Cannonpointer » 08 Feb 2023, 11:08 pm » wrote: ↑
Credit unions have some draw backs. I went down to Mexico recently to have some work done - brought a lady friend. Between us, we needed north of 14k, and if you pay with a card they charge 4%. That's 560 bucks. So, we needed cash.
Thing is, driving long distance with a large amount of cash is an invitation to uniformed road pirates to steal your money. I suspect they have some means of detecting large amounts of cash. I've seen way too many cases where guys going to buy an auto or some livestock for cash were robbed by cops under the cover of drug interdiction. I'm comfortable going as a passenger across the line in the clinic van to get cash - I am NOT comfortable traveling to the border with it from home.
Our hometown banks set it up with wells fargo to let us use our bank cards in their office near the border for large withdrawals. I'm pretty sure a credit union would not have done that if they could. I don't hate on them - I like them okay, and am happy to do business with them. But I've found them pretty damned inflexible, and I've yet to see a credit union wave a fee for any reason. One of my hometown banks beats any credit union I've ever dealt with for flexibility and customercentric operations.
About the only real benefit to a credit union is the waived fee at an ATM at any other credit union.
Banks are pretty stingy about that.
Chase will charge a Citizen customer who will charge a Bank of America, etc.
Interest rates are so similar and anyone who cares about that is saving or borrowing too much at a bank or CU.
That ain't me...
Please seat yourself.
I like the very things you hate.