GOOD But Starting To Lag Behind

Been a member since 1987 but didn't start using them for routine banking until the mid-90's.  

Recommend the CDs which generally rate better than commercial banks.  The complaints about rude tellers or incompetence are individual issues, not an institutional one - IMHO.  In agreement however, I have never and sat down and discussed extensive financial matters with an NFCU employee, and probably never will, but for routine day to day banking and credit, has worked fine for me.  Until now.  

As we become a cashless society, using credit and debit cards most of the time, you need to monitor the market, and in this regard and unfortunately, NFCU has not stayed up on trends.

I've asked twice, once recently, for consideration on absorbing the 1% of purchase amount for foreign currency Visa transactions for those living long term or stationed overseas.  Rebuffed again.  It's a Visa charge not an NFCU charge, which I agree with, even though the name has changed at least 2 times in the past years, now it's "International Service Fee" I think.  Put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.  

Truth is, there are other options out there that do absorb this pesky foreign currency transaction charge, also reimburse foreign ATM charges which can range from 1 to 6 dollars extra, and offer a higher cash back % on top of all that, which together, beats the pants off NFCU.  The key is not carrying a large balance as the APR is a tad higher than NFCU.  One nice feature on one or two I've found and applied for today, is the foreign ATM charges are reimbursed immediately, which keeps the money in our pockets, where it belongs, and easier to track on statements.

NFCU does refund their own extra $1.00 non-NFCU ATM fee (up to $20/month I think), but only if you use the right foreign ATM.  Unfortunately, you must wait for the end of the month to get all your $1.00 charges back and you have to go back and figure out which ones applied to which ATMs, instead of rebating the $1.00 right away.  A bit cumbersome for the customer to track. 

So, be wary and know what you are in for when you swipe that NFCU Visa credit or Visa debit card (or any card) overseas or stick it in the ATM.  Bear in mind, local ATM fees may be added to the overall withdraw amount also in foreign currency, thus you get the 1% charge on that whole amount, and then keep in mind, the Visa (and MasterCard) foreign exhange rate is always a tad below the international rate, so you hand over more money on that as well.  If you are in a country where there is no NFCU branch, they you are pretty much out of luck and in for it at the end of the month. 

Other institutions are pulling ahead by paying attention to their customers with these extra touches in service and convenience.  A dead art that will only be brought back into fashion through competition and that will only happen if consumers wake up and remind businesses of the "customer - provider" relationship, which has become retardedly reversed in the past 5 to 10 years.  The only thing business will respond to is loss of revenue and market share, and once they do, will dress it up to make it seem like they are doing you favor. 

Don't be cowed, be smart, do a little research on-line and don't be afraid (or lazy) to change things up to save your money, or at least not give it away for nothing if you can help it.  Personally, I would be happy to keep everything in NFCU, but am not going to foolishly give away hundreds of dollars if there is a better option.