USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card Review 2024

• Introducing the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card
• USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card Quick Facts
• What Is the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card Best For?
• USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card Rewards
• Introductory Rates
• Other USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card Benefits
• Fine Print
• How the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card Stacks Up
• Is the USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card for You?
• Methodology

The best part of the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* is the included benefits. The card comes with cellphone protection, purchase security, travel and emergency assistance, auto rental collision damage waiver, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, extended warranty protection and baggage delay reimbursement—all perks that can be helpful for travelers. This, plus a lack of foreign transaction fees, makes this card a potentially good choice for those who like to move around. The rewards, however, coupled with a lack of more upscale credits or benefits, leave this card short of other no annual fee cards that offer similar perks and rewards.

The card also offers a 0% introductory APR offer on balance transfers: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers posted to the account within 90 days of opening, followed by a regular 15.15% - 31.15% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers. A fee of 5% of the amount of each balance transfer applies.

The card has no penalty APR and its standard rate APR range is fairly low relative to other rewards cards: 15.15% - 31.15% Variable.

The USAA membership requirement, which depends on having a military affiliation, is another drawback in that it means this card is not an option for everyone.

• No annual fee
• Earn 2,500 bonus points after making a qualifying first purchase
• Earn 2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and on dining and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
• Extra benefits include cellphone protection, purchase security, travel and emergency assistance, auto rental collision damage waiver, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, extended warranty protection and baggage delay reimbursement

This card is only an option for USAA members, which includes active military members, veterans and their families. If you fall into this category, the card may be a good option. Its travel benefits make it a good choice for overseas use. However, the card’s rewards are average at best and come in the form of USAA points, which are not as flexible as some other rewards currencies. So, this card is best if you’re a USAA member looking for a simple card with moderate travel benefits.

Earning Rewards

Rewards are earned automatically with the USAA Rewards Visa. The card earns 2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and on dining and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. There is no limit to the amount of rewards you can earn.

The USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* offers a first-year welcome bonus of 2,500 bonus points after making a qualifying first purchase.

Redeeming Rewards

Rewards can be redeemed via mobile app or online banking and may be used for cash, travel, merchandise or charitable contributions. Cash redemptions may be credited to your card statement or deposited to a USAA checking or savings account.

Rewards Potential

Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $118,438 annually and has $39,337 in annual spending that can reasonably be charged to credit cards. We base our calculations on these numbers.

USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* Rewards Potential
Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
Gas	2X	$3,562	7,124 points
Dining	2X	$4,622	9,244 points
All Other Purchases	1X	$31,153	31,153 points
			Total: 47,521 points

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Related: Best Rewards Credit Cards

The USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* offers a 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers that post to your account within 90 days of account opening.

• Auto rental collision damage waiver. Get up to 31 consecutive days of worldwide car rental coverage when you decline additional coverage at the rental counter and pay for your rental with the card.
• Cellphone protection. When you charge your monthly cell phone bill to your USAA credit card, you can be reimbursed up to $500 in the event your eligible cell phone is stolen or damaged.
• Travel and emergency assistance. If you experience an illness or emergency, while traveling or working anywhere in the world, call the benefits center for help, 24/7. You can also get medical and legal referrals, prescription assistance, travel planning and other services.
• Travel accident insurance. The card includes loss-of-life or limb coverage up to $500,000 for covered accidents.
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage. Cardholders get up to $1,500 per person in coverage when travel is paid for with the card.
• Baggage delay and interruption coverage. Essential items, like toiletries, clothing and device chargers are covered up to $100 a day for three days, after four or more hours of delay.
• Extended warranty. Get up to an additional year of coverage on eligible items paid for on the card.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 15.15% - 31.15% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers that post to your account within 90 days of account opening

Fees

• Annual fee: $0
• Balance transfer fee: 5% on balance transfers and cash advances
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: None

USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* vs. Citi Double Cash® Card

The Citi Double Cash® Card outearns the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* with an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off.

It also comes with an introductory APR offer: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on creditworthiness. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

Where the USAA Rewards card shines is its extra benefits. The Citi Double Cash offers excellent cash-back rewards but doesn’t have major extra perks, while the USAA Rewards Card delivers auto rental collision damage waiver coverage and several travel protections, ranging from accident coverage to baggage delay coverage.

USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* vs. Navy Federal GO REWARDS® Credit Card

The Navy Federal GO REWARDS® Credit Card offers 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, 2 points per dollar on gas and 1 point per dollar on everything else. For this reason, anyone spending money at restaurants, even occasionally, will earn more points with the Navy Federal GO REWARDS® Credit Card.

The two cards offer entirely different bonus features. The Navy Federal GO REWARDS® Credit Card offers a zero liability policy and fraud protection but not much else. Both cards charge no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, but the Go Rewards card also doesn’t charge balance transfer fees.

USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* vs. USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card

The USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card earns 1.5% cash back on every purchase. For those who don’t spend heavily on gas or dining, this card’s cash-back structure may make more sense than the rewards offered on the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card*.

Though still not on par with 2% cash-back cards, the rewards potential of the USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card should be compared to the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* in the context of each applicant’s spending habits. Many other aspects of the card are the same.

For fervent USAA customers who don’t want to explore card options outside of USAA, the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card* may be a serviceable option—but be sure to explore USAA’s other cards and compare your spending habits to the rewards potential for each card. For those considering cards from other banks, be aware there are better cards out there for cash-back rewards, but pay close attention to this card’s excellent travel coverage perks when weighing your options.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates credit cards