UC Davis Stores and the USE Credit Union have teamed up to help staff, faculty and students buy computers without having to save up or use credit cards.

Instead, these UC Davis affiliates may qualify to borrow up to $3,000 from the credit union, at rates as low as 6.49 percent on a three-year note (as of Dec. 8). This 6-month-old program may be particularly useful this time of year for your holiday shopping (even if you're shopping for yourself!).

The credit union program features no application fee and no prepayment penalty, and other benefits that include bundled purchasing options.

Customers can choose from a variety of products at UC Davis Stores’ TechHub, including iPads, MacBooks and iMacs, as well as PCs from brands like Dell. The loan offer applies only to in-store purchases.

“We started the program to help our students, staff and faculty, who work so hard to earn their money,” said Carol Swafford, associate director of sales for UC Davis Stores. “Anything we can do to help with that is a win-win all the way around.”

USE, officially the University and State Employees Credit Union, had a branch on the UC Davis campus in the 1970s before moving to downtown Davis.

“USE has a strong history of supporting the endeavors of UC Davis as a longtime financial partner,” said Tammy Crewdson, assistant vice president and branch manager at the Davis office. “This is another great example of our efforts to work together with the UC Davis community.”

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