In an effort unmatched by any other credit card in the nation, the Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund provided $400,000 to some 800 union cardholders impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

The $500 grants went to help union members like Lindsey Wynn of Lake Charles, LA, and Rodrick Tart of New Orleans. Wynn evacuated to Mississippi with her mother, brother and dog before returning to her devastated home.

“This money has changed the way I think about my Union Plus Credit Card. I never thought a credit card company would help me when they didn’t have to,” Wynn says. “It was hard to get help from FEMA without get tied up in red tape. On the other hand, when I called the Union Plus Credit Card, I received a check within a matter of days.”

Tart, who moved to Atlanta with his family of six, said the grant was “a true blessing, one of the best out family has received.”

Other assistance for union cardholders included payment waivers, lower rates, emergency credit line increases, fee waivers and free credit counseling.

The Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund is available to help cardholders who are facing financial hardship due to a natural disaster. Union cardholders are eligible to apply for Disaster Relief Fund grants of $500. The money does not have to be repaid.

To qualify for a future Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund grant, the union member must:

1. Have been a victim of a natural disaster.
2. Have experienced a significant income loss or financial hardship.
3. Have been a Union Plus Credit Card holder for at least 12 months and have an account in good standing.
4. Document his or her circumstances and income loss.

Disaster victims who participate in the Union Plus Loan, Auto Insurance and Mortgage programs may be eligible to receive payment extensions or other special help from the program providers. Assistance plans vary by program provider. To find out more, future disaster victims who participate in any of the following Union Plus programs should call these toll-free numbers:

• Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund - 1-877-761-5028
• Union Plus Loan Program - 1-800-343-7097
• Union Plus Mortgage - 1-800-848-6466
• Union Plus Auto Insurance - 1-877-244-0304
• UnionSecure Insurance - 1-800-393-0864
• Union Plus Credit Counseling - 1-877-833-1745
• Union Plus Legal Service - 1-888-993-8886 (9 am -7 pm ET, M-F)