Overdrafts – You understand that we may, at our discretion, honor withdrawal requests that overdraw your account. However, the fact that we may honor withdrawal requests that overdraw the account balance does not obligate us to do so later. So you can NOT rely on us to pay overdrafts on your account regardless of how frequently or under what circumstances we have paid overdrafts on your account in the past. We can change our practice of paying, or not paying, discretionary overdrafts on your account without notice to you. You can ask us if we have other account services that might be available to you where we commit to paying overdrafts under certain circumstances, such as an overdraft protection line-of-credit or a plan to sweep funds from another account you have with us. You agree that we may charge fees for overdrafts. For consumer accounts, we will not charge fees for overdrafts caused by ATM withdrawals or one-time (sometimes referred to as “everyday”) debit card transactions if you have not opted-in to that service. We may use subsequent deposits, including direct deposits of social security or other government benefits, to cover such overdrafts and overdraft fees.
Nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees – If an item drafted by you (such as a check) or a transaction you set up (such as a preauthorized transfer) is presented for payment in an amount that is more than the amount of money available in your account, and we decide not to pay the item or transaction, you agree that we can charge you an NSF fee for returning the payment. Be aware that such an item or payment may be presented multiple times by the merchant or other payee until it is paid, and that we do not monitor or control the number of times a transaction is presented for payment. You agree that we may charge you an NSF fee each time a payment is presented if the amount of money available in your account is not sufficient to cover the payment, regardless of the number of times the payment is presented. See Understanding Your Account Consumer Disclosure 2023.07.17 for additional details.
Checking
Members, Login to digital banking and start your new checking account today!
Apply for Checking AccountAlready have Checking and want a gift fund account or other special savings account? Start a “Member Named Share” to save for future projects or bills in a separate fund.
Not a Member?
You can submit your application for membership, share savings & checking account here.
Apply for Checking Account & MembershipClassic Checking
Because sometimes simple is the best answer.
- No minimum balance
- No monthly fee
- Low-cost duplicate checks for easy balancing
- VISA® Debit card
- Draft path* protection from your savings or sub-accounts (set up in branch or within digital banking)
- **Overdraft Protection Program for checks, ACH, and Visa Debit transactions (must opt-in)
- Free Online Banking and Bill Payment
- Free unlimited use of ASCU ATM’s
- Surcharge Free AllPoint ATM Network access
*A “draft path” may protect your account from overdraft. Your draft path can be set up when you open your account at a branch or you may set it up within online banking. When a draft path is set up, if you do not have sufficient funds in the account you are trying to draw from, we will attempt to cover your transaction by pulling available funds from other accounts you have chosen.
**Overdraft protection is a method by which your transactions could be covered up to a certain dollar amount. See account disclosures for additional details. Fees may apply.
Apply for Checking Account & MembershipPrestige Checking
For astute money managers, try Prestige Checking! With a minimum daily balance of $2,000.00, there is no monthly fee.* Prestige Checking entitles you to:
- FREE standard Credit Union checks
- VISA® Debit card
- Draft path** protection from your savings or sub-accounts (set up in branch or within digital banking)
- ***Overdraft Protection Program for checks, ACH, and Visa Debit transactions
- Free Online Banking and Bill Payment
- Free unlimited use of ASCU ATM’s
- Surcharge Free AllPoint ATM Network access
*Note: If your balance falls below $2,000.00 on any one day during the month, a $10 monthly fee will be applied to your account. Each day the balance falls below $2,000.00, the account will not earn a dividend.
**A “draft path” may protect your account from overdraft. Your draft path can be set up when you open your account at a branch or you may set it up within digital banking (online or mobile app). When a draft path is set up, if you do not have sufficient funds in the account you are trying to draw from, we will attempt to cover your transaction by pulling available funds from other accounts you have chosen.
***Overdraft protection is a method by which your transactions could be covered up to a certain dollar amount. See account disclosures for additional details. Fees may apply.
Apply for Checking Account & MembershipRound Up Savings
Now available at ASCU! From your checking account, you can choose to round up each debit card transaction to the nearest dollar or another amount of your choosing and have it automatically transferred to your share savings account. Members, to get started, click the Chat icon at the bottom of this page.
Stash & Cash – Exclusively for Teens
Our Stash & Cash exclusive teen duo comes complete with a share savings account and checking account with a debit card for purchasing power. Teens 13-17 are invited to open a Stash & Cash account and download our award-winning mobile app to easily manage their funds on the go. Using the app they can transfer money between their two accounts, deposit checks, review transactions and balances, and take advantage of our money management videos and workshops. Throw away the piggy bank and give your teen a real money experience.
*Due to federal and state regulations, this account is not eligible for overdraft protection. However, a draft path from another account can be established when the account is set up or through the banking app.
Apply for Membership
Not a member of ASCU? You can apply for membership and a checking account online!
