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EmpowEr FCU Visa platinUm CrEdit Card disClosUrEs
interest rates and interest Charges

Fees

Annual Percentage Rates (APR) 
for Purchases

8.875% to 17.875% when you open your account, 
based on your creditworthiness.

APR for Balance Transfers

Same as for Purchases

APR for Cash Advances

Same as for Purchases

Penalty APR and When It Applies

None

How to Avoid Paying Interest on 
Purchases

Your due date is at least 25 days after the close of each billing 
cycle.  We will not charge you any interest on purchases if you pay 
your entire balance by the due date each month. 

Minimum Interest Charge

None

For Credit Card Tips from the 
Federal Reserve Board

To learn more about factors to consider when applying for or using 
a credit card, visit the website of the Federal Reserve Board at 
http://www.federalreserve.gov/creditcard

How We Will Calculate Your Balance: We use a method called “Average Daily Balance (including new purchases)” 

Annual Fee 

Transaction Fees
Balance Transfer 
Cash Advance 
Foreign Transaction 

Penalty Fees
Late Payment 
Over-the-Credit Limit 
Returned Payment 

None

None
None
None

 Up to $25.00
None
None

This information is accurate as of August 22, 2010.  This information may change at any time.  
To find out what may have changed, write to us at: Empower Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 11127, Syracuse, NY 13218-1127.
DEFINITIONS:

AUTHORIZED USERS:

In this agreement, the word “card” or “cards(s)” refers to 
all VISA© cards issued to you by Empower Federal Credit 
Union including any substitute or renewal card(s) which 
we have the authority to reissue at any time.  The words 
“you”, “your”, and “yours” refer to each VISA applicant and 
anyone else the applicant permits to use a card.  The words 
“we”, “us”, “our” and “Credit Union” refer to EMPOWER 
FEDERAL CREDIT UNION.

NOTICE TO (YOU) THE MEMBER: Do not use this 
card before you read this agreement or if it contains any 
blank space.  You are entitled to a completely filled-in copy 
of this credit agreement.

USING YOUR CARD:

You do not have to sign this agreement, but you must sign 
the card in order to use it.  By signing and using the card, 
you agree to the terms and conditions of this agreement.  
You may not use the card for Internet gambling, any illegal 
transaction, or for a transaction that would cause you to 
exceed your credit limit.

AMENDMENT:

We may change the terms of this Agreement at any time in 
accordance with the requirements of applicable law.  If any 
such change is not acceptable to you, you must promptly 
return  the  card(s)  to  us.   Your  continued  use  constitutes 
consent to the changes.

EFFECT OF AGREEMENT:

This  agreement  is  the  contract  which  applies  to  all 
transactions  on  your  Credit  Union  VISA  account  even 
though the sales, cash advances, credits or other slips you 
sign or receive may contain different terms.

LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY:

If we issue you a card, you agree to repay all debts and the 
finance charge arising from the use of the card and the card 
account. For example, you are responsible for charges made 
by yourself, your spouse and minor children. You are also 
responsible for charges made by anyone else to whom you 
give this card, and this responsibility continues until the card 
is recovered. You cannot disclaim responsibility by notifying 
us,  but  we  will  close  the  account  for  new  transactions  if 
you request us to do so and if you return all cards. Your 
obligation to pay the account balance continues even though 
an agreement, divorce decree or other court judgment to 
which we are not a party may direct you to one of the other 
persons responsible to pay the account. Any person using 
the card is jointly responsible with you for charges he or she 
makes, but if that person signs the card he or she becomes 
a party to this agreement and is also jointly responsible for 
all charges on the account, including yours.

You  may  request  additional  cards  on  your  account  for 
yourself or others and you may permit another person to 
have access to your account number.  However, if you do 
so, you are liable for all charges made by those persons.  You 
must notify us in writing to revoke permission for any person 
you previously authorized to use your account.  We may 
choose upon such an occurrence to issue you a new card or 
cards with a different account number.  You are responsible 
according to the terms of this agreement for the use of each 
card issued on your account.

USE AT AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES:

To  use  your  card  at  an  Automated  Teller  Machine(s) 
(“ATMs”),  you  have  been  given  a  Personal  Identification 
Number (“PIN”).  You agree that you will not give your 
card or PIN to anyone who is not authorized to use your 
card.  You also agree not to write your PIN on the card itself 
or carry your PIN with your card.  Use of the card and the 
PIN are considered as authorized uses.

