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Star One Credit Union Review 2023

Updated February 9, 2023
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At a glance

4.4
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
Caret Down

CDs

Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5

Checking

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

MMA

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

About Bankrate Score

Overview

Star One Credit Union could be a good fit for consumers looking for a feature-filled interest-bearing checking account and to avoid high fees.

Highlights

  • Free Checking
  • No Monthly Fees
  • Reward Checking
Compare offers
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.40
%
APY
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.75
%
APY
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
4.45
%
APY
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right

Overall

Star One Credit Union has been around for more than 60 years and is the largest credit union in Silicon Valley.

Pros

  • Checkmark

    The Money Market Savings account and certificates pay strong APYs.

  • Checkmark

    Minimum deposit requirements overall are relatively low.

  • Checkmark

    There are no monthly service fees.

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    Members have access to digital features like voice banking through Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant.

Cons

  • There’s a limited product selection available for savers.

Star One Credit Union bank products

4.4
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score

Star One Credit Union CD overview

Star One Credit Union offers three certificate terms: six months, one year and two years. Each certificate requires a $2,500 minimum deposit and pays a competitive yield. Earned interest can be transferred to a Star One checking or savings account, or a check can be mailed to the account holder. The limited term options are ideal for savers looking for a temporary place to keep their cash, but savers with longer-term goals may want to seek out alternatives.

Star One doesn't offer any specialty certificates, such as a no-penalty or bump-up account.

Withdrawals of at least $1,000 can be made without closing a CD account, as long as minimum balance requirements are met. Premature withdrawals are subject to an early withdrawal penalty, which is higher than some other online banks and credit unions. On six-month CD, the penalty is 90 days worth of dividends, and one- and two-year CDs are subject to a penalty of 180 days’ dividends.

Pros

  • Checkmark

    Partial principal withdrawals are permitted.

  • Checkmark

    Earned interest can be mailed or transferred to a Star One checking or savings account.

Cons

  • Only three CD terms are available.

  • Star One doesn't offer any specialty certificates

Compare Offer
Bank logo
Member FDIC
CD
4.15
%
APY
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
Info
$0
Min. deposit
1 yr
Term
View offer Arrow Right

Bank experience

Star One Credit Union offers membership to residents of eight California counties, as well as employees of Lockheed Martin Corp. and dozens of other area employers.

Star One Credit Union has six branches, all of which are located in California. Most locations have the same hours and a few are open Saturdays. More than 6,500 shared branches are available plus nearly 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs available through the CO-OP network. Some, but not all, accept deposits.

Members who want to meet with a bank representative can schedule an appointment in advance online. Representatives are available over the phone from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time, weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekends and most holidays.

Fans of digital wallets can use Star One Visa debit and credit cards with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Other digital features include voice banking (a skill available through Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant) and other features like, mobile check deposit and the ability to create balance alerts.

About Star One Credit Union

Star One Credit Union is one of Silicon Valley’s largest credit unions, providing service to more than 115,000 members worldwide.

The Sunnyvale, California-based credit union was founded in 1956 as the Lockheed Missile Employees Federal Credit Union, offering financial services and support to employees of the Lockheed Missiles and Space Division. Twenty-five years later, the credit union was renamed the LMSC Federal Credit Union and again in 1995 as Star One Federal Credit Union.

Review methodology

With so many financial institutions to choose from, it can be hard to know who to trust. Bankrate’s ever-growing list of bank and credit union reviews is updated regularly. Our editorial team analyzes and reviews each institution across deposit products such as savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs). Banks are rated by important factors such as offered interest rates, fees, minimum balance requirements, access to funds and more.

We assign a score to each type of account and its features, weigh them carefully based on importance to account holders and determine an overall score. Read our full review methodology.