Fee-Free Banking, Designed to Be Fair

At UW Credit Union, that belief shapes how we design our accounts, set our fees and handle those moments when a balance gets a little tighter than expected. Instead of requiring members to navigate complicated requirements to avoid everyday banking fees, we aim to keep things simple, transparent and fair. 

That starts with a checking account you don't have to pay just to use. 

Checking without the monthly fee or minimum balance

Some financial institutions require customers to maintain certain balances to avoid a monthly account fee. UW Credit Union takes a different approach. 

Our Rewards Checking account has no monthly fee and no minimum balance requirement. You get the same account whether you keep a little or a lot in checking.  

That approach reflects something fundamental about UW Credit Union: fairness shouldn't depend on how much money you have. Our Fair by Design philosophy means creating products that help members succeed without relying on unnecessary complexity or fees that disproportionately affect people with lower balances.  

Rewards Checking also comes with benefits designed to make everyday money management easier. With Early Payday, eligible direct deposits can arrive up to two days early. Rewards Checking can also earn interest when you maintain a balance of $1,000 or more.  

A more reasonable approach when you overspend

Everyone can miscalculate occasionally. A bill clears sooner than expected. A deposit hasn't arrived yet. A purchase brings your available balance lower than you realized. 

What's important is what happens next. 

Our Balance Backup options are designed to help members manage those situations without allowing a small mistake to turn into a cascade of fees. Depending on the protections you choose, UW Credit Union can transfer funds from another eligible account or source to help cover the shortage.  

And the cost is intentionally limited. 

If your available balance is overdrawn by less than $10, we don't charge a paid overdraft or overdraft transfer fee. When a Balance Backup transfer or paid overdraft fee does apply, it is $5, and UW Credit Union limits that fee to one per business day, regardless of the number of overdraft items involved.  

We also don't charge a daily negative balance fee or continuous overdraft fee simply because the account remains negative.  

Compare that philosophy with banking practices that can allow multiple fees to accumulate or continue charging because an account remains negative. We think there's a better way: address the problem without making a difficult financial moment unnecessarily more expensive.  

Designed to help prevent overdrafts, too

Fair banking isn't only about charging less after something goes wrong. It's also about helping members avoid the problem in the first place. 

UW Credit Union offers online money-management tools with text and email notifications, including low-balance notifications. We generally decline debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals that exceed available funds rather than authorizing them and charging a paid overdraft fee. In fact, we don't charge paid overdraft fees for debit card purchases.  

Members also have control over their Balance Backup preferences and can change those preferences as their needs change.  

It's banking designed around a simple idea: give people clarity and control, then make the safety net reasonable when they need it.

Fairness shouldn't be a premium feature

At some financial institutions, the best value can depend on maintaining a higher balance, meeting account requirements or qualifying for a particular tier. Our philosophy is different. 

UW Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative. Our brand commitment is to design our business for member success, make money management easier to understand and avoid fee structures that unfairly burden members with lower balances.  

That's why Rewards Checking has no monthly fee or minimum balance. It's why Early Payday helps members get access to eligible direct deposits sooner. And it's why our overdraft practices include a $10 grace threshold, a $5 fee when applicable, a limit of one overdraft fee per business day and no daily negative-balance fee.  

These aren't exceptions to the way we bank. They're examples of how we believe banking should work.

Because transparent banking isn't just about telling you what something costs. 

It's about designing it fairly in the first place.