Keesler Federal Credit Union Has Competitive Kasasa Cash Account
Many thanks to DA reader, Jack11, for his recent Forum post about the new rewards checking account (RCA) offered by Keesler Federal Credit Union (KFCU).
I think this might be new because I had not heard of it until I got an email about an hour ago.
KFCU's Kasasa Cash account currently earns 3.00% APY on qualifying balances up to $25k. Qualifying balances over $25k earn 0.40% APY, with non-qualifying balances earning 0.05% APY.
| APY | MIN | MAX | INSTITUTION | PRODUCT | DETAILS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.00*% | - | $25 | Keesler Federal Credit Union | Kasasa Cash | |
| OTHER TIERS: 0.40% → $25k+ | |||||
There are two qualification cycle requirements:
- At least 12 debit card transactions.
- At least one Direct Deposit, ACH credit, or ACH payment instruction.
The Kasasa Cash account has no minimum balance requirement, no monthly service fee, and no minimum opening deposit requirement. Nationwide ATM fees will be reimbursed up to $25 per month, if qualifications are met. There is a limit of one account per Social Security number. If the Kasasa Cash account is closed, any rewards that have not been credited to your account will be forfeited.
Kasasa Saver Account
KFCU is also offering a Kasasa Saver account, as a companion account to the Kasasa Cash Checking account. Each month, earned cash checking rewards and ATM withdrawal fee refunds automatically sweep to this account. The Kasasa Saver account earns 1.00% APY on qualifying balances up to $150k; qualifying balances over $150k earn 0.40% APY, with non-qualifying balances earning 0.05% APY.
| APY | MIN | MAX | INSTITUTION | PRODUCT | DETAILS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00*% | - | $150k | Keesler Federal Credit Union | Kasasa Saver | |
| OTHER TIERS: 0.40% → $150k+ | |||||
Availability
Headquartered in Biloxi, Mississippi, Keesler Federal Credit Union’s field of membership (FOM) has changed for the fourth time in two years. The easy membership through the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is now available only to residents of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
In August 2018, KFCU added a 7-month Share Certificate Special earning 5.00% APY. That outstanding rate resulted in so many out-of-area inquiries, KFCU expanded its FOM, making almost all U.S. citizens and resident aliens eligible for membership. Sometime during late spring 2019, KCU placed geographic limitations on the ACS CAN option, effectively wiping out the nationwide availability. When I wrote about KFC’s Step Certificates in January 2020, the FOM once again included all U.S. citizens or resident aliens, regardless of residency status.
Limited Easy Membership – The fourth option on the Eligibility page of KFCU’s online membership application is “I am a member of the following association.” The first association listed is the (ACS CAN), a “nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society.”
I asked in a Live Chat if it was necessary to join ASC CAN first and then apply to KFCU, or was it possible to join both simultaneously. CSR replied,
You can go ahead and select the ACSCAN and submit your application. Once we
receive it, we will send you the [ACSCAN] form that will need to be filled out for that.
Residency – Individuals who live, work, worship, or attend school in the Mississippi counties of Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, or Pearl River, or select census tracts in the counties of Hinds or Jackson are eligible to join. Also qualifying for membership are those who live, work, worship, or attend school in select census tracts in St. Tammany or Orleans Parishes, Louisiana, or Mobile County, Alabama.
Employment – Employee and/or members of more than 300 SEGs (listed on the online application) are eligible for membership.
Military Relationship – Active or retired military who can use the services at Keesler Air Force Base or at Royal Air Force Bases in the UK qualify for membership.
Family Relationship – Immediate family members (spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, child, grandchild, significant other) of a current KFCU member are welcome to apply.
Joining Keesler Federal Credit Union and/or opening a Kasasa Cash account can be done online. Surprisingly, almost all KFCU branch lobbies are open for walk-in transactions (such as joining and/or opening a Kasasa Cash account), but with some limitations.
Effective immediately, we are limiting the number of members in a branch at one time in accordance with CDC guidelines for social distancing.
There are a few exceptions: Biloxi-KAFB Triangle and Stennis Space Center branch locations are closed until further notice. Biloxi-KAFB Larcher, New Orleans Mid-City, and Metairie Lakeside have lobby service by appointment only.
A minimum deposit of $5.00 in a Primary Share account is required to establish membership.
In addition to participating in the CO-OP Shared Branch network, KFCU also offers its members access to the CO-OP ATM network.
Credit Union Overview
Keesler Federal Credit Union has an overall health grade of "A+" at DepositAccounts.com, with a Texas Ratio of 2.29% (excellent) based on December 31, 2019 data. In the past year, KFCU has increased its total non-brokered deposits by $81.87 million, an excellent annual growth rate of 3.62%. Please refer to our financial overview of Keesler Federal Credit Union (NCUA Charter # 5561) for more details.