AUDIO RESPONSE/INTERNET ACCESS:

You agree by use of a PIN that each member appearing on 
your membership account number, regardless of whether 
his or her name appears on your VISA application, is an 
authorized user with the ability to access your VISA account 
and  request  a  cash  advance  through  audio  response  and 
Internet  Banking.   This  includes  joint  member/owners 
presently on your membership account number and joint 
members/owners added in the future.  Transactions by them 
using the PIN will be considered authorized transactions for 
which you and the card user will be liable.

EMPOWER VISA CONVENIENCE CHECKS:

Convenience checks are available for use with this account 
and may be used to purchase goods or services or to obtain 
cash up to the amount of your available credit limit.  If you 
write a check, the amount of the check will be treated as a 
cash advance and will be charged against the cash advance 
portion of your account balance.  Each check must be in 
the  form  that  we  have  issued  and  used  according  to  any 
instructions that we have given you.

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS:

Purchases and cash advances made in foreign countries and 
foreign currencies will be billed to you in US dollars.  The 
conversion rate to US dollars will be at 1) A rate selected by 
Visa from the range of rates available in wholesale currency 
markets for the applicable central processing date, which 
rate may vary from the rate Visa itself receives, or 2) The 
government-mandated  rate  in  effect  for  the  applicable 
central processing date, in each instance, plus or minus any 
adjustment determined by the Credit Union.

CREDIT INFORMATION:
You  authorized  us  to  investigate  your  credit  standing 
when opening, renewing or reviewing your account, and 
you  authorize  us  to  disclose  information  regarding  your 
account  to  credit  bureaus  and  others  who  inquire  of  us 
about your credit standing. In this connection, the credit 
union  may  request  and  use  a  report  from  outside  credit 
reporting agencies at any time. If you request it, we will tell 
you whether or not we have asked for such a report, and, if 
we have, the name and address of the agency or agencies.

CHANGE OF TERMS OR FEES:
We may change the terms or fees or add new terms or fees to 
this Agreement at any time, including changes which affect 
credit  limits,  existing  balances  or  FINANCE  CHARGE 
rates, in accordance with applicable law.

CREDIT LIMIT:
Your initial credit limit will be stated by the Credit Union 
in its letter to you when the card is issued. Your current 
credit limit and available credit will appear on your monthly 
billing statement.  The amount available may be changed 
by the Credit Union without prior notice.

FINANCE CHARGES ON PURCHASES:
We  will  impose  a  FINANCE  CHARGE  on  your  credit 
purchases if you do not pay the total New Balance as shown 
on your statement by the payment due date.

FINANCE CHARGES ON CASH ADVANCES:
We will impose a FINANCE CHARGE on cash advances 
and balance transfers from the date of each cash advance 
or  balance  transfer  transaction  until  the  day  we  receive 
payment in full.

PAYING INTEREST:
Your due date is at least 25 days after the close of each billing 
cycle.  We will not charge you any interest on purchases if 
you pay your entire balance by the due date each month.  We 
will begin charging interest on cash advances and balance 
transfers on the transaction date.

COMPUTATION OF FINANCE CHARGES:
We calculate the FINANCE CHARGE on your account 
as follows: The “daily periodic rate” times the number of 
days in the billing cycle times the “average daily balance” of 
your account subject to FINANCE CHARGES (including 
current transactions).  The “daily periodic rate” is calculated 
by dividing the APR by the number of days in the year.  
The  daily  periodic  rate  for  Visa  Platinum  at  8.875%  is 
.024315% (or .024249% for a leap year), at 10.875% is 
.029795% (or .029713% for a leap year), at 12.875% is 
.035274% (or .035178% for a leap year), and at 17.875% 
is .048973% (or .048839% for a leap year).  The “average 
daily balance” for the period is determined by taking the 
beginning balance of your account each day, adding any 
new purchases or advances and deducting any payments or 
credits and unpaid FINANCE CHARGES.  This gives us 
the “daily balance”.  We then add up all the daily balances 
for the billing period and divide that total by the number 
of days in the billing period.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MINIMUM PAYMENT:
Each  month  you  must  pay  a  minimum  payment 
amount.   The  minimum  payment  is  calculated  as 
the sum of the following items (a) through (c): (a) 
any scheduled payment from a previous billing cycle 
which has not been paid (past due); (b) 2% of the New 
Balance as shown on your current billing statement; 
(c) any amount of the New Balance which exceeds 
your credit limit (over limit).  NOTE: If the sum of 
(a) through (b) above is less than $10.00, a minimum 
of $10.00 will be due.  However, if the New Balance 
shown on your monthly statement is less than $10.00, 
the entire New Balance will be due.  If the minimum 
payment computed, as above, is not an even dollar 
amount, the minimum payment due may be rounded 
to the next highest dollar.  You may at any time pay 
more than the minimum amount due.

