The Good
- 0% Intro APR for 12 months (amount of each transfer 3% balance transfer fee and maximum fee per transfer $200) on convenience checks and balance transfers that post within the first 3 months.
- Support of military affiliates
- Earn Unlimited Points in all categories (no cap)
- No annual fee
- Accepts FICO score as low as 640
- FICO credit score for free
Based in San Antonio, TX, USAA Military Affiliate Cards is a well-known credit card issued by USAA, which was established in 1922. You can transfer balances to the USAA Military Affiliate card save on your interest payments for 12 months.. While both Discover it and Chase Freedom allow a maximum of 1,500 dollars in purchases to qualify in quarterly categories for bonus points. There are no real caps on the number of points you may earn with the USAA Military Affiliate Card, even in the grocery and gasoline store bonus categories
There are no categories for rotating spending requiring enrollment as well. All grocery and gasoline store purchases earn two points for spending every dollar, and everything else earns one point. This is useful as it eliminates the need to sign up and manage for other categories every quarter.
The card offers several perks like Collision damage waiver coverage for rental cars, most of which are relevant when traveling.
Where the card differentiates itself the most from others is the ability to show one’s support and financially support various military affiliates. Consumers are able to select the military affiliate of their choice, and that affiliate or military branch is displayed prominently on the card. Perhaps more importantly, a portion of each purchase goes to support that affiliate. A list of some of the affiliates that consumers can choose is below:
| AIR FORCE | ARMY | COAST GUARD | MARINES | NAVY | VETERAN GROUPS |
| Air Force Association (AFA) | 101st Airborne Division Association (101st) | Coast Guard Exchange (CGX) | 1st Marine Division Association (FMDA) | Association of the United States Navy (AUSN) | The American Legion |
| Blue Star Families (BSF) | Army Athletics (AA) | Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) | Marine Corps Association & Foundation | USNA Alumni Association & Navy Athletics | American Veterans (AMVETS) |
| Civil Air Patrol (CAP) | Disabled American Veterans (DAV) | Naval Aviation Museum Foundation (NAMF) | Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) | Norwich University Alumni Association (NUAA) | Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) |
| Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) | Society of the First Infantry Division | U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) | The United States Navy Memorial (USNM) | Virginia Military Institute Alumni Association (VMIAA) | The Sons of the American Legions |
The Bad
- Limited only to USAA member
- Minimal Sign-up Bonus
- Higher interest rate
- Foreign transaction fee
To attract new cardholders, many rewards cards offer sign-up bonuses. Some cards also have no annual fees and award grocery store and gas purchase, but they offer sign-up bonuses worth at least 100 dollars. The USAA card ocassionally offers bonuses but nothing like other cards, so we rank it lower than other reward cards. That said, if you credit score is below 700, you likely would not qualify for some of these other cards so this could be a good option.
It is best to use a credit card if you travel abroad frequently, which doesn’t impose a foreign transaction fee. While the 1% foreign transaction fee offered by the USAA Military Affiliate Card is low, there are quite a few rewards cards without any foreign transaction fees at all.
The Summary
The USAA Military Affiliate Cards include an attractive introductory APR on balance transfers, rewards program, and military benefits, but there’s really nothing that makes this card stand out.
It’s an ok rewards card, but at this time, we can only recommend it for current USAA members who specifically want to keep all of their banking and credit cards within USAA for simplicity.
Review