BDCU Alliance Bank Credit Cards

BDCU Alliance Bank’s Banking Status

As its name suggests, BDCU Alliance Bank is indeed a bank. While it may not be a bank you have come across before, it still offers a wide range of financial products and services, while abiding by all the same rules and regulations as the big banks. How does it do this?

As part of Alliance Bank, BDCU Alliance Bank enjoys a strategic partnership with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. This allows BDCU Alliance Bank to use Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s ADI license, which oversees BDCU’s compliance under APRA obligations. This allows BDCU Alliance Bank to focus on growing its business and supporting local communities.

BDCU Alliance Bank can provide the banking products you need to go about your everyday life, backed by all the features and tech you would expect from a bank. However, as a local bank that prides itself on its community involvement, it also offers personal service should you ever want to sit down and have a chat.

BDCU Alliance Bank as a B Corp

BDCU Alliance Bank is one of more than 2,000 certified (and growing) B Corps around the world. What is a B Corp? At the heart of it, a B Corp uses business as a force for doing good. As the bank itself describes it, “B Corp certification is to sustainable business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee”.

The bank is a B Corp because it cares how it does business. It is a B Corp because it cares about its community, its members, its employees, its suppliers and the environment.

Alliance Bank Social Enterprise Banks

BDCU Alliance Bank is part of Alliance Bank, Australia’s first 100% member-owned alliance of social enterprise banks. The various members of Alliance Bank started out as individual credit unions, some with a history that goes back more than 50 years. Today, Alliance Bank and its members remain independent, retaining a focus on developing strategies that will improve the health, social and economic fabric of local communities.

Collectively, Alliance Bank serves more than 40,000 members, with 160 staff through 23 service centres.

Social Enterprises: The Lowdown

Want to know more about social enterprises? BDCU Alliance Bank is a social enterprise that “just happens to do banking”. Intrigued? Quite simply, social enterprises are profitable businesses with social goals.

While these businesses can take many forms, they generally have an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission aligned to a public or community benefit. They trade to fulfil their mission, and derive a substantial portion of their revenue from trade. They then reinvest the majority of their profit to fulfil their mission.

BDCU Alliance Bank: Doing Good

According to the BDCU Alliance Bank's Do Good Annual Report for 2018, the bank invested $746,760 in social impact programs throughout 2018. Re-imagining banking by putting the needs of its community first, the bank:

• Delivered a multi-faceted My Community Program that engaged members, while providing grants and support to a range of community partners.
• Provided social impact loans for apprentices as part of a package that included mentoring and local supplier support.
• Established start-up and small business co-work spaces in Goulburn and Mittagong.
• Raised funds through the BDCU Children's Foundation via initiatives such as the Bowral Long Lunch.
• Utilised a Staff Volunteering Program with 100% participation.

BDCU Alliance Bank Products

As a full service bank, BDCU Alliance Bank allows customers to do pretty much all their banking with them. You can have your home loan and a personal loan with BDCU Alliance Bank, and you can also have your everyday and savings accounts with them as well. And of course, if you need a credit card, you can apply for BDCU Alliance Bank credit card as well.

As you would expect from a customer-owned bank, BDCU Alliance Bank keeps things simple in its credit card offering, currently providing one low rate card to eligible customers who want access to credit. With a focus on keeping costs low via a low annual fee and low purchase rate, this no frills card could be a great option for cardholders looking to keep costs down.