APPLICATION OF PAYMENTS:
We may apply all payments and credits in accordance 
with our standard operating procedures and within 
the requirements of applicable law.

AUTOMATIC PAYMENT OPTION:
You may elect to have your Minimum Payment Due, 
your  total  New  Balance,  or  a  Fixed  Amount  paid 
by automatic withdrawal from either your Regular 
Share Savings account or your Share Draft Checking 
account.    We  may  require  such  election  to  be  in 
writing.  If the Fixed Amount Automatic Payment 
Option is chosen, and it does not meet the minimum 
payment  due  amount,  it  is  your  responsibility  to 
ensure minimum payment in full, otherwise your loan 
will be considered in default.  The Credit Union will 
attempt to make the payment transfer at the close of 
business on the date your payment is due.  If the funds 
are  not  sufficient  to  pay  your  payment,  the  Credit 
Union may keep trying to make transfers of available 
funds each day until your entire payment is made; 
however, the Credit Union will not waive any rights to 
declare your loan in default by attempting to continue 
to make transfers.  You may request to be removed 
from  automatic  payment  transfer  at  any  time  by 
giving the Credit Union notice of your decision.  We 
may require your notice to be confirmed in writing. 

MONTHLY STATEMENT:
If you have a balance on your account at the end of 
the billing period, we will send you a statement.  It 
will show the balance; any finance charges; fees; the 
minimum payment due and the payment due date.  
It  will  also  show  your  current  credit  line;  available 
credit; an itemized list of current charges; payments 
and credits and other important information.  You 
must notify us of any change in your address so that 
we can properly direct the mailing of your statement. 

VISA PLATINUM BENEFITS:
Visa  platinum  cardholders  are  eligible  to  receive 
special privileges as disclosed in additional literature. 

ANNUAL FEE:
There is no annual fee. 

CASH ADVANCE TRANSACTION FEE:
There  is  no  transaction  fee  for  cash  advances. 

LATE FEE:
If you are 10 days late in making a payment, your 
account  will  be  charged  a  fee  of  up  to  $25.00. 

RETURNED VISA CONVENIENCE CHECK FEES:
If  a  check  is  written  for  an  amount  which  exceeds 
your  available  credit  line,  it  may  be  returned 
for  insufficient  funds  and  a  $25.00  returned 
check  fee  will  be  charged  against  your  account. 

DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE CHARGES:
If  you  request  documentary  evidence  of  a 
transaction  on  your  account  (for  example,  a 
copy  of  a  sales  draft),  we  may  pass  along  to  you 
our  cost  of  researching  this  evidence  at  a  rate  of 
$15.00 per hour.  No such charge will be imposed 
unless  the  documentary  evidence  agrees  with  the 
transaction as previously reflected on your statement. 

REPLACEMENT CARDS:
There will be a $5.00 per card charge for replacement 
of card(s) requested outside of normal card reissuance. 

LOST  OR  STOLEN  CARDS,  ACCOUNT 
NUMBERS OR VISA CHECKS:
If a card, account number or VISA Convenience check 
is lost or stolen, you must inform us immediately by 
calling 315.477.2200 or 800.462.5000.  You agree 
to inform us of the time, place and manner of loss or 
theft and of your name and VISA account number. 

