think next time that I join a CU based on an ORG, I'm going to open the account in person.

[BackOnTheHorse]

I am a new member of SDFCU and I absolutely love them so far. They're actually a $1B CU with 67k members. I joined through the SDFCU website and selected ACC from the "employer" list, which automatically enrolls you as an ACC member for free. You do not have to join ACC first or ever visit their website.

-Immediate account setup online with ACH transfer, mail or fax in the signature form to finalize

-Superb funds availability policy with checks <$1k available immediately (though if you don't have a local branch, you'll probably be transferring funds to the CU from a bank, which are also available immediately)

-Here's the BEST part: They do a min $500 secured loan and a min $500 secured CC, BOTH with NO hard pull, and both reported to all the CBs as regular accounts and not secured. Easy 1-2 punch of a nice loan and CC mix with one collateral posted and no INQ hit.

-Also, when I went into the branch and asked all my newbie questions, they were absolutely delightful. Phone CSRs have been equally delightful.

Quality $1B+ CU and even better if there's a local branch near you, but they are in the CU Service Center network as well.

[DiamondGurl]

Isn't this the credit union for CIA employees? lol

Edited January 2, 2011 by DiamondGurl

[higher180]

I'll have to keep an eye on this CU

[BackOnTheHorse]

By the way, they are running a referral program until Jan 31. PM me with your full name and email address and I can refer you. I get $50 and you get:

Savings = $10

Checking = $15

Direct Deposit = $25 (min $200 direct deposit)

 

Fine print:

*Only new accounts apply. Closed accounts reopened during this promotion period are not eligible for the cash reward. Current members will be paid only when the referral opens an account with SDFCU. Newly referred members who open an account at SDFCU will be eligible to receive the cash reward incentives. New members must have a minimum of $200 direct deposit to be eligible for the $25 reward. Pay outs will be deposited into the members' accounts within 3 to 6 weeks after the promotion ends on January 31, 2011. Promotion is valid from November 1, 2010 - January 31, 2011. Void where prohibited. SDFCU employees and volunteers are not eligible for referral promotion. Members are responsible for any taxes resulting from cash rewards.

 

 

[virtualtreasure]

By the way, they are running a referral program until Jan 31. PM me with your full name and email address and I can refer you. I get $50 and you get:

Savings = $10

Checking = $15

Direct Deposit = $25 (min $200 direct deposit)

 

 

Fine print:

 

*Only new accounts apply. Closed accounts reopened during this promotion period are not eligible for the cash reward. Current members will be paid only when the referral opens an account with SDFCU. Newly referred members who open an account at SDFCU will be eligible to receive the cash reward incentives. New members must have a minimum of $200 direct deposit to be eligible for the $25 reward. Pay outs will be deposited into the members' accounts within 3 to 6 weeks after the promotion ends on January 31, 2011. Promotion is valid from November 1, 2010 - January 31, 2011. Void where prohibited. SDFCU employees and volunteers are not eligible for referral promotion. Members are responsible for any taxes resulting from cash rewards.

 

 

 

who do they pull for 1. membership 2. loans

3. are they a tough approval, 4. offer preaprovals?

5. any pet peeves like inq. new accts., high util?

[nes0413]

By the way, they are running a referral program until Jan 31. PM me with your full name and email address and I can refer you. I get $50 and you get:

Savings = $10

Checking = $15

Direct Deposit = $25 (min $200 direct deposit)

 

 

Fine print:

 

*Only new accounts apply. Closed accounts reopened during this promotion period are not eligible for the cash reward. Current members will be paid only when the referral opens an account with SDFCU. Newly referred members who open an account at SDFCU will be eligible to receive the cash reward incentives. New members must have a minimum of $200 direct deposit to be eligible for the $25 reward. Pay outs will be deposited into the members' accounts within 3 to 6 weeks after the promotion ends on January 31, 2011. Promotion is valid from November 1, 2010 - January 31, 2011. Void where prohibited. SDFCU employees and volunteers are not eligible for referral promotion. Members are responsible for any taxes resulting from cash rewards.

 

 

 

who do they pull for 1. membership 2. loans

3. are they a tough approval, 4. offer preaprovals?

5. any pet peeves like inq. new accts., high util?

