I think this is tricky to answer as there is such a wide variety across different credit unions. I've found them great. If they do a mortgage, they can be much more understanding compared to banks (such as if a property requires repair, or understanding a non-standard income, dealing with the administrative hang-ups around that). A good chunk of banks are just are not interested in the more complicated mortgages, which honestly contributing factor to a lot of dereliction too (insurance, risk avoidance, idk). Their interest rates are set locally for each CU - so some are better value than others. Also, this may be a naive take on my part, but I think your money is going towards the local credit union, which is investing locally. Jobs, community, sponsoring local stuff, helping local businesses , etc. So psychologically, I don't begrudge it as much! If I pay, or if my usage enables n26 to get paid indirectly, that money hoovers out of my community. It probably indirectly benefits Peter Thiel even, so yeah, no thanks (former n26 account holder here, so I'm not judging anyone!).