[ScoopLV]

There has been a Navy Federal Credit Union every place I have ever lived. It isn't just the best bank in town, it is the best bank BY FAR. That's who you should bank with if you can. (Retired Marine dad means you can.)

The only thing Navy Federal can't help you with is foreign banking, and that isn't an issue for most people. (And if it is, you can open an account with BoA or Barclays or whatever floats your boat.)

[LVAllen]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

There has been a Navy Federal Credit Union every place I have ever lived. It isn't just the best bank in town, it is the best bank BY FAR. That's who you should bank with if you can. (Retired Marine dad means you can.)

The only thing Navy Federal can't help you with is foreign banking, and that isn't an issue for most people. (And if it is, you can open an account with BoA or Barclays or whatever floats your boat.)

I'm curious how NFCU stacks up against USAA, which is also available to families of service members. While the number of brick-and-mortar USAA locations is small, they have a number of things in place to make banking as painless as possible (refunds for non-USAA ATM fees, depositing checks by using a scanner, a phone, or a local UPS store, no foreign exchange fees for withdrawing currency at foreign ATMS or making purchases out of the country, etc.)

[cre8lite]

i belonged to one nevada cu for the last 9 yrs i've lived here - i just recently left them. their fees are what drove me away. cu are supposed to be fee free for the most part. they now want to charge you to just have an account with them, doesn't matter how much $ you have in it or if you have your paychecks direct deposited. the only way this fee is waived is if you use your debit card more than 15x per month. & then they charge you to speak with a teller more than 3x per month.

this account was not my primary account, so using my debit card that much just plain ol' wasn't gonna happen. i was sad to leave them but they fee'd me to death

[tadtam]

I belong to America First CU. I use them in case I need some cash, but my primary bank is ALLY.
Ally is an online bank with all the amenities free and interest rate of .9% in standard savings accounts,
I haven't written a check in 5 years. I pay all my bills thru their bill pay system.

ALLY ONLINE BANK

[Caltovegas]

Tartan I also at one time used an out of state bank but changed my mind when my debit card was hacked they shut my card down. If that was my only account it would have been a problem. So I went back to local brick and mortar. Fees to me is kind of like a insurance premium if charged.

When a issue comes up its good to be able to go and talk to a person.

[forestgump99]

Can someone tell me how a CU is better than a bank?

I have Chase and get my checking for free, free savings account, free bill pay...

So how is it that a CU in Las Vegas is better...if better I would join!

[clutchcargo777]

Not all CU's are great, just like not all banks are bad. But the way CU's are financially setup (member owned, tax exempt etc) allows them to generally offer better rates on loans and pay better interest on deposits. Not all do, but they can more easily. This is why it pays to shop around.

My strategy is to get a good ACH hub (Ally or Alliant are awesome) then find financial institutions (banks or CU's) that offer one or two excellent services (most have one stellar thing they offer at a loss or near loss to attract people who only want one FI). Then use them just for THAT service. The hub allows easy and free transferring of funds when it is advantageous.

[generalswife]

Originally Posted by LVAllen

I'm curious how NFCU stacks up against USAA, which is also available to families of service members. While the number of brick-and-mortar USAA locations is small, they have a number of things in place to make banking as painless as possible (refunds for non-USAA ATM fees, depositing checks by using a scanner, a phone, or a local UPS store, no foreign exchange fees for withdrawing currency at foreign ATMS or making purchases out of the country, etc.)

I belong to USAA & NFCU. USAA customer service can't be beat and worked great for us when we were stationed in Europe. Our insurance -- auto, renter's, home -- is through USAA. We finance everything through USAA. I have never found a rate that can beat them.

I use Navy Fed as a brick & mortar bank -- just cuz and every now then they have a membership promotion that gives you $50 if friends & family sign up under your membership number

[kittypawsdl]

Thank you everyone for your feedback . Going in with dad Tuesday & looking at Navy Federal!!

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by clutchcargo777

No, it hasn't changed, but with all of the above mentioned CU's the affiliation is living in Clark or Nye county.

Really? I thought CCCU only accepted healthcare or county employees and their families. They asked me about my healthcare job a couple of years ago when I told Wells Fargo to stuff it, and went the cu route.