No matter your credit union membership requirements or needs, credit union cards offer many attractive features such as cash back rewards, low APR rates and debt payoff benefits that make them enticing options. Narrow down the possibilities by considering factors like welcome offers and foreign transaction fees when selecting your options.
Credit unions tend to have more relaxed standards for who gets approved for credit cards, and may provide industry-leading rewards rates and lower fees than some of the leading cards.
1. SDFCU Platinum Visa Card
The SDFCU Savings Secured Visa Card is an ideal credit card for building or rebuilding one’s credit. Offering no fees and low APR rates along with a modest rewards program designed to reward everyday spending habits. Plus it reports positively to all three major credit bureaus for instantaneous positive credit ratings!
State Department Federal Credit Union was originally created for government workers employed at the U.S. Department of State, as well as their families. Membership has since expanded; anyone employed with any affiliated organizations may become members, or you can become one via various methods.
New cardholders must pay an initial minimum deposit, which serves as their credit limit. As long as you stay within this credit limit and pay off your balance each month in full, your deposit will be returned back. Furthermore, the SDFCU Savings Secured Visa also features no annual fee and zero foreign transaction fees – you can even add it directly to your mobile wallet for quick, easy and secure payments!
SDFCU Platinum Visa Card stands out as an exceptional choice for applicants with severely impaired credit, as it does not require a credit check when applying. Furthermore, no over-the-counter cash advance fees or over-limit fees apply – making this one of the few secured cards without additional card fees whatsoever! This feature makes this a unique offering in its field; many other good cards for bad credit come with additional charges that make them unattractive options for many individuals with poor credit.
2. DCU Visa Platinum
Digital Federal Credit Union’s (DCU) Visa Platinum card is one of the best credit cards on offer, boasting no annual fee and low regular APR as well as no fees on balance transfers and cash advances. Plus, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay integration make for simpler purchases on-the-go!
This card comes equipped with other standard credit card perks, including $500,000 worth of free travel insurance to cover flight changes, lost luggage and hotel check-ins – something travelers who often lose money when their plans change can especially appreciate. Furthermore, car rental users will appreciate additional protection such as collision damage coverage and theft coverage provided by this DCU Visa Platinum card.
One downside of this card is its lack of rewards features; you only earn 1 point for every dollar spent, which is below-average among cards of this kind. So even heavy spenders might take longer to accrue enough points for free travel or merchandise.
One drawback of the DCU Visa Platinum card is its exclusive availability to DCU members with direct ties to the credit union such as family, employers or communities. You must link it to an active checking account in DCU for overdraft protection purposes.
The DCU Visa Platinum Secured Card is an ideal solution for individuals who seek a low-rate card but do not possess sufficient credit scores to be approved for traditional unsecured credit cards. Offering an APR below that of most secured cards and no balance transfer or cash advance fees, this card allows individuals to build credit without incurring interest on balances while paying off debt completely each month.
3. CUNA Platinum Credit Card
Navy Federal Platinum Credit Card is an ideal solution for those in search of an excellent card offering an extended 0% APR balance transfer period and competitive APRs on purchases and cash advances, with no annual fee attached to its membership of Navy Federal credit union. Unfortunately, however, applying for this card requires becoming a member – something which may prove challenging if you’re just building or rebuilding your credit history.
However, the benefits of this card far outweigh any difficulty associated with qualifying. According to J.D. Power’s 2021 Credit Card Satisfaction Study, it received the highest score among midsize card issuers. Furthermore, it offers cell phone protection, travel accident insurance and identity theft coverage among other benefits.
Balance transfers with this card feature a zero percent APR, and purchases and cash advances also benefit from lower than average APRs compared with similar cards that charge between 3 to 5% in APR.
Like most cards, Navy Federal does charge a transaction fee when using ATMs abroad; however, members who utilize their own NFCU ATMs will not incur this charge. Furthermore, when paying bills in US dollars without incurring foreign transaction fees. When it comes to credit building, Navy Federal reports all account activity to major credit bureaus each month so making on time payments will improve your score over time.
4. DCU Visa Gold
The DCU Visa Gold offers low interest rates, no annual fee and is one of few cards without cash advance fees. It’s an ideal card for building credit as it reports to all three credit bureaus allowing easy tracking. Unfortunately, however, this card doesn’t feature an introductory zero percent rate offer on balance transfers or purchases.
Though this card can help those trying to rebuild their credit, it should be noted that unlike many no-annual-fee cards, this one does not provide rewards or perks as other no-annual fee cards do. Luckily, though, it offers lower ongoing APR than many of its peers making it an excellent way for rebuilding ones credit without facing high-interest rates upon an introductory period expiring.
Before applying for this credit card, you must become a member of Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU). Membership can be gained if you live, work, attend school or worship in any of the communities DCU serves, are related to someone who does, belong to an organization that DCU supports, or make even just a $10 donation – membership with Digital Federal Credit Union is easy!
This card requires a minimum deposit of $500 and minimum credit score of 350 – this is our most stringent requirement among our recommended credit cards, making it out of reach for those with poorer scores. Furthermore, this card doesn’t graduate to an unsecured card in the same way; however, some users report calling to have their security deposit released after using this card responsibly for some years.
5. CUNA Gold Credit Card
The CUNA Gold Credit Card is the top pick for those with excellent credit, offering no foreign transaction fee and offering an impressive rewards program that offers long-term value; such as receiving a sign-up bonus of 40,000 points after spending $4,000 within 90 days and free access to Amazon Prime for one year. Furthermore, this card boasts lower-than-average APR ranges as well as premium features like car rental and travel insurance perks; however to qualify you must become a member of Navy Federal which is limited to members of the armed forces or Department of Defense employees plus their family members only.
Credit unions are financial institutions owned by their members. Unlike banks that primarily aim to generate profits, which then return those profits through higher interest rates and fees for members, credit unions offer their profits back in better interest rates and fees to members instead. They’re particularly helpful for anyone carrying monthly balances or needing low APR cards since most credit unions typically feature lower APRs than traditional cards.
Credit unions typically offer lower credit card fees, such as no annual or teaser APR charges, than most traditional cards do, though they usually lack attractive sign-up bonuses and lengthy introductory APR offers. If you have less-than-stellar credit but are interested in one of these cards, exploring alternative options could provide better value – on-time payments will help improve your score over time and could get you approved for other more lucrative cards later down the line – remember though, no matter your financial standing, paying off debt quickly is by far the best thing you can do to minimize interest charges charges!