BundleUp Checking delivers big value and benefits

In this episode of the A Plus You Podcast, Danielle and Amber sit down with Senior Product Manager Marissa Pedginski to introduce Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union’s BundleUp Checking—a new account designed to bring more value, convenience, and everyday support to members. 

Instead of a traditional checking account, BundleUp Checking offers a bundle of benefits all in one place for a low monthly cost. The team breaks down standout features like:

• Telehealth access with zero co-pay, including medical and mental health support for you and your family
• Cell phone protection covering up to four devices on your plan
• Roadside assistance to quickly connect you with help when you need it most
• Identity theft protection with dark web monitoring, alerts, and recovery support
• Travel, dining, and entertainment discounts both locally and nationwide 
• You’ll also learn how easy it is to access these benefits directly through the Affinity Plus digital banking app, making it simple to get support anytime, anywhere
• Beyond BundleUp Checking, the episode highlights other account options like Simply Free Checking and the Spending Account, helping you choose the best fit based on your financial needs—from no monthly fees to added budgeting guardrails. 
• Plus, there’s a bigger impact: a portion of each BundleUp Checking subscription helps support local communities through the Affinity Plus Foundation. 
• If you’re looking for a checking account that goes beyond the basics and supports your everyday life, this episode gives you a full breakdown of how BundleUp Checking delivers real value.

Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union - federally insured by the NCUA

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to the A plus U podcast brought to you by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. I'm your host, Danielle. And I'm your co-host, Amber. And guess what? We don't have to bundle up anymore. Because it's warm out there. Because it's getting warm. No more fake spring. It's real spring. It's real spring. Real spring. No, I say bundle up because we're talking about some. Um today we're covering some exciting things happening at Affinity Plus. Yes, new products, new as new products available to our members. Yes. Which this is kind of makes for a unique episode. A lot of times we are talking about kind of big picture. We're talking about planning. Lots of like um overall overarching subjects for our members, I would say.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Absolutely. I do think this ties in though, too, because of some of the product features of the bundle up checking account align into different things that members are needing and wanting or emergencies planning for the future.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Well, let's get into it. Yeah. Introduce our guest, Danielle. Man, I thought about this and I was like, I didn't ask her how to say her last name. So we're gonna do our best. But we've got Marissa Pajinski. Oh, I never get it right. I'm always like, don't ask me, don't ask me. But we've been saying it wrong for years. That's all right. That's all right.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

It's a hard one.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Marissa, you are a senior product manager at Affinity Plus? Yes, that's right. Excited to be here today. Awesome. Tell us what your role is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Yeah. What does that mean? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

So I'm part of our deposit product team, and our team is really there to look for opportunities either to bring new products to our members that can serve them better, or just look for opportunities within our products to make it easier for our members to do their banking here. So really anything related to checking, savings account, money market, CDs, how you interact with those in digital banking. We're there to help support in that.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

See, I didn't even know that. See, aren't you glad we asked? Yes, exactly. That's awesome. How long have you been in Affinity Plus?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

I will, it will be 20 years in September. So big milestone coming up. Are you so excited? Yes. Yeah. I uh I I don't know where the last 20 years went. It flew by. Um, so yeah. So started when you were 12. Yes, exactly. Like I was very young.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

I was very young when I started. Yes. Yep. Love this.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Out of everybody we've had on the podcast, like, has anyone been here less than 10 years? Yes. Who was that? Tony and Morgan. Oh, yeah. Okay. Okay. Less than five years? No. No.

unknown 2:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Like it's it's fun to like have all these like seasoned professionals like come around. We teased it a little bit, but today we're talking about a really exciting new product, uh, our bundle up checking. So why don't you just kick us off and tell tell us a little bit about what is bundle up checking and why is it exciting?

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Yeah. So um, when we were looking at our checking portfolio, we felt like we had a lot of really great products that serve our members in what they're expecting from a basic checking account. And we wanted to explore how we can bring more to our members and give them more value for their membership here. And that's where the bundle up checking account came in. So this checking account comes with a variety or bundle of benefits available to them. Yeah, but um bundle of benefits um that are um things like telehealth and roadside assistance and um some local discounts. So just a variety of things that members may be using in other ways. And we were able to offer an account that um has these benefits together at a very low cost of $7 a month, um, which generally is less than if if someone went and got these services independently um elsewhere. So bringing that value to our members through the checking account.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

I feel like you covered so many things at once. Um however, with that said, like what is you said like cell phone protection. Yeah. Like tell me a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Yeah. So um, if your cell phone bill is paid out of either the bundle up checking account or your affinity affinity plus credit card, either one, um, you're covered for up to $600 twice a year on damage to your cell phone. So any phones on your plan, if they get broken or um need a replacement or anything, there's that coverage or that reimbursement available to you.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

And that's up to how much? Is it like my full phone? Well, it depends on what phone you have.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

Um, but it covers um up to $600 per occurrence, and you get two occurrences per year. So up to $1,200 a year for independent, um, two different occurrences.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Do I have to like pay a deductible for that?

