HCCU VISA Gift Cards

The right size…

The right color…

Goes with everything…

VISA® Gift Cards…

http://ow.ly/TbhIl 

The perfect fit every time! 

They are perfect for everyone on your list this holiday season! It’s the gift of choice that can be used almost everywhere including online merchants.

You choose the dollar amount, from $10 - $500, and they choose where to spend it. Since you choose the amount, there’s no overspending and there’s no fighting for parking spaces or standing in long checkout lines at the mall!

Post by: Cari J.

MSR Mary's Favorite Way to Save!

Do you have a change jar at home or in your car?  Then every now and then you bring the jar into the credit union and cash in all your change.  Amazing how much it all adds up to, isn’t it?  Just that little plastic container could hold over $50!!!  Imagine that!  Even after you had to take quarters out to go to the laundromat!  But have you noticed lately that the change isn’t adding up as fast? Probably because you’re using your debit card more often.  You don’t get change back from your transactions with the card. Now you can! Did you know that with your debit card there is a way to add up all that extra change again? 

It’s called the Debit Card Round-Up, and here’s how it works: Say you go to McDonalds for a large soda, the bill is $1.06 and you use your debit card (don’t laugh, I’ve done it).  McD’s gets their $1.06, but then the debit card rounds your purchase up to the next dollar (so that’s an extra $0.94) and puts the ‘change’ into another account – that could be your savings account, or your kids account, or even your grandkids account!  You could even open up a club account – name it RoundUp or ‘Today you saved’ and see how it adds up!

Here's another example: 

$3.54 at JoToGo                         $0.44 transferred to savings.

$15.78 at Kwik Trip                    $0.22 transferred to savings.

$75.98 at Shopko                        $0.02 transferred to savings.

$53.14 at The Pancake Place.      $0.86 transferred to savings.

Adding all that up – 44 cents from JoToGo, 22 cents from Kwik Trip, 2 cents from Shopko and 86 cents from the Pancake Place totals $1.63.  You’ll see a line in your checking account that says:  Today you saved $1.63, and all that goes to the account you specified!!  Think how often you use your debit card in a day and realize all that ‘change’ can be put to a savings account! 

Now, are there any restrictions on using that money?  Nope, it’s still your money to use as you want.  So every month you can add it all up and spend it, or put it back in checking or just leave it alone to build up, maybe for vacation?!

Post by: Mary D.

Step into the 21st Century with online and phone banking!

http://bizmology.hoovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/online-banking.jpg

Now more than ever, banking is high tech. Go back twenty years and we didn’t have nearly as many convenient ways to control our finances. It can be easy to get overwhelmed with all of the opportunities, and so it’s possible you’re not taking full advantage of them. To break it down a little bit, there are three main ways you can use technology to make your financial life easier.

1) Online Banking. This is a huge one because of how many things you can do with it and how easy it is to access. Most banks and credit unions offer some type of online banking. Here at HCCU, you can get to your online banking from any mobile device or computer at any time. From there, you can check your balances, transfer money, view and print copies of cleared checks, make a loan payment, balance your check book, and a lot more. You are automatically enrolled in online banking when you set up an account with us, and you’re free to check it as little or as much as you want.

2) Phone Banking. If you have your phone handy, but don’t have access to Internet, don’t fret. There’s still plenty of ways to have peace of mind about your finances. One of those ways is through CU Talk, an automated number that can be used to check balances, verify amounts and dates of transactions and cleared checks, transfer money, make loan payments and check interest rates. The second way is through text banking. This is especially great for doing a quick balance check while you’re in line to purchase something.

3) Online Statements/ Bill Pay. If you’re using online banking, why not get online statements? They’re more secure than paper statements, and you can access current and past statements anytime. Online Bill Pay is another free service that allows you to pay bills just one time or monthly. It saves you a few stamps, and it’s one less thing to worry about each month.

Overall, there are some tech options out there that are free, convenient, and will probably save you some time. So figure out which ones are best for you, ask an MSR how to get set up for any of these services and step into the 21st century!  

Post by: Noelle C.