Frequently Asked Questions
Categories
- FAQs (68)
- About (3)
- Automated Clearing House (ACH) (2)
- Credit & Debit Cards (2)
- Fees (2)
- Mobile Deposits (17)
- Personal Accounts (5)
- Personal Loans (2)
- Visa Gift Cards (13)
- Wildfire Rewards (24)
- Wildfire Services (2)
FAQs
Great question! Yes, your funds at Wildfire are federally insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF). The standard share insurance amount is $250,000 per share owner, for each account ownership category. For more information, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) provides an estimator to help you better understand the protection offered by the NCUSIF. This resource is available at MyCreditUnion.gov/estimator.
No you cannot.
No, Cash Back is not an option on your gift card.
Yes, you can redeem points online by either logging into Online Banking or by using our Mobile Banking App and clicking "Rewards" within the menu.
Yes, you can perform a cash back deposit to savings or checking to erase a fee. However, there is not an option in the 'Erase a Transaction' feature to erase a fee.
No, the gift card cannot be reloaded.
Any authorization request that is greater than the card's available balance will be declined. However, there can be times when a Visa merchant puts an item through without prior authorization. If an overdraft occurs, you will be required to make a payment to cardholder services to cover the negative amount.
Yes it does. The card and the funds expire on the date shown on the front of the card or when the balance is $0, whichever comes first. The cardholder may terminate the card and receive the funds via a check. Within six to eight weeks of a written request, a check will be sent with less than a $25 fee.
Yes, the credit union offers notary and medallion services to members. We have several employees at all branch locations to assist with these services for our members!
Wildfire Credit Union does not offer home/auto/life insurance. However, we do have a connection with Liberty Mutual to offer a group discount rate. To get a quote from Liberty Mutual, contact them at 1-800-779-7905. We also have a similar connection with TruStage Insurance as well. Their contact number is 1-800-356-2644.
Yes, Wildfire offers Visa Gift Cards. The fee for a Visa Gift card is $2 for members and $5 for non-members. The minimum amount that can be loaded to a Visa Gift card is $25 and the maximum amount is $1,000. Visa Gift cards are not reloadable.
Each merchant location has its own return policies and will handle the returns in the same manner as a Visa debit purchase.
We offer a variety of ways to redeem your points. You can choose to simply have cash back, erase a purchase on your Visa or other eligible transactions on savings or checking accounts and make loan payments.
You can do this when using Online Banking Banking or Mobile Banking within the 'Rewards' tab, contacting our Call Center or stopping into one of our branches. We are more than happy to help you out.
Head on over to www.harlandclarkegiftcard.com or call 1-866-244-5360.
You earn one point for every dollar you spend when using your Wildfire Visa credit card.
To enroll your eligible account, select the "Mobile Deposit" option from the menu of your Mobile Banking app; then read and accept the Mobile Deposit Service Agreement.
You can set your PIN for your Wildfire Debit or Credit Cards by calling 1-866-304-8760.
Option 1 will allow you to activate the card and set a pin number.
Option 3 will allow you to change an existing pin. If you are unsure of the current PIN number, please give our call center a call at 989-249-8200 or toll free at 1-800-227-2328. Our call center representatives will be able to reset the PIN change option on your card to allow you to set your PIN.
There are a few quick and easy to do this:
- Submit an address change in writing and mail it to PO Box 3285, Saginaw, MI 48605.
- Stop in to one of our branch locations.
- Send us a secure message with the messages within online or mobile banking.
Check deposits in "Pending" status will show in the app and within Online Banking until the deposit is complete. Completed deposits can be viewed in the account history for two years.
We are glad you asked. For your protection, retain the original check for at least two weeks AFTER receiving confirmation that it has posted to your account. When you are ready to discard it, mark it "VOID" and dispose of it in a way that prevents it from being presented for payment again, such as shredding it.
If an issue should arise and the original check is no longer available, please contact the issuer of the check to obtain a copy of the check that can be re-submitted for deposit.
Not long at all! You will instantly see the deposit into the share or loan you choose. If you are not seeing the deposit or payment being made, please contact our Call Center at 989-249-8200 or 800-227-2328.
1 point = 1 cent ($0.01)
You will automatically receive a secure e-message, via online banking, if we cannot deposit your check. If you wish to sign up for additional Mobile Deposit alerts, such as when your Mobile Check Deposit is Completed, Rejected or if Additional Holds have been placed, simply navigate to the "Alerts" tab in Online Banking or from within the Mobile Banking App menu select "Alerts". If you need any assistance just contact us, we are happy to help!
