Altra Federal Credit Union Info + Review

Altra Federal Credit Union is the CU I’ll be focusing on here. We’ll go over important info on them like what you need to be a member, their product offerings, and a lot more. Let’s do this.

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*Routing #: 291881216

*Phone #: 800-755-0055

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A Little History

A lot of CU’s in Wisconsin and everywhere else were started back in the early 1930’s. This one is no exception, since AFCU was state-charted in 1931. Back then, they were a different name.

In 2005, they were renamed Altra Federal Credit Union. This CU follows eight basic guiding principles: voluntary membership, democratic member control, member participation, autonomy & independence, education, training, & information, cooperation among cooperatives, concern for community, and diversity, equity, & inclusion.

Let’s see what it takes for you to be a member there.

Membership Requirements

In order to be a member at this Wisconsin CU, you need to meet a few requirements. Eligibility is determined based on where you live, work, worship, or attend school.

Immediate family can also get you in. That’s parents, kids, siblings, etc.

You will need to be operating in either La Crosse, Wisconsin, Winona, Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, Clarksville & Montgomery County, Tennessee, or Tyler & Smith County, Texas.

There are also specific areas within those cities/counties that will determine eligibility. You should review those here.

Does Altra Federal Credit Union Give Back?

The cornerstone of many credit unions is that they give back to their communities in some way. AFCU is big into that.

They have a few different philanthropic arms. One is volunteering, which gets their employees and senior management out in the field giving back in real time.

They participate in 325+ community events that have totaled over 25,000 hours of service since 2013. Altra Federal Credit Union supports organizations in all four of the states where most of their members are.

In addition to the volunteering, they make financial contributions to a lot of different areas of the community.

Financial Products At Altra Federal Credit Union

So, what can you get at this Wisconsin CU? They have the usual products you would find at a bank or other credit union.

There’s personal things, like checking accounts and credit cards. You can get Altra-customized Visa Gift Cards and regular Visa Gift Cards.

If you need to prepare for retirement, then you can set up different IRAs with them. Making a big purchase? You can get various loan products there and mortgages, too.

There are savings accounts, health savings accounts, and options for your kids to get into saving at Altra Federal Credit Union as well.

The Business Options

AFCU can support your business, so, consider them if you need things like deposit accounts or business lending. Additionally, you will find business services with them, too.

They can supply you with business checking and debit cards. You can even get set up with business HSA accounts, money market/certificates, and business savings accounts.

More Products

I really like that they offer (what feels like) the full spectrum of financial products and services here. They can connect you with financial advisors, accidental death & dismemberment insurance, and other kinds like life or auto.

You never know when you’ll potentially lose an arm like one of these crazy people putting theirs in a shredder (not literally, they’re reaching in to drop things):

Quick PSA: even though industrial shredders are cool and oddly satisfying to watch, never reach into one! That’s insanely dangerous.

Anyway, moving on to their digital offerings, Altra Federal Credit Union is competitive when it comes to technology, too.

Altra Digital Options

You can do mobile banking from your cell phone here, that’s always a plus. They offer various financial education options in case you’re not as saavy as you want to be with it.

There’s also online banking and partnerships with other organizations like Finhabits.

Altra Federal Credit Union – Final Thoughts

If you live in one of the four qualifying areas or have family that can get you in, AFCU can be a solid choice. They offer all the different options you’d find at a bank (and then some).

Their assets are over $1.9 billion as of 2020 (probably $2 billion by now). If you need social proof, they grew membership by 12,800 members to over 116,000 in 2020.

Again, I’m sure they’ve added a similar amount in 2021 so far or will.

Check out Altra Federal Credit Union at https://www.altra.org/ today.

Do you have a review on this credit union? Send it to [email protected] and we’ll add it in!

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*All information in this article was current at the time of this writing, however, it could change without notice. We do our best to keep these updated, however, there is no guarantee you will find the same information on the CU’s website or at the time of opening an account with them.

*This site is not affiliated with the Credit Union mentioned in this article.

Bob Buckley

Bob Buckley writes about food and business.