First Heritage Fed Credit Union Offers Competitive Rewards Checking
First Heritage Federal Credit Union’s (First Heritage) Kasasa Cash checking account currently earns 2.50% APY on qualifying balances up to $10k. Qualifying balances over $10k earn 0.20% APY, with non-qualifying balances earning 0.05% APY.
The monthly qualification requirements are fairly standard and include,
- At least 12 debit card purchases
- At least one direct deposit, ACH transaction, or bill payment
- Be enrolled in and agree to receive e-Statements
The Kasasa Cash account has no monthly fee, no minimum balance requirement, and no minimum opening deposit. Unlimited nationwide ATM fees up to $25 ($4.99 per single transaction) will be reimbursed, if qualifying requirements are met. An ATM receipt is required for reimbursements of individual ATM fees of $5.00 or higher. Unlimited checking writing is available and a free Visa debit card will be issued following account opening. There is a limit of one account per Social Security number and a Kasasa Cash account may not be used as a commercial account. A Kasasa Cash account is required to have a linked Kasasa Saver account.
Kasasa Saver Account
First Heritage also offers a Kasasa Saver account, as a companion account to Kasasa Cash Checking and Kasasa Cash Back accounts. Earned rewards are automatically transferred to the Kasasa Saver account each month. The Kasasa Saver account currently earns 0.75% APY on qualifying balances up to $50k; qualifying balances over $50k earn 0.20% APY, with non-qualifying balances earning 0.05% APY.
Like the Kasasa Cash account, the Kasasa Saver has no monthly service charge, minimum balance requirement, or minimum opening deposit. There is a limit of one Kasasa Saver account per Social Security number and it may not be used for commercial purposes.
Annual Earnings of Combined Kasasa Cash Checking/Kasasa Saver Accounts
The potential combined annual earnings of a Kasasa Cash Checking account (2.50% APY/$10k) and a Kasasa Saver account (0.75% APY/$50k) is approximately $625 (1.04% APY/$60k), which is a very competitive APY for a moderate-sized balance in a rewards checking/saver combo.
Kasasa Cash Back
The Kasasa Cash Back account offered by First Heritage currently earns 4.00% cash back on up to $200 in monthly debit card purchases. If you are planning on maintaining a balance of less than $3,800, the Kasasa Cash Back account would probably be a better deal than the Kasasa Cash Checking account, as the maximum annual earnings for the Kasasa Cash Back account is $96 ($8 per month).
The Kasasa Brand
For those not familiar with the Kasasa brand, Kasasa Cash is a type of Reward Checking Account (RCA) developed by the Texas company, Kasasa, Ltd. According to the Kasasa website,
Kasasa: the free checking account that rewards each month for doing things you already do.
By performing certain actions valuable to your bank or credit union, like using your debit card or online banking, your institution makes more money, which they share with you in the form of rewards.
In case you were wondering, “Kasasa” is just a made-up word.
In a world where real-life people are too often taken for granted as account numbers,
we didn’t want to be the next [INSERT GENERIC NAME] checking account.
Availability
Headquartered in Corning, New York, First Heritage Federal Credit Union’s field of membership (FOM) is community-based, with individuals who live, work, worship, or attend school in the New York Southern Tier counties of Chemung or Steuben, or Tioga County, Pennsylvania, eligible to join.
Immediate family members and household members of individuals who are membership-eligible, also qualify for membership. “Immediate family” is defined as spouse, sibling, children, parent, grandparent, or grandchild, and includes stepparents, stepchildren, stepsibling, and adoptive relationships.
Remember, it is not necessary for the primary eligible member to join the Credit Union in order for the immediate family member to join.
Joining First Heritage and/or opening a Kasasa brand product can be done online, or at any of seven New York branches located in Addison, Corning, Elmira, Elmira Heights, Hornell, Horseheads, and Painted Post. There are also two Pennsylvania branches in Mansfield and Wellsboro.
Opening a Share Savings account with a $5 minimum deposit establishes a First Heritage membership. A minimum balance of $100 is required to earn any interest.
First Heritage participates in the CO-OP ATM network, giving its members access to more than 35,000 surcharge-free ATMs throughout the country.
Credit Union Overview
First Heritage Federal Credit Union has an overall health rating of "A" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 3.12% (excellent) based on March 31, 2021 data. In the past year, First Heritage has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $119.09 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 26.51%. Please refer to our financial overview of First Heritage Federal Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 9604) for more details.
Established in 1955, First Heritage Federal Credit Union was originally known as the Ingersoll-Rand Employees Federal Credit Union and served the employees, retirees and family members of the Ingersoll-Rand Company. (Founded in 1859, Ingersoll-Rand is a worldwide provider of industrial equipment and technologies.) The first expansion of the FOM was prompted by Hurricane Agnes (1972): after 16 feet of flood water devastated the town of Erwin, membership was opened to all the town’s residents.
In the past 45 years, First Heritage has experienced three FOM expansions, two rebrands, and ten “friendly and unsolicited mergers with other area credit unions.” First Heritage Federal Credit Union is currently the 28th largest credit union headquartered in New York, with more than 42,600 members and assets in excess of $633 million.
How the Kasasa Cash Compares
When compared to the High Yield Rewards Checking Accounts tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available within the FOM and have maximum qualifying balances of at least $10k, First Heritage Federal Credit Union’s Kasasa Cash APY currently ranks sixth.
The above rates are accurate as of 9/3/2021.
To search for the best Reward Checking Account rates, both nationwide and state specific, please refer to our High Yield Reward Checking Account Rates Table page.