No, international fees will not earn points and cannot be erased.
If you use your points to satisfy the full payment of the amount due, the system will advance the due date by one month, as long as the loan is not already paid ahead into the next month.
Yes, your points will remain the same when you get a new card.
YES! The Mobile Deposit service is offered through Mobile Banking, which requires you to provide a unique username and password when you log in. To prevent unauthorized access to your account, be sure to log out of Mobile Banking once your online account activities have been completed.
No, it is a prepaid Visa card that carries a fixed cash amount determined by the Gift Card purchaser. Each time you use the card, the purchase amount is deducted from the available balance. So, if you have a $25 gift card and buy something that is $7, you will have $18 remaining.
Nope! The Mobile Deposit service is FREE to Wildfire members making deposits to their eligible account(s).
No. Feel free to redeem as many or as few points as you want, whenever you want.
Accounts have a $5,000 per check, per day limit and an aggregate or maximum limit of $20,000 in any 30-day period.
Make sure your check image follows these conditions:
- Take the picture in a well-lit area.
- Avoid shadows such as those created by holding the camera between the check and the light source.
- Only the check you are working with should be visible in the picture.
- Avoid having other objects in the frame, such as other papers, pens, etc.
- Take the picture of your check against a darker background color.
- Make sure the check is not cut off by the edge of the view window, a deep shadow or other objects. All four corners of the check need to be visible.
- Make sure the image is sharp and focused. For some devices this means pulling back from the check so the image does not blur.
If your purchase is denied the card's available balance is probably less than the purchase amount. Call 1-866-244-5360 for the remaining balance on the card and then use another form of payment, accepted by the merchant, to pay the difference.
You should immediately report any problems or a lost or stolen card by calling our 24-hour toll-free support line at 1-866-244-5360. A new card will be issued and any available balance will be transferred to the new card. There is a less than $5 lost/stolen fee that will be deducted from the card’s available balance and a new card issuance fee may also apply.
Any remaining funds on the card after the card expires will no longer be available.
No need to worry, your points will appear once the merchant posts the transaction. Merchants can post as early as the same day or over the next few days.
An ACH Reject fee is a $5 fee that is assessed when an ACH Deposit or Withdrawal has been processed with an incorrect account number or account type. Since these transactions require manual intervention to locate and post to the account, a $5 processing fee is assessed. To correct this, simply give us a call at 989-249-8200 or toll free at 1-800-227-2328, and we can provide the correct information to avoid future fees.
Wildfire Mobile Deposit* is a secure, online service that allows you to deposit checks into eligible Wildfire accounts with your mobile device. Simply take a picture of a check with your smartphone or tablet camera and the images and deposit information will then be electronically delivered to Wildfire Credit Union.
* Available to all eligible accounts. Contact us to see if your account is eligible.
Watch How-To VideoThe fee for a money order is $2. The payee for a money order is completed by the holder of the money order.
Members can receive two free cashier's checks per month and there is a fee of $5 for each additional cashier's check. The payee for a cashier's check is completed at the time the cashier's check is printed by the credit union.
The loan application process is usually 15-20 minutes. After an application is submitted for approval we typically have a turnaround time of 24-48 hours. This time may vary over the weekend and for holidays.
We have designed a rewards program for its members to earn points, which can be redeemed for cash back on purchases they make using their Visa credit card.
To learn more check out Wildfire Rewards.
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Good question. Mobile Deposit is currently available on iOS 5 and above or Android™ OS 2.3 and above.
If you need assistance, please visit one of our branch locations or contact us at our Call Center at 1-800-227-2328 during normal business hours.
If your deposit item is declined, you will receive a notification by e-mail, e-message or text, based on the alert setting you select, indicating the reason for the decline. If you feel you need to discuss the matter in more detail, you can contact our Call Center at 1-800-227-2328 during normal business hours.
Reasons for a deposit being declined include:
- Ineligible check
- Non-negotiable
- Missing signature
- Missing endorsement
- Stale dated
- Post-dated
- Duplicate check
- Poor image quality
- Daily deposit dollar amount exceeded
- Unacceptable item
- Other
Wildfire accepts checks drawn on financial institutions within the United States, excluding its territories. This includes Personal checks, Corporate/Business checks, Cashier's checks and Government checks.
The following items are NOT eligible for Mobile Deposit:
- Checks or items payable to any person or entity other than the owners on the account for which the check is being deposited.
