USAA Credit Cards & Rewards Program – How To Earn & Redeem Points [2024]

Key Takeaways

• USAA offers a variety of rewards cards for military members, veterans, and their families.
• Cardholders can earn points or cash-back on everyday purchases like gas, groceries, and dining.
• Points can be redeemed for airline travel, gift cards, cruise travel, and more.

USAA is most famous for offering military members and their family members state-of-the-art financial products and services.

Oddly enough, however, USAA actually stands for United Services Automobile Association, which is somewhat of a misnomer (you might think this was some sort of credit union for car owners).

Founded in 1922, this San Antonio-headquartered company boasts a full suite of services, including banking, investment, and even insurance!

In this guide, we’ll be examining a subsection of USAA’s banking services: its rewards credit cards.

What Is USAA Rewards?

As you can probably imagine, USAA Rewards is the name given to the bank’s loyalty program.

It’s important to note that you must be from a military family to become a free member of USAA and qualify for a USAA Rewards card, which includes:

• Active duty, National Guard and Reserve officers, and enlisted personnel
• Veterans with an Honorable discharge
• Spouses, former spouses/widows/widowers, and adult children of USAA members
• Officer candidates in commissioning programs and contracted cadets and midshipmen

The points you earn and redeem are called USAA points. As long as your account is open and in good standing, your USAA points will not expire. However, if your account is closed (either voluntarily or involuntarily), then you have 90 days to redeem your rewards before they are forfeited. You can also transfer USAA points to any other cardholder with a USAA Rewards credit card.

USAA uses both Visa and American Express cards within its portfolio of credit cards. You can earn rewards on all qualifying purchases, which excludes balance transfers, cash advances, ATM cash disbursements, money transfers, truck stop transactions, gaming transactions, tax payments, finance charges, fees, and cash equivalