Intro – USE Credit Union Reviews & Ranking


AdvisoryHQ recently published its list and review of the top credit unions in San Diego, a list that included USE Credit Union.

Below we have highlighted some of the many reasons USE Credit Union was selected as one of the best credit unions in San Diego.

Click here for a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodology: AdvisoryHQ’s Methodology for Selecting Top Banks and Credit Unions.



USE Credit Union Review


Currently, USE Credit Union serves the needs of more than 50,000 members, helping them achieve their personal and financial goals.

Membership at USE is open to members of the California academic community, which includes the staff, faculty, students, and alumni of colleges and universities that are part of the University of California and California State system.

Established in 1936, people who live, work, or worship in Alameda, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara, or Yolo counties are eligible for membership if they’re in any way affiliated with the state education system.



Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This Credit Union as a Best Credit Union in San Diego

Below are the primary reasons USE Credit Union was included in this ranking of the top credit unions in San Diego, CA.

USE Credit Union Review: TurboTax

TurboTax, the country’s leading tax preparation platform, integrates within Online Banking. This particular version of TurboTax monitors spending and finances all year long and logs everything including income and deductions on a continual basis.

Then, members who participate in this online banking program receive free, effortless tax preparation. TurboTax asks the pertinent questions and fills in forms, and then participants can receive their tax returns in as few as eight days, with funds deposited directly into their USE checking account.

You receive all the relevant deductions and credits, there is an automatic transfer of the previous year’s information, you can save your files as a work in progress, and there’s a one-click import feature for W2s and other tax documents.

USE Credit Union ReviewImage Source: USE Credit Union



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USE Credit Union Review: Retirement Options

Members of this leader among San Diego credit unions have the opportunity to set up a variety of retirement accounts. These accounts are tax-deferred and have no annual fee.

Retirement options from USE include:

  • Traditional IRA: This is the most popular individual IRA choice. It features tax-deductible contributions and tax-deferred earnings while your money is growing.
  • Roth IRA: With a Roth IRA you can grow your money tax-free until you retire, and then you receive income without being required to pay taxes on distributions.
  • Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA: This is designed for self-employed members, or business owners with employees. They have the option to make pre-tax contributions to a traditional IRA established for themselves or their employees.


USE Credit Union Review: USE Platinum Rewards MasterCard

A signature offering from USE Credit Union is the Platinum Rewards MasterCard. This credit card offers unlimited points on everyday purchases including groceries, dining out, and gas.

Nearly every use of your card qualifies you to earn points, and they can be redeemed for everything from travel to gift cards and cash back.

Participants can also earn bonus points when they shop the Perks Points Mall, and points can be redeemed on the go with the use of the mobile platform.



USE Credit Union Review: FinanceWorks

Accountholders at this top credit union in San Diego can take advantage of free access to FinanceWorks. Intuit powers FinanceWorks, and it’s a platform designed to simplify financial management.

Users can download their account information from more than 18,000 financial institutions and view all of their financial information in an Online Banking format.

Users get a complete overview of all accounts, they can use budgeting tools, and it provides a dashboard view of spending, bills, and cash flow.

It’s also simple to set spending and financial goals, track and pay bills from one location, and TaxWatch can be used to track deductible expenses all year.


In addition to reviewing the above “USE Credit Union” review, you can click on any of the below links for exclusive reviews of all top rated credit unions in San Diego, California:



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Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.

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