The technical integration between Amaranth Credit Union and Access Credit Union will take place June 9, 2023. 

What's next for Amaranth CU members?

What You Need to Know

• Day-to-Day operations will remain the same up until June 9th.
• Continue to use your Amaranth-issued debit card until Friday, June 9th. You will receive a new Access Credit Union debit card in the mail as well as a separate PIN letter. Please keep these safe leading up to the weekend of June 9, 2023.
• Technical integration will take place the weekend of June 9-11, 2023 at which time your regular member services will be affected. A complete list of impacts, including a downloadable and printable checklist, will be provided within the next several weeks.
  

SERVICE DISTRUPTIONS DURING INTEGRATION WEEKEND

Member Number

You will be given a new Access CU member number which will be mailed out before June 9. This member number is unique to you and will be used to log in to telephone banking.

Telephone Banking

Telephone banking will be unavailable effective 4:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 9 and will be available using the Access Credit Union platform on Sunday June 11 at 5:00 p.m. CDT. 

• Access telephone banking by calling 204.949.1048 (Winnipeg) or Toll-free at 1.877.835.7378.
• Log in with your member number and your password, which is the last four digits of your SIN.
  • We encourage you to change your temporary PIN after your first login. 
• The telephone banking menu will change, please listen to all menu options carefully. 

Online Banking

The Amaranth online banking platform will be unavailable effective 4:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 9. On Monday, June 12, members will sign into online banking at accesscu.ca. The Access CU online banking platform includes two-factor authentication security:

• Log in using your new Access CU debit card number, verified with your date of birth along with a One Time Passcode
  (OTP) sent to the cell number or email address on file.

NOTE: If you do not have a debit card, you will be contacted by telephone in May with your online banking login
information.

Upon verification, you will create a username and select a new strong password.

Statements

Your banking statements will change to a new look and have additional information on them.

• The information presented on your statement will be inclusive of all accounts in which you have an ownership role, including any joint accounts you may be a part of.
  You will continue to receive your statement on a month-end cycle. Final statement schedule:
  
  • June 1 – 9 (Last current statement)
  • June 10 – 30 (Your new Access-branded statement)

Statement delivery options:

• If you currently use online banking you will receive e-statements. If you require paper statements, please visit the Amaranth branch. 
• If you currently have all of your statements set to receive a printed statement and do not have access to online banking, your statement will continue to be mailed to your home every month.

ATM/POS Transactions

You will have no access to debit card POS transactions and ATM withdrawals using your Amaranth debit card after 2:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 9. After 5:00 pm CDT on Sunday, June 11, you must use your new Access debit card that you received in the mail, the Amaranth debit card will no longer be in service. 

Remember to:

• Take out cash and/or ensure there is a limit available on credit cards to pay for transactions in case of service interruptions.
• Complete any in-branch banking early to avoid delays.
• Be conscious of when you need to make the switch to your new Access debit card. 

T5 Issuing

You may receive two T5s for the 2023 tax year; one from the legacy Amaranth banking system, and one from Access Credit Union.

It is your responsibility to claim all interest earned regardless of whether or not a T5 is generated. Please reference your member statement(s) to verify the amount of interest earned.

NOTE: A T5 is only generated if the Tax Registered Owner earns more than $50 worth of interest across one or more savings accounts, or a term deposit account.

Account Fees

Regular account fees will be in effect from June 10, 2023, onward and will be charged on the last day of each month.

Business

• Consolidated accounts
• Online dual signature access for businesses with dual-signing authority
• Increased e-Transfer limits
• Higher remote deposit limits for business members

For more information, visit accesscu.ca/en/business.

Cheques

• Your Amaranth cheques will continue to clear.
• You can order cheques directly from the Amaranth branch or call the Member Solutions Centre after integration.
• Amaranth cheque images will not display on statements or digital banking after June 9.
  • If you require cheque images to be viewable on your statements post-integration, contact the Amaranth branch for an order of 50 free replacement cheques.

Accounts, Fees, Rates & Products 

Operations & Service

On January 1st, will I be able to go into any Access to do my banking transactions?

Until our banking system is aligned, we encourage Amaranth members to conduct their banking at their home branch or via ATM at any one of our Access branches. See our full list of branches here.

Which contact centre do I call for assistance after January 1st?

Our teams are currently working on integrating our phone systems and processes to best serve our combined membership. Until this integration takes place, please continue to contact Amaranth Credit Union at 204-843-2601 the way you did previously. 

Will the branch close or hours change?

Your branch hours will continue as they are today unless otherwise specified. Access Credit Union also has the added convenience of an online chat feature, call centre (available Saturdays), Mobile Mortgage Specialist, and electronic document signing to make transactions even easier

If any changes occur to our branch network, service centres, or head office locations, communication will be distributed to our members. 

How would the merger affect the personalized service I’ve come to enjoy at Amaranth?

Both Access and Amaranth are member-focused credit unions. The same exceptional service you are provided today by employees in your branch would not change. With the merger, you would also benefit from a more extensive and convenient branch network of both urban and rural locations. With increased resources, we would be able to provide more employee training opportunities and service support to our Member Service Representative team.

How do I access my online and mobile banking?

Please continue to bank using the Amaranth Credit Union website until June 9. Additional information regarding the new Access online and mobile banking experience will follow. 

How do I access telephone banking?

Members can continue to use telephone banking as they do today until June 9. Additional information regarding the Access telephone banking experience will follow. 

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