If you’re here, that means there’s a good chance that you know the many advantages credit unions have that banks don’t. To quickly recap, credit unions typically tend to be more focused on actually putting an effort in helping you grow and succeed rather than charging you excessive fees.
Since we’re up against giant, big-budget banks, we tend to get overshadowed and overlooked by the media. There’s also a common misconception that there are strict requirements you need to meet in order to join a credit union. We’re here to tell you, joining a credit union is easy!
You might be wondering what’s the difference between banks and credit unions if you have to go through the same process of joining one? So, let’s first answer the question of what separates us from the big banks.
Credit unions as a concept were created to provide financial solutions and products to people that didn’t or couldn’t meet the bank’s requirements. Slowly but surely, the concept of credit unions began to grow rapidly all over the world. Different types of credit unions were formed that were exclusive to employees of a particular company or a particular town for example. This is why credit unions had membership requirements in the first place.
But like most things in the world, the concept of credit unions evolved with time. In 2021, it’s very safe to say that joining a credit union is open to everyone.
Is it difficult to join a credit union?
Not at all! In fact, Innovation makes it so easy that we can typically boil it down to these three requirements:
- Proof of age
- Proof of residence
- Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- $5
Need a few more details on this? No worries! We’ll elaborate on this quickly for you.
- You must be 18+ years of age to apply online. Send us a proof of your age and we’ll verify it for you. If you’re younger than 18, we can help you over the phone at 1.866.446.7001.
- You need to be a Canadian resident (excluding Quebec).
- You need to provide us with your SIN (Social Insurance Number) to apply online. If you’d rather not provide your SIN, you can apply over the phone with us at 1.866.446.7001.
- There’s a $5 membership cost that not only gives you access to a massive arsenal of member rewards but also earns you voting rights to elect Board member representatives.
That’s pretty much it! If these aspects are verified, you’ll be able to join Innovation in no time. If you’re opening a No-Fee Bank Account with us, you’ll be able to bank online with no monthly fees, no transaction fees, and no minimum balance requirements. Oh yeah, it gets better. You get free & unlimited Interac e-Transfer® too! We did the math. You’ll end up saving as much as $360/year in bank fees.
And that’s the tip of the iceberg.
Once you’re a member, you’ll have access to our finest collection of Visa* credit cards, advisors that are super eager to help you out with any questions that you might have, mortgage cash back offers, loans, investments and more.
And Member Rewards? You bet! We reward you big time for banking with us. You earn cash dividends simply by doing your everyday banking with us. The more you bank, the more you earn.
If you have any questions, please call us at 1.866.446.7001. We’d be absolutely thrilled to hear from you, and we’d be more than happy to help. Just a quick reminder that we have specialists who are mobile all over Saskatchewan ready at a moment’s notice to meet you at YOUR time and convenience.