USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card

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Oct 4, 2017 / 2 min

The Bankrate promise

At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for and how we rate our cards. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Snapshot

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Recommended Credit

Intro offer

Get 2,500 bonus points with your first purchase

1X - 2X

Rewards Rate

Earn 2X points per dollar spent on gas and dining Earn 1X points for every dollar spent on all other purchases

Annual fee

Regular APR

On This Page

Editor’s note: Some of the offers on this page may be expired. Check out our Best Credit Cards page for the most up-to-date offers for our favorite credit cards.

USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card Overview

The special military benefits on the USAA Rewards Visa Signature make it a worthy option for those who serve our country. But outside of the special perks and benefits for those actively deployed, the card offers meh rewards and less-than-favorable interest rates for those with less-than-favorable credit scores.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Pros

Earn one point per $1 on every purchase.
Get a 2,500 point bonus after your first purchase, worth about $25.
The card will rebate all finance charges accrued to you while you were serving in an active military campaign.
There are no foreign transaction fees.
There’s no penalty APR.

Cons

Eligibility is limited to those who have or have had an affiliation with the military, either through service, work or family.
You have to have a good to excellent credit score to qualify for the best rates.
A rewards rate of 1% is low compared with other cash back cards.

A deeper look at the current card offer

It’s hard to recommend USAA Rewards Visa Signature card over the other rewards card from this issuer, the USAA Rewards American Express card. While the Visa card earns just 2x points per dollar spend on gas and dining and 1 point on all purchases, the AmEx version pays an unlimited 2x per dollar on groceries and gas and 1 point per dollar on all other spending. This could be a significant difference in earnings potential if you spend heavily in those categories.

Those who are approved for the USAA Rewards Visa Signature with credit on the lower end of the spectrum will face higher-than-average APRs (11.40% -27.40% variable APR). Of course, you can avoid that APR by paying off your balance in full each month.

Fees and APR

There’s no annual fee.
11.40% – 27.40% variable APR.
You’ll pay no foreign transaction fee for purchases outside the U.S.
There is a balance transfer fee of 3%.

Key cardholder perks

If you rent a qualifying car for 31 days or less, and pay using your USAA card, you’ll get insurance coverage for physical damage to the car or theft.

With the price protection feature of this card, if you may be eligible for a refund to your card of the price difference if you find a lower price on a new item you bought with the card within 120 days of your purchase.

This card offers extended warranty protections up to one year longer than the original manufacturer’s warranty.

Cardholders also receive access to a 24-hour concierge, emergency services including roadside assistance and trip cancellation or interruption insurance.

To redeem your points, log into your account online or through your mobile app. Each category has different redemption levels that require a minimum amount of points. Typically, each point is worth about 1 cent, but points may increase in value when redeemed for certain awards like travel.

Who should get this card

We don’t recommend this card when there are other USAA cards that offer more compelling features and benefits. This card offers one of the lowest rewards returns on the market today.

Compare the best rewards credit cards

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.

USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card

The Bankrate promise

Snapshot

USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card

USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card Overview

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Pros

Cons

A deeper look at the current card offer

Fees and APR

Key cardholder perks

Who should get this card

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