SPEAKER_00 4:46

There is a $50 deductible deductible on it, yes. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

But that is separate, maybe though, from any like warranty or like other coverage I may have from um like my cell phone provider or a different credit card if it's being paid on that.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Yeah, and many warranty services out there have a much higher deductible. And so you can kind of double dip, if you will, and use that protection, and then this can help supplement that coverage as well.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Not bad. Yeah. Yeah, I like that. Phones are spendy. Phones are very spendy. And it's something you can't really go without. Right. I mean, nowadays it's very hard to go without that lifeline.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Yeah. And one thing I think is really nice is that it covers up to four phones on that plan. So if you and your teenagers have phones, you don't know who's gonna decide to drop their phone and break it. And so it kind of gives you that flexibility to cover all of them, not knowing who's actually gonna need it.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Well, and you know, we are entering lake season. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Phones and lakes. I hear about them. Knock on wood. Mine has not gone in yet.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Same, same. Oh my goodness. Okay, well, uh, let's talk about some of the other exciting things that you you told us about. So um you said telehealth. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

So talk about the telehealth benefit. This is one that I I feel like is probably the most valuable on the account as um health coverage can get very expensive. And either even for those who have health insurance, the deductibles and the copies can get really expensive for those quick visits where you just know you might have um a sickness going on and you just want to talk to a doctor. And so the telehealth is available and it's zero copay. Um, it is an online, you know, you can um create an account and you get to talk to a doctor and um, you know, get the service that you need without having any deductible or copay on that. Um, and it also covers the account holder and it covers up to six dependents as well. So again, you can set up the accounts for um children and spouses on that as well. That's huge.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Yeah. Like what a game saver if you're like sick at home and there is maybe a cost associated with like your primary healthcare insurance, you could utilize this function and potentially not have to leave. Right. But yeah, savings.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Well, and that's really exciting too, because I just think about like I love my provider, but it's really hard to get into her sometimes. And sometimes like I just I know what I need or I know I have specific questions or something like that. So to be able to have access to like a a quick, you know, easy type of appointment through a benefit like this is awesome.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

And and I'll say too, in addition to the medical side, there is a therapy side to it as well. And we know um having access or mental health is incredibly important to work through and be aware of. And so having professionals that you can schedule appointments for the therapy side of it as well is really helpful.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Absolutely. I'd like bringing awareness to just mental health, um, accessibility to a mental health provider, such as a therapist, is something that can be challenging if you maybe do not have the coverage for that on your own. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

I think is personally my favorite feature.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

I would say it's a top one, but I have a different one. Ooh, what's your personally? Well tell me roadside assistance. Yes. The theme this year is Amber and her car. We're gonna figure it out. It's fine. We're gonna figure it out.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

I am, I think the roadside is really great. I know for me as I'm driving, and I think if I break down on the side of the road and then I have to try to find a tow truck, and I'm gonna be looking it up on Google and all of that is overwhelming in addition to being sitting on the side of the road. And so um, roadside assistance gives you access. It's simply a number that you call, and they can tap into a network of providers and find one that's gonna be available the quickest to send out to support you with that. So just even having that service to find a provider to come help you is is to me a big benefit.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

I know I've heard from many an employee just because this launched earlier in February. Uh it was a little chilly. Um batteries were maybe not the strongest because of the cold. That and like employees love this feature and have utilized it right away.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Yeah, yes. Yeah, I think it was an employee that you're right, their car didn't start with the really cold temps up in Duluth. Um, they were able to get roadside out there, get a jump, and get to work. Actually, they were trying to get to work that day. So um worked out really well.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Yeah. So let's say I um, well, I am an employee and I do have bundle up checking. But let's say I do need to use the roadside assistance or the telehealth or any of these examples. Am I going into like our Affinity Plus app and accessing these benefits? Or how do I access them once I am a bundle up checking member?

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Yes. So once you have the checking account, it's super easy. You log into either on the app or on um in digital banking, and there's a tile when you get on there on your dashboard that says bundle up benefits. And once you click on that, you access all of the different benefits. So it's really seamless. You don't have to remember a separate site to log into. Just know, open your Affinity Plus app, log in, and you'll see the benefits right there.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Talk about ease of service. Definitely ties into her roles. She talked about it. Yes. Making sure you know digital banking is aligned with how our members use the product. I love it. Don't even have to, if you're stuck on the side of the road, you just have to remember your login or use your face ID to get into your app. Exactly. Biometrics. Exactly. Big fan. I know.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Except for when it doesn't work, and I'm like, it's literally my face. Like I don't know what else to do.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

Mine works with sunglasses now. So clearly I've worked really hard at making sure it knows me.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

I'm like, it is my face. I don't know what more you want from me. Um, well, did we leave? I know we covered kind of a three different benefits in a little bit more detail. Did we leave anything out?