+1

[Chad3304]

+2

[BackOnTheHorse]

who do they pull for 1. membership 2. loans

3. are they a tough approval, 4. offer preaprovals?

5. any pet peeves like inq. new accts., high util?

 

Membership: soft pull Equifax

Loans: Equifax

 

Approval: Haven't applied for any loans yet but they accepted me as a member when Alliant rejected me. My VantageScore is 593 and TransRisk is 559. I have three $10k+ COs and two collections, 6 INQ.

 

Preapprovals & Pet Peeves: Don't know. Call them at 703-706-5000. That's their 24/7 customer service number, but for your questions, you'll have to call during business hours: 8a-3:30pm eastern. It's a call that might be worth $25+!

Edited January 4, 2011 by BackOnTheHorse

[virtualtreasure]

who do they pull for 1. membership 2. loans

3. are they a tough approval, 4. offer preaprovals?

5. any pet peeves like inq. new accts., high util?

 

Membership: soft pull Equifax

Loans: Equifax

 

Approval: Haven't applied for any loans yet but they accepted me as a member when Alliant rejected me. My VantageScore is 593 and TransRisk is 559. I have three $10k+ COs and two collections, 6 INQ.

 

Preapprovals & Pet Peeves: Don't know. Call them at 703-706-5000. That's their 24/7 customer service number, but for your questions, you'll have to call during business hours: 8a-3:30pm eastern. It's a call that might be worth $25+!

 

 

Good info., thanks for posting BackOnTheHorse.

[KDS]

Interested in SDFCU. Would like to know what limits others are getting. Who's going to Guinea Pig this one?

[foeplay]

Who's going to Guinea Pig this one?

You.

[BackOnTheHorse]

Who's going to Guinea Pig this one?

 

Wish I could, but you can see my scores are in the toilet. I hooked up my secured loan today! The rate is 3% over the savings account return. Tomorrow after I sign the closing papers, I can do the card!! Yay!

 

New Info: Their secured card rate is only 11.9% and there's no annual fee. That's lower than I've seen any other secured card and no credit check makes it a no brainer.

Edited January 7, 2011 by BackOnTheHorse

[Repairerer]

Congrats!

 

That is a nice secured card, to be sure. Let us know how it reports!

[BackOnTheHorse]

Congrats!

 

That is a nice secured card, to be sure. Let us know how it reports!

 

All the CSRs have told me both the loan and the card report as regular and not secured. If I see something different, next month, I'll post back.

[higher180]

Congrats!

 

That is a nice secured card, to be sure. Let us know how it reports!

 

All the CSRs have told me both the loan and the card report as regular and not secured. If I see something different, next month, I'll post back.

 

Do you know if it automatically unsecurs after a period of time? or do you have to re apply?

[BackOnTheHorse]

Do you know if it automatically unsecurs after a period of time? or do you have to re apply?

 

It does not unsecure, so you do have to reapply when you want to go unsecured. I'm not sure about whether you can raise the credit limit with deposits, so I'll let you know. If it does, that'll make the SDFCU card just as awesome as the PSECU secured card, but as is, it's an excellent complement to it.

 

The secured loan unsecures as you make payments each month. (I pay $43 each month, and each month the CU makes another $43 available in my savings account.) They're both secured by a savings account only.

[jds2001]

The secured loan unsecures as you make payments each month. (I pay $43 each month, and each month the CU makes another $43 available in my savings account.) They're both secured by a savings account only.

 

This is to say in other words that once you no longer have an outstanding obligation, the funds that you used as security become available? i.e. incrementally and not all at once?

[higher180]

Do you know if it automatically unsecurs after a period of time? or do you have to re apply?

 

It does not unsecure, so you do have to reapply when you want to go unsecured. I'm not sure about whether you can raise the credit limit with deposits, so I'll let you know. If it does, that'll make the SDFCU card just as awesome as the PSECU secured card, but as is, it's an excellent complement to it.

 

The secured loan unsecures as you make payments each month. (I pay $43 each month, and each month the CU makes another $43 available in my savings account.) They're both secured by a savings account only.

 

Wow, I like that you get back your secured proceeds as you pay off the loan. Pluse their secured cards sounds pretty awesome.