Greater Central Texas Federal Credit Union,
3305 E Elms Road
Killeen, TX 76542
Telephone: 254-690-2274
www.gctfcu.net

Benefits Of Using A Credit Union

Over the years, credit unions have emerged as a safety refuge for people who wish to save money as well as earn interest out of their savings. These are not-for-profit institutions that aim at keeping the members first. They offer a wide range of financial services, membership benefits and attractive policies which sets them apart from other financial institutions.

Discuss below are some benefits of using a credit union:

Superior service that keeps members first
Credit unions are financial cooperatives that are owned by the members. Their aim is not to make big profits for stockholders, but to provide financial assistance and customer service to the shareholders. The credit unions take an extra step where they involve the members to vote on the new policies and take account of the suggestions.

Credit unions offer lower interest rates
Owing to their not-for-profit status, credit unions offer high rates on savings account and lower rates on loans as well as credit cards. These rates are competitive and promote savings. Thus, you can enjoy lower rates on your credit cards, house loans and auto loans while you can earn a higher rate of interest on savings and cash deposits.

No minimum balance constraint
Unlike other financial institutions, a credit union does not have to maintain a minimum balance or cash reserve ratio. Thus, it is not mandatory for the account holders to maintain a minimum balance in their financial account. This feature allows customers to withdraw all or keep no money in their account.

Flexible fees
Credit unions are very flexible when it comes to charging fees. They usually aim at charging less and keeping the costs low for the members. They prefer to eliminate a few products and services in order to cut costs, rather than piling up on the fees.

Easier access to cash
Credit unions have come up with the CO-OP ATM network and a shared branch alliance. This includes surcharge-free cash machines and shared branching that gives members the ability to conduct in-person transactions at a larger number of branches across the state. Also, these CO-OP ATMs do not charge any transaction fee.

Friendly and cooperative staff
The staff at credit unions is friendlier and more cooperative as compared to other financial institutions. They are also easily accessible to address your queries and concerns regarding any financial matter. They only invite members who are local and thus are comparatively smaller. This allows them to be well connected with their surroundings and better at giving feedback.

Provides loan regardless of credit history
This is another major benefit of being a member at a credit union. These institutions are willing to provide quick loan approval to people regardless of their credit history. They also offer programs that help you manage your budget and unexpected expenses.

The Add-Ons
A more attractive feature of opting for a credit union is the additional products and services they offer, besides financial services. You may come across some credit unions that have provisions like individual health insurance and financial advisory services. They aim at community service and providing financial education.

All in all, credit unions prove to be community friendly and more welcoming when it comes to providing financial services to the local people. They offer a lower interest rates, and fee -free ATM transactions. Thus they work on a different and more welcoming business model, which makes them customer friendly.
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GCTFCU Blog | Ways To Pay Off Your Car Loan Faster
Greater Central Texas Federal Credit Union,
3305 E Elms Road
Killeen, TX 76542
Telephone: 254-690-2274
www.gctfcu.net

Ways To Pay Off Your Car Loan Faster

Applying for a car loan seems like a ‘cake walk’ with credit unions. In addition to low interest rates and less paperwork, these lending institutions offer various benefits to make the deal more profitable for the clients. However, a loan comes along with a huge responsibility of repaying the borrowed amount with added interest.

If you are looking for efficient ways to save some money on interest and pay your loan before time, you may consider the following points.

Round up your payment – To shorten your loan term and save money on interest, you can round up your payments. For example, if your monthly loan payment is $384, consider paying $400. This may look a small amount in the beginning but it can help to reduce your loan period several months than expected. Apart from this, a round payment is easy to calculate and you do not feel overburdened by paying a little extra from your pocket.

Pay after every 2 weeks- You may strike a deal with your credit union to allow biweekly payments, instead of paying at the end of every month. This will offer the following benefits:
  • Since you will pay more often, less interest will be added on your money
  • You will be able to pay extra amount every year
  • Tenure of your loan payment will reduce
Pay extra at least once a year - If you cannot afford to pay biweekly payments, you can pay at least one extra payment every year. This can be done by adding a certain additional amount, say for instance $30, which may become equivalent to one month's payment. This will help you to stay ahead in your repayments and shorten the mortgage period.

Avoid skipping a payment- Option of not paying a payment may seem lucrative at first, but it does not provide any long term benefits. It will eventually extend your loan period for months and increase the rate of interest. Therefore, you must not skip a payment until and unless there is an extreme urgency to do so.

Save extra bucks – In order to pay your loan quickly, you can always save some extra money. If you have a part time job or any other source that gives you money, try to put it towards repaying your loan. Even if you collect $100 every month, you’ll be able to save $1200 every year.

Refinance your loan – A credit union may offer extremely low rates on auto loans, which can lower your repayment amount and decrease the loan period to almost half. Eventually decreasing the overall cost of your car loan.

Pay bill online – Credit unions offer discounts on signing up for paperless statements, as it saves the time of the lender as well as the payer. 

Some of the advantages offered by paperless billing procedure are–
  • There are no checks to write
  • No paper statements filling up your mailbox
  • You get timely payment reminders
  • 24 hours access to your account
  • You can pay from anywhere at any time
  • Security of your data
  • Provision for automatic payments
Paying your auto loan early gives incredible benefits. You can save a lot of money and utilize it to upgrade your home, pay off other debts, save for your retirement etc.

We, at Greater Central Texas Federal Credit Union, offer affordable car loans with minimal rate of interests.  You can either choose from unsecured or secured car loans. Our staff will assist you with the loan application and all the paperwork involved in the process.

For more details, you can call us at (254) 690 – 2274 or visit our office at 3305 E. Elms Rd., Killeen, TX  76542.
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