Unify Financial Credit Union

Author: Kaitlyn Short

In the 1940s, Unify Financial Credit Union was known as Western Air Federal Credit Union by employees of Western Airlines. Today, Unify has over $2 billion in assets, nationwide branches, and more 190,000 account holders. Unify Financial Credit Union offers five credit cards for consumers to choose from: the Visa Classic, the Visa Gold, the Visa Platinum, the Visa Share Secured, and the Engage Rewards Visa Signature.

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The Good

• Rewards
• No annual fees
• Overdraft protection
• No balance transfer fees

Rewards

Engage Rewards Visa Signature cardholders have the benefit of being enrolled in a rewards program through Visa. Members of the rewards program earn one point for every dollar spent. Points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, cash back, and gift cards. There is no annual fee to be enrolled in the program. When customers spend $2,000 using their Engage Rewards credit card during the first 90 days, they receive 5,000 bonus points.

No Annual Fees

None of Unify's credit cards have any annual or startup fees attached, which can save cardholders hundreds of dollars.

Overdraft Protection

All of Unify's credit cards can be used as overdraft protection for the credit union's checking accounts. Instead of running a checking account into the negative when making a purchase exceeding the accounts funds, customers can pull funds directly from their credit cards to complete the purchase without being declined or paying overdraft fees.

No Balance Transfer Fees

Credit card companies, banks, and credit unions often allow card balance transfers from other accounts. This can be beneficial for consumers who want to save money on interest or get out of debt faster, but some companies charge a fee for balance transfers. However, Unify Financial Credit Union does not charge any fees for this service.

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The Bad

• Late payment penalties
• Foreign transaction fees
• No free credit scores
• Undisclosed fraud safeguards

Late Payment Penalties

Penalty fees are often incurred when account payments come in late. Some companies charge fees as low as $5, but Unify Financial Credit Union charges a fee of $25 for every late payment made.

Foreign Transaction Fees

For purchase made internationally with a Unify Financial Credit Union card, a 2 percent fee is added on to the transaction. Those who frequently travel abroad may want to consider other cards better geared towards international travel.

No Free Credit Scores

Several credit card providers have formed partnerships with credit monitoring companies to provide their cardholders with monthly credit scores and reports. This service is beneficial because it allows customers to stay on top of their credit and watch for fraudulent activity that may not have been caught by the company. Unfortunately, Unify Financial Credit Union does not offer free credit score tracking.

Undisclosed Fraud Safeguards

Credit unions typically have some type of security in place to protect members from fraud and theft. Such measures might include zero liability guarantees, emergency card replacement, account freezes, emergency call centers, suspicious activity scans, and fraudulent activity notifications. Unify Financial Credit Union has not disclosed whether or not it provides any fraud safeguards on its corporate website.

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The Bottom Line

Unify Financial Credit Union offers a rewards program and overdraft protection. In addition, the credit union does not charge any annual or balance transfer fees. However, Unify Financial does charge late payment fees and foreign transaction fees. Further, the credit union does not offer free credit score tracking.