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Golden 1 Credit Union Golden 1 Credit Union Regular Savings Account is featured in our guide to the best banks and credit unions in California. You'll find Golden 1 appealing if you'd prefer to bank with a credit union, or are looking for accounts with low minimum opening deposits and no monthly fees.
Golden 1 Credit Union Overall Rating
| Feature | Personal Finance Insider rating (out of 5) |
| Checking | 3.75 |
| Savings | 3.75 |
| Money market account | 3.75 |
| CD | 3.75 |
| Trustworthiness | 5 |
| Total | 4 |
Golden 1 Credit Union Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
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Golden 1 Credit Union Regular Savings Account Review
no monthly service fee
0.05% to 0.20%
$0
- $1 opening deposit
- No monthly service fee
- Unlimited number of monthly withdrawals with no excess withdrawal fee
- Mediocre APY
- Compounds interest monthly, not daily
- Any California resident or employee can become a Golden 1 Credit Union member
- Earn a higher APY with a balance of $10,000 or more
- Interest compounded monthly, paid monthly
- Federally insured by the NCUA
The Golden 1 Credit Union Regular Savings Account is a great if you're looking for a free savings account, and it offers an unlimited number of monthly withdrawals with no excess withdrawal fee. You can find higher savings rates elsewhere, though.
Golden 1 Credit Union Free Checking Account Review
no monthly service fee
None
$0
- No minimum opening deposit
- No monthly service fees
- Overdraft protection available
- Free box of 40 checks
- $2 out-of-network ATM fee
- $30 overdraft fee
- Any California resident or employee can become a Golden 1 Credit Union member
- Access to over 30,000 free Golden 1 and CO-OP ATMs
- If you use overdraft protection, you can transfer money from savings for a $5 charge
- Federally insured by the NCUA
The Golden 1 Credit Union Free Checking Account is one of the credit union's strongest products. There's no minimum opening deposit or monthly service fees. You also have free access to over 30,000 free ATMs through the Golden 1 and CO-OP ATM networks.
Golden 1 Credit Union CD Review
3.00% to 4.60%
$500
- Competitive APY, even for low balances
- $500 opening deposit
- Any California resident or employee can join
- $100k minimum to earn highest APY
- High early withdrawal penalties
- Interest compounded monthly, not daily
- No terms over 5 years
- Relatively difficult to join as a non-California resident or employee
- All California residents and employees can join Golden 1 Credit Union, or family members of current members or people who work for certain companies
- Terms ranging from 3 months to 5 years
- Early withdrawal penalty of 365 days interest on the amount withdrawn for all term lengths
- Interest compounded monthly and paid monthly
- Federally insured by the NCUA
Golden 1's CDs pay decent interest rates, but you'll find the best CD rates at online banks. You'll also only need $500 to open a CD, which is less than what other financial institutions require. Be mindful of high early withdrawal penalties, though.
Golden 1 Credit Union Money Market Account Review
no monthly service fee
0.05% to 1.50%
$100
- $100 minimum opening deposit
- No monthly service fees
- Earn a higher interest if you have a higher account balance
- No debit card
- No check writing
- Online banks can offer a higher interest rate
- Any California resident or employee can become a Golden 1 Credit Union member
- Access to over 30,000 free Golden 1 and CO-OP ATMs
- Earn 0.05% APY if you have an account balance between $0.01 and $9,999.99
- Earn 1.00% APY if you have an account balance between $10,000.00 and $49,999.99
- Earn 1.00% APY if you have an account balance between $50,000.00 and $99,999.99
- Earn 1.25% APY if you have an account balance between $100,000.00 and $499,999.99
- Earn 1.50% APY if you have an account balance of $500,000.00+
- Interest compounded and deposited monthly
- Federally insured by the NCUA
You may like the Golden 1 Credit Union Money Market Account if you're willing to maintain a high balance on your account — you'll earn a very low rate on balances under $10,000. However, there's no easy access to your account with an ATM card or paper checks, so it might be difficult to get money in a pinch.
About Golden 1 Credit Union
Golden 1 Credit Union is a California financial institution. It has 70 branches across the Golden State and access to over 30,000 free ATMs through the Golden 1 and CO-OP ATM networks.
You must live in California to join. Military service members who typically reside in California are also eligible if they are currently out of state. To become a member, you'll need to open a saving account with at least $1.
To contact customer support, call Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT or on the weekend from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT.
In the Google Play store, the Golden 1 mobile app has 4.5 out of 5 stars. In the Apple Store, it has 4.7 out of 5 stars.
It's also federally insured by the NCUA. This means the NCUA oversees the credit union to ensure that it follows laws and regulations, and up to $250,000 in an individual account is protected.
Is Golden 1 Credit Union Trustworthy?
Golden 1 Credit Union hasn't been involved in any recent scandals.
It's also received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for how it addresses customer issues and handles transparency.
How Golden 1 Credit Union Compares
We compared Golden 1 Credit Union to two other financial institutions from our best banks and credit unions in California guide: Bank of America and Citi.
Picking your favorite among these three financial institutions may largely depend on whether you'd prefer national banking or regional banking.
Bank of America and Citi are both national banks, which means that branches are available throughout the US. Meanwhile, Golden 1 Credit Union is a regional bank; it only has branches in California.
If you don't have a preference between national and regional banks, you'll want to see which accounts best fit your needs.
Golden 1 offers the most appealing CDs. It pays competitive interest rates and has a $500 minimum opening deposit for all terms.
Bank of America offers a decent checking account that lets you waive monthly service fees in several ways. Its robust national presence also makes it easy to access your money.
Citi is a worthwhile option if you're looking for a full banking experience.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Golden 1 Credit Union
We rate bank accounts on a scale from one to five stars. For Golden 1 Credit Union's checking, savings, and money market accounts, we used Personal Finance Insider's bank account ratings methodology. The exact factors we evaluate vary depending on the type of account — for example, we look at overdraft fees for checking accounts and interest rates for savings and money market accounts.
For CDs, we used our CD rating methodology which looks at interest rates, minimum opening deposits, early withdrawal penalties, CD variety, customer support availability, mobile app ratings, miscellaneous features, and the security and ethics of the company.
We use a weighted average to get our star rating, which means we weigh certain features, like interest rates and fees, at a higher weight percentage than others. We understand that these areas can more heavily impact a person's overall banking experience.