- Checks with asterisks in front of the check amount, example: $***150.
- Post-dated checks.
- Checks or items containing an obvious alteration to any of the fields on the front, or checks or items which you know, suspect or should know or suspect to be fraudulent.
- Checks written from any account of which you are a primary or joint owner at Wildfire.
- Checks or items not payable in United States currency.
- Items drawn on financial institutions located outside the United States.
- Items previously converted to a substitute check.
- Checks to make a loan, credit card or mortgage payment.
- Checks to be directly deposited into your IRA, High Yield Deposit Account or Certificate of Deposit.
- Money orders and travelers checks.
- Starter or counter checks.
- Amex Gift Cheques.
- Savings bonds.
- Checks that require authorization.
- State-issued registered warrants.
- Checks from another financial institution to a closed account.
Christmas Club funds that are saved throughout the year will automatically transfer each year on October 15 to your savings or checking account. This will take place regardless if October 15 happens to fall on a weekend.
The Federal Reserve processes ACH files throughout the day and makes them available to financial institutions. To comply with the changes related to the "same day" ACH entries, we process ACH files from the Federal Reserve several times a day. We have postings around 1:00 A.M., 7:00 A.M., 12:00 P.M., and 4:00 P.M., this includes all transactions, both deposits and withdrawals from and to member accounts.
When you erase a transaction on your credit card loan, it will be posted as a credit to your loan and not a payment. Credits to your loan will not advance the due date, but a full payment using Cash Back redemption will advance the due date.
Select "credit".
If you deposit a check Monday – Friday between 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. ET funds will be available that day based on our Funds Availability of Deposits.
If you deposit a check Monday – Friday after 5:00 P.M. ET, Saturday, Sunday or a Holiday, funds will be available the next business day.
You can see your point balance in real time when you log in to either Online Banking or in the Wildfire Mobile Banking App.
You can also find your point balance on your monthly statement that is delivered in the mail or electronically through Online Banking.
It can be used to make purchases everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.
Here are some tips when using the card at:
- Restaurants, Beauty Salons, Hotels, Car Rental Agencies - It is customary for service-oriented or travel companies to require an available balance over the purchase amount (usually 25%) to ensure sufficient funds for tips or incidental expenses.
- Gas Stations - Paying at the pump using this card requires at least a minimum balance of $75. However, only the actual amount spent will be deducted from the card. If your gift card balance is less than $75.00, you can use the card inside the station as long as the purchase does not exceed the remaining balance.
- On-line Merchants- In order to use this card for merchants who use address verification to authenticate purchases, you must register your card on-line at www.harlandclarkegiftcard.com. Login as a Returning Cardholder and follow the instructions to register your card. Your card may not be used at age restricted on-line merchant sites.
Members with a checking or savings account in good standing are eligible for Mobile Deposit.
Points are earned based on the authorization date, not posting date of a transaction.
For example, if you make a purchase on a Monday and a promo starts that Wednesday and your transaction is posted on Wednesday, it will not count towards the promo. This is because the date you made the transaction, or the authorization date, was on Monday.
There are various reasons why restrictions get placed on accounts. If there is a restriction on your account please contact the Call Center at 989-249-8200 or 800-227-2328 to answer any questions you have.
A Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) fee is charged when there is not enough money in an account to cover a check that is presented for payment. This fee is also charged for ACH items when there are not sufficient funds in an account to pay an item. Please contact us Regarding overdraft options on your account to avoid NSF or Overdraft Fees.
Your Reward account may not be the account that is collecting points. All joint owners on the credit card loan have the option to collect the points. View your sources and if you see a "Collect to Me" button with another person's name listed, your points are being collected to that person's Reward account.
To begin collecting points back to your Rewards account, simply click the "Collect to Me" button.
This specific endorsement ensures that checks deposited through Mobile Deposit will not be deposited again at a Wildfire Credit Union branch or at another financial institution. It is one of many security measures we have put in place to protect member accounts from theft and fraud. Checks that are not endorsed as specified will be rejected by Wildfire Credit Union.
When you redeem points for cash back to pay on your loan, this will apply to your loan as a payment. Just like any other payment, if there is interest owing, the system will satisfy the interest owing and any fees before applying any amount to principal.
Yes, you will receive a notification on your statement before your points expire.
Yes, your points will expire four years after the first of month following the month you earned the points.
For example: Say you made a purchase on October 15, 2021. The points earned on that purchase will expire on November 1, 2025.