Columbia Credit Union Review: Checking, Savings, CD, Money Market and IRA Accounts

Free For All Checking is Columbia Credit Union’s bare-bones checking account. While it does not earn any interest, it also has no monthly maintenance fee or account balance requirement. On top of that, the minimum deposit requirement is almost nonexistent. If you’re looking for a low-fee checking account and don’t mind giving up dividends, this account isn’t a bad bet.

While there is a small fee for using an out-of-network ATM on all of Columbia’s deposit accounts, it should be noted that Columbia Credit Union participates in the CO-OP Network, which gives you access to almost 30,000 ATMs at different credit unions across the country.

Columbia Credit Union’s Income Checking does not offer a great deal on a checking account. First, the dividends are extremely low. While you don’t necessarily expect to see a sky-high APY on a checking account, there are far better offers out there.

In order to earn that low APY, you will have to keep the required minimum balance in your account. While this minimum isn’t astronomically high, there are other accounts out there that come with no minimum balance requirements.

With that minimum balance requirement comes a monthly maintenance fee. This fee can be waived, though. In order to dodge it, you can maintain the minimum balance requirement or set up direct deposit.

Bonus Checking is very similar to Free For All Checking. The bonuses that you receive are one box of free custom checks every year, free money orders and no foreign ATM fees. This checking account may be worth it if you’re traveling abroad or if you have a frequent need for money orders, but otherwise the monthly maintenance fee, which cannot be waived, isn’t worth the spend. This account does not bear interest.

If you’re age 50 or older and like the benefits of Bonus Checking, but not necessarily the maintenance fee, RewardsPLUS Checking could be for you. You get a free box of custom checks every year, no foreign transaction fees at ATMs abroad and free money orders, and you’ll also be eligible for a discount on a safe deposit box. There are no monthly maintenance fees or minimum balance requirements.

Despite these perks, it is important to note that this account does not pay interest.

How to open Columbia Credit Union’s checking accounts

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident age 18 or older, you can open an account online or in person. You will need your Social Security number and government-issued ID in order to apply. Remember that for RewardsPLUS Checking accounts, you must be age 50 or older.

Regular Savings is Columbia Credit Union’s standard savings account. While it comes with no minimum balance requirements, it does come with a monthly fee. However, this fee can be waived if you maintain a balance of $300, possess another deposit account or loan with Columbia Credit Union, or if you’re under the age of 19. While this account does pay dividends, they are extremely low.

All savings accounts in the U.S. fall under Regulation D. This rule states that you are allowed up to six certain convenient withdrawals per month without facing possible fees imposed by the credit union. At Columbia Credit Union, you simply won’t be able to make any convenient transactions after six — the system will not allow it. Convenient withdrawals at this credit union do not include making a withdrawal in person or at an ATM, so you can make more than six withdrawals per month if you use these methods. There is, however, a fee of $0.50 for every withdrawal you make per month after the first two.

People age 18 or younger can open an Achievers Club Savings account. The perks of this account include no ATM fees from Columbia Credit Union when you use out-of-network ATMs and a free book of 150 checks for your checking account.

You’re also able to make six certain withdrawals or transfers per month allowed by Regulation D without facing any institutional fees. After six withdrawals of any kind, however, you’ll face a 50-cent fee.

But while this account does pay dividends, they are once again extremely low.

The Holiday Club Savings account allows you to save up for the holidays throughout the year. The minimum opening deposit is extremely low, and there are no monthly maintenance fees. If you maintain the required minimum balance, you will be rewarded with dividends, though the APY offering is minimal.On November 1, the balance of your club account will be automatically transferred to your checking or savings account, depending on which you have designated. While you can make withdrawals before this point, you will be charged a 25-cent fee for doing so. Regulation D limitations are not a concern as the only way to make a withdrawal from this account is with a teller at your local branch or a customer service representative over the phone.

How to get Columbia Credit Union’s savings accounts

U.S. citizens and residents age 18 or older can open these accounts in person or online with their Social Security number and government-issued ID. Minors will need an adult with them when they visit in person to open an account.

