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VyStar Credit Union Review 2022
Member FDIC
Savings account
Member FDIC
CD
Member FDIC
CD
Member FDIC
CD
Member FDIC
CD
Overall
4.3
Bankrate Score
VyStar Credit Union is northeast Florida’s largest credit union offering various deposit accounts and services to hundreds of thousands of members.
What we like
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The free checking account pays interest and comes with extra benefits.
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Minimum deposit and balance requirements overall are low.
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The credit union charges no monthly service fees or in-network ATM fees.
What we don't
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Membership is mostly limited to Florida residents and residents in parts of Georgia.
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Yields are low relative to what you can earn at other institutions.
Checking accounts
5.0
Bankrate Score
Member FDIC
Checking account
VyStar offers a free checking account that even earns a little bit of interest. No minimum deposit is required to open the account, and there’s no minimum balance requirement. Account holders also get free checks, a debit or ATM card and can get paid up to two days early with direct deposit.
The free checking account offers bill pay, and customers can send and receive money with Zelle. Customers also have fee-free access to more than 20,000 ATMs through the credit union’s owned-and-operated machines as well as ATMs in Accel and Plus networks.
What we like
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VyStar’s free checking account even pays a little interest.
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There’s no minimum deposit requirement to open and maintain the account.
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Account holders get free checks and an ATM/debit card.
What we don't
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Charge for same-day and next-day online bill payments.
CD rates
4.5
Bankrate Score
Member FDIC
CD
VyStar Credit Union offers traditional CDs across terms ranging from three months to five years. All traditional CDs require a minimum $500 deposit to open.
VyStar pays competitive rates on its CDs. Some of the credit union’s CDs offer tiered rates, so savers who deposit a large amount of money can earn a little more interest. If you’re looking for the absolute best yield, though, you can find slightly higher yields elsewhere.
What we like
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VyStar offers a wide range of CD term lengths.
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All CDs pay a competitive interest rate.
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There’s only a $500 minimum deposit requirement to open a CD.
What we don't
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Those looking for the absolute best yield can find slightly higher yields elsewhere.
Money market accounts
3.9
Bankrate Score
VyStar’s money market account pays decent interest rates. The account has balance tiers, and larger balances are rewarded with a higher interest rate.
The account requires a minimum deposit of only $5 to earn interest, and it doesn’t charge a monthly fee. It does offer check writing, and checks are free for customers 50 and older.
What we like
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Only $5 is required to earn interest.
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The account doesn’t charge a monthly fee.
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Check writing is available.
What we don't
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The yield is decent but low relative to what some other institutions offer.
Savings accounts
3.3
Bankrate Score
Member FDIC
Savings account
VyStar’s savings account requires a $5 minimum deposit, but interest is earned only on amounts of $50 or more. VyStar doesn’t charge a monthly service fee on the savings account.
The account’s APY is better than what you’ll find at most big banks, but you can find much higher yields — especially at online banks — if you shop around.
What we like
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The minimum deposit to open the account and earn interest is low.
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There’s no monthly service fee.
What we don't
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The yield is low compared to what other institutions offer.
Bank experience
VyStar Credit Union has more than 50 full-service branches. In addition to more than 200 ATMs in Florida, there’s access to more than 20,000 surcharge-free ATMs across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Some ATMs are available at retailers such as CVS Pharmacy, Target and Walgreens.
Branch hours vary by location. Representatives are available through the contact center every day. Members can also contact the credit union through the live chat feature on its website.
Members can use the credit union’s mobile app and take advantage of capabilities like Zelle and account alerts. Account holders can use touch ID or fingerprint recognition to get into the VyStar mobile app. There’s also a VyStar card control app that members can use to manage access to their debit cards.
About VyStar Credit Union
VyStar is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and today has more than 775,000 members. Membership is open to local residents who live or work in 49 Florida counties or in 10 counties in southeast Georgia. Past and present military members and their families are also eligible for membership.
VyStar Credit Union was chartered in 1952 and was originally known as the Jax Navy Federal Credit Union, which offered services to military and civil service members.
Libby Wells is a part-time editor at Bankrate. Previously, she was Bankrate's chief copy editor and a credit card reporter. Libby spent most of her career as a newspaper journalist and has more than 30 years of experience as a writer and editor.
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