Membership Eligilibity
We believe everyone deserves access to the benefits of credit union membership, and we welcome all who wish to join. However, due to our humble beginnings as an employer-based and now as a community-based credit union, our membership has limitations established by our charter.
Three Ways to Belong: Community, Family and Employer-Based Membership
At Piedmont Advantage, we offer multiple paths to membership, all rooted in connection. From your geographic location, who you’re related to or where you work, we hope there’s a place for you here. Explore the ways you can become part of our member community.
Community-Based Membership
If you live, work, worship or attend school in one of the following North Carolina counties you’re eligible to join:
- Davie County
- Forsyth County
- Guilford County
- Iredell County
- Mecklenburg County
- Rockingham County
As a community-based chartered credit union, we’re dedicated to serving people in specific localities, helping to strengthen the places we all call home.
Family-Based Membership
If you have an immediate family member who is already a member of Piedmont Advantage Credit Union, you’re welcome to join too no matter where you live. Because when it comes to membership, family ties matter.
Immediate family members include:
- Persons who live in the same household and are related by blood, adoption or marriage
- Children and their spouses
- Spouse’s parents
- Siblings and their spouses
- Spouse’s siblings and their spouses
Employer-Based Membership
If you work for one of our Select Employer Groups (SEGs), you’re eligible to join. We were originally chartered in 1949 to serve the employees and their families of Piedmont Aviation and Piedmont Airlines. As the aviation industry evolved, so did we, expanding our reach while staying true to how and why we started.
On December 15, 2006, we became a community-chartered credit union to better serve our growing membership. Still today, more than a third of our members have ties to aviation, keeping our heritage at the heart of who we are.
Ready to Join? Here’s How in Three Easy Steps
Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility through community, family or employer-based membership, becoming a member is simple.
Provide Your Documentation
Once you’ve confirmed member eligibility, to protect your identity and comply with federal regulations, you must provide a valid government-issued ID, Social Security number or ITIN, and a utility bill with your current address if the address differs from the ID.
If your membership is family-based, provide the name of your family member who is a current member. If your membership is employer-based, provide proof of employment.
Open Your Account
Your Share Account makes you a PACU member-owner. A $5 minimum deposit establishes your membership and reflects your share in our not-for-profit financial cooperative.
While not required, we also encourage you as a new member to open a checking account alongside savings. Just $25 minimum deposit to open a PACU checking account, so you can immediately begin using your accounts for everyday spending and building healthy financial habits.
Choose Your Funding Method
Easily fund your new account through a debit or credit card or an ACH transfer from another financial institution. Of course, if you’re in the branch, cash deposits are welcome.
Once you’re set-up, you’re ready to experience all the advantages of membership with personalized service, competitive rates, and a financial institution that puts your financial well-being over corporate profits. Welcome to Piedmont Advantage!
Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and founded in 1949 within the aviation industry, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union (PACU) serves member-owners, who reside, work, worship, attend school or operate a business in one of the six counties it serves in North Carolina or who are employed by one of its many employer companies. These six counties are Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg and Rockingham.