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American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin Review: A Solid APY for a Very Minimal Deposit

Review Updated
Ashley Maready
Nathan Alderman
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. APY = Annual Percentage Yield.

A good money market account can be worth its weight in gold -- these accounts generally offer easy money access and a high APY. A good option might be the American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin, which is offered through the Raisin platform in partnership with the credit union. Our American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin review breaks down the details and can help you decide whether it's the right account for you and your money.

Ratings Methodology
Rates as of Apr 05, 2025

American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin

Federally insured by NCUA.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Monthly Fee
$0
Min. Balance
$1
Limited-time offer
$250 bonus for new customers with a minimum deposit of $25,000 with promo code GET250.
APY
4.30%
Min. To Earn APY
$1
  • High APY
  • No account fees
  • Unlimited deposits and withdrawals
  • NCUA insured
  • Deposits and withdrawals can only be conducted via ACH transfer between a single external bank account and a Raisin Cash Account.
  • No checking accounts offered through Raisin
  • Limited customer service hours
  • Cannot link Raisin accounts to third-party apps (e.g. personal budgeting apps)
  • No branch access; online only

American First Credit Union is a Southern California-based credit union that offers NCUA-insured deposit accounts. The American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin could be a great choice if you're looking for a high APY savings product. It offers a much higher APY than you'd get when opening an account directly through the credit union, plus you get access to Raisin's savings marketplace and easy account management.

Full American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin review

American First Credit Union is based in California and has more than 70 years of history serving its community. Now it's partnered with financial company Raisin to offer a money market account with an exceptionally high APY. If you instead opt to open a money market account directly with American First Credit Union, you won't get the high APY. Going through Raisin gives you the chance to take advantage of some decent perks.

Top perks

High APY: The 4.30% APY on this money market account is very generous indeed, and in fact beats out the best money market accounts out there.

Only need $1 to open the account: Some of our favorite money market accounts have opening balance requirements as high as $2,500. This isn't the case for the American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin, as you can get started with just $1.

Monthly dividend payments: The money you earn on your account is paid out monthly, on the last calendar day of the month.

NCUA insurance: You've likely heard of FDIC insurance for bank accounts; NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) insurance serves the same purpose. Up to $250,000 of your money in this money market account is protected in case of credit union failure.

No withdrawal limits: Accounts through Raisin aren't subject to the old withdrawal limits once enforced under Regulation D. This means you can take money out of the account anytime you want.

What could be improved

Account is online only: If you rely on in-person banking, this money market account won't be a fit for you. Raisin is an online-only banking platform.

Raisin only allows you to link one bank account: While it might be convenient to have your American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin linked to both your existing checking and savings account, you can't connect more than one account to Raisin.

You can't link your account to financial apps: Another downside of bank accounts offered by Raisin is that there's no way to add them to budgeting apps and other money-management tools.

How to access your money

You have to work through Raisin's system to add funds or remove them from your American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin.

Deposit options

You can link one existing account (could be a checking account, savings account, or even a brokerage account) to Raisin, and it can be used to deposit money into any accounts you open with the platform. Once you set this up, you can request that money be deposited into an account held with Raisin, and your money is sent via ACH transfer. It takes one to three days to fund your account.

Withdrawal options

To withdraw from your American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin, yes, that's right -- you go through Raisin. Again, money is transferred via ACH to that same single linked bank account you used to initially fund the account. It takes one to three days to take money out, too.

Compare savings rates

Make sure you're getting the best account for you by comparing savings rates and promotions. Here are some of our favorite high-yield savings accounts to consider.

