HOPE Credit Union review 2025: Showstopping checking account APY, but only in these 5 states
HOPE Credit Union
HOPE Credit Union
| Checking accounts | Starting at $0 per month |
| Savings accounts | Open with as little as $15 |
| CD rates | Earn up to 3.74% annual percentage yield (APY) |
| Money market | Open with as little as $1,000 |
Savings accounts
HOPE Credit Union offers two types of “share accounts” (the traditional credit union lingo for a savings account): A standard savings account and a “Holiday Club” account.
HOPE share accounts offer an APY of 0.25% as long as you’ve got a balance of at least $100. But again, by opening both a HOPE Rewards Checking and a savings account, you can qualify for what’s called a HOPE Rewards Saving Plus account—which earns up to 1.51% APY.
Still, no matter which savings account you open, it’s not competitive when pitted against many of the best high-yield savings accounts. If you want to maximize the interest you earn on your savings, you’ll want to keep those funds elsewhere.
HOPE also offers a special nonprofit bonus rate savings account which is exclusively for nonprofit organizations.
Savings account features
- Minimum opening deposit: $15
- Minimum balance: $15
- Monthly fees: $0
- Top APY: 0.25%
- Minimum balance to earn interest: $100
- Transaction limitations: 3 teller and 3 ATM transactions per month
Holiday Club account features
- Minimum opening deposit: $10
- Minimum balance: $0
- Monthly fees: $0
- Top APY: N/A
- Transaction limitations: Funds are dispersed on October 31 each year ($10 fee for early withdrawals)
Money market accounts
A money market account is essentially like a savings account with checking account features. It allows you to spend money directly from your account instead of first transferring it to a checking account. HOPE Credit Union’s MMA allows you to spend with both paper checks and electronic transactions. You won’t get an ATM card, however.
Its MMA earns an unimpressive rate on balances under $100,000. And while it earns an exponentially higher rate for accounts with $100,000 or more, it’s still not as high as you can find with many of the best money market accounts.
Share certificates
Like most credit unions, HOPE Credit Union calls its CDs “share certificates.” It offers standard, jumbo and IRA CDs.
For the most part, its standard and IRA CDs don’t offer competitive rates. But if you can swing a jumbo CD (which requires a whopping $95,000 deposit), rates become very competitive.
You can also select a “Transformational CD,” which comes with a meager 0.25%-0.35% APY. It’s meant to help struggling communities access the funds they need. In other words, you’re accepting a lower return for a good deed.
As you’d expect, there are early withdrawal penalties if you access your funds before the end of your CD term. However, HOPE does not reveal the penalty you’ll pay until you cancel. This is an extremely customer-unfriendly policy that may make the financial institution a nonstarter despite a collection of competitive return rates.
Standard CDs
| Term length | APY |
|---|---|
| 6 months | 0.75% |
| 12 months | 2.78% |
| 24 months | 2.11% |
| 36 months | 2.10% |
| 60 months | 2.22% |
| 6 months | |
|---|---|
| APY | 0.75% |
| 12 months | |
| APY | 2.78% |
| 24 months | |
| APY | 2.11% |
| 36 months | |
| APY | 2.10% |
| 60 months | |
| APY | 2.22% |
Credit union details checked Nov. 20, 2025.
Jumbo CDs
| Term length | APY |
|---|---|
| 6 months | 0.75% |
| 12 months | 3.64% |
| 24 months | 3.54% |
| 36 months | 3.53% |
| 60 months | 3.74% |
| 6 months | |
|---|---|
| APY | 0.75% |
| 12 months | |
| APY | 3.64% |
| 24 months | |
| APY | 3.54% |
| 36 months | |
| APY | 3.53% |
| 60 months | |
| APY | 3.74% |
Credit union details checked Nov. 20, 2025.
IRA CDs
| Term length | APY |
|---|---|
| 18 months | 2.11% |
| 60 months | 2.22% |
| 18 months | |
|---|---|
| APY | 2.11% |
| 60 months | |
| APY | 2.22% |
Credit union details checked Nov. 20, 2025.
Other services HOPE Credit Union offers
- Individual retirement accounts (IRAs): You can open either a traditional or Roth IRA with a $25 minimum deposit.
- Small business banking: If you have a small business, HOPE Credit Union offers business checking and lending accounts.
- Personal loans: HOPE Credit Union offers several personal loans, including short-term loans, credit builder loans, and loans secured by a share certificate.
- Auto loans: You can apply to finance your next car at HOPE Credit Union at a competitive rate.
- Mortgages: In addition to traditional mortgages, HOPE Credit Union also has loans specifically meant for low- or moderate-income families.
- Home equity loans: HOPE Credit Union offers the option to borrow against the equity of your home.
- Credit cards: Three credit cards are available, including a rewards card and a secured card.
- Insurance: HOPE Credit Union offers insurance for your life, vehicle, and home.
Online banking
HOPE Credit Union comes with most of the features you’d expect from an online banking platform. From remote deposit to transferring funds to paying your bills, the standard bases are covered. HOPE also offers a mobile app for both Apple and Android.
The HOPE Credit Union platform and customer support
You can reach HOPE Credit Union via phone at 866-321-4673 or by sending an email via the website’s Contact page. HOPE’s automated phone system is available 24/7 and you can reach live representatives Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time.
HOPE has branches across Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Is HOPE Credit Union secure?
HOPE Credit Union is as secure as you can expect from a financial institution. Your funds are protected by National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) insurance up to $250,000 per account type, per depositor. In other words, if the credit union fails, your funds will be returned to you up to the limit.
HOPE offers fraud alerts and implements multi-factor authentication to keep your account safe, making it more difficult for hackers to access your information.
HOPE Credit Union user reviews
The customer most likely to write an online review is the one with a negative experience. For this reason, online reviews of financial institutions tend to be poor.
With that in mind, HOPE Credit Union tends to get mixed reviews from the online community. For example, Reddit users comment positively on the high APYs available for certain deposit accounts, while others disparage the institution for what they think is overall incompetence and a poor response to fraudulent activity.
It’s also worth mentioning that, while HOPE Credit Union isn’t accredited with the Better Business Bureau, it receives an F grade due to 11 complaints being filed—all of which the credit union failed to respond to.
Compare HOPE Credit Union to alternatives
Those seeking high-yield deposit accounts that are available with less geographic restriction may wish to consider Alliant Credit Union or Discover Bank.