Chartered in 1947, Keesler Federal Credit Union was established by ten civil services employees at Keesler Field, the predecessor of Keesler AFB. At the end of the first year of operations, KFCU had approximately 270 members and $7k in assets. In its 73rd year of operation, KFCU is the largest credit union in Mississippi, with nearly 248,000 members and assets in excess of $3 billion.
How the Kasasa Cash Compares
Given KFCU’s multi-state FOM, a comparison to nationally available RCAs is appropriate. When compared to the High Yield Rewards Checking Accounts tracked by DepositAccounts.com that are available nationally available and have maximum qualifying balances of at least $25k, Keesler Federal Credit Union’s Kansas Cash APY* currently ranks first along with The Bank of Denver's Kasasa Cash Checking.
The above rates are accurate as of 5/23/2020.
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.
*We continue to work to keep our rates up-to-date, but there have been just too many rate cuts for us to process quickly. For the time being, please be aware that the rates listed at DepositAccounts.com may not reflect the latest rates published by the banks and credit unions.
For anyone in the same situation who recently opened a Kasasa account - was a new hard pull done, just for that? (I'll be asking Keesler this in a secure email message, but I though I'd check here also.)
I'm just now establishing a Bank of Denver 3% 25K Kasasa Account (first-rate customer service from them, BTW), and this will complement that nicely as another new addition for liquid funds needs. No one can justifiably now be grousing about low savings & MM yields given the number of 3% RCA alternatives out there.
The problem with that admonishment is that most people are not familiar with the tricks needed to efficiently execute 144 eligible debit card charges a year, direct deposits and other necessary requirements let alone hundreds more debit card charges needed for multiple accounts.
And those engaged in these practices choose to keep their tricks private for reasons I can confidently guess.
So it seems a little disingenuous to make such a statement without revealing the tricks of the trade doesn’t it? How can people take advantage of something they don’t know how to do?
will be some hesitations, but once mastered it will take perhaps a minute longer in processing time to run three cards (or one card three times) than it does one. It is not
tedious, nor does it cause impatience in other shoppers, who don't even know what you're doing. Because I typically do no less than $5 charges to my RCA cards, a $15
tab allows me to complete 3 of the transaction requirements in paying it. If my tab is going to much higher (say $30) I often simply start a new transaction after finishing the first, and run my cards three more times (remember, there is 3 card limit for each transaction) thereby departing with 6 of my card transaction requirements completed on one store trip. Again, someone will protest this is all very tedious and time-consuming, but once you've mastered the drill it simply isn't, but only seems so reading my description. I do it without much thinking, and even when I'm in a hurry. Frequently it's only 2 grocery runs I need to complete one RCA 's monthly requirement.
I could see doing both if you could keep your purchases small so as not to eliminate your cash back rewards on credit cards but it sure seems like a lot of work and planning.
Any financial routine or strategy before it becomes well established is going to take time and effort to think through and arrange, acquire the tools for and learn their function, and trial and error to refine and master, besides needing to fit your temperament and circumstances.
What you describe is easier and faster and more effective for you because its been your way for so long, is congenial to your mindset and life-conditions, and you know all the ropes, - how to avoid the pitfalls, and exploit the opportunities. You're the master of this universe.
Same with me and my multiple 3% RCA's. By now nothing could be more of a breeze, and I like their flexibility. To each their own, of course.
GTE Financial will process it as a purchase -- that's my experience, and others have reported the same. Their shortest term for a CD is six months. I used to do it with them, but stopped because I found GTE very difficult to work with -- tons of errors plus other problems.
As to banks and credit unions that offer three month CDs and process credit cards as purchases -- people have asked about this previously, and have failed to get an answer. For whatever reason, there are a small number of people who post here, and boast of great finds and strategies, but refuse to say which financial institutions they're talking about.
I call this the corona method. Say you get a good 0% no fee balance transfer offer and you have no debt and they don't give you any balance transfer checks or you don't want to go to the bank to deposit the check. You can just transfer the balance to your rewards card creating a negative balance and purchase CD's with it. Problem solved you now have the bank's money in CD's with no need to wait for a credit balance refund check or stepping foot inside a bank. When the CD matures just ACH transfer the cash out.
I've never done this, however, only because it might increase the likelihood of unwanted attention leading to adverse reaction or policy changes from the bank, thereby causing the Golden Goose an early demise.
I'd rather use my rewards charge card. I get 3% back on online purchases with my BOA card, 3% off groceries with my Amex card and 5% off gasoline. I do most of my shopping online or do pickup after ordering online. Don't have to pay taxes on the earned cash back. Pay my card off each month and also get the 30 day float. No hoops to jump through.
My RCA debit card transactions are all processed comfortably and efficiently at home so there is no external interference (in both directions - me to others and vice versa).
