GTE Financial’s Go Premium with GTE Secure checking account comes with a phenomenal dividend rate for all balances less than $3,000. The account also provides fraud-fighting and resolution services, prescription drug and vision savings, and a points reward program. To earn those dividends without a monthly maintenance fee, though, you want to make sure you cross all your t’s and dot your i’s.

First, you need to ensure you deposit at least $500 a month. Those with a regular paycheck should be able to do this by setting up direct deposit. You will also have to enroll in eStatements, and make sure you’re making at least 15 transactions a month.

If you can meet all these requirements, this is one of the highest-yielding checking accounts on the market.

How to get GTE Financial’s Go Premium checking account

You can easily open this checking account online, though if you live close to a branch, you can open it in person, too.

Go Full Access is your standard checking account, but it doesn’t bear any dividends. You must be enrolled in eStatements to avoid a monthly maintenance fee, but unlike Go Premium accounts, you only have to deposit $500 a month or make 15 transactions. If you can do both, you’d be far better off opting for the Go Premium account, though.

How to get GTE Financial’s Go Full Access checking account

As with all of GTE Financial’s checking accounts, you can open a Go Full Access checking account either in person or online.

While GTE Financial’s Go Student checking account does not yield any dividends, it does waive a lot of fees as students get comfortable managing money on their own. It’s the only checking account at this credit union without any monthly maintenance fee. It also comes with one waived nonsufficient funds or overdraft fee per month, and it is the only account here that offers any refund of ATM fees charged by outside financial institutions or ATM owners.

How to get GTE Financial’s Go Student checking account

Students can open their account at a branch or online.

If you’ve had a spotty banking history in the past — whether due to circumstances in or beyond your control — your financial institution may have added you to the CHEXSystem. Once in the CHEXSystem, it can be extremely difficult to get another bank account. Because credit unions are community-focused, some offer checking accounts specifically to give you the opportunity to prove you can do better and re-enter the mainstream banking system.

GTE Financial is one of those credit unions, and the Go Further checking account is their account to help. It does not come with any dividends, but it does allow you full access to a traditional checking account without any check-cashing fees. It has a $9.95-a-month maintenance fee, which will be waived if you enroll in eStatements, make a minimum of $500 in deposits per month or make 15 non-debit card/PIN transactions per month.

If you’re meeting all these requirements anyways, after you rebuild your banking reputation you may even be able to qualify for those high APY rates on the Go Premium account.

How to get GTE Financial’s Go Further checking account

You can easily open your Go Further checking account online or in person.

When you join GTE Financial, your Member Owner Share savings will anchor your membership. You will not earn any APY until you reach a balance of $100, and even then, the rate isn’t anything to write home about. But this account does avoid monthly maintenance fees.

Opening this account is a requirement of membership, so it doesn’t matter if you’re in love with the APY. You have to have it.

You also must know that savings accounts, in general, are regulated by the federal government. Specifically, Regulation D dictates that you are allowed to make up to six certain withdrawals per month from your savings account, unless they’re made in person, at an ATM or as part of a GTE Financial loan payment. If you exceed the six withdrawal-per-month limit, GTE Financial will not let you make any further transactions that month unless you’re doing so at an ATM, in person or via fax. This rule applies to all savings accounts and not just Member Owner Share account.

How to get GTE Financial’s Member Owner Share savings account

You will be prompted to open this account when you sign up for membership, whether you do so online or at your local branch.

If you want to set aside money for a specific goal — such as a wedding, new car or holiday gift purchases — you can do so by opening an additional share savings account. This Special Savings account is identical to regular share savings in terms of APY and fees, though there is no minimum opening deposit requirement.

While setting up a second account with GTE Financial may be convenient, it’s not your best option. You can get far higher rates elsewhere, and unlike the Member Owner Share savings product, this is not a mandatory account.

How to get GTE Financial’s Special Share Savings

Should you opt to open a Special Share Savings account, you can do so online or in person.

Future Change Savings is a unique account. At first glance, it looks identical to the Special Savings account, but under the hood there’s a lot more going on.

This account links with your checking account to round up your daily purchases to the nearest dollar. The extra change is then deposited into your Future Change Savings account. With the account’s corresponding app, you will then be able to view how applying the money from this savings account to your GTE Financial auto loan or mortgage would affect your finances long term.