For membership and eligibility details, go to: Eligibility – American Southwest Credit Union (ascu.org)
Select “New Member Account.” Add “Share Savings” (required for membership) and “Checking” once the application is open.
Apply Now for Membership & Checking AccountMoney Management Video Series
Access our financial education video series. Great for adults and teens who want to test their knowledge about money management.
Click Here to explore “It’s A Money Thing” video series.
Build A Budget
Click here for our worksheet that calculates for you.
Bank Online from Home or your Smart Phone
Easily bank online from home. Click on the red login button from the top right of this screen.
Want to use your smart phone instead? Download our App!
Fees & Charges
Fee Schedule Effective February 1, 2023
What You Need to Know about Overdrafts and Overdraft Fees
An overdraft occurs when you do not have enough money available in your account to cover a transaction, but we pay it anyway.
Your account may have two different balances: the “actual” balance and the “available” balance. We use your available balance when determining whether a transaction will cause your account to overdraw and incur any fees. An example of this is: Your account has a beginning balance of $200.00. You use a pay-at-the-pump machine to purchase gas. The gas station places a $100.00 hold on your account. Your “actual” balance is still $200.00, but your “available” balance is now $100.00 until that hold is released (regardless of how much you actually purchase in gas).
We can cover your overdrafts in two different ways:
- We offer overdraft protection plans, such as a link to a savings account (draft path*) or Line of Credit, which may be less expensive than our standard overdraft practices. To learn more, ask us about these plans.
- We have standard overdraft practices that come with your account.
This notice explains our standard overdraft practices.
What are the standard overdraft practices that come with my account?
We do authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions:
- Checks and other transactions made using your checking account number
- Automatic bill payments
*Once your draft path has been depleted, only checks you have written, recurring debit transactions, and ACH items will overdraft your checking up to the overdraft tolerance amount. * (tolerances are $400.00 for classic checking, $700 for prestige checking and include any fees charged)
We do not authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions unless you ask us to (see below):
- ATM transactions
- Everyday debit card transactions
- We pay overdrafts at our discretion, which means we do not guarantee we will always authorize and pay any type of transaction
If we do not authorize and pay an overdraft, your transaction will be declined.
What fees will I be charged if ASCU pays my overdraft?
Under our standard overdraft practices
- We will charge you a fee of up to $28 each time we pay an overdraft.
- If your account remains negative for more than 30 days, the account will be considered “not in good standing” and may be closed.
Overdraft Payment Fee Schedule
- $0.01 to $30.00 – No Charge
- $30.01 to $100.00 – $25.00
- $100.01 and over – $28.00
What if I want ASCU to authorize and pay overdrafts on my ATM and everyday debit card transactions?
If you also want us to authorize and pay overdrafts on ATM and everyday debit card transactions, you may opt-in through Online Banking. Once you have opted-in, you may opt-out using any of the above-listed methods.
Need to organize your money for better financial management?
Set up Savings Sub-Accounts at ASCU
In addition to your checking account, sub-savings accounts are extensions of your savings account that allow you to easily set aside money for specific long-term purposes. Be prepared for upcoming expenses by setting up automatic transfers into your sub-accounts so they grow over time. You can set up as many sub-accounts as you need, name them according to your savings goal, and watch your money grow. When that bill comes due, simply transfer the money from that sub-account to your checking account and pay the bill.
Set up sub-accounts for “Vacation Savings”, “Car Repairs”, “Property Taxes”, “Home Repairs”, “Income Taxes”, “Insurance Premiums”, and much more.
Get the most out of your Spending and Savings Accounts with ASCU Savings Sub-Accounts. Just come into a branch and ask us to set them up.
No time to come in to the branch? Just chat with us and we’ll set them up. Login to online banking and click the chat icon to get started.
Bank Anytime Online! You’ll have full access to your accounts for easy online transactions. You’ll be amazed what you can do in the comfort of your home or office!
Remote Deposit- Deposit checks from anywhere using your smart phone!
- Enroll for Remote Deposits when you set up your account
- Download our free, award-winning app onto your smart phone
- Snap a photo of the front and back of your endorsed check. It’s fast and secure
Other Digital Banking Features:
- View all of your account balances, including checking, savings, and loan balances
- Pay bills*
- Make Transfers**
- Review account history up to 30 days
- Schedule payments
- View, edit, or delete pending payments
- View payment history
- Free Check Image Retrieval – Retrieve and print a full-page image of your cleared checks online
- Verify that a particular check has cleared your account
- Verify that deposits were received and credited
- Obtain year-to-date information on dividends paid on savings and interest paid on loans
- Obtain payroll deposit information
- Order checks
- Free E-Statements
- View and set up alerts
**More than one account is required in order to make transfers.
Need access to your account in different locations? We are part of the Co-Op Shared Branch Network.