sascu Open Account
Open a sascu account in 10 minutes online: chequing, savings, TFSA, mortgage and credit card all from one application.
The Banking Landscape Today: Open Account
- Open an account online in about 10 minutes, or in 20 minutes at a branch.
- Documentation: Canadian ID plus 2 addresses can close the file.
- E-transfer and bill pay work from the moment your account is verified.
- sascu accounts have no monthly fee and no minimum balance.
What You Can Open Today
One application covers chequing, savings, TFSA, credit card, and mortgage for members.
Start with a chequing and savings pair; add a credit card immediately because a chequing account and payroll are the strongest application. A mortgage or auto loan can be added at any time from within online banking.
The application asks once and shares data across products, so opening, say, a chequing account and TFSA in the same session takes minutes, not two sign-ups.
Identity and Eligibility
Applicants need a government-issued photo ID and a Canadian address; SIN is required for tax products only.
A single government-issued ID (driver's licence, passport, BC Services Card) with a paper or digital address verification is standard. SIN is needed for registered products (TFSA, RRSP) but optional for chequing and savings.
Membership requires a one-time refundable $10 share deposit. There is no income minimum, no deposit minimum, and no application fee.
- Government-issued photo ID
- Canadian residential address
- SIN for TFSA/RRSP products (optional otherwise)
- $10 share deposit (one-time, refundable)
Step-by-Step Opening
Five steps, and most members are done in under 10 minutes end to end.
The entire flow is mobile-friendly and works on a phone camera for document upload.
- Click Start an account on the sascu website
- Enter your personal details and address
- Verify identity with a photo of your ID and a selfie
- Choose your accounts and fund via e-transfer or external transfer
- Set up online banking and download the mobile app
Online or In a Branch?
Both paths are supported; online is faster for most, while branches are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
The digital flow is the fast lane: 92% of online applications are identity-verified the same day. In a branch, the same file takes about 20 minutes including the conversation, and 30 locations across BC offer walk-in appointments.
See can I open a sascu account online for the online-only detail.
Key facts at a glance
Four numbers decide most of this decision, and one caveat should always be kept in view.
- Time to open: 10 min.
- Monthly fee: $0.
- Required ID: 1 piece.
The 10-minute flow does NOT apply to joint business borrowers or trust accounts, which add a legal-review step. We initially required branch visits for identity check; after the liveness provider passed audit we opened full digital onboarding.
The official methodology is detailed in the sascu overview.
| A | v | e | r | a | g | e | t | i | m | e | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal details | 2 minutes | 100% | |||||||||
| Identity verification | 4 minutes | 92% | |||||||||
| Account selection | 1 minute | 100% | |||||||||
| Funding via e-transfer | 2 minutes | 96% | |||||||||
| Online banking setup | 1 minute | 99% |
Consumer protection and credit-union rules are published by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.
The phone line answers quickly, even on a Sunday, which settles much of our trust.
Mobile cheque deposit with zero holds on a small cheque got our clinic through a Thursday.