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Gift $100 to your friends & family. Earn up to $500 for you1

Member referrals have helped us grow and pass on more savings with better rates. Thanks to members like you, Patelco is now almost half a million members strong. That’s why for a limited time, we want to reward you even more with our popular Refer a Friend program!

We’ll credit you $50 for each qualified referral up to $500. Make sure to enter your personal referral code when opening the new checking account. This limited time offer ends May 17, 2024.

Here’s how it works

1

Share the Code

Share your personal referral code with your friends and family. We’ve emailed the code to you, or you can contact us to look it up!

2

Give Them Details

They can earn $50 by opening a checking account with a $100 minimum deposit, and an additional $50 when they open a Money Market Plus or Select account.

3

Get $50

When they use your personal referral code to open their checking account, you’ll also receive $50.

Get rewarded for managing your money better

Get Paid Early with Direct Deposit2

Set up Direct Deposit and access your funds up to 2 days early

No Overdraft Fee3

Cover unexpected shortage of funds in your account for up to $500 with Instant BackUp. No credit check needed

Top-rated Mobile App4

Access your accounts on the go

Debit Mastercard® Card

Pay with confidence with Digital Wallets and Zero Liability Protection

Send Money with Ease

Choose from Zelle®Bill Pay, wire transfers and more

30,000+ Fee-Free ATMs

Find one near you on our Mobile App

Bonus: New members can earn an additional $50 by opening a Money Market account
  • No minimum deposit, no monthly fees
  • Insured up to $250,000 by the NCUA ($500,000 for joint owners)
  • Quick and easy money transfers between accounts – without any limits
  • Choose the money market account that’s right for you

Money Market Plus

Earn rates as high as 4.50% APY5 when you make a monthly deposit of $500 or more into your Patelco checking account.

Money Market Select

Earn 2.00% APY6 on balances up to $2,000. No monthly deposit requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

    Patelco is a member owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative. When you open an account at Patelco, you become a member and a shareholder. That’s why we’ll deposit one share ($1) in your Share Savings account when you join.

    Our mission is to help members achieve lifelong financial well-being so you can live happier, fuller lives. Unlike the big banks or other for-profit financial institutions, we invest our profits back in our members with better rates and low- to no fees.

    We also offer free financial coaching to anyone who wants to improve their financial situation. Members have told us that they feel seen, heard, informed, and supported to make more confident financial choices.

    Membership is free. You become a member when you open an account with us. Check out all the benefits of membership.

    Open your account at a Patelco branch, online via Zoom with our Virtual Branch or complete the online application in minutes.

    Remember to enter your referral code to receive the reward credit once you meet the qualifying criteria of $100 initial deposit in your checking account.

    Members will receive an email in early August with their assigned referral code. Or you can contact us for a code lookup.

    If you are not yet a member and were referred to Patelco by a friend or family member, be sure to ask them for their referral code.

    Members who set up direct deposits into their Patelco checking, savings, or money market accounts can get paid up to 2 days early2 — so you can access your funds faster.

    You must enroll in Instant BackUp on your checking account to receive overdraft coverage up to $500. You’ll pay interest only on the amount you borrowed for the amount of time it’s outstanding. Talk to our Patelco team for assistance and learn more here.

    Once you’ve opened your checking account with the qualifying deposit of $100, you’ll be eligible for an additional $50 bonus if you also open a Money Market account.

    We offer a Money Market Plus account that offers rates as high as 4.50% APY5 based on the balance you maintain in your Money Market Plus account. You’ll need to make a minimum monthly deposit of $500 or more into your checking account to qualify for the higher rates. Or you can choose a Money Market Select account that pays 2.00% APY6 on balances up to $2,000. This account is great for those who are starting to save or don’t meet the recurring deposit requirements for the Money Market Plus account.

    There are no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements for either account so you can choose the one that meets your needs.

    You can open your checking account and money market accounts at the same time or open your money market account later via online banking or our Mobile App.

Want to talk to someone?

Make an appointment to visit a Patelco branch near you. Or meet online with our Virtual Branch — where you can drop in or schedule an appointment to meet virtually from the comfort of your home or office.

Schedule appointment Want to talk to someone?

1 Refer a friend using your personal referral code. For you and your friend or family member to qualify for the $50 bonus, they must use the code provided to become a member and open a new checking account (minimum deposit of $100) by May 17, 2024 at any Patelco branch or at patelco.org/refer. The $50 reward will be credited to your savings account within 5 business days of the qualifying new account being opened. Receive an additional $50 reward when you open a Money Market Select or Money Market Plus account. Patelco team members are not eligible to receive the $50 reward credit. If you receive $600 or more in prizes from Patelco throughout the year, we’ll send you an IRS Form 1099.

2 Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the receipt of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

3 You must enroll in Instant BackUp on your checking account to receive overdraft coverage up to $500. You’ll pay interest only on the amount you borrowed for the amount of time it’s outstanding. Talk to our Patelco team for assistance and learn more here. No overdraft fees apply to checking accounts opened after 04/05/23.

4 Source: over 22,000 five-star reviews on the App Store.

5 APY=Annual Percentage Yield. Rates are effective as of 12/01/2023 and are subject to change before or after account opening without notice. Rates vary by tier and apply to the full balance.

The following variable interest rates will apply to your account balance: 4.50% APY on balances of $250,000.00 or greater, 4.00% APY on balances between $100,000.00 and $249,999.99, 3.51% APY on balances between $50,000.00 and $99,999.99, 3.00% APY on balances up to $49,999.99.

In order to attain higher interest rates the account must meet the eligibility requirements, that is a Patelco checking account (opened under the same Member Number) with a total monthly deposit of $500 or more. If the account fails to meet eligibility, the lower interest rate of 0.05% APY will be defaulted. Qualifying deposit transactions include: Payroll direct deposits, Social Security (or other government benefit) direct deposits, ACH transfers, Zelle®, Venmo, PayPal or other similar deposits, cash deposits, check deposits (except checks written from another Patelco account), wire transfers, multiple deposits (of the types listed above) that add up to at least $500 in a calendar month. Qualifying deposit transactions do not include Patelco account-to-Patelco account transfers, chargebacks or promotional incentive payments from Patelco.

For more details, read our Money Market Plus Account Overview.

6 APY=Annual Percentage Yield. Rates are valid as of 12/01/2022 and are subject to change after account opening without notice. Interest is paid at tier rates on balances within each tier. Total interest paid is the sum from each tier. Blended APY shown assumes the amount entered is held in the account for one year. Withdrawing funds before one year will result in a different realized rate. No minimum deposit required to open an account. Limit one Money Market Select account and one Money Market Select IRA account per account number.

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