How to manage your membership and accounts with us
With the merger between Great Western Credit Union (GWCU) and Stroud Valleys Credit Union (SVCU) now complete, we believe you can be proud to be a member of the region’s biggest credit union, currently helping over 17,500 people access an attractive range of low-cost financial services, becoming better off together, and keeping more money local to support community needs.
As part of your welcome to GWCU, we’ve put together some useful information about some of the changes you need to be aware of and how to manage your membership and accounts with us.
Migration onto the GWCU systemsWe are planning to move members’ information from the old SVCU systems onto GWCU’s systems on Tuesday 19th July. This means that the SVCU systems will be offline that day, and that GWCU’s own systems will be offline from late afternoon until the following morning, Wednesday 20th July, when the data will have been combined. Of course, like any data migration, there’s some risk that we won’t achieve this date so please do keep an eye on our website for any updates as we get closer to the migration date.
A new member numberAs part of the migration onto the GWCU system, your member number has changed. This is so that we can combine the information from SVCU’s systems into GWCU without duplicating existing data.
You should have received a communication from us with these new details. If you haven’t received this information, please get in touch.
Changes to account namesWe have simplified the range of loans and savings products we offer so some of your accounts have been renamed. This information sheet shows the old account names and their new names and product features. Please note that GWCU does not offer life insurance on members’ savings. If you have any questions about these changes, please get in touch.
Credit union bank detailsThere is no need to change any existing standing orders at this time, funds will continue to be allocated to your account. However, for any new standing orders or one-off payments after 19th July, please use the following details:
Account name: Bristol Credit Union Ltd
Sort Code: 30-94-80
Account no: 63313868
Reference number: Surname + member number
All new payments will be made to savings by default unless you tell us otherwise or you have a loan that is in arrears.Managing your account onlineThe member portal is the quickest, easiest, and most secure way to manage your accounts and to apply for other products and services. You should receive an invitation to register for the member portal in the next few weeks to the email address we have registered for you.
An important part of the registration process is ensuring we have your National Insurance number and up-to-date contact information, so if you have changed any of your details recently (e.g. email address, mobile number) then please email us before the 19th July via admin@svcu.org.uk or call 01453 298 785, so we can update this for you.
Please wait to receive your invitation before trying to log in to the portal so we can support as many of our members as possible with setting up their account. However, if you would like to apply for a loan and need access to the portal sooner, then please email us and we can send you further details.
Loan applicationsOnce you have registered for the member portal, you’ll be able to apply for a loan or other products by logging in and choosing ‘Apply’ from the menu to get started. We offer loans up to £15,000, subject to status, with no need to build up savings before you borrow. Our simple online application makes it quicker to apply for a loan, get a decision, and access your funds.
Contacting us after the 19th JulyAfter the 19th July, you will need to use the GWCU email address and telephone number to get in touch with us: info@gwcu.org.uk , or 0117 924 7309 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm). Please have a look around our website, which has all the information you need about our products and services and where you will log in to the member portal.
Visiting the branchThe Stroud branch will remain open on Mondays and Fridays, 11am to 1pm, for appointments only. You can contact us by phone or email to make an appointment.
Find out more about what your membership means, how we come together to help our communities, and how you can get involved.
