Explore America First Credit Union’s suite of bank accounts

Offers high APYs, some free accounts and plenty of variety — but has a small service area.

Last updated: 25 December 2019

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America First Credit Union is a Salt Lake City-based credit union servicing select counties from five states. It offers a comprehensive list of accounts, including those with high APYs and no monthly fees. But some accounts have unavoidable monthly fees and require members to visit a branch to get started.

Am I eligible?

To qualify for an America First Credit Union membership, you must live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in select counties from one of the following five states:

Arizona
Idaho
Nevada

Oregon
Utah

What banking products does America First Credit Union offer?

- Regular Checking account. Earn a flat 0.05% APY as long as you keep a $500 minimum balance.
- Money Market Checking account. Requires a $10,000 opening deposit and a minimum $2,000 balance to earn interest. Rates range from 0.25% to 0.65% depending on your balance.
- Share Savings account. You only need $1 to open this account and earn a 0.1% APY.
- Money Market account. Has no minimum balance or opening deposit requirements, and earns 0.25% to 0.95% APY depending on your account balance.
- Dedicated Savings CD. A high-yield savings account/CD hybrid with terms ranging from three to 60 months, additional deposits after account opening and 1.25% to 2.40% APY depending on the term length.
- Wedding Savings account. Family members, friends and guests can contribute cash gifts to this account for wedding couples.
- Youth Savings account. Kids can get a jump start on savings with no annual fee or minimum deposits.
- Student Savings account. Students under age 26 can grow their money starting at 1.55% APY, but the rate drops to 0.5% on balances over $500 and then to 0.1% on balances over $1,000.
- Regular CD. Earn APYs from 1.25% to 2.4% depending on the term length.
- Bump-Rate CD. Offers one free interest-rate increase during the life of the CD — you choose when to take it.
- Flexible CDs. Offers a 1.90% APY and penalty-free access to funds for five days each quarter.
- Ladder CD. Always retain access to a portion of your funds with up to 10 staggered CDs ranging from one to five years.
- IRA CD. Those nearing retirement can earn 1.25% to 2.40% depending on the term length.
- Coverdell Education Savings account. A tax-advantaged account that lets you save up to $2,000 a year for each child under 18.
- Charitable/Memorial account. Similar to GoFundMe, those experiencing financial hardships can request donations using this account.
- HSA. Save for future medical costs with this tax-advantaged savings account for individuals with a high-deductible healthcare plan.
- Basic Business Checking account. Ideal for low volume businesses, this account has no monthly fees and comes with 250 free transactions a month.
- Premier Business Checking account. Has an $8 monthly fee, but earns 1.15% dividend rate and comes with 250 free transactions a month.
- High-Yield Business Checking account. Requires a $10,000 opening deposit and a $50 monthly fee, comes with monthly transaction fees and its interest rates range from 0.25% 0.65%.
- Non-Profit Business Checking account. For nonprofit corporations and associations, this account comes with a Share Savings account, optional Money Market Savings account and 250 free monthly transactions.
- Business Share Savings account. Earns 0.10% APY on all balances and allows deposits and withdrawals at any time.
- Business Money Market Savings account. Take advantage of no minimum balance and APYs ranging from 0.25% to 0.95% depending on your account balance.
- Regular CD. Requires a $500 opening deposit with terms ranging from three months to five years.
- Ladder CD. Retain access to a portion of your cash at all times through laddered CDs, which mature in sequential one- to five-year terms.
- Bump CD. Requires a $500 opening deposit, but APYs are high at 1.1% to 2.25% depending on the term length.
- Flexible CD. A12-month account with penalty-free access to your funds for the first five days of each quarter.
- Business Dedicated Savings CD. Allows additional deposits after account opening with terms ranging from three months to five years.
- HSA for employers. Help your employees with high deductible health care plans save for future medical expenses.
- Mortgages. Offers refinancing and traditional mortgage loans including fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, FHA and construction mortgages.
- Loans. Choose from auto, personal, student, consolidation and business loans.
- Credit cards. Offers four personal and two business credit cards.

Why should I open an account at America First Credit Union?

America First Credit Union has features you’d expect, such as online and mobile banking. But it packs a punch with other unique perks like:

CO-OP ATM network. Use over 36,000 ATMs in the CO-OP network for free nationwide.
Card Guard mobile security. This feature lets you control how, when and where your debit card is used, straight from the mobile app.
Some free accounts. Although America First Credit Union doesn’t waive monthly fees, it does have several free checking and savings account options.
High APYs. Interest rates top out at 2.40% — way higher than the 0.01% national average.

What should I look out for?

Before you open an account with America First Credit Union, watch out for these drawbacks:

Unwaivable fees. Unlike most banks, America First Credit Union doesn’t waive monthly fees.
Small service area. This credit union only services select counties in five states.
In-person applications. You can open basic checking and savings accounts online, but you’ll need to visit a branch to open others.

Compare with leading bank accounts

Name	1-year APY	18-month APY	2-year APY	3-year APY	5-year APY
CIT Bank Term CDs	1.8%	1.85%	1.4%	1.3%	1.7%	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Radius Bank CDs	1.55%	1.6%	1.7%	1.85%	2.2%	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
BBVA CD	1.5%	1%		1%		Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Discover CDs	2%	2%	2.05%	2.05%	2.1%	More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Barclays Online CDs	2%	2%	2%	2%	2.1%	More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Ally High Yield CDs	2%	2.05% on CDs of $25,000+ — 2% on CDs of $5,000 to $24,999 — 1.9% on CDs of $0 to $4,999		2.1% on CDs of $25,000+ — 2.05% on CDs of $5,000 to $24,999 — 1.95% on CDs of $0 to $4,999	2.15%	More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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America First Credit Union customer service

There are several ways to get in touch with America First Credit Union customer service:

Call 800-999-3961 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. MT.

Email support@americafirst.com
Visit a local branch

Bottom line

American First Credit Union services select counties from five states. It offers strong APYs that range from 0.1% to 2.4% and free basic checking and savings accounts. But its service area is small and some accounts have unwaivable monthly fees.

If you’re looking for an account with a broader service area or more free accounts, explore your options.

Frequently asked questions

Have the following information on hand when you apply for an account:
Social Security number
Government-issued ID number
Employment and income information
Email address
Date of birth
- Oregon
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona

Thank you for your feedback!

Cassidy Horton

Cassidy Horton is a writer for Finder, specializing in banking and investments. She has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia Southern University. Cassidy enjoys educating people about financial services, exploring the Pacific Northwest and watching endless reruns of The Office.

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Explore America First Credit Union’s suite of bank accounts

Offers high APYs, some free accounts and plenty of variety — but has a small service area.

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