GOBanking Rates Score
- APY
- Advantages
- Some products
- Customer service
How did we calculate this?
Advantages
- Competitive pricing on CDs
- Free verification with no monthly fees or minimum balance and prepayment day to receive direct deposits a day earlier
- Although focused on the military, many alternatives are available for membership
- Branches in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, New Jersey and overseas in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands
The inconvenients
- Member-driven banking can exclude many interested consumers
- Holiday Club and Vacation Club accounts are similar to CDs, maturing annually on November 1 and May 1, respectively.
Andrews Federal Credit Union Overview
Andrews FCU offers military and civilian members a variety of financial services and higher interest rates on CDs. They have been around since 1948 and currently serve 140,000 members worldwide.
AFCU is insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, a version of the FDIC for credit unions. This means that your deposits are guaranteed by the federal government up to $250,000 per account holder.
Membership is available to employees – and family members – of select businesses in Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey. Military personnel and their families in the Joint Base Andrews, Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst, Washington, DC, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia areas may also join.
Additionally, service members and civilians at overseas US military bases in central Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will be eligible. And if none of the available options help, anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Washington, DC or joins the American Consumer Council can become a member.
Main characteristics
GOBankingRates scored AFCU with 4.8 out of 5 stars based on four of its strongest characteristics. They are:
APY
AFCU interest rates can be one of its main features. Membership comes with a free basic stock savings account. Your funds will earn a rebate of %APY. For comparison, physical domestic banks typically offer an APY of 0.01%.
Money market account balances can earn between % and 0% based on balance. Plus, upgrading from Free Checking to a Boost Checking account gives you the option to receive %APY on balances over $1,500.
As for CDs, you can earn % APY for a 12 month term, with rates increasing for longer terms up to 5 years. The minimum deposit is a fairly standard $1,000.
Advantages
Military personnel and their families may find AFCU’s military-focused programs most helpful. The AFCU provides guidance and resources on its website for service members about to make major transitions in or out of the service. ACFU has financial services professionals experienced in dealing with service members in the midst of deployments, permanent station changes, separations and retirements.
Members working, living or traveling in Europe can take advantage of AFCU’s online euro bill payment, a convenient alternative to sending your bills in-country.
Some products
As a full-service credit union, members have access to a variety of bank accounts, including checking, savings, money market, and CD accounts. Additionally, AFCU offers credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, VA home loans, and mortgages and business banking.
Customer service
Part of AFCU’s strength is its member-focused customer service. There are branches in the regional service area and overseas. There are toll-free help lines in the United States and abroad. Or you can always ask for help via the mobile app, email or by logging into the online platform.
How Andrews FCU Stands Out
The AFCU stands out for its international presence and its strong understanding of the needs of its members. Members can find branches domestically in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, and New Jersey, as well as internationally in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
AFCU is also a shared branch, meaning members can bank at participating branches, giving them more accessibility.
Andrews Federal Credit Union Comparable Options
There are comparable alternatives to AFCU. Two of the most popular are:
Federal Naval Credit Union
The NFCU is considerably larger and serves 11 million members. The credit union offers many of the same low-cost financial services at competitive rates as AFCU.
However, Navy Federal focuses only on military personnel and family, while the AFCU also allows other civilians to join.
USAA
USAA offers the most comprehensive list of services compared to NFCU and AFCU. Besides banking and loans, they are well known for their insurance products and a wide variety of exclusive member offers and discounts at everyday retailers.
Like the NFCU, the USAA is only available to military-affiliated individuals and their families, making the AFCU the most accessible to anyone.
How to open an account
Before you can open an Andrews Federal Credit Union account, you must become a member through your geographic, occupational, residential, or military affiliation. Or you can join the American Consumer Council to qualify.
Opening an account can be done online or at a branch. Once you are a member, you will need two pieces of ID to open an account and at least $5 to fund a stock savings account, which comes with AFCU membership.
Who is Andrews Federal Credit Union Best For
Due to its geographic concentration, banking with Andrews Federal Credit Union makes more sense if you live in the Washington DC area. Once you’re a member, however, you’re for life, which means you can still take advantage of the credit union’s high APY stock certificates.
Final take
Andrews Federal Credit Union has extensive experience assisting military-affiliated clients. Overall, the usefulness and benefits of Andrews FCU may seem limited to a small number of members, but those able to take advantage of its offerings will find competitive interest rates and institutional support. finance that understands their needs.
FAQs
- Is Andrews Federal Credit Union FDIC insured?
- As a credit union, AFCU is insured by the NCUA, the comparable version of the FDIC. Funds are insured up to $250,000 per account holder.
- Is Andrews FCU black owned?
- According to Business Insider, the AFCU is black-owned. However, neither former CEO Jim Hayes nor current Chairman and CEO Kenneth Orgeron are black.
- The AFCU also appears on several lists of black-owned banks and credit unions.
- How many members does Andrews Federal Credit Union have?
- AFCU is a smaller credit union. Currently, there are approximately 128,500 members.
- Does Andrews Federal Credit Union use Zelle?
- Andrews Federal Credit Union has partnered with Zelle to allow members to transfer money between friends and family quickly and for free.
Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise specified, prices are updated periodically. All other account information is accurate as of June 14, 2022.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Andrews Federal Credit Union. Any opinions, analyses, criticisms, evaluations, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or otherwise endorsed by Andrews Federal Credit Union.
Our in-house research team and on-site financial experts work together to create accurate, unbiased and up-to-date content. We check every stat, quote and fact using trusted primary resources to ensure that the information we provide is correct. You can read more about GOBankingRates processes and standards in our Editorial Policy.
Is this your bank?
