FAQs

One of our loan specialists will be happy to help you. Please call us at 800-290-1112 or visit one of our branches.

We offer loans for a wide variety of vehicles, including cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, RVs, and boats.

Our rate structures are the same for new and used vehicles. Your rate is determined from factors such as your FICO score, financial situation, and the term of your loan.

Yes, we work with multiple auto buying partners, who offer a variety of services and can be accessed on our website Auto Buying Services page.

Yes, we offer GAP, Mechanical Breakdown Protection, and Car Insurance services through our partners. Learn more on our Vehicle Protection Servicespage.

The grace period is ten days. Payments made more than 10 days after the loan due date are subject to a late fee.

Your approval is good for 60 days from the day of the application commencement date.

Yes, if you use your American First savings or checking account to make your loan payments, use our Online and Mobile Banking services for faster payment. You can also make a payment on your American First loan from another financial institution in Online and Mobile Banking using External Account Transfers or by using our Online Loan Payment portal.

Our loans do not have prepayment penalties, so you can pay off your loan early or make additional payments whenever you’d like.

You may start the application by calling us at 800-290-1112, visit an American First Credit Union branch, or apply online. For information on a secured card, visit our website Secured Credit Card page.

To report a fraud claim: please call us immediately at 800-290-1112 if the transaction on your account that you are questioning was not completed or authorized by you. You will also need to complete and submit a Cardholder Statement - To Report Fraud form accessible through our website Account Security page. To dispute a charge: if you experienced an ATM error or malfunction or need to dispute a merchant transaction, please call us at 800-290-1112. You will also need to complete and submit a Cardholder Statement - To Dispute a Charge form accessible through our website Account Security page.

A late fee applies if your payment is received later than 15 days after the payment due date. Please refer to our Schedule of Fees & Services.

Our in-house commercial real estate specialists look forward to helping you purchase a commercial property or refinance your current commercial loan. You can contact one of our specialists from our Commercial Real Estate page.

Our in-house commercial lending specialists work with our clients to finance a wide variety of commercial properties, such as apartment buildings, self-storage facilities, and manufactured housing communities. You can contact one of our specialists from our Commercial Real Estate page.

You can use your card anywhere Mastercard is accepted. You can initiate up to 20 transactions per day. Dollar limits include your checking account balance up to $5000 using a Classic Debit Card and $7500 using a Gold or Business Debit Card.

Refer to our Schedule of Fees & Services for our current fee.

Yes, students 13-17 years old may open a checking account with a parent or guardian.

If your previous order was placed less than a year ago: Select Order Checks or go to Online Banking. If your previous order was placed a year ago, or more: Call 800-290-1112 or visit an American First Credit Union branch to place your order.

You must be 18 years of age or older to open a Big Prize Savings account. Minimum opening deposit is $25 and account must keep a minimum average monthly daily balance of $500 to earn big prize entries. Exclusions apply for business accounts, irrevocable trusts, Credit Union employees, Board Members and Supervisory Committee members (volunteers), and their relatives, immediate family, and persons living in the same household are not eligible to earn entries.

17 total prizes will be awarded per year. One prize of $1,000 per month (12 total), one prize of $10,000 every quarter (4 total), and one yearly grand prize of $50,000. 

Quarterly entries are determined by adding your monthly entries for the following:

• 1^st Quarter: January – March
• 2^nd Quarter: April – June
• 3^rd Quarter: July – September
• 4^th Quarter: October – December

Yearly entries are determined by adding your monthly entries:

• January – December (of same year)

No! Our goal is to help you build a better habit of saving. Therefore, there are no risks or fees to save better and win bigger. 

A minimum of $500 average monthly daily balance is required to be eligible for monthly prize drawings. Receive one (1) entry for every $25 average monthly daily balance to win the $1,000 monthly prizes, and to be eligible for $10,000 quarterly prizes and the $50,000 annual grand prize. 

We take the total of each day's balance for the period (one month) and divide the total by the number of days in that period. 

