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The Community First Credit Union offers Northeast Florida residents a wide range of personal and business accounts. Features like earned rewards and interest-bearing accounts are available as well as perks for university students. But the credit union lacks networked branches and has limited customer service hours.
Am I eligible?
To become a Community First Credit Union member you’ll need to open a Share Savings account with a minimum deposit of $5 and live, work or attend school in one of the following Florida counties:
Baker
Brevard
Broward
Clay
Duval
Flagler
Indian River
Lake
Martin
Nassau
Orange
Palm Beach
Putnam
Seminole
St. Johns
St. Lucie
Volusia
Membership is also open to:
Any relative of an existing or eligible member
Employees of Brooks Rehabilitation
Employees of Miller Electric Company
Employees of Web.com
What banking products does the Community First Credit Union offer?
Checking accounts
Advantage Checking. Earn interest and dividends on your money with no monthly fees.
Bonus Debit Checking. If you make 20 or more monthly debit transactions, you’ll earn bonus reward points on select purchases and cash refunds on ATM fees you incur.
Fresh Start Checking. Reestablish your banking history with this bank account for a $10 monthly service charge. Upgrade to a regular checking account after 12 months in good standing.
SureBalance Checking. Avoid overdraft fees, no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. But there are no checks available.
UNF VIP Checking. University of North Florida students enjoy no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and benefits like free pizza and drinks on UNF Market Days.
Teen Checking. Teens aged 13–17 can avoid overdraft fees and enjoy no minimum balance or service fees.
Savings accounts
Share account. Community First’s most basic savings account requires no minimum starter funds and allows you to earn 0.25% interest on your entire balance.
Savings Goal account. Save toward a specific goal while earning 0.25% interest on your entire balance, as long as you keep a $100 balance in the account.
Youth Advantage Savings. An account for children ages 0–17 with a 2.96% interest rate on the first $500 and 0.25% rate on all savings beyond that.
Community First Money Market account. This account requires $1,000 to open and earn interest. APY ranges from 0.30% to 0.72%.
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Community First offers several long-term savings accounts for those preparing for retirement.
457 Deferred Compensation. A tax-deferred savings account available to employers paid by the state or local government, including the Baker, Clay, and Duval County public schools and WJCT Channel 7 in Northeast Florida.
CD accounts
Basic CDs. CDs range from from 3–60 months and require a $500 minimum deposit to open and maintain. APY ranges from 0.25% to 1.92%.
Junior Jumbo CD. Offers the same benefits and terms as the Basic CD, but requires a minimum deposit of $45,000.
Jumbo CD. Offers the same benefits and terms as the Basic CD, but requires a minimum deposit of $100,000.
Jumbo Plus CD. Offers the same benefits and terms as the Basic CD, but requires a minimum deposit of $250,000.
Business checking accounts
Classic Business Checking. Get up to 50 free monthly transactions a month and pay 25 cents for every additional transaction.
Premier Business Checking. Mid-sized banks can earn interest and get up to 150 free monthly transactions. But you’ll need to maintain a $5,000 monthly balance to avoid the $12.95 monthly fee.
Connections Business Checking. Enjoy up to 300 free monthly transactions, but you’ll need to maintain $10,000 in combined balances or $50,000 in combined business loans to avoid the $19.95 monthly fee.
Business savings accounts
Business Share account. A basic savings account with no minimum starter funds and 0.25% APY.
Business Savings Goal account. Save toward a specific goal while earning 0.25% interest on your entire balance, as long as you keep a $100 balance in the account.
Investment services. Community First Credit Union teamed up with CUSO Financial services to provide an array of business investment options and planning guidance.
Personal credit cards. Choose from the Visa Signature card, the Visa Platinum Rewards card and the Visa Platinum card, which has a lower interest rate.
Personal loans. Choose from a variety of personal loans, including mortgage and auto loans, consolidation loans and a Green Energy loan to help you outfit your home with energy efficient appliances or solar panels.
Business loans. Community First offers many business loans, including lines of credit, commercial mortgages and equipment loans.
Why should I open an account at Community First Credit Union?
Community First offers online and mobile banking as well as other member benefits:
Minimal fees. Most accounts offer no maintenance fees or minimum balance requirements.
Financial Wellness Program. Community First’s moveUP program provides educational information and tools to grow your finances and meet your goals.
Rewards. In addition to its uChoose Rewards Program on everyday shopping, Community First teamed up with Sprint and TurboTax to offer credit union members discounts.
Community outreach. Community First gives back to the community by partnering with local community projects, sponsoring programs and events and granting scholarships to community teens who want to attend a Florida university.
What should I look out for?
Despite all of the services offered, Community First has a few drawbacks:
Limited customer service hours. While most banks have a 24-hour customer support line, Community First’s call center is only open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) on weekends.
Limited branch access. Community First isn’t part of a shared-branch network with other credit unions and its branches are located in Jacksonville.
Compare with leading bank and credit union accounts
Community First Credit Union customer service
You can reach Community First in the following ways:
Email communityfirst@c1cufl.org.
Call 904-354-8537 or its toll free number 800-342-8416 during business hours.
Call 904-371-8000 using Info 24, a 24-hour information only call line.
Send mail to P.O. Box 2600, Jacksonville, FL 32232.
Branch location hours include:
Branch Lobby hours: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST), with the exception of the Downtown and UNF branches, which are closed on Saturday.
Branch Drive-thru hours: Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).
Bottom line
Community First excels at extras like their community partnerships and rewards programs, but if you’re looking for a credit union with 24-hour customer support and a better branch network, compare your options before applying for an account.
Frequently asked questions
The routing number is 263078934. The credit union is not connected to the SWIFT network.
You earn rewards on every debit and credit card purchase of $5 or more, and get extra points when you make purchases at select stores. See www.uChooseRewards.com for a list of participating retailers.
Yes. You can download the app from the Apple App Store, Google Play and Samsung’s Galaxy store.
Heather Petty is a writer at Finder specializing in banking, investments and insurance. She's a self-proclaimed word nerd who worked as a technical writer and editor for the casino systems industry and is an internationally published young adult mystery author. Heather earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Nevada, Reno.
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