SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The money flowed from The Golden 1 Credit Union to its cardholders in 2004. The $5.4 billion Golden 1 Credit Union paid out over $4 million to its VISA cardholders for 2004′s transactions, the credit union announced. This is a record for the institution, according to Ann Cameron, a spokeswoman for the credit union. The credit union's overall credit card portfolio is worth over $158 million spread over more than 71,000 Visa accounts. The credit union issues Visa Classic, Gold and Platinum cards. Visa Platinum cardholders have the option of choosing either the 1% cash rebate or taking a lower rate on their cards. Although rebate programs are known to be among the most expensive card reward programs, the credit union finds they help strengthen and build cardholder loyalty and usage. "The Golden 1 is a financial cooperative owned by its members," said Teresa Halleck, CEO of the credit union. "Our Visa rebate program is one more way to showing them how much we appreciate their business and continued support."