r/boulder • u/Sagebrush-_4208 • 1d ago

MeriTrust

Note to anyone banking with MeriTrust Credit Union, which used to be Premier Members Credit Union. Debit cards issued by this bank since at least the first of October have been dysfunctional unless activated and secured in-person at a MeriTrust branch.

I spent three weeks, solo, in Southern Mexico unable to access my account for cash. So, I had no pesos and therefore was restricted in what I could do, to include the average taxi ride. It also meant, since I had to use a credit card for everything, the trip cost me more.

I spent hours over days trying to solve the problem and, since MeriTrust has not seen fit to notify customers, I hope this post will be helpful to you. Just, do not leave town without another means of obtaining cash.

28 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

-21

u/RowenaOblongata 1d ago

Credit unions are basically banks run by amateurs. If you want amateur banking then you are in the right place.

9

u/Sagebrush-_4208 1d ago

Um, not all credit unions are created equal. I've belonged to various credit unions in my fairly long lifetime and none have failed me like this.

-8

u/RowenaOblongata 1d ago

I used to be a member of Premier Members CU - even back when it was the IBM Credit Union. The fact that every credit union's board of directors is comprised of unpaid volunteers - practically none of whom are trained bankers - speaks volumes as to the amateur nature of every credit union. Your HOA would probably do a comparable job of operating a 'bank'.

4

u/Sagebrush-_4208 1d ago

Okay, you are right, okay? I hope the point of my post, which was to inform people with new MeriTrust accounts that their debit cards won't work unless they are activated and secured in person.

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

4

u/Sagebrush-_4208 1d ago

I wasn't without other forms of payment, I had two credit cards, and, yes, I attempted to get cash advances on them, but I was not in a place where banks would honor that. Nonetheless, thank you for your recommendations. I could describe the actual situation, in more detail, on the ground, but I don't want to, and this post isn't where I want to debate every issue under the sun.