If you do decide to apply the savings from this account toward your debt, remember that you are allowed up to six certain withdrawals/electronic transfers per month or you risk violating Regulation D.

How to get GTE Financial’s Future Change Savings

To open this account, you will have to download the app from Google Play or the iTunes App Store. From there, you’ll be prompted to enter your checking account and loan information to link to your new account.

If you want to teach your child about savings, GTE Financial offers an option for that. Children younger than 17 can open an Early Saver account, which offers a much higher APY on balances up to $500 before reverting to the same rate as a regular share savings account.

This higher rate is encouraging as it will better illustrate how interest works for your child, though it will be a bummer when they turn 18 and the account converts into a regular share savings account with a lower rate of return.

How to get GTE Financial’s Early Saver Account

Accounts for children ages 12 and younger must be opened in person, but children 13 through 17 can open an account online.

Share Certificates are the credit union equivalent of certificates of deposit, or CDs. GTE Financial’s rates are relatively competitive, but they’re not the best on the market, either. One thing that does make them abundantly attractive, though, is that the minimum opening deposit is on the far low end for CDs offering similar rates of return.

How to get GTE Financial’s CDs

You can open your Share Certificate at a branch or online. If your opening balance will be $5,000 or more, you’ll be required to make that in-person visit or call 888-871-2690, ext. 40535.

Have some extra money to throw at your Share Certificate? If you can get a balance of $100,000 or more, you will qualify for Jumbo Share Certificate rates on terms of up to 30 months, which are 0.25% higher than those of regular Share Certificate. This small bump is enough to start closing the gap between GTE Financial and the competition, though with a $100,000 minimum, the pool of people who will be able to access this increased rate will be small.

How to get GTE Financial’s Jumbo Share Certificate

All Jumbo Share Certificates must be opened in person or via phone by calling 888-871-2690, ext. 40535.

Youth Share Certificates offer extremely low rates, but also allow your child to open a certificate with as little as $100. They will also be able to add up to $6,000 in additional funding throughout the 12-month term. Opening a Youth Share Certificate is likely something you’d do as a hands-on lesson for your child rather than a gift. The yield simply isn’t high enough unless you’re taking the hit to impart an experiential lesson.

How to get GTE Financial’s Youth Share Certificate

Your child can open a Youth Share Certificate at a branch or online.

GTE Financial’s Money Market account is lackluster. First of all, the rates are not competitive. In fact, they’re extremely low. On top of that, GTE Financial is one of the few financial institutions that charge maintenance fees on its money market accounts without minimum balance restrictions. If you have no account activity, you’ll get charged. You cannot set and forget your money market account with this credit union.

You also need to remember that money market accounts are technically savings accounts, and are thus subject to the same rules and restrictions under Regulation D. That means you are allowed to make up to six certain withdrawals from your money market account per month — even if you’re trying to keep it active to avoid that monthly maintenance fee.

How to get GTE Financial’s Money Market Account

Should you choose to open a money market account with GTE Financial, you can do so at a branch or online.

GTE Financial’s Share Certificates aren’t a bad choice when you’re looking outside of your IRA. But their rates are carbon copied into the credit union’s IRA certificate, where they start looking a bit less competitive. The low minimum balance requirement is still attractive, but it only goes so far when you’re looking at long-term growth on an already conservative portfolio holding.

How to get GTE Financial’s IRA CDs

To set up an IRA Share Certificate, call 813-871-2690.

Yes, even your child can open an IRA — a Roth IRA specifically. Your child must have earned income to contribute. Keep in mind that if they’re using baby-sitting or landscaping income, they’ll have to report it to the IRS on a Schedule C to use it toward their Roth IRA contributions.

While they will be able to withdraw earnings from their Roth IRA to pay for qualified educational expenses without paying a penalty, they may have to pay income taxes on their earnings when they make this kind of withdrawal. Because this account will be custodial with a parent or guardian, it could also adversely affect their chances for financial aid.

On top of it all, the rates on GTE Financial’s Youth Share Certificates leave much to be desired. A Roth IRA is not the place to teach lessons about certificates. If you’re going to open a custodial account anyways, you might as well look at other options and find an account with a higher yield.

How to get GTE Financial’s Youth Share Certificates

All IRA products must be opened by calling 813-871-2690.