Can credit union and coop banks replace traditional banks completely?

Edit (adding additional question): Has there been an attempt to do this on a national or societal level?

  • Twoafros@lemmy.worldOP
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 months ago

    Thanks for the answer!

    You mentioned paying for everything via card or mobile. Does that mean credit unions offer no options to withdraw cash?

    Also can banks permanently limit withdrawals or transfers?

    • voracitude@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      edit-2
      5 months ago

      There are typically agreements with ATM operators to allow no-fee withdrawals, and you can usually do cashback at the register when making a purchase in many stores, but beyond that you’d need to find an office that can handle cash and not all credit unions have those.

    • slazer2au@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      5 months ago

      Entirely depends on the CU

      I know the ones in Australia would let you withdraw in person , if you were in a town with that CU or via an ATM.

      I believe banks are able to pause transactions out if they approach their solvency thresholds.

    • LesserAbe@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      In the U.S. most credit unions are regional, if you go to a branch you can withdraw cash easily, or they’ll have agreements with ATM networks where you can withdraw cash for a fee, just like banks do.

      In my daily life my credit union is indistinguishable from a bank, with the exception that I’ve had a few auto loans from my credit unions and they’ve always offered a lower interest rate than anything a bank or car dealership can beat. They also gave me a discounted rate because I was buying an electric car.