CommunityAmerica Visa

[jestor151]

Community America Credit Union is a CU that has some pretty consumer friendly guidelines. I was first drawn to them because they do not do a ChexSystems review, but instead just pull a credit score. They pull TransUnion for all their inquiries, and anyone with a score of 550 or higher is eligible to become a member. When I asked about credit cards, the lady indicated they require a minimum score of 620 to get the Visa (my last bank required a 680 score). The Visa has no annual fees or sign-up fees. An added bonus, she said if I apply for the CC within 30 days of opening the account, there will not be a second pull of my credit report, they will just use the one they obtained to open my account. So far I'm pretty happy with what I've experienced.

Anyway, this rambling paragraph was intended to point out that CACU may be a good option for those who:

1. Cannot open a checking account due to ChexSystems listings.

2. Looking for a CC without the fees but don't have the mid to high 600 scores.

Now, like all credit unions, CACU has membership guidelines. They basically fall into three categories:

1. You live or work in Kansas or parts of Missouri (Kansas City and St Louis areas). or

2. You have a relative who meets the residency requirements in criteria 1 (relative means spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, cousin or legal guardian and includes step, in-law and adoptive relationships) or

3. You work for one of over 200 select employers including YRC Worldwide, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Quintiles, Worldspan, and SAIA.

You can go their web page at CACU dot com to see the member requirements. Hope someone finds this useful.