Example: The balance in the account each day is $500 from the beginning of the month. The month has 30 days. $500 daily balance x 30 days in one month= $15,000 total. Then divide this total by number of days in the month (30) to calculate the average monthly daily balance for one month: $15,000/30= $500 average daily balance. Then, you earn 1 entry for every $25 in monthly average daily balance. In this case, you'd earn 20 entries!

Quarterly entries are determined by adding your monthly entries for the following:

• 1^st Quarter: January – March
• 2^nd Quarter: April – June
• 3^rd Quarter: July – September
• 4^th Quarter: October – December

Yearly entries are determined by adding your monthly entries:

• January – December (of same year)

Your entries will be emailed to you after each monthly period. Because the calculations are based on average monthly daily balance, we only calculate number of entries at month-end.

To update your contact information including email address, call 800-290-1112 or update Online Banking settings.

Yes, you can withdraw money from their Big Prize Savings account at any time (up to six times per month) and you'll also have the option to withdraw all of your money and close the account without being assessed a fee. Closed accounts are not eligible for prize drawings.

No, there is no maximum savings amount or maximum number of entries. The more you save, the more chances you have to win!

There is a minimum average monthly daily balance of $500 in the account to qualify to enter monthly prize drawings. 

Winners will be contacted by email, telephone number(s) and mailing address on file at the Credit Union. Winners will also be announced on our website..

Winners are selected at random from eligible entries within 14 days of the following month or year-end and announced on our website. The winners will receive their prize as a deposit to their Big Prize Savings account when they contact the Credit Union to verify their identify with valid government issued ID.

If your average monthly daily balance is $499.99 or below for the month, your account will not be eligible for the prize drawing for that month. The Credit Union will round down in the case of fractional entries.

Yes, there is no limit on the number of accounts and no maximum balance in each account.

The Regular Savings minimum balance fee of $10 is waived if the combined balance of Savings and Goal Setter Savings accounts have an end of month balance of $500+, or with a checking account or loan account added to this account, or if a member is age 17 and under. Also, $500 is the minimum balance to earn dividends on this account.

We do not charge you a fee to withdraw your money in person, by phone, electronically, or from a CO-OP ATM. Visit our CO-OP Locations to find an ATM nearby.

You may make unlimited withdrawals in person and at the ATM. However, under Federal Reserve Board Regulation D, there are restrictions for some types of withdrawals. Savings accounts and money market accounts are non-transaction accounts, while checking accounts are transaction accounts. Under this regulation, you can’t make more than six transfers or withdrawals from a savings deposit account per statement cycle. Here are some examples of transactions that are limited under Regulation D:

• Withdrawals by official bank check.
• Outgoing wire transfers.
• Debit card purchases (only for money market accounts).
• Withdrawals or transfers via an Automated Clearing House (ACH) to pay a bill or a person or a withdrawal with a payment service such as Zelle.
• Withdrawals or transfers made with a savings deposit account acting as overdraft protection for a checking account.

We do not offer an ATM card with a savings account only, however, if you open a Totally Free Checking or one of our other checking accounts, you will receive a debit card with access to your Savings and Checking account.

There is not a monthly service fee to have a Holiday Club.

To encourage our members to stay committed to their savings and have a merrier holiday, your Holiday Club account funds are available for withdrawal Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. There is no fee to withdraw during this open period, otherwise there is a $10 fee per withdrawal.

Yes, our Holiday Club account earns a higher rate than our Regular Savings, Goal Setter, and Big Prize Savings accounts.

You can begin saving in a Certificate Builder account with as little as $10 a week.

Automatically transfer from your savings or checking account and once your Certificate Builder reaches $1,000 it will be converted into a Direct Deposit 12-month Certificate with even higher dividends!

To encourage you to continue saving towards your goal, there is a $10 early withdrawal penalty and dividends must remain in the account. However, partial withdrawals are available so you can get back on track.

Yes, our Certificate Builder Account earns a higher rate than our Regular Savings, Goal Setter, and Big Prize Savings accounts.

The Regular Business Savings Minimum balance fee of $10 is waived if the end of month balance is $500+, or with a second savings (excluding a Goal Setter), a checking account or loan account is added to this account, or if a member is age 17 and under. Also, $500 is the minimum balance to earn dividends on this account.