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Yeah, I think one that is important to acknowledge on here is the identity theft services. So um we know that fraud can can be a really hard situation to deal with when it happens to you on your on your accounts. Um, if you experience identity theft, that's a challenging situation to work through. And so there's a couple of services within here that help with that. First, there is the dark web monitoring. So you can sign up to find out if your information has possibly been compromised and it might be available out on the dark web. You'll get notifications and so that you can start working on addressing that right away. Um, there's also a solicitation manager that allows you to opt out of a lot of junk mail, I will call it. And so um you're not getting those offers that you don't necessarily want with your information um in your mailbox. And so those are just really great services to help maybe avoid some of those um um identity situations. But the identity theft service, as well, is if you do experience that, where um accounts are opened in your name that you are not aware of, there's resolution services to help you work through that. And there's up to $10,000 in coverage as well for that. So it gives you that peace of mind that if you do experience identity theft, there's services to help you through that.

SPEAKER_02 11:50

I think um with all of these, like the huge part, because I mean you've rattled off a lot of numbers here, is you can always find out more information on our website and just read through all of the different disclosures and making sure like you understand it fully because this is a brief overview. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

That's a good point. Yes. Yeah, you do not have to remember any of this.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

No, yes, always access to resources. Like our website has so much of it, and um, I know I pull it up all the time when working with members and turning my screen of like it's right here. You don't even you don't have to have us here to access this. Exactly. It's available to you wherever you are. Um I know the last uh feature maybe that we would like to discuss is probably my favorite because I love this. I love to travel. And so tell me about the travel and leisure discounts, if you will. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

So it's it's basically an access to a variety of both local and national deals, whether it's like travel deals, hotel deals, or like local businesses, restaurants or um cafes can be listed on there. There's also discounted movie tickets, which I know a lot of people um love going to the movies, and you can get the discounted movie tickets. So it's a wide variety of businesses that offer these different discounts out there that you can search. And I encourage you, like when you are traveling, see what's in that area. You know, I know it's in my town, but then if I'm going to vacation in Florida, what's there that I might get to take advantage of as well?

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Absolutely. I think like that's something that a lot of different sites advertise is like search while you're there because you might find a good deal.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Well, and I think that's a good point. Um, you make because to be honest, at one point I was like, I don't even know how any of this works. But it's kind of a network, right? Like we partner with um with people to be able to make this network of these benefits, right? So it's not just local to the twin cities, it is wherever you are.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Mm-hmm. Yep. Wherever you go, I would say log in, take a look, and look for deals.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

That's awesome. With anything fun, there are always details that we cannot forget to leave out. So are there um are there details we need to know about in order to have this account, this great bundle up checking?

SPEAKER_00 13:57

Yes, to have access to the benefits on this account, it is $7 per month. Um, you do get the first month for free, so you can try the benefits, experience them. If you feel like they're not for you, you can switch back to our simply free checking account. Um, and if you do like the benefits, you can continue on with that every month.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

Awesome. And then is there any minimum balances?

SPEAKER_00 14:17

Yes, at opening, there is a $20 minimum balance to open the account. However, at any point, um you don't have to maintain that $20. You you can go below that. It's just at account opening.

unknown 14:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Awesome. Well, as we um we just covered all the great benefits of the bundle up checking, our newest kind of product and our little suite of checking accounts, if you will. Um, but let's go back and just kind of remind ourselves and ground ourselves in some of the other great accounts that we have uh available for our members.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

So we have our three checking accounts, Marissa. So we just talked bundle up checking. Um we also have our simply free checking account and then also our spending account. Can you tell us maybe some quick highlights of the simply free and spending account? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Um the simply free is exactly what it sounds like. Just an account that doesn't have, you know, the extra benefits that you get in the bundle up, but it there is no monthly subscription on it as well. And so truly just an account that you um can use and have access to still many great banking benefits on that account as well. Um, and then the spending account is an account that has a little bit more of the guardrails. We don't offer checks on that account. You can't necessarily pay um bills out of that account because you don't have checks on it. Um, but with that, there are no, you can't overdraft, you can't go negative on that account. Um, so it's really a great account to offer to young kids as they're starting to get their first account, teenagers with their first account, it has those guardrails so that a parent can feel safe with the child having that account and not being able to go negative in it.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

I think another option too is even anyone who really wants to adhere to a budget and maybe it is more of like I like to think of it like a debit card account. It's you can you can put funds into your account, you can swipe your card, but kind of everything else is a little bit more limited, but you can have direct deposit coming in because funds coming in are good, but it is something where it is just important to still keep an eye on it, even though it does have some guardrails in place. We always have to monitor our accounts and we get to do that through our online banking um often. Yep. Maybe you know, five, six times a day. Like other do other people do that or just me? I like to log in all the time.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

So you know, it really depends. I ebb and flow a little bit, I would say. Same. But sometimes I don't check it for maybe a week, and then other days it's like three times in a day, and I'm like, I'm always like, Did I pay that?

