A+ Federal Credit Union [An Honest Review]

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A+ FCU is generally regarded as an upstanding and trustworthy credit union based in Texas. In this post, we’ll be tackling answers to all your questions and giving you our personal rating and recommendations.

Let’s get to it.

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What is A+ FCU?

A+ Federal Credit Union is a credit union that was started by teachers back in 1949 who prioritized financial knowledge and great money management in the context of a community setting. They believed that member of a community should help each other take responsibility and look out for each other’s financial future. Over the years, they’ve grown to be the credit union behemoth they are now, largely in part because of their unwavering dedication to their philosophy of having each other’s backs financially.

One way they showcase their dedication is through yearly scholarships for high school and college students. On top of that, they manage over $1.5B in deposits and over $2B in total assets.

Why would you choose a credit union over a bank? Check out our guide here.

Where is A+ Federal Credit Union Located?

A+ Federal Credit Union is a credit union based in Austin, Texas. It has several branches in the Austin area and also offer online banking, mobile banking, and ATM access. A+FCU was chartered on April 28, 1949, for the purpose of promoting thrift among its members and creating a source of credit for provident or productive purposes.

Here is the list of branches of A+ Federal Credit Union:

Round Rock Branch
North Lamar Branch
Southpark Meadows Branch
Parmer Lane Branch
Research Blvd Branch
Anderson Mill Branch
Cedar Park Branch
Pflugerville Branch
South Congress Branch
North Lamar Branch
South Lamar Branch
North Austin Branch
Westlake Branch

You can check their website for the hours of operation, phone number, and location of each branch as it might change in the future.

Does A+ Federal Credit Union still offer scholarships?

A+ FCU has a scholarship program that the Board of Directors are very passionate about. They’ve been doing them on a yearly basis and generally provide scholarships to around 40 to 60 students each year. Generally, scholarships hover around $2,000 per student, and is awarded to students at both the high school and college level.

As of 2022, the latest round of scholarships went to 60 different students and amounted to a grand total of $120k. If you’re part of the A+ FCU, and you’re either a student or parent of a student, the best way to keep in touch with program updates is to sign up for the A+ FCU Scholarship Program Email List.

Who qualifies for A+ Federal Credit Union membership?

Unlike a lot of federal credit unions that require membership via certain qualifications such as where you live, where you work, or being part of a certain organization, A+ Federal Credit Union offers membership to just about anyone. All you simply need are the following:

Government-issued ID
Social Security number
An email address
A current debit or credit card

All they require with an open account is a Membership Savings account to start with. You can pick and choose which other products you’d like to apply for after you’ve been approved for membership.

A+ Teachers Credit Union Loan

If you are an educator, there is a special section just for you on A+ Federal Credit Union’s website. As an educator, you can apply for a loan for $500 per school year with no interest to help you get your classroom ready for the year.

You may also qualify for a home mortgage loan at a special discount.

Does A+ FCU have a rewards program?

The credit union offers a Cash-Back Checking account in which they’ve given back over $15M to their members since the inception of the program back in 2007. It’s an account that has no dollar minimum to open and charges no monthly fees. Any earnings you make will be deposited into your Membership Savings account.

A+ Federal Credit Union Debit Card

When you open a Cash-Back Checking account with A+ FCU, you’ll get a debit card that allows you to earn points and cash. Purchases that require a signature allow you to earn double the amount of cash and points compared to PIN purchases. Debit cards have EMV chips for added security, and you can use your card to withdraw money at select ATMs with no surcharge.

You can also get a debit card for the following accounts as well:

A+ Checking Account
Money Market Account

These accounts don’t have a cash-back program per se, but they do offer you dividend payments as well as points on the dividends you earn. Unfortunately, with these two products, you do have to meet a minimum balance requirement. You’ll need $500 minimum to open an A+ Checking account and at least $2,000 to open a money market account.

Does A+ FCU offer credit cards?

Yes, A+ FCU offers credit cards, and they have quite a few of them to suit various purposes. A huge benefit to these credit cards is that none of them have any annual fees. That’s impressive! Among their offerings, they’ve got:

Everyday Rewards+ Card – get 0% APR for the first 6 months, plus, participate in up to 4x unlimited points for dining, take-out, and food deliveries
Platinum Card – get 0% APR for the first 18 months
Max Cash Preferred Card – you get to choose 2 categories to receive 5% cash back in
College Real Rewards Card – earn 1.5% cash back on select purchases
Max Cash Secured Card – you also get to choose 2 categories to receive 5% cash back in, but keep in mind that this card is a secured card
Secured Card – basic secured card with an accompanying secured savings account

A+ Federal Credit Union Mobile App

The mobile app that A+ Federal Credit Union has is called the A+ Mobile app. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a conglomerate bank app, but it gets the job done perfectly well. It’s got quite a user-friendly user interface and allows you to do basic mobile banking tasks such as transferring funds between accounts, depositing checks remotely, and even requesting loans.

There have been some reported glitches in the past, but it seems that they regularly update the app to fix any new glitches and provide a great experience for the user. The app is available from both the Apple App Store as well as Google Play.

Pros and cons of A+ FCU: The pros

Pros

Easy membership requirements
Lower interest rates and better service for loans
Higher rates for your savings
No annual fee for any of their credit cards

Pros and cons of A+ FCU: The cons

Cons

Not as many ATMs available as a traditional bank
You need to meet a minimum of $500 for their A+ Checking account and $2,000 for their Money Market account
Mobile app is not as fully featured as some other banking apps

How do I check my credit union balance?

You can check your credit union in one of several ways. You can:

Go to a branch and request the information
Call and request a balance update
Sign in online and check your balance there
Go to your mobile app to check you balance

This applies to both credit and debit accounts that you may want to check.

Do credit unions offer extended warranties?

Absolutely, credit unions do offer extended warranties that are much, much cheaper than those that auto dealerships will offer you. With A+ FCU, it’s called Mechanical Breakdown Protection, or MBP for short, and it will protect your car beyond the factory warranty offered by the manufacturer. If you’d like to get an extended warranty, always look into your credit union’s offerings before you decide to purchase from an auto dealership. It is almost always worth it if your local credit union offers it, and A+ Federal Credit Union does offer it specifically.

In conclusion

We like that A+ Federal Credit Union is available to all who wish to become a member. They’ve been growing quite quickly and for good reason. They’ve got some great products with no annual or monthly fees, and they are doing great work locally with scholarships on a yearly basis.

We rate them an 8.5/10 because in addition to being widely available to all and having a great array of credit and debit products, we believe in their financial community philosophy, and we like the fact that they are putting their money to good use by investing in the education of future generations and giving back in the form of cashback rewards to their own members.