NEW YORK-NerdWallet, which bills itself as the "first .org credit card search site," has expanded its card search tool to include credit unions. The site had previously included 500 bank issuers of cards, and has now added cards from 1,200 credit unions.
Targeted at consumers, it says of its service, "Where other sites offer only a small, hand-picked selection of big bank credit cards, we scour the card universe to bring you any and every card we can find, along with up-to-date rewards information, and our own unbiased take on what various rewards programs are actually worth. With a selection like this, and a dead-simple set of search tools, we have no doubt you'll be able to find the card that saves you the most money."
In explaining the expansion to include credit unions, NerdWallet said, "Because credit unions are non-profits, they tend to offer lower interest rates and lower fees. However, up until now, it has been very difficult to figure out which credit unions you can join. Furthermore, it's even harder to figure out how that group of credit unions stacks up against banks."
The NerdWallet tool allows consumers to simultaneously search credit union and bank credit cards by entering a zip code and/or employer and military affiliation as a search parameter, and credit union results will appear alongside other credit cards. "To make your life easier, we only include credit unions that you'll qualify for based on where you live or work, as well as credit unions that anyone can join," the company said in a released statement.
NerdWallet, which says it receives more than one-million visits per year online, said it will be adding additional credit unions.