The APY offerings on Personal Certificates at Columbia Credit Union fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. While you can certainly find lower rates out there, they’re not quite up to par with the best offers on the market. However, as the opening balance gets higher, the gap shrinks between Columbia Credit Union’s APY offerings and those ideal offers.

The minimum opening deposit requirement is low, and the early withdrawal penalties on these certificates are fairly standard.

These certificates are only open to people age 18 or younger. The value in these certificates does not lay with its dividend rates, which are relatively low given the term length. Rather, the low opening deposit amount is a draw, plus the fact that you can make additional deposits throughout the term of your certificate in $50 increments.

How to get Columbia Credit Union’s Certificates

You can open your certificate online or in person with your Social Security number and government-issued ID. You must be a U.S. citizen or resident age 18 or older to apply, though minors can apply for an Achievers Club Certificate in person with an adult.

While the minimum opening deposit requirement is low on this money market account, so are its APY offerings. Columbia Credit Union offers rates drastically below the best offers on the market. You will also incur a monthly fee if you do not maintain a balance of $1,500, but traditionally the balance kept in a money market account is much higher than that, anyways.

It’s important to note that money market accounts, like savings accounts, are subject to Regulation D. Because of Columbia Credit Union’s policies, you will not face any excessive withdrawal fees or account closures due to making more than six convenient withdrawals per month. The credit union will simply not allow you to make that withdrawal in the first place.

In order to qualify for Bonus Dividend rates on your money market account, you must enroll in the Bonus Dividend Plan by calling a customer service representative. You must also have a personal checking account with Columbia Credit Union with a balance of at least $2,500. The final requirement to earn these higher rates is to have direct deposit set up on your checking account or to have automatic payments set up on a Columbia Credit Union loan.

These are a lot of hoops to jump through for less than a tenth of a percentage point increase in APY. Given that Columbia Credit Union’s money market rates were low to begin with, you’d be better off looking at money market accounts offered by other financial institutions rather than contorting your finances to meet the Bonus Dividend requirements.

If you looked only at Columbia Credit Union’s other money market offerings, the Premium Money Market Account might look like a good deal. You get higher rates for having a higher balance.But when you compare this offer to the APYs offered by the competition, you start to see that the returns offered are extremely low for the amount of money you’d be keeping in the account. Shop around as your money will earn more elsewhere.

How to get Columbia Credit Union’s Money Market Accounts

U.S. citizens and residents age 18 or older can open a regular money market account in person or online with their Social Security number and government-issued ID. After you’ve opened a standard Money Market Account and adjusted your other financial accounts to meet plan requirements, you can enroll in the Bonus Dividend Program by calling (360) 891-4000, emailing a representative or chatting with someone at Columbia Credit Union online.

All Premium Money Market Accounts must be opened in person at your local branch.

Columbia Credit Union’s certificate rates remain unchanged whether they are inside or outside of an IRA. These rates aren’t the best on the market, but they’re not the worst, either. Minimum opening deposit requirements are low, and early withdrawal penalties are what you’d expect to see on an account of this kind.Remember, though, that early withdrawals don’t just come with institutional penalties when they’re inside of an IRA. You also need to be conscientious of the fact that except in rare cases, if you’re under the age of 59 ½ you will face taxes and penalties from the IRS if you withdraw money from an IRA.

Yes, you can open an IRA for your child, too. While not all financial institutions offer IRA certificates for youth, you will want to research before deciding if this is the one you want to open. These rates are once again not the worst around, but they’re hardly the best, either.

How to get Columbia Credit Union’s IRA Certificates

Visit your local branch prepared with your Social Security number and government-issued ID in order to open an IRA certificate. If you want to open an IRA Achievers Club Certificate, you will need to open your account with the assistance of an adult at your local branch.

If there’s a portfolio holding that’s more conservative than an IRA CD, it’s an IRA savings account. Because of the low risk level, there is very little potential reward. But that’s not an excuse to just open an account willy-nilly — although minimum opening balance requirements make this account accessible to almost anyone, you can find rates more than 10 times the highest offered by Columbia Credit Union if you look at other financial institutions.

How to get Columbia Credit Union’s IRA Savings

You must open this account in person at your local branch. Be prepared to provide your Social Security number and government-issued ID.