As part of the Union Plus Credit Card's Safety Net programs designed to assist union member cardholders, the Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund is able to help those who are facing financial hardship due to a natural disaster. Union Plus cardholders are eligible to apply for Disaster Relief grants; the money does not have to be repaid.

To be considered for a Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund grant, the union member cardholder must:

1. Have their credit card account for at least 12 months and it must be in good standing.
2. Have experienced a significant income or property loss within the past 12 months, as a result of a FEMA declared natural disaster or emergency in counties designated by FEMA as qualifying for individual assistance.
3. Verify the property or income loss by supplying acceptable documentation* relative to their individual circumstances.

*In some cases documentation requirements may be waived.

To apply for Disaster Relief Fund grants:

• Call the Disaster Relief Fund Helpline at 1-877-761-5028 to speak directly with a specially trained representative. Representatives in the United States handle all customer service calls to the Union Plus Credit Card Program.

How grants have helped members

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.

Roderick Tart of New Orleans and IBEW Local 103 called his $500 check from the Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund “a true blessing, one of the best our family has received.”

For Tart and his family, Hurricane Katrina made an already tough situation even more harrowing. He was laid off from his job as an electrician just a few weeks before the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast. Then the disaster ripped away his New Orleans home, his car, and his family's prized possessions, some of which had been handed down from previous generations. "At the time we received the grant, we were out of funds," he says.

The Tarts relocated to Atlanta, where they are optimistic abou the future.

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

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 Lifeline Trust - 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)