Best USAA Credit Cards of 2023

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

USAA credit cards may not be as popular as cards from issuers like American Express and Chase, but they're also not as widely available. That's because financial products from USAA are only for those with some sort of military affiliation, whether they're active duty military, a veteran or an eligible family member (and they need to be a USAA member to apply).

Best USAA Credit Cards

• USAA Rewards™ American Express® Credit Card: Best for rewards on everyday purchases
• USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card: Best Visa card for rewards on everyday purchases
• USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card: Best for active duty military
• USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card​: Best for flat-rate rewards
• USAA Rate Advantage Visa® Platinum Credit Card: Best for balance transfers and convenience checks
• USAA Secured Visa® Platinum Credit Card: Best secured credit card for credit-building

Compare the Best USAA Credit Cards

 

USAA Credit Cards Frequently Asked Questions

USAA Credit Card Reviews

USAA credit cards are generally rated as the best credit cards for customer satisfaction, and in fact earned the top spot in J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study based on the experiences of previous customers. If you belong to the USAA or meet the criteria to join, read on to learn which USAA credit cards are the best.

USAA Rewards American Express Credit Card

The USAA Rewards™ American Express® Credit Card is a solid rewards card for USAA members who want to earn points on regular purchases with no annual fee. Not only can cardholders earn 2,500 bonus points after making a first purchase, but they also earn 3x points on dining, 2x points on groceries and gas station purchases, and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

This card also has an intro APR offer that can work well for some consumers. Specifically, cardholders qualify for 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post to your account within 90 days of account opening (followed by 14.90% - 30.90% Variable). While this offer is pretty decent when it comes to debt consolidation, it's worth noting that some of the best balance transfer credit cards from other issuers offer a 0% intro APR for up to 21 months.

Other notable cardholder benefits of the USAA Rewards™ American Express® Credit Card include auto rental coverage, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and baggage delay and reimbursement. You can redeem you rewards for a range of options including travel, gift cards, and merchandise.

USAA Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card

The USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card offers a decent rewards rate in everyday spending categories and on all your other purchases, and with no annual fee to boot. While the rewards rate isn't quite as high as what you would get with the USAA Rewards™ American Express® Credit Card, the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card is a Visa credit card that is more widely accepted worldwide. Cardholders also get a range of Visa Signature benefits, as well as auto rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, travel accident insurance, and baggage delay and reimbursement coverage.

Applicants who choose this card won't pay an annual fee, and they can earn 2x points on dining and gas station purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. You can earn a welcome bonus of 2,500 bonus points after your first purchase. As with the USAA Rewards Amex Card, you can redeem rewards for travel, merchandise, gift cards, cash back, or charitable contributions.

Cardholders also get 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post to your account within 90 days of account opening, followed by 14.90% - 30.90% Variable. That makes the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Credit Card an okay option for debt consolidation, but there are better balance transfer cards out there.

USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Credit Card

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card is best for active duty military based on the fact it offers 5% cash back on up to $3,000 in combined gas station and military base purchases each year (then 1% back). Members also earn 2% back on up to $3,000 in grocery store purchases each year (then 1% back) and 1% cash back on other purchases. 

Another benefit that comes with the card is its 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post to your account within 90 days of account opening. After this offer ends, 16.90% - 30.90% Variable applies. The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus Amex Card comes with similar benefits as other USAA credit cards, including auto rental coverage, travel accident insurance, baggage delay reimbursement, and trip cancellation and interruption insurance.

USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card

The USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card​ is the only USAA credit card that offers flat-rate rewards for spending (as opposed to different earning rates based on the type of purchase you make), so it's a good option for individuals who want to earn unlimited rewards that are simple to keep track of. After signing up, cardholders can earn 1.5% cash back on all their purchases with no limits at all. Plus, there's no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and no hidden fees to keep track of.

Even though this card offers cash back instead of points, you can still redeem rewards for flexible options like travel, gift cards, merchandise, cash back via a statement credit or a transfer to a USAA bank account, or charitable contributions.

Unlike other USAA credit cards with intro APR offers for balance transfers and convenience checks, the USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card​ comes with 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (followed by 17.15% - 31.15% variable). That makes it a poor option for debt consolidation but a relatively good choice for people who want to pay down large purchases over time without any interest.

Read our USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature card review.

USAA Rate Advantage Visa Platinum Credit Card

Like other USAA credit cards, the USAA Rate Advantage Visa® Platinum Credit Card doesn't have an annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or any hidden fees. That said, this card doesn't offer any rewards either, mostly because it's geared to consumers who want to consolidate debt.

Interestingly, this card has a similar intro APR for balance transfers and credit card convenience checks as other USAA credit cards in our ranking. Specifically, new cardholders qualify for 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post to your account within 90 days of account opening (followed by 12.15% - 29.15% variable).

This card also comes with similar perks as other USAA credit cards in this round-up, including travel benefits like auto rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay and reimbursement coverage, and travel accident insurance.

Read our USAA Rate Advantage Platinum card review.

USAA Secured Visa Platinum Credit Card

If you have poor credit or a very limited credit history, it's possible you'll need to apply for a secured credit card and build your score before you can get approved for an unsecured card. The USAA Secured Visa® Platinum Credit Card is the best option among USAA credit cards in this realm since it comes with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and no hidden fees. 

This secured credit card also offers an initial credit limit of $250 to $5,000 based on your refundable security deposit amount, and it reports to the three credit bureaus to help you build credit over time.

This being said, there are other secured credit cards that do the same thing but offer more perks and rewards on your spending. With that in mind, you should compare all the best secured credit cards on the market today before you choose this offer.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best USAA Credit Cards

To come up with this list of the best USAA credit cards, we evaluated cards based on the following factors:

• Welcome bonus
• Annual fee
• Earning rewards
• Redeeming rewards
• Other benefits

We also consider how easy it is to take advantage of a card's features—do you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get maximum value, or is it straightforward to use?

You can read more about how we evaluate credit cards on our credit card rating methodology page.

Holly Johnson

Freelance Writer

Holly Johnson is a credit card expert, award-winning writer, and mother of two who is obsessed with frugality, budgeting, and travel. In addition to serving as contributing editor for The Simple Dollar and writing for publications such as Bankrate, U.S. News and World Report Travel, and Travel Pulse, Johnson owns Club Thrifty and is the co-author of "Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You’ll Love."

Read more Read less

Angela Fung

Marketing Compliance Manager

Angela Fung is the marketing compliance manager at Personal Finance Insider, overseeing a team that ensures content accuracy and editorial independence so readers are always getting up-to-date and objective financial advice. She is the primary contact for credit cards compliance and has experience managing content and partnerships for the banking, loans, and investment verticals as well.  The compliance team's mission is to provide readers with stories that are fact-checked and current, so they can make informed financial decisions. The team also works to minimize risk for partners by making sure language is clear, precise, and fully compliant with regulatory and partner marketing guidelines that align with the editorial team.

Read more Read less