Update 7/9/23: 5% now
Update 7/3/22: Rate increased to 3%.
Update 1/2/2021: Rate has been reduced from 3.25% to 2.53%
Offer at a glance
- Interest Rate: 2.53% APY
- Minimum Balance: None
- Maximum Balance: $15,000
- Availability: Nationwide Membership in Western Vista Federal Credit Union is open to anyone through membership in the Community Foundation ($5 donation)
- Direct deposit required: Yes, no minimum specified
- Additional requirements: See below
- Hard/soft pull: Hard pull
- ChexSystems: Unknown
- Credit card funding: Unknown
- Monthly fees: None
- Insured: NCUA
The Offer
- Western Vista offers the panorama checking account, this account offers 3% APY on balances up to $15,000 when the following requirements are met:
- eStatements
- Make at least 10 debit card transactions of $5 each
- Set up direct deposit
The Fine Print
- Each qualification cycle will begin on the last business day of the preceding monthly statement cycle, and end on the second business day that immediately precedes the end of the current month’s statement cycle (“qualification cycle”).
- All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them
Avoiding Fees
This account has no monthly fees to worry about
Our Verdict
This account is definitely competitive with other rewards checking accounts especially with other places reducing rates recently, but the hard pull kills the deal for most people.
The rate is now 5% on up to $15K.
They finally raised the rate a little bit. It is 3.5% now.
Targeted email offer:
Make 10 or more qualifying purchases with your Western Vista CU Debit Card between February 1 and February 28, 2023 and choose your favorite $5 Reward.
Use your debit card online, in-app and in person.
Qualifying purchases include debit purchases that post and settle to the checking account between February 1 – February 28, 2023, including online purchases, phone or mail-order purchases. Purchase refunds/reversals, ATM transactions and bill payments do not qualify. Offer valid only for card in name of addressee. Transactions on separate cards tied to a single checking account will not be combined.
Nice. Maybe it will eventually go back to the initial 3.25%. I have still been using the account. Have you?
Stopped using it at 2.5%. I opened it May 2020, it was 4% that May but dropped to 3.25% June. For RCA’s doing ETFCU $20K at 3.3%, UnionSquare $25K at 3.5%, Elements $20K at 4% (1st year only).
WVista emailed me an offer yesterday: $5 GC from Apple, Amazon or Barnes & Noble for 10 debits in July, no min amount stated so I am doing that.
Rewards for debits must be a July thing : Got email yesterday from Elements: $10 dividend for $500-$750 of debits, $20 if do >$750 of debits in July.
I signed up in November of 2020 and the rate was 3.25% at that time. The post doesn’t mention the 4% rate and I must have forgotten that it was that high. Hopefully it will go back to 4% but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I’d recommend you sign up for LCMU also as it’s very easy to meet the requirements.
My Elements offer is $10 for 5 debit purchases. I wouldn’t mind that offer every month.
Wish I hadn’t closed my LMCU 2 years ago; costs a hard pull to reopen.
Been using $5 venmo transfers to meet a monthly bank debit card requirment and have been getting interest monthly. My last month did not pay and venmo is now showing as “withdraw” instead of “pos” on my bank statment. What would cause this? What do others use to meet their monthly debit req?
Didnt get my interest in May. I think they may be restricitng Venmo now from triggering the debit requirment.
I used to do the DD $1 every month to satisfy. Now my new employer is restricting the # of times a paycheck can be split up….
So question, does ACH credit from another bank count as DD requirements to get the APY?
Yes, ACH credit from another bank counts as DD
Thanks!
It worked for me this month as a DD from my bank, instead of payroll.
Which bank did you use to trigger the DD?
Are you still getting interest? I do >$5 venmo ands $1 DD from ally, my interest didnt post for May.
Did you ask them why you didn’t earn the interest?
$5000 credit card charge approved on my Discover card. Visa not accepted. Tried to use Paypal Key Mastercard with my CSR but that didn’t work. There was some talk about being able to do credit card funding more often for a $10 charge but I didn’t quite understand.
Requirements are waived the first month. Hard pull on Experian. Free notary stamps with Idaho Central Credit Union and only took me about 10 minutes when I went into a branch. Not entirely sure when or if the $5 fee will be charged.
Which bank(s) have you used so far to trigger the DD?
ETFCU works. I think pretty much any would work
Thanks. The reason I asked is I’ve been using Chase to trigger it but I’ll probably close that account soon. Have you tried anything else besides Evansville?
No I don’t think so. I haven’t had much money in there since the summer
It looks like the rate was lowered to 2.53%. It oddly still shows 3.25% on the left but the current rate is clearly 2.53% on the right. What a shame that I only got 1.5 months of the high rate.
https://www.wvista.com/banking/checking/
Your local CU has a better rate than 2.53%?
Yeah, they seem to be dropping like flies. So are you going to keep WV for now?
Is this CD available nationwide?
Did you mean to write “every” instead of “very”? If so, why do you plan to send the DD every other month?
@Eric Yes, meant “every” instead of “very” (I can’t blame Siri, I’m not on an Iphone). An every other month DD is enough activity to look alive;; just trying to avoid inactive account fee and the bother of reading each bank’s rule for what they deem an ‘inactive’ account. A DD twice a year is probably enough activity too.
The CD is from 2019, was nationwide then, Pennsylvania State Employees CU (hard pull to become a member +$10 charitable donation).
I have an account with PSECU (I didn’t when you 1st wrote this exactly a year ago coincidentally). Hopefully they’ll have CD promos in the future.
BTW, they have a good credit card offer if you are unaware.
Are you still using your WV account?
Just wanted to report everything went fine and interest was deposited 12-31. Thanks Johnz for taking the time to answer questions and for all your help. Happy New Year!
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Are you still getting interest? I do >$5 venmo ands $1 DD from ally, my interest didnt post for May.