Account APY Promotion Next Steps
up to 3.80%²
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. You can earn the maximum APY by having Direct Deposit (no minimum amount required) or by making $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits every 30 days. See SoFi Checking and Savings rate sheet at: https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.
Min. to earn: $0
New customers can earn up to a $300 bonus with qualifying direct deposits!¹
4.10% APY for balances of $5,000 or more
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. 4.10% APY for balances of $5,000 or more; otherwise, 0.25% APY
Min. to earn: $100 to open account, $5,000+ for max APY
Earn a bonus of at least $225 after a one-time deposit of $25,000+. Circle with letter I in it. Transfer a one-time deposit of $25,000-$49,999.99 for a bonus of $225. Transfer a one-time deposit of $50,000+ for a bonus of $300. Account must be opened with code PS2025 while this promotion lasts, and funded within 30 days. Bonus will be fulfilled within 60 days from the funding date. There is no period of time where the customer will be required to maintain the funds. Account must be open when bonus is credited. One bonus per account and primary customer. Bonus will be credited into the Platinum Savings Account that fulfills the funding requirement. Funding can be deposited all at once or incrementally.
3.70%
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. 3.70% annual percentage yield as of April 5, 2025. Terms apply.
Min. to earn: $0
N/A
Open Account for American Express® High Yield Savings

On American Express's Secure Website.

Disclaimers



SoFi disclosure:

¹ New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/26. See full bonus and annual percentage yield (APY) terms at sofi.com/banking#1.

² SoFi members who enroll in SoFi Plus with Direct Deposit or by paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee every 30 days or with $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either SoFi Plus or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Only SoFi Plus members are eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. See the SoFi Plus Terms and Conditions at https://www.sofi.com/terms-of-use/#plus.

³ We do not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. We do charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Our fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Checking & Savings Fee Sheet for details at sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/.

⁴ SoFi Bank is a member FDIC and does not provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per depositor per legal category of account ownership, as described in the FDIC’s regulations.

Any additional FDIC insurance is provided by the SoFi Insured Deposit Program. Deposits may be insured up to $3M through participation in the program. See full terms at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms. See list of participating banks at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks.

We’ve partnered with Allpoint to provide you with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs within the Allpoint network. You will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third-party fees incurred when using out-of-network ATMs are not subject to reimbursement. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.

Early access to direct deposit funds is based on the timing in which we receive notice of impending payment from the Federal Reserve, which is typically up to two days before the scheduled payment date, but may vary.

Overdraft Coverage is limited to $50 on debit card purchases only and is an account benefit available to customers with direct deposits of $1,000 or more during the current 30-day Evaluation Period as determined by SoFi Bank, N.A. The 30-Day Evaluation Period refers to the “Start Date” and “End Date” set forth on the APY Details page of your account, which comprises a period of 30 calendar days (the“30-Day Evaluation Period”). You can access the APY Details page at any time by logging into your SoFi account on the SoFi mobile app or SoFi website and selecting either (i) Banking > Savings > Current APY or (ii) Banking > Checking > Current APY. Members with a prior history of non-repayment of negative balances are ineligible for Overdraft Coverage.

This money market account is right for you if:

The American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin could be right for you if you want to earn a high APY on your money, are a fan of online banking, and don't mind routing both deposits and withdrawals through a single linked bank account. If you prefer in-person banking and want the option to directly fund a money market account via multiple other accounts, keep looking.

Our money market account methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we evaluate money market accounts based on four main criteria: annual percentage yield (APY), brand and reputation, fees and minimum balance requirements, and perks.

Our scores are weighted as:

  • APY: 40%
  • Brand and Reputation: 20%
  • Fees and Minimums: 10%
  • Perks: 30%

Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates bank accounts.

FAQs

  • Raisin isn't a bank at all -- it's a financial services platform that partners with banks and credit unions to offer banking products. It only works with financial institutions that are FDIC and NCUA insured, however, so you know your money is safe.

  • Yes, you'll be able to keep track of your American First Credit Union Money Market Deposit Account from Raisin via Raisin's mobile app, which is available for both iOS and Android.

  • Money market accounts offer higher yields than standard savings and also often offer features like check-writing abilities or debit cards. This account offered through Raisin functions a little differently, but a money market account can be a great way to manage some of your money.