USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review: Excellent Customer Service but Weak Rewards
Review
Updated
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Available for military families, the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review has no annual fee or foreign transaction fee. Cardholders also benefit from USAA's highly rated customer service. However, lackluster rewards limit this card's value. See if the pros outweigh the cons in our full USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review review.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
9.90% - 25.90%, variable
Rewards Earn 2X points per dollar spent on gas and dining , 1X points for every dollar spent on other purchases
1X -2X points
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer After your first purchase, you’ll automatically earn 2,500 bonus points.
2,500 points
While the gas and dining rewards are a nice touch, there are other credit cards that earn similar rewards and offer a big sign-up bonus or a 0% intro APR, or both.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
| Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. | 1% - 5% Cashback Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR |
|
|
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
$200 cash rewards Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. | 2% cash rewards Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. |
Intro: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR |
|
Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Bank of America's Secure Website. |
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
25,000 points 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases | 1.5-3 points per dollar Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center. |
Intro: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America. Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable) |
Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Bank of America's Secure Website. |
This credit card is a good fit for: USAA members who want to stick with that company for all their financial products.
It's not quite feature packed, but the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review has some good benefits.
The USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review is light on common credit card fees. Most importantly, this is a no annual fee credit card, so you don't need to pay a fee to have it in your wallet.
One area where USAA excels compared to other major credit card companies is customer service. It has a reputation for quality service, and customer satisfaction surveys back that up. If that's a key factor you consider when reading credit card reviews, then it could be a reason to lean toward this USAA card.
In the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, USAA scored 860 points out of 1,000. Although it wasn't included in the official rankings because it didn't meet the award criteria, its score was the highest among national card issuers. To put the number into perspective, American Express scored 838, which was the highest score that qualified for the rankings.
The USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review has a variable annual percentage rate (APR) that tends to be lower than what most credit cards offer. If you carry a balance on your credit card, a lower APR saves you money on interest. It also doesn't charge a penalty APR, which many cards charge if you fall behind on your payments.
Keep in mind that these are perks it's good to avoid relying on whenever possible. It's better to pay off your credit card bill in full every month and avoid any interest charges. If you do that, then your card's interest rate and whether it has a penalty APR are both irrelevant. And if you need to pay off a large purchase over time with your credit card, 0% intro APR credit cards would be a better choice.
Learn more: What Is APR?
After your first qualifying purchase with this USAA credit card, you'll receive 2,500 bonus points. USAA rewards points are worth $0.01 per point when you redeem them for cash back, giving this sign-up bonus a value of $25. It's not a lot, but it's at least easy to get, since it only requires a single purchase.
The USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review earns:
Since these credit card points are worth $0.01 each, you're effectively earning 2% back on gas and dining out and 1% back on everything else.
The following travel protections are available on qualifying purchases made with this credit card:
Read more: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Credit cards for international travel are a must for consumers who plan to go outside the U.S. at all. While the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review doesn't have tons of travel perks, it is a no foreign transaction fee card, so you can use it abroad without spending extra.
The USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review has some notable problems that hold it back in terms of value.
This USAA credit card has a very small sign-up bonus, as the 2,500 points you get are worth just $25 in cash back.
A $25 bonus isn't close to competitive with what other credit card companies are offering. If you look at the best credit card sign-up bonuses, there are many no annual fee cards with bonuses worth $200 to $250. You're giving up quite a bit of value by choosing the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review over one from another bank.
The rewards rate on this USAA card is another area where it falls well short of current credit card products. You get 2% back on gas and dining out and 1% back on all your other qualifying purchases.
For comparison's sake, some rewards credit cards offer 2% back across all sorts of purchases for no annual fee. Or, if you want a card with bonus categories, you can find plenty of rewards cards that offer 3%, 4%, or even 5% in bonus rewards.
To apply for any USAA cards, you need to be a USAA member. USAA membership is open to active, retired, and separated veterans with a discharge type of "Honorable" from the U.S. military, as well as their eligible family members.
Eligible family members include spouses, widows, widowers, and unremarried former spouses of USAA members who joined USAA during or prior to the marriage. It also includes children and stepchildren of living USAA members.
While this is USAA's policy and is unlikely to change, it means that many consumers can't apply for a card.
A FICO® Score of 670 or higher is suggested to apply for the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review. The majority of the applicants who are approved for this USAA card have credit scores in the good credit or excellent credit range.
USAA looks at many factors when evaluating credit card applications. Although your credit score is important, that alone doesn't guarantee an approval or a denial.
You're a USAA member who values quality customer service and bundling your financial products over earning rewards.
While USAA is a highly regarded company, the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card Review is really only for existing members who want to keep it simple. It's lacking when it comes to the benefits that can save cardholders money on a regular basis, such as rewards or zero-interest offers. You can almost certainly find other credit cards with more to offer.
At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Visa.
