DCU Visa® Platinum Credit Card review: A low-interest, low-fee card

The DCU Visa Platinum is a great low-interest credit card that skips most common credit card fees. You’ll need to be a member of the Digital Federal Credit Union to qualify for the card, but it could be worthwhile if you want a simple, straightforward card with very few risks.

Low interest: APR less than the national average

On the low end, this card’s APR can be as low as 13.75 percent, well below the national average credit card interest rate. The high end goes up to 18 percent, also less than the national average. This card is a good fit if you’re looking for a credit card but are wary of mounting interest charges.

If you tend to carry a balance or just want to mitigate expensive interest charges, low-interest credit cards can be helpful. But even some of the best low-interest cards still have APRs starting around 18 percent, making the DCU Visa Platinum card a true low-interest card. It’s difficult to find credit cards with interest rates this low, so it’s a solid option to consider amid rising rates.

Fees: Few fees and activity charges

Along with its low APR, the DCU Visa Platinum skips many fees that weigh popular rewards cards down. Since cardholders pay a total of $120 billion in credit card fees per year, cards that eliminate many common fees is a welcome sight..

Although not everyone can benefit from low fees and interest, this card may be helpful for people who have other fee-heavy credit cards. Even though it has no foreign transaction fees, annual fee, cash advance fee or balance transfer fees, it still charges up to $35 for a late fee, so you can’t completely avoid fees with this card. However, even its late fee is low since some cards charge up to $41 for paying late.

Perks: Sprinkled with convenient benefits

You’ll seldom find no-annual-fee cards like this one that carry convenient perks like travel accident insurance and extended warranty protection. You’ll often find these perks on rewards cards or premium travel cards with hefty fees and high APRs, but the DCU Visa Platinum is a Visa Signature card, so it provides an extra layer of network benefits.

Extended warranty protection will extend eligible manufacturer warranties of three years or fewer when you use your Visa Signature card. You’ll also receive travel accident insurance as part of your Visa Signature benefits. To qualify for coverage, you must pay your entire travel fare with your DCU Visa Platinum.

If you think of rewards and everything you stand to gain when you think of credit cards, this won’t be your first choice. Because it charges few fees and a low APR, this card has no short- or long-term benefits that add pennies to your wallet for every purchase you make.

Rewards: Lacks value readily found on competing cards

Competing cards offer generous cash back and rewards rates that incentivize card use. Rewards credit cards are often best for people who don’t carry balances, never miss a payment and take advantage of monetary perks to offset annual fees. If you use credit responsibly, rewards are often the deciding factor when shopping for a new credit card.

Since the DCU Visa Platinum doesn’t offer rewards, it might not be the first choice for responsible credit users. But sacrificing rewards to keep other costs low could pay off if you’re wary of rates and fees.

Intro APR: No intro offer for new purchases or balance transfers

A low-interest card is helpful, especially when it comes with a generous intro APR offer for either new purchases, balance transfers or both. Typically lasting 12 to 15 months, these offers help new cardholders curb interest charges. This reprieve gives people a temporary window to pay off their debt or make new purchases without worrying about extra charges.

The DCU Visa Platinum is a great long-term card if you tend to carry a balance, but if you can pay off your debt or any new balance you accrue in a year or so, you’ll be better off choosing a low-interest card with an intro APR.

But you may appreciate the DCU Visa’s low ongoing interest rate long after typical intro APR periods end. The DCU Visa Platinum makes the most sense for cardholders who anticipate making new purchases for many years to come. Regardless of how you’ll use your next credit card, the best credit habit is always paying on time to avoid interest charges, no matter how high or low your APR is.

Welcome offer: No lump sum payment for initial spending

Credit card issuers constantly update welcome offers to remain competitive in the rewards card landscape. These lump sum payments entice new applicants to apply for a new credit card and jump right into using it to meet a minimum spending requirement. Standard welcome offers land between $200 and $300, giving you a nice boost for your initial spending.

The absence of a welcome offer makes a new credit card much less exciting, but it keeps you focused on the practical elements that motivated you to apply in the first place, like access to a line of credit. However, several low-interest credit cards carry welcome offers that reward you for your spending during your first few months. Although cards with welcome offers typically have higher APRs and charge fees that the DCU Visa Platinum doesn’t, you might find them worth the risk because you can earn a good chunk of your spending back.

If your main goal is to temporarily pay no interest on purchases or a balance you transfer, you may benefit by choosing another card. Most cards with intro APR offers also have other perks, like rewards, but their ongoing rates are higher than the DCU Visa Platinum card’s APR. Here are some worthwhile comparisons to help you decide:

Anyone who values saving on interest more than credit card rewards might have this card at the top of their list.

Yes, the DCU Visa Platinum is worth it if you’re looking for a great interest rate and want or need to carry an ongoing or occasional balance.

But it won’t be worth it if you like earning rewards with your credit cards, so the DCU Visa Platinum Rewards Credit Card might be a better option.

It’s also important to note that to qualify for the DCU Visa Platinum Rewards Credit Card, you must be a Digital Federal Credit Union member. You might be eligible to join if you live in Massachusetts or Georgia. If not, another way to qualify is to make a small, tax-deductible donation to a DCU nonprofit organization. This process might seem like a lot of work just to qualify for a new card, but this card’s low-interest interest rate might be worth it as interest rates continue to rise.

Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring balance transfer and low-interest cards, including each card’s introductory APR, intro APR period length, ongoing APR, balance transfer fee, perks and more.

While balance transfer and low-interest cards share a similar ratings rubric, we weigh features differently based on how a card is categorized. We categorize cards that carry an especially long intro APR offer on balance transfers as dedicated balance transfer cards, while cards that offer an especially low ongoing APR are considered general low-interest cards. 

Based on its features, we assigned this card a primary category of [balance transfer / low interest] and tailored our ratings accordingly. 

We analyzed over 100 of the most popular balance transfer and low-interest cards and scored each based on how its key features stacked up against those of other cards in its category. 

Here’s a breakdown of what gave this card its score: