Checking
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Checking Account
Completely Free Checking with No Distractions
Are bank fees on your checking account driving you to distraction? With an ELCA Federal Credit Union checking account, you pay no maintenance fees and have no minimum balance requirement to worry about.
Plus, you'll also earn dividends when you maintain an average daily balance of $2,500 and sign up for Direct Deposit into your checking account.
"(The credit union offered) most of the benefits we need for our purposes [like] direct deposit and mobile check deposit."
Kyle Severson
|
Pastor, St. Philip Lutheran Church Glenview, Illinois
Mobile App: Account Access Whenever, Wherever
With our mobile app available for Android and Apple devices, you can:
- Deposit checks using Remote Deposit Capture*
- Search for a free ATM nearby
- Pay bills
- Transfer funds to/from internal and external (A2A) accounts
- Send money to anyone by text or email using person-to-person payments (P2P)
- Check your credit score in real time
- Sign up for eAlerts and much more
*First-time remote deposit users must complete a brief enrollment process. Launch our app, select Remote Deposit and then click Sign Up to enroll. New users are typically approved by the following business day. Normal check-hold policies apply.
Free Debit Card: Faster, Easier, Greener
Use your ELCA Federal Credit Union Mastercard Debit Card to make purchases and pay bills online, on your mobile device or in-store at any merchant that accepts MasterCard. It’s simpler than writing checks, and your ELCA Federal Credit Union Mastercard debit card also makes it easy to withdraw cash from our worldwide network of more than 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs.
Like to travel? Mastercard is accepted worldwide.
Unlike purchases you make with a credit card, debit card purchases are paid directly from your free ELCA Federal Credit Union checking account, so there are no interest charges, transaction charges or accumulation of debt. All debit card transactions are listed on your free monthly eStatement. Purchases can also be made through your mobile device's digital wallet: the ELCA FCU Mastercard Debit Card is compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
As an alternative to using an ATM, you can get cash back at many national retailers when making a purchase with your ELCA Federal Credit Union Mastercard Debit Card. Just tell the cashier you would like cash back, then let him or her know you’re using a debit card. Finally, enter your PIN when prompted. Another way to make a free cash withdrawal!
Free Bill Pay
Bill Pay is the easy, green alternative to paying bills. Use it to pay your mortgage, utilities, credit cards – even your babysitter. You can pay an unlimited number of bills, completely free.
To make Bill Pay even more convenient you can:
- Set up reminders so you’ll never be late with a payment again
- Set up recurring payments to pay your bills automatically
Many utilities and large merchants will receive your payments electronically so your payments will arrive on time.
Free ATM Access: You are Free to Travel
Whenever you need cash on the go, you can use your ELCA Federal Credit Union Mastercard Debit Card to easily access your credit union funds at more than 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide.
Use our ATM Locator to find a surcharge-free ATM near you.
Free Overdraft Protection: Freedom from Overdraft Fees
It happens. Sometimes your checking account dips below zero.
No worries! We’ve got your back. With free overdraft protection, overdrafts are covered with no overdraft fee. Each protected overdraft will transfer only the exact amount needed.
There are two ways to get free overdraft protection from the ELCA Federal Credit Union:
- Elect to have checking overdrafts paid from your savings account, or
- Tie your checking account to your personal line of credit. Your personal line of credit will automatically loan you enough money to cover any overdraft up to your credit limit. (You must apply and qualify for a personal line of credit to use this feature.)
Overdraft protection is completely free up to six times per month.
eAlerts
Stay on top of your finances by enrolling for eAlerts. Receive an email or text message to notify you of any of the following:
- When your account balance is above or below a designated threshold
- When an ACH deposit or withdrawal occurs
- Loan payment due date
- General account notices for overdrafts, CD maturity and more
Free eStatements
Enroll online now to receive eStatements – the faster, greener, paperless way to track account activity. Your 12 most recent eStatements will always be available online and at the beginning of each month, you’ll be notified by email when your eStatement is ready to view or download. Download your account information into your choice of Microsoft Money, Intuit Quicken, or Intuit Quickbooks and CSV format. Also available is the legacy file version (QIF) for use in older programs.
Enroll now!Paper statements are available for $1 per month to cover printing and postage costs.
Free Online Banking: Freedom to Bank from Wherever You Are
Every ELCA Federal Credit Union feature is at your fingertips, quickly, securely and completely free with It’s Me 247 online banking.
- Access all of your account details online, including account balances, pending transactions and a complete transaction history with links to images of checks
- Open a checking account, secondary savings account or CD
- Apply for a loan or credit card
- Get your free monthly eStatement online as soon as it’s ready. No waiting for the mail. And because it’s paperless, it’s the green way to bank.
- Set up free eAlerts to let you know if an account balance is low or high, when an automatic withdrawal or deposit is made or when a loan payment is due
- Complete Member-to-Member (M2M) transfers, which allow you to transfer funds immediately and directly to other ELCA Federal Credit Union members
- With Account-to-Account (A2A) Transfers you can link your ELCA FCU account with your accounts at other financial institutions and transfer funds to and from these accounts free of charge.
- Quickly and easily transfer funds to anyone using Person-2-Person (P2P) payments. All you need is an email address or cell phone number. This service is free of charge and in most cases, the money arrives in just a couple of days. Must be enrolled in our free bill pay.
Free Direct Deposit: You are Free to Spend (and Save!)
Direct Deposit puts your paycheck at your fingertips every payday morning, so the money you’ve earned is available to you right away, to invest or spend, without delays or holds.
Direct Deposit is fast and efficient, and it’s completely free. Also, when you deposit your entire paycheck with Direct Deposit, you can access all of the features and services available to you as an ELCA Federal Credit Union member, including:
- Automated transfers to your savings accounts
- Paying your bills online or by telephone with our free Bill Pay
- Paying down loans with automatic transfers to your loan accounts or credit card
- Shopping around town or online with your ELCA Federal Credit Union Mastercard Debit Card
