America First Credit Union Review: Checking, Savings and Certificates

America First can be a solid banking option for residents in a few states, especially for high rates on certificates.
Spencer Tierney
By Spencer Tierney 
Edited by Sara Clarke

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

America First Credit Union
  • Certificates of deposit

Overall institution rating

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
The bottom line:

Utah-based America First Credit Union offers free checking and savings accounts, which give free access to the Co-op network of 30,000 ATMs nationwide. Share certificates, the credit union version of certificates of deposit, also have attractive features, including rates that are competitive with online banks’. Membership is mostly restricted to people in a handful of counties in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, New Mexico and Nevada, along with workers in Utah’s food industry. Branches are similarly limited to the West.

Best for: Residents in select states who want high certificate rates or low-cost bank accounts.

» Want to see more options? Check out our list of best banks and credit unions

Pros

  • No monthly fees.
  • Competitive rate on share certificates.
  • Large, free, nationwide ATM network.

Cons

  • Limited branch access.
  • Limited membership.

Full review

Certificates of deposit

America First Credit Union Certificate
America First Credit Union Certificate

CD

Federally insured by NCUA

5.0

/5
 NerdWallet rating 
1-year APY
5.15%
3-year APY
4.35%
5-year APY
4.20%
Minimum deposit
$500

America First’s certificates have competitive yields on par with some of the best CD rates, though the credit union’s offering isn’t available in many states. Terms have a standard range from three months to five years, and the minimum opening deposit of $500 is low.

Methodology

NerdWallet’s overall ratings for banks and credit unions are weighted averages of several categories: checking, savings, certificates of deposit or credit union share certificates, banking experience and overdraft fees. Factors we consider, depending on the category, include rates and fees, ATM and branch access, account features and limits, user-facing technology, customer service and innovation. The stars represent ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star.