LIABILITY FOR UNAUTHORIZED USE:
You will be liable for unauthorized use of your credit 
card  in  cases  where  you  were  grossly  negligent  or 
fraudulent in the handling of your account or card 
when your card was used with your PIN.  You will 
not be liable for an unauthorized transaction by the 

use of your Visa card.  You will not, in any case, be 
liable  for  unauthorized  use  that  occurs  after  you 
notify us at the address or telephone number listed 
on your statement; however, you must identify, for 
us, the charges on the billing statement that were not 
made by you, someone authorized by you, and from 
which you received no benefit.  Use which includes 
use of your PIN or which includes your negligence 
or  fraud  are  considered  by  us  as  “authorized  use”. 

DEFAULT AND COLLECTION COSTS:
We  have  the  following  rights  in  regard  to  default 
accounts: (a) Default: You will be in default on this 
account if: (1) you fail to make a required payment 
on time; (2) you fail to perform any other obligation 
to us, or any representation you make proves to be 
untrue; (3) you become the subject of a proceeding 
in bankruptcy; (4) any third party attempts, by legal 
process,  to  take  any  money  or  other  property  of 
yours that is in our possession; (5) if we reasonably 
believe  you  will  not  be  able  to  repay  us  for  any 
reason, including by way of illustration: any change 
in employment, an increase in your obligations, or 
if the value of our security declines materially.  (b) 
Responses to Default: Upon default, we may without 
notice  cancel  the  account  and  require  immediate 
payment  of  all  or  any  part  of  the  balance  due.    If 
a  demand  for  immediate  payment  has  been  made, 
the shares and deposits given us as security for this 
account  can  be  applied  toward  your  outstanding 
balance.    We  may  also  exercise  any  of  our  other 
rights.  (c) Attorneys’ Fees: If we refer your account 
to an attorney for collection, you agree to pay any 
and  all  reasonable  attorneys’  fees  incurred  by  us. 

SECURITY  INTEREST:  IMPORTANT  LIEN 
INFORMATION
You  grant  us  security  interest  in  all  individual  and 
joint accounts you have with us now and in the future 
to secure your credit card account.  You authorize us 
to apply any or all funds on deposit with us to pay 
amounts due under this agreement should you default. 

CANCELLATION:
You may cancel your account at any time by notifying 
us, in writing, and delivering the card(s) to us.  The 
card(s) at all times remains our property, and must 
be  surrendered  immediately  upon  our  request.  
Upon cancellation, you remain obligated to repay all 
amounts due under this Agreement.  We may reduce 
your credit limit and cancel the account altogether.  
Unless you are in default, we will give you notice of 
any  such  reduction  or  cancellation.    We  may  also 
cancel  your  account  by  not  sending  you  a  renewal 
card  upon  expiration  at  any  time  based  upon  our 
lending guidelines.  We may also reissue a different 
card,  account  number,  or  different  convenience 
checks  at  any  time.    Regardless  of  whether  your 
account  has  been  cancelled,  no  card  may  be  used 
after  the  expiration  date  indicated  on  the  card. 

REFUSAL TO HONOR CARD:
We  are  not  responsible  if  we  do  not  approve  a 
purchase  or  cash  advance  on  your  account,  or  if 
a  third  party  refuses  to  accept  or  honor  the  card, 
even if you have sufficient credit available.  We may 
limit  the  number  of  purchases  or  cash  advances 
which  may  be  approved  in  one  day.    If  we  detect 
unusual  or  suspicious  activity  on  your  account, 
we  may  temporarily  suspend  your  credit  privileges 
until  we  can  verify  the  activity.    We  may  approve 
purchases or cash advances which cause the balance 
to exceed your credit limit without waiving any of our 
rights under this Agreement.  We may temporarily 
suspend  your  credit  privileges  for  security  reasons. 

SENDING NOTICES:
Any statement or notice to you under this Agreement 
will be sufficiently given if sent to your address, on file 
in connection with this account, or to a new address 
of which you have notified us in writing at least 20 
days before the sending of the statement or notice.

IRREGULAR PAYMENTS:
We may accept late payments, partial payments, or 
items marked “payment in full” or the like without 
losing  any  of  our  rights  under  this  Agreement. 

DELAY IN ENFORCEMENT:
We may delay enforcing our rights under this 
Agreement without losing them. 

