Great Card If
- You’re a USAA member.
- You want to earn cash-back rewards without an annual fee.
Don’t Get If
- You want a stronger cash-back rate.
USAA Eagle Ascend Card — Is It Worth It?
USAA members who want a cash-back card with no annual fee and solid perks should consider the USAA Eagle Ascend card.
The card earns 2% back on your top eligible spending category each month, including gas and electric vehicle charging stations, groceries, dining, live entertainment and streaming services, home improvement and home furnishings, travel, transit, and health and wellness. It also offers useful perks, including a statement credit for a Walmart+ membership, a late fee waiver every 12 months, and solid travel and purchase protections.
USAA Eagle Ascend Card Top Benefits and Perks
Here is a full look at the top benefits and perks you can expect from the USAA Eagle Ascend card:
- Walmart+ membership: Receive a one-time statement credit for an annual Walmart+ membership.
- Late fee waiver: Every 12 months, you’ll receive 1 automatic late fee waiver that will be applied to your account in the event you are late on a payment.
- Credit limit increase review: After 6 months of on-time payments, your account will be eligible for a credit limit increase.
- No annual fee: Keep the card open without paying an annual fee.
- No foreign transaction fees: Use the card internationally without paying foreign transaction fees.
- Card protections: The card comes with a variety of useful protections, including purchase security, rental car insurance, travel accident coverage, trip interruption coverage, baggage delay reimbursement, cell phone protection, and extended warranty protection.
Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Cash-Back Rewards
Use your USAA Eagle Ascend card for everyday purchases, as you can earn 1% cash-back on most purchases and 2% back on your top eligible spending category each month from the following eligible purchase categories:
- Dining: Including takeout and delivery services.
- Gas and electric vehicle charging stations: Including gas stations and vehicle charging stations.
- Groceries: Including supermarkets, grocery stores, dairy markets, and bakeries.
- Health and wellness: Including pharmacies, drug stores, fitness centers, and membership clubs.
- Home improvement and home furnishing: Including home supply warehouse stores, hardware stores, and home furnishings.
- Live entertainment and streaming services: Including sporting events, concerts, live theater productions, bands, orchestras, cable, satellite, and streaming service providers.
- Transit: Including rideshares, taxis, limousines, car services, ferries, commuter railways, subways, passenger railways, bridges, road tolls, parking lots and garages, and bus lines.
- Travel: Including airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruise lines, and travel agencies.
You can redeem your cash-back rewards toward travel purchases, for merchandise, gift cards, charitable contributions, a statement credit, or as an electronic deposit to your eligible USAA account.
Alternative Cards to the USAA Eagle Ascend Card
If you value simplicity, the USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card earns an uncapped 1.5% cash-back on all purchases, with a $0 annual fee.
For USAA members who prefer a travel rewards card, the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card is a better fit. It earns 3x points on travel and transit purchases and 2x points on all other purchases. It also offers a variety of useful perks, including a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, 10,000 annual bonus points after booking a hotel or rental car through the USAA Rewards Center, cell phone protection, purchase protection, and auto rental coverage.
