Credit unions anyone can join
22 credit unions say on their own sites that almost anyone in the US can join, usually by joining a partner association or charity for between nothing and $25, often paid by the credit union itself. Each one below links to its own eligibility page, checked 2026-10-24, and to its NCUA call-report figures.
| Credit union | How to qualify | Cost | Assets | Members | Net worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentagon Federal Credit Union | Open to anyone; no association needed. Eligibility page | $5 savings deposit | $29.2B | 2,751,004 | 10.7% |
| First Technology Federal Credit Union | Join a partner group such as the Financial Fitness Association, Reach Out for Schools or the Computer History Museum (DCU, now part of First Tech, uses the same groups). Eligibility page | $8 to $15, depending on the group | $27.9B | 1,870,858 | 10.8% |
| Alliant Credit Union | Join the Alliant Credit Union Foundation. Eligibility page | $5, paid by Alliant | $20.0B | 953,370 | 9.2% |
| Wings Credit Union | Donate to the Wings Financial Foundation. Eligibility page | $5 or more | $19.4B | 958,216 | 11.8% |
| Lake Michigan Credit Union | Contribute to the ALS Foundation. Eligibility page | $5 | $17.3B | 536,976 | 11.3% |
| FourLeaf Federal Credit Union | Open to anyone; no association needed. Eligibility page | $5 savings account | $14.4B | 527,355 | 9.1% |
| Patelco Credit Union | Join the Financial Fitness Association. Eligibility page | First year paid by Patelco | $9.8B | 542,150 | 10.5% |
| Kinecta Federal Credit Union | Join the Innovision Society. Eligibility page | Free | $6.8B | 225,848 | 8.7% |
| Service Federal Credit Union | Join the American Consumer Council or the Financial Fitness Association. Eligibility page | Free | $6.7B | 388,968 | 11.9% |
| NASA Federal Credit Union | Join the National Space Society. Eligibility page | Free first year | $5.8B | 238,953 | 10.5% |
| Chevron Federal Credit Union | Join the Financial Fitness Association or another partner group. Eligibility page | $8, paid by Chevron FCU | $5.4B | 139,374 | 12.4% |
| American Heritage Federal Credit Union | Donate to the Kids-N-Hope Foundation. Eligibility page | $5 | $5.4B | 330,603 | 8.5% |
| Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union | Join the Affinity Plus Foundation. Eligibility page | $25 one-time dues | $5.0B | 303,111 | 8.8% |
| Consumers Credit Union | Join the Consumers Cooperative Association. Eligibility page | $5, reimbursed for most new members | $4.6B | 287,338 | 9.0% |
| Technology Credit Union | Join the Financial Fitness Association or another partner group. Eligibility page | Not published | $4.5B | 172,314 | 11.3% |
| Connexus Credit Union | Donate to the Connexus Association. Eligibility page | $5 | $4.1B | 417,271 | 7.4% |
| Penair Credit Union | Join Friends of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. Eligibility page | $1, paid by PenAir | $2.8B | 140,350 | 11.5% |
| Andrews Federal Credit Union | Join the American Consumer Council. Eligibility page | Free | $2.7B | 162,195 | 10.6% |
| Blue Federal Credit Union | Support the Blue Foundation. Eligibility page | $5 of a $10 opening deposit | $2.3B | 144,288 | 8.6% |
| Lafayette Federal Credit Union | Join the Home Ownership Financial Literacy Council. Eligibility page | $10 one-time | $2.1B | 56,729 | 12.4% |
| Quorum Federal Credit Union | Join the American Consumer Council. Eligibility page | Free | $1.4B | 79,668 | 9.8% |
| Ardent Federal Credit Union | Join the American Consumer Council. Eligibility page | Free | $869.3M | 34,369 | 10.1% |
How the "join an association" route works
A credit union can only serve the people in its field of membership. Many add an association or charity to that field, and anyone who joins the association becomes eligible. You tick that option on the application, the association membership costs a few dollars (several credit unions pay it for you), and you open a savings account with the minimum deposit, usually $5.
Close calls we left off
Nuvision Federal Credit Union and State Department Federal Credit Union both say members of the American Consumer Council "may be eligible" without saying what that costs. BECU says applicants may donate to a qualifying association but does not name one. Their pages do not say plainly enough who qualifies, so they are not listed.
Eligibility rules change, and being listed here is not a promise you can join or will be accepted: each credit union applies its own membership and account-opening rules, and its own page decides. Financial figures: NCUA 5300 call reports.