Navy Federal Credit Union used to allow members of the Navy League of the United states to become members of their credit union. This is significant for two reasons:
- Navy Federal Credit Union has restricted membership to military/veterans (you can view the membership requirements)
- They offer good bonuses on their credit cards (and good rates on CD)
Unfortunately it looks like Navy Federal is no longer accepting Navy League members. Reader Peri shares the following excerpts from a chat representative today:
- Regrettably, I was advised that your application will not be able to be processed as we are no longer accepting Navy League applicants. That department has been removed from our eligibility charter
- I was advised that Navy League applicants were not guaranteed membership, and that it had been a topic under review for quite some time
There are more data points of this on credit boards & myFICO forums as well. All good things come to an end I guess, hopefully those readers that wanted to become members already have.
What about membership in the San Diego Council of the Navy League. I was told that this is the only council that will allow admission into Navy Federal Credit Union. Please advise.
That doesn’t work anymore AFAIK
My father was a veteran, how can I join?
Did he had to be a member?
Thax for any reply.
It’s easier if he joins first, but you can call them (Please call 1-888-842-6328 or visit a branch for further assistance.) to find out how to join without his being a member.
Your qualifying relative does not need to be a member for you to join based on their qualification, you just have to provide some info about the relative. Call NFCU for specifics.
Navy Fed had a sweet 0% interest for 12 months, zero fee credit card balance transfer last month…otherwise I’m nearly 90% vesting in USAA. I haven’t used my NFCU credit card in years, and only have a saving account with them.
bungulo
Sucks for those of you who are now unable to get in, but honestly they’re not that great (had an issue where a teller deposited my $3K in money orders into someone else’s account) and they do a HARD PULL on your credit without telling you first.
They are weird about ACH, too. But the hard pull upon joining is the norm for credit unions IME.
i’m actually eligible through a family member for NFCU, but the HP is a definite drawback. I’d much rather be eligible for USAA, but i’d have to convince my 90 year old gramps to join first, and then my 62 year old mom…
but USAA is sweet…
Navy Federal Credit Union DP:
I joined the San Diego chapter of the Navy League on 4/14, and in the next couple days following, I printed a physical copy of the application form and included the welcome email of the Navy League with my application.
On 05/06, I was accepted into NFCU. I looked on MyFICO boards and noticed that some people who join through this method undergo a membership verification review where their account may be locked and they are locked out of their finances pending review. To avoid this hassle (or to go through it at the beginning and get it over with) I sent a message to NFCU on 05/06.
“I am just confirming that I am eligible to be a member of Navy Federal Credit Union due to my membership in the San Diego Council of the Navy League. I understand that NFCU sometimes puts new members through a membership eligibility verification; I was wondering if it would be possible to investigate my eligibility before I start to develop stronger financial ties to NFCU. I would not want to develop strong ties and then realize that I am in fact ineligible! I have provided documentation of my membership in my mailed-in application that was accepted, and can provide another copy electronically if it is required. I am just wondering how that process works.
Thanks!
XXXXXXXXXX”
I got a response message back on 05/12, just yesterday,
“Navy Federal Response 05/12/2017 : Thank you for using Navy Federal’s eMessaging Service, Mr. XXXXXXX. According to our records, we received your supporting documentation and verified your eligibility for membership on 05/02/2017. No additional documentation will be requested from you to show your eligibility. If you have any questions, please let us know.”
Hopefully it was not me that caused NFCU to review the process of being accepted via membership in the Navy League of San Diego Council! I combed through DPs that said that CSRs told them this was legitimate, and as such I thought that NFCU as a whole considered it legitimate (they do towards me, at least).
D –
It definitely wasn’t you. I joined NFCU via the San Diego Council of the NLUS in 2016. My guess is that so many people were entering this way that NFCU wanted to do away with it.
Wow. How did I not know about this? Ive known about navy fed for many years and always wished i could join but always understood that you MUST have someone with military service in the close family. Now I finally find out now that its over?
You must have missed our first post announcing this method!
You still can join via referral
…if you’re eligible.
All you need is existing member’s membership ID and last name.
That doesn’t make you eligible for membership.
That’s not how any of this works.
Here is a link to Doc:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/navy-federal-credit-union-military-appreciation-month-50-joiningreferring-share-referrals/
They won’t give those of us who joined through Navy League the boot, will they? I’ve been in for almost a year now.
Once joining a credit union you’re generally eligible to remain a member for as long as you have active accounts.
(You’re definitely safe according to the Federal Credit Union Act)
1759 e (2) Retention of membership.— “Except as provided in section 1764 of this title, once a person becomes a member of a credit union in accordance with this subchapter, that person or organization may remain a member of that credit union until the person or organization chooses to withdraw from the membership of the credit union”
Their charter (quoted in the creditboards thread) says that once a member has been approved, a member can only be removed by a two-thirds-majority vote at a membership meeting.
DP:
I joined the San Diego chapter of the Navy League on 4/14, and in the next couple days following, I printed a physical copy of the application form and included the welcome email of the Navy League with my application.
On 05/06, I was accepted into NFCU. I looked on MyFICO boards and noticed that some people who join through this method undergo a membership verification review where their account may be locked and they are locked out of their finances pending review. To avoid this hassle (or to go through it at the beginning and get it over with) I sent a message to NFCU on 05/06.
“I am just confirming that I am eligible to be a member of Navy Federal Credit Union due to my membership in the San Diego Council of the Navy League. I understand that NFCU sometimes puts new members through a membership eligibility verification; I was wondering if it would be possible to investigate my eligibility before I start to develop stronger financial ties to NFCU. I would not want to develop strong ties and then realize that I am in fact ineligible! I have provided documentation of my membership in my mailed-in application that was accepted, and can provide another copy electronically if it is required. I am just wondering how that process works.
Thanks!
XXXXXXXXXX”
I got a response message back on 05/12, just yesterday,
“Navy Federal Response 05/12/2017 :
Thank you for using Navy Federal’s eMessaging Service, Mr. XXXXXXXXX. According to our records, we received your supporting documentation and verified your eligibility for membership on 05/02/2017. No additional documentation will be requested from you to show your eligibility. If you have any questions, please let us know.”
Hopefully it was not me that caused NFCU to review the process of being accepted via membership in the Navy League of San Diego Council! I combed through DPs that said that CSRs told them this was legitimate, and as such I thought that NFCU as a whole considered it legitimate (they do towards me, at least).
You should be OK – NLUS-SD was removed from Navy’s field of membership as of 5/12/2017, 1:30 PM EST. per their CU charter, current members who are no longer within their field of membership will remain members so long as their accounts remain active and in good standing.