We do not charge you a fee to withdraw your money in person, by phone, electronically, or from a CO-OP ATM. Visit our CO-OP Locations to find an ATM nearby.

You may make unlimited withdrawals in person and at the ATM. However, under Federal Reserve Board Regulation D, there are restrictions for some types of withdrawals. Savings accounts and money market accounts are non-transaction accounts, while checking accounts are transaction accounts. Under this regulation, you can’t make more than six transfers or withdrawals from a savings deposit account per statement cycle. Here are some examples of transactions that are limited under Regulation D:

• Withdrawals by official bank check.
• Outgoing wire transfers.
• Debit card purchases (only for money market accounts).
• Withdrawals or transfers via an Automated Clearing House (ACH) to pay a bill or a person or a withdrawal with a payment service such as Zelle.
• Withdrawals or transfers made with a savings deposit account acting as overdraft protection for a checking account.

We do not offer an ATM card with a savings account only, however, if you open a Totally Free Business Checking or one of our other checking accounts, you will receive a debit card with access to your Savings and Checking account.

Our minimum amount is only $1,000 to open a Certificate Account and enjoy higher dividends. This is much lower than our competitors.

Yes, a penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. If you withdraw any principal before the maturity date, the early withdrawal penalty will be equal to one-half of the term’s dividends on the amount withdrawn, whether earned or not, and may reduce principal.

After the account is opened, you may not make additional deposits or withdrawals from the account until the maturity date.

Unless you specify otherwise, this Account will automatically renew following a seven (7) day grace period. You may add or withdraw funds during the grace period without a penalty. If allowed to renew automatically, the Account will be renewed for a term equal or closest to that of the initial term and at the dividend rate and Annual Percentage Yield in effect at that time for such a term.

Dividends on Certificate Accounts are compounded daily and will be credited monthly and at maturity.

Our Certificate Accounts earn higher dividends than our other Savings accounts, and you choose the rate you want based on terms from 3 months to 5 years.

A Share Certificate is similar to a Certificate of Deposit. The only difference is that it is issued by a credit union.

The Money Market minimum balance fee of $10 is waived if you maintain a balance of $2,500 or more. Also, $2,500 is the minimum balance to earn dividends on this account.

We do not charge you a fee to withdraw your money in person, by phone, electronically, or from a CO-OP ATM. Visit our CO-OP Locations to find an ATM nearby.

You may make unlimited withdrawals in person and at the ATM. However, under Federal Reserve Board Regulation D, there are restrictions for some types of withdrawals. Savings accounts and money market accounts are non-transaction accounts, while checking accounts are transaction accounts. Under this regulation, you can’t make more than six transfers or withdrawals from a savings deposit account per statement cycle. Here are some examples of transactions that are limited under Regulation D:

• Withdrawals by official bank check.
• Outgoing wire transfers.
• Debit card purchases (only for money market accounts).
• Withdrawals or transfers via an Automated Clearing House (ACH) to pay a bill or a person or a withdrawal with a payment service such as Zelle.
• Withdrawals or transfers made with a savings deposit account acting as overdraft protection for a checking account.

A traditional IRA provides you with tax benefits now. You deduct contributions now and pay taxes on withdrawals later. Roth IRA’s give your tax benefits when you retire. You pay taxes on contributions now and get tax free withdrawals later.

Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) must be taken from traditional IRA’s starting in the year you turn 72.

Complete an Authorization to Add or Delete Joint Owner Form and return by fax, US mail or at a branch. Mailing address and fax number are provided on the second page of the form.

An annual maintenance fee is assessed to all IRA accounts every October. Refer to the Schedule of Fees & Services for the current rate.

There is not a minimum amount required to keep in the account. However, with a balance of only $5 your child will begin earning dividends at a higher rate than our adult accounts.

No, we do not charge monthly service fees on our youth accounts.

To encourage our young savers to deposit money instead of withdraw, we do not provide an ATM card with our Safari Club Savings.

If your child is 13-17 years old, they may open a Start Smart Savings and Checking and receive a debit card in their name. An adult will need to be a joint owner on the account and legally responsible for transactions.