RETURNS AND ADJUSTMENTS:
Merchants and others who honor the card may give 
you credit for returns and adjustments, and they will 
do so by sending us a credit slip which we will post 
to your account.  If your credits and payments exceed 
what you owe us, we will hold and apply this credit 
balance  against  future  purchases  ad  cash  advances, 
or if it is $1.00 or more, refund it upon your written 
request  or  automatically  after  three  (3)  months. 

YOUR BILLING RIGHTS – KEEP THIS 
NOTICE FOR FUTURE USE: 
This notice tells you about your rights and our 
responsibilities under the Fair Credit Billing Act. 
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A MISTAKE ON 
YOUR STATEMENT:
If you think there is an error on your statement, 
write to us at:
Empower Federal Credit Union
PO Box 11127
Syracuse, NY 13218-1127
You may also contact us on the web at  
www.empowerfcu.com
  In your letter, give us the following information:
· Account information: Your name and account number.
· Dollar amount: the dollar amount of the suspected error.
· Description of problem: If you think there is an error on your  
bill, describe what you believe is wrong and why you believe  
it is a mistake.

You must contact us:
Within  60  days  after  the  error  appeared  on  your 
statement.  At  least  3  business  days  before  an 
automated  payment  is  scheduled,  if  you  want  to 
stop  payment  on  the  amount  you  think  is  wrong 
You must notify us of any potential errors in writing 
or electronically.  You may call us, but if you do we 
are  not  required  to  investigate  any  potential  errors 
and you may have to pay the amount in question. 

WHAT WILL  HAPPEN  AFTER WE  RECEIVE 
YOUR LETTER
When we receive your letter, we must do two things:
Within 30 days of receiving your letter, we must tell 
you that we received your letter.  We will also tell you if 
we have already corrected the error. Within 90 days of 
receiving your letter, we must either correct the error 
or explain to you why we believe the bill is correct.
While we investigate whether or not there has been 
an  error:  We  cannot  try  to  collect  the  amount  in 
question, or report you as delinquent on that amount.
The  charge  in  question  may  remain  on  your 
statement, and we may continue to charge you interest 
on that amount. While you do not have to pay the 
amount  in  questions,  you  are  responsible  for  the 
remainder of your balance. We can apply any unpaid 
amount against your credit limit.
After we finish our investigation, one of two things 
will happen: If we made a mistake: You will not have 
to pay the amount in question or any interest or other 
fees related to that amount. If we do not believe there 
was a mistake: You will have to pay the amount in 
question, along with applicable interest and fees.  We 
will send you a statement of the amount you owe and 
the date payment is due.  We may then report you as 
delinquent if you do not pay the amount we think you 
owe. If you receive our explanation but still believe 
your bill is wrong, you must write to us within 10 
days telling us that you still refuse to pay.  If you do 
so, we cannot report you as delinquent without also 
reporting that you are questioning your bill.  We must 
tell you the name of anyone to whom we report you 
as delinquent, and we must let those organizations 
know when the matter has been settled between us.
If we do not follow all of the rules above, you do not 
have to pay the first $50 of the amount you question 
even if your bill is correct.

YOUR  RIGHTS  IF YOU  ARE  DISSATISFIED 
WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD PURCHASES
If you are dissatisfied with the goods or services that 
you have purchased with your credit card, and you 
have tried in good faith to correct the problem with 
the merchant, you may have the right not to pay the 
remaining amount due on the purchase. To use this 
right, all of the following must be true: The purchase 
must have been made in your home state or within 
100 miles of your current mailing address, and the 
purchase price must have been more than $50.  (Note: 
Neither of these are necessary if your purchase was 
based on an advertisement we mailed to you, or if we 
own the company that sold you the goods or services.)
You must have used your credit card for the purchase.  
Purchases made with cash advances from an ATM or 
with a check that accesses your credit card account 
do not qualify. You must not yet have fully paid for 
the purchase. If all the criteria above are met and you 
are still dissatisfied with the purchase, contact us in 
writing or electronically at:
Empower Federal Credit Union
PO Box 11127
Syracuse, NY 13218-1127
www.empowerfcu.com
While  we  investigate,  the  same  rules  apply  to  the 
disputed amount as discussed above.  After we finish 
our investigation, we will tell you our decision.  At 
that point, if we think you owe an amount and you 
do not pay, we may report you as delinquent.

315.477.2200
800.462.5000
www.empowerfcu.com 

Federally Insured by NCUA