SPEAKER_02 16:40

I don't remember. And then like three hours later, I'm like, Did I pay that? Because I forgot that I already checked it this morning and how I get in there.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

I'm sure my like login log is like pretty entertaining.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Yes. I yeah, I think for me it's I have a I have an account alert set up, which is something that's available on on any of the accounts. And sometimes I'll get one of those account alerts and go, wait, what was that transaction? What did I buy? When did I spend this? And so then I'm logging into like tell me more about that transaction after I get that alert.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

Well, and I think like that's one thing that's available on all accounts. What are some other things that are available with all of our accounts?

SPEAKER_00 17:13

Yeah, so um one of I think one of my favorite benefits on the accounts is to stash your cash. And that's an option to round up on debit card purchases. It rounds up to the nearest dollar and puts that change into your savings account. So it's really every time you're swiping that debit card, it gives you a chance to build up your savings account in addition to getting to use your debit card.

SPEAKER_02 17:33

Savings account does not have to just be your membership savings, so it can be any account.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Any account, yes.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

Just gotta tell us which one. Yeah. Because I have like seven savings accounts. Yeah. Amber's famous for her savings accounts. Love my savings. They're all labeled something different. That's great. What are some other things? I know we have a lot of benefits here at Affinity Plus just in terms of having a membership with us.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Yeah. Um, I think we already talked about the digital banking. Uh, for me, that's one of the best ways to be managing your accounts is logging in and looking at your account regularly to look at the transactions, see what's coming out, checking your balance. So um access to that. Our our debit cards, I'm not sure if everybody's aware that we print debit cards in the branch. And so if you misplace your debit card and you need a new one right away, being able to get that replacement and not having to wait for it to be mailed out is, I think, a really big benefit for the members.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

So Marissa, you've shared a lot about all three of our checking accounts. How would you like how would a member pick which checking account is best for them?

SPEAKER_00 18:35

Yeah, um, I would say the bundle up, if you're someone who uh wants that extra protection on your account, extra services available to you, and you see value in those, I think that's a great account. Again, having that low um monthly subscription fee for access to all of those benefits is is a really great option for you. The simply free checking, the the great thing there, there's a no-minimum balance and there's no monthly maintenance fees on that account. Um, and so just that truly simply free account that you can access and and um utilize. And then the spending account, I think you kind of mentioned earlier too, it's a great one for someone who might want to have some guardrails, use it for budgeting, not have checks. And not have checks, yeah. If you don't use it, some people really don't want checks anymore. Exactly. Yeah. So um uh just having that debit card on it and and having the access to the spending is really seamless on that account.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Yeah. A lot of members that I've worked with have been like, this is my internet shopping account. That's cool. And they really like save it for something different. So, like how I label my savings accounts, some members label their checking accounts, and I'm like, that's a really good way to do it too. Because then there's a card attached. Right. See?

SPEAKER_01 19:43

We learn from members every day. We do, we do. One thing I wanted to bring up, um, which I think is kind of my favorite. We've talked about, um, I know we've highlighted the bundle up checking. It again is the newest kind of line uh uh item in the checking account lineup, but there is a piece to the bundle up checking that affects our great state of Minnesota. And so I wanted to tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

Yeah. So um a portion of the um monthly subscription fee for every bundle up account is donated to the Affinity Plus Foundation. And that goes to help support within our community through um grants and scholarships and yeah, just a lot of uh great impact that we can have by having this checking account.

SPEAKER_02 20:26

Absolutely. I know um being a foundation board member, it is awesome to see the early adoption from our members into this product because it really does make an impact in what we're able to do in our communities across the state.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

Well, I love that for Minnesota and the foundation. So thank you for sharing, Marissa. Uh, as we kind of think about wrapping up our conversation today, what is one thing that if you're listening, this is the one takeaway?

SPEAKER_00 20:50

I'm just proud to say that Affinity Plus has a lot of really great products to offer to our members. And I would just encourage you to either check out our website or come in and talk to one of our employees and find the account that is right for you based on where you're at in life right now.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

Awesome. Well, thanks for putting that beautiful button on it. Well, we really appreciate you coming in and hanging out with Amber and I today and sharing all of your expertise from your almost 20 years of experience.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

Yeah. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

For all things Affinity Plus, make sure you check out AffinityPlus.org. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast, and we'll catch you on the next episode of A Plus U.