Golden 1 Credit Union VS MutualOne Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Variety of accounts offered
  • CDs offer competitive interest rates
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Freedom Checking Account for teens

Cons:

  • Must become a member first
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Monthly maintenance fees
  • Not competitive rates for most accounts
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Low required opening amounts
  • Checking account earns interest
  • Business accounts offered
  • Competitive interest rates

Cons:

  • To earn highest rates requires a large sum
  • Some accounts have fees
  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Low interest rates on MMA
Golden 1 Credit Union Review

Golden 1 offers a wide variety of accounts. They offer free checking, interest-earning checking, and checking for students. They offer CDs, a money market, and a basic savings account. They also offer savings accounts for youth, the holidays, and big purchases. They also offer credit cards, investment options, insurances, and loans.

Golden 1 CDs offer good interest rates. The rates are higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates. They are slightly lower than other online accounts. A few of the CD terms do offer rates that are competitive with other online CDs.

Most Golden 1 Credit Union accounts have low opening required amounts. The opening amounts range from $1 to $100 depending on the account. Some accounts do not have a required amount. The CDs require $1,000 to open. The money market account does require $2,500 to open.

This checking account is set up specifically for students ages 16 and 17. To have this account, you must maintain a B average in school. Teens can have freedom of their own finances and learn to manage their money. There is no required amount or monthly fee. They offer online and mobile banking, and mobile deposit.

To open an account with Golden 1, you must first become a member. If you live or work in California, you qualify to be a member. Family members of other Golden 1 members also qualify. You can qualify if you belong to certain employee groups. If these options do not work, you can join the Financial Fitness Association to become a member.

Not all Golden 1 accounts can be opened online. Some accounts require visiting a local branch location to open. All the CDs and most of the savings accounts can be opened online.

The premier checking account and the money market account both have monthly fees. The fees are $5 each month. You can waive those fees by having a set amount in each of the accounts. The checking account requires $1,000, and the money market account requires $2,500.

Most accounts with Golden 1 do not offer competitive interest rates. The checking, savings, and money market account rates are not competitive with other online accounts. They are competitive with other brick and mortar rates.

Read the full Golden 1 Credit Union review.

MutualOne Bank Review

MutualOne accounts have a low required amount to open the accounts. There are 15 different CDs to choose from. Three CDs require $5,000 to open, but the rest only need $500 to open. Checking accounts only need $100 to open. The MMA requires $500. All MutualOne saving accounts only require $10 to open.

The MutualOne Advantage checking account earns interest. The account only requires $100 to open the account. Any amount over $10 will earn interest. The rates are tiered so to earn the highest rates, you must keep $50,000 in the account. Amounts under that still earn competitive interest rates, just not the highest amount.

MutualOne offers competitive, tiered interest rates on their accounts. The more money you have in the accounts, the higher the interest rates you earn on your money. The MutualOne online savings account earns competitive interest rates and is entirely online. Any amount earns the highest rate.

Business accounts are available through MutualOne Bank. A checking account, savings account, money market account, and CDs are available. There are two different checking accounts. One tailored to commercial businesses. To find out more about business accounts, or apply to open one, you must contact a personal banker.

To earn the highest interest rates available, you must keep a certain amount in the accounts. The advantage checking account required $50,000 be in the account to earn the highest rates. To earn the highest MMA rates, $200,000 must be in the account. The online saving account only requires $100 to earn the highest rates. Lower amounts in these accounts earn interest, just not the highest rate.

Some MutualOne accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. There are ways to waive the fees. Keeping a set amount in the account, or between deposit and loan accounts, will waive the fees. The monthly fee amounts are not listed on the website.

Not all MutualOne Bank accounts are available to open online. The online savings account and CDs can be opened online. Checking, money market, and some savings accounts require a personal banker. Business accounts need a personal banker to open.

To earn the highest interest rates on MMAs, you must have $10,00 in one account and $200,000 in the other MMA. The interest rates for balances under those amounts are low. They are competitive with your typical brick and mortar banks. The more money you invest, the higher the rates. However, the rates for lower amounts are not competitive with other online accounts.

Read the full MutualOne Bank review.

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American Express
Savings (Rate as of 11/21/2024)
APY 4.00%
Rate 3.92%
Min to Open $0
Min to Earn APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Min to Avoid Fee $0
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
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EverBank
Savings (Rate as of 11/21/2024)
APY 4.75%
Rate 4.64%
Min to Open $0
Min to Earn APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Min to Avoid Fee $0
Checkbook No
Member FDIC No monthly maintenance fee, $0 to open, easily grow your money
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