I prefer not worrying about making requirements to get additional intrest.
I've been behind people making numerous debit transactions at a register and it's annoying. Other people on line were upset too.
Agree fully it is to each her/his own.
I do confess to missing the requirements on one account last month. Only the second time I have ****ed one up in over 10 years. Once when I was in the hospital for cancer treatment and last month mostly due to the stay at home order. I just plain ****ed up...Only lost about $40 dollars but
I still beat myself up over it...lol
It does take some diligence but they have helped me throughout the years. Might not be worth it for some of the big money folks here but for someone like me that doesn't spend much except on essentials it is worth the extra work.
Nice to hang onto what little I have for as long as I can and I never had much faith in the scam they call the stock market. I have always thought it was rigged for the little guy and I think current conditions are proving I was right imo.
PS- I didn't realize (s)crewed up was such a bad word to be censored...lol
If you have a way to do it that only takes a few minutes and isn't uncomfortable to do, it may be a sensible use of time for many people.
As to being "fair" to the FI about how you do the charges, I think it's business. And business is business. As long as you're not breaking the rules that the FI created I see it as fair. If the FI wants to change the rules, because they're not happy with the results, they can change them. That’s their prerogative. They have every right to exercise their end of the deal under the agreed rules and so do you. I don't see a problem in that regard. Whatever method of satisfying the requirements that also satisfies their rules is “fair.”
However, I do agree with the notion that if enough people fulfill the requirements in a way that isn't profitable for the FIs, eventually RCA accounts won't be available anymore. So in that sense, it may be a good long-term strategy to try to prevent them from becoming unhappy with your performance as long as it still remains a satisfactory arrangement for you.
So is it worth taking the job for a potential $30 a month? It’s up to the individual.
According to Ken Tumin's article: "KFCU's Kasasa Cash account currently earns 3.00% APY on qualifying balances up to $25k."
I believe that there is an approximate "potential" of $62.50 a month. But I don't think it's of any use to anyone to simply assert that. Here's how I arrived at the $62.50 figure (and I acknowledge that I may be wrong).
$25,000 at 3% = $750.
$750/12 = $62.50
There may be slightly less than a $25,000 balance due to purchases. And the account holder is not getting credit card rewards on the purchases. But I'd say that the "potential" is approximately $62.50 per month. I may be wrong. But I don't simply make an announcement of the "potential" without providing support for it. Apologies to all if my arithmetic skills are wholly inadequate -- I was never terribly good at it, and have forgotten much of what I knew in elementary school.
What your analysis misses is that you can easily earn about half of that $62.50 a month without doing any additional work by opening an account that pays 1.5% APY or more. So your "profit" from the extra work is only about half of that figure or about $30.
Proficient and skillful RCAers have "multiple" RCAs at (4% APY, $25K). Do the math for that:)
My appetite does not allow me to take interest in any RCAs below 4% APY nowadays. Like P_D said, my hourly rate at work makes some RCA work unworthy if the APY is "too low" according to my standard:D Just me.
As usual, YMMV and to each her/his own.
P.S.: P_D: It is not an apples-to-apples comparison between RCA and high-yield savings account. For one, RCA is a checking account. The RCA APY seems steadier than savings over the years. For example, the RCAs I currently own never change its rate for more than ten years.
Time got tough for RCAs (HYS was basically gone with the APY and the money we talked about; the low 2% or lower). RCA APY still stayed relatively higher than HYS (3-5% at the time). RCA stayed around 3% with $25K during 2011-2020; however, harder to find one with steady APY (say 4% APY) and limit (say $25K).
An example purely to illustrate scalability: $500K, 15-year (since this is what this group is interested in, in 2005-2020). HYS: 2%; RCA (with this small group): Twenty (4%, 25K) accounts - RCA can scale significantly up with diligent pursuing and smart/efficient processing.
HYS: $500K x 2% x 15 = $150K RCA: $500K x 4% x 15 = $300K
This group is talking about multiple (4%, $25K) RCAs with a sum of money; not just a single RCA of (3%, $25K).
Thus it is scalability and business (with a sum of money) at issue here, not a few dollars and a few trips to the grocery stores. The main advantage for RCA is the fundamentally higher APY (now typically at 3% for RCAs and 1.5% for HYS). And it is scalability with multiple RCAs that can benefit many of us. To each her/his own and YMMV.
Best wishes.
I know for sure that someone is still doing it today (with twenty (4%, $25K) RCAs). :) Yes, she/he is an RCA pro since 2008. That was why the example. And yes, that is pure luck to accumulate 20 accounts with all the imposed restrictions later (especially on the allowable RCAs per social security number and per credit union) - grandfathered.
BTW Greg, that person does not prefer CDs due to lack of liquidity.
Best,
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