Vancity Credit Union

I have only been a member here for about three years but I am a big fan of Vancity for their fantastic customer service, both in person at this branch as well as over the phone on thier customer assistance line. I felt a need to write this review after reading some less than positive reviews in which their rants are clearly out of date.
Namely, you are indeed able to send money transfers online now with ease. And, you are able to view your Vancity VISA account information online while logged into your chequing or savings account. Also, if there were any issues with Vancity VISAs call center, I have personally never had any issue.
This branch is conveniently located, friendly and well staffed. Plus the service offered via their call center is outstanding in terms of fulfilling requests instantly (i.e. temporarily increasing daily limit on your debitcard, etc.). I will never go to a Big Bank again.

Worst online credit card service, if for some reason you login with the wrong name or password your account will be locked until you phone them, and at this moment I been waiting for 50min for some one to pick up my call … and counting!

Great service at this branch. It’s not the closest branch to me but I travel out of my way to go here. Honestly even if I lived in Burnaby I would still travel here. Fast rapid service and very knowledgable staff. Best bank in Vancouver for sure

Complete disaster. Incompetence on every level. The visa and the banking call centres are atrocious for wait times. Frequent mistakes on part of the staff and about half of the call center staff speak no intelligible English. Place is a disaster

Vancity has always delivered top-​level service to our business, but their ethical and sustainable value-​based business practices are the icing on the cake! It’s great partnering with a financial institution whose corporate values are similar to ours.
The only thing I’d change is to be able to pay bills at the ATM so I don’t get dinged for teller transactions when paying government bills and remittances, e.g. GST, payroll remittances, etc.

With service like this, I don’t know how the big banks stay in business.
I struggle to think of one bad experience I’ve had with Vancity. The staff are consistently respectful, and will go out of their way to accommodate you and minimize your banking fees.
Banking with Vancity has been a revelation.

Though there’s metered parking in this tight street, there’s underground parking, a decent amount of a dozen spots.
Usually long lineup but the workers here are pro’s, move pretty fast.
Well lit here.

I’m disappointed. A credit union that makes me negotiate my mortgage rate and charges me $ 7 per month for a chequing account. Moving to Coastal Capital when the mortgage term is up.

I have been a client of VanCity since 1988 when in elementary school I won the «Fat Cat Drawing Contest» and was awareded $ 25 and a savings account (Fat Cat was their mascot at the time).
— Call Center agents are empowered to make decisions that at big banks would have to be escalated up multiple lines of Management, argued by the client without much of a chance at success
— Vancity actually suggested that I change to a lower-​cost to me bank account that better fit my needs. Basically they offered me options that made more sense for my needs at less of a cost.
— They are always very polite on the phone
I haven’t gone through a mortgage or loan through Vancity before so I can’t comment on that.
I did have a very bad experience the one time I attempted to use Interac Money Transfer but instead I use Paypal and it is just as convenient and can withdraw funds from your account and put them in someone else’s. Because of my excellent experience in every other aspect with Vancity I don’t hold this against them.
Really I have nothing bad to say about these guys overall. I would never consider switching back to a big bank after experiencing the service at Vancity.

UPDATE:
Vancity just lost their one star for service. I decided to close my account after having to deal with 3 independent organizations (Hyperwallet, Visa, Vancity) to do my online banking. Vancity remains a positive example of corporate conscience.
— — — — –
The #1 reason that I opened an account with Vancity is its contributions to environmental and social programs. It really does have an investment in the community and that’s a refreshing change.
However, the above comes at a cost because its online banking program is horrific. I’m not sure why they chose such angry colours like orange and red (in nature, I’d know to stay away). I also use RBC and while I hate the evil that RBC represents, their system makes my life sooooo much easier. I don’t mind paying the little extra that it does to bank with Vancity; however, Hyperwallet plain sucks. And the fact that I can’t view my Visa account along with my other accounts. well, it sucks.
And so Vancity gets 5 stars for its role in the community but 1 star for making online banking an unpleasant and angering experience for its clients.
I’m not convinced I’ll stick it out for the ride but I’ll keep you updated!

I switched over to Vancity early in 2007 and have been a fan since day one. I do all my banking at the West End Community Branch on Robson and absolutely everyone there has been great to deal with. Not only are they friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely helpful but it really feels like a ‘community’ because the staff actually seems to make a point of getting to know their clients. They always remember who I am and ask about my dog if she’s not with me – and if she is with me she gets absolutely spoiled with pats and biscuits :)
From a purely banking-​related standpoint, Vancity is pretty good. The only reason I’m giving them four stars and not five is that they do not yet offer Interac Email Money Transfer, which I find inconvenient. Vancity instead offers something called HyperWallet, which is more akin to PayPal and kind of a hassle to use.
I have a JumpStart saving account with them and it really IS high interest: The interest compounds monthly (not annually, as with most banks!) and the rate I got with Vancity is at least 3x higher than what I was getting at Bank of Montréal. They have been very helpful and proactive in assisting me with switching over from Bank of Montréal and dealing with things like insurance and RRSPs. You can use any ATM but what I like best is that I can use pretty much any credit union ATM across Canada without being charged additional fees. For example, you can use HSBC ATMs ‘ding free’, and there are lots of them around.
In the end I am paying about 60% less in fees than I was with Bank of Montréal and the service is outstanding. Vancity also gives a lot back to the community and is very socially conscious. I like that they are affiliated with Credential Financial and Ethical Funds as well.
If they do add Interac Money Transfer I’ll be back to add another star. I was hesitant to join a credit union and go off the major banking grid but it’s the best thing I could’ve done. Yay Vancity!

I’ve been with VanCity for 8 years and have always enjoyed the best service at this branch. They were kind enough to open a chequing account with a modest overdraft for me back when I was a poor student with no credit. They helped me build the credit I have today with good advice and open communication.
VanCity’s website is fast, clean and well designed and they have 24 hour customer service over the phone with agents who understand international banking issues and who can provide timely solutions for you when you’re away.
All this AND it’s a local, credit union with a board of directors who try to make socially and environmentally responsible choices for members. My enviro visa card donates money to environmental organizations so I can be bad and good at the same time…

I get my home insurance through this Vancity branch, and it was the best deal I was able to find for insurance. I shopped around, but settled here.
The Insurance Services lady I met with was really thorough in explaining to me the policy and took time to make sure she had all the information she needed to get me the best rates. She was able to offer me payment options (lump sum or monthly automatic payments from my account). She also quickly followed up when it was time to renew the policy.
I’m sticking with this branch for my insurance — best price and great service too!