Although access to debit cards, credit cards, and online shopping platforms make life a little simpler, accurate money management has become much more complicated. Multiple accounts and payment dates can prove confusing. Carving time out of your busy schedule to get to Peach State’s branches will likely not get any easier. Rather than allow your money management strategy to falter, embrace our modern-day solutions to stay on the road to financial success.
Money Management Tools For Every Lifestyle
It’s important to understand that people at different stages of their lives have unique money management needs. On-campus college students and career-minded individuals may not have access to their credit union lobby on a weekly basis. And busy families are often juggling other priorities and don't have the time to sit down to balance checkbooks or wait in line to make deposits. If you want to streamline your money management strategy, consider the following.
1: Online/Mobile Banking
It's not surprising for someone to end up paying overdraft charges and late fees because they lose track of spending. Writing a check while out shopping and forgetting to enter it into a ledger can create a domino effect. One unaccounted-for check leads to utility and loan payments bouncing.
But online and mobile banking1 allow busy family members to stay on top of their finances. With easy access to account balances, check images, tax forms, customizable alerts, and the ability to transfer funds and pay bills, your busy lifestyle doesn’t have to change. Whether you are at home on your laptop or using your smartphone managing your money is easy.
2: Mobile Wallet
The number of people who use smartphones in America is expected to exceed 300 million by the end of 2022. Today's tech-savvy young adults remain a driving reason for the increase. With smartphone usage increasing and the use of actual cash decreasing, it makes sense to simplify your life by adding your debit and credit cards to your smartphone’s mobile wallet.
Utilizing Peach State’s mobile wallet1 can reduce the clutter you have to carry when out shopping and save you time. With no need for a physical wallet and no need to open an app, buying what you need couldn’t be simpler.
If safety is your concern, rest assured that your card information isn’t stored on your device. The store never sees your card number, so hackers don’t either! With additional layers of security in place, have confidence that using Peach State’s mobile wallet is fast, easy, and secure.
3: Mobile Check Deposit
Not every company offers direct deposit and busy families often find adhering to drive-thru and lobby hours inconvenient. And college students with off-campus jobs may face a significant commute. Peach State is taking the driving and wait times out of life by offering Mobile Check Deposit. Simply download the “Peach State FCU Mobile” app and take a photo of the front and endorsed back of the check. Depositing checks couldn’t get any easier.
4: Shared Branching Network
College students living on campus away from home tend to experience money management challenges. Unable to visit their local branch, some transactions are put on hold until semester breaks. In an effort to simplify money management when you're away from home, shared branching network credit unions extend their hospitality. If you're at school or traveling, you can make transactions at one of the 5,600 credit unions in the network. It's easy to find a CO-OP shared branch location when you're far from home.
5: Overdraft Protection
The last thing you need is a hefty overdraft charge adding to the high cost of groceries, gasoline, and other costly essentials. Yet, most people will make a money management misstep that results in unwelcome fees. By signing up for Overdraft Protection, money will be automatically moved from your savings account to your checking account to cover the difference, preventing you from bouncing a check.2
6: Direct Deposit
Setting up a Direct Deposit for your recurring paycheck or social security check saves you time and money. With Direct Deposit, you can have any recurring check deposited directly into your Peach State checking or savings account. Although we'll miss saying hello, it’s no longer necessary to drive to our branches to make that deposit. Busy families must prioritize their time around work, making dinner, children’s homework, and getting them to extracurricular activities. Depositing your check should be the last thing on your mind.
7: eStatements
Receiving a monthly statement was once an opportunity to reconcile accounts. These days, it exposes people to identity theft. The information contained in a snail mail statement are pieces to a larger puzzle that identity theft criminals use to steal money and leverage credit cards.
By contrast, digitally secure eStatements can only be accessed by the person who knows the login credentials, and passwords, and passes all security measures. Opting out of paper statements reduces the impact on the environment, protects your privacy, and allows you to review your statements faster.
8: Bill Pay
Losing track of monthly bill due dates ranks among the primary reasons people make late payments and damage their credit scores. With the credit card, utility, tax, and other bills the average American receives, it’s not hard to miss a deadline, get a late fee, and see your credit score take a hit.
Online Bill Pay simplifies money management because it organizes payment dates and allows you to set up recurring payments and reminders. This convenient service is a must when you're trying to simplify your money management strategy. And, when you opt-in for eStatements at Peach State, your Bill Pay service is free!
Peach State’s Money Management Tools Can Help
Working families, college students, and individuals focused on their careers rely on money management tools to simplify their lives. At Peach State, we want to see our members succeed! Whether you prefer our online tools such as Online or Mobile Banking, or our other convenient money management tools, Peach State has you covered.
1 We do not charge a fee for these services. Depending on your service plan, standard text messaging and data rates may apply. Based on your wireless plan and mobile carrier's offering, additional message data charges and foreign transaction fees may apply.
2 “ACTUAL BALANCES AND AVAILABLE BALANCES” – As explained in the Membership and Account Agreement there are many circumstances that will affect your access to the funds in your account(s). Many of these transactions are beyond the Credit Union’s control as they are requirements of the payment networks that your transactions are processed through via the merchants with whom you choose to do business. Also, we may place holds on various deposits as explained in the Section in this Agreement on Funds Availability. Thus, your account records may show an “Actual Balance” and an “Available Balance.” The Actual Balance is the total amount of funds in your account(s). The Available Balance is the amount available for additional transactions (withdrawals, write checks, debit transactions, online banking or other authorized transactions). If you exceed the Available Balance (even though the Actual Balance may be greater), you may overdraw your account as new or additional transactions cannot be processed until funds are available for transactions. This may result in Insufficient Funds Transactions, Returned Items, and Fees including Overdraft Service because of exceeding your Available Balance. You can view your Actual and Available Balances via Online Banking, Mobile Banking, visiting a branch, etc. For additional details, please refer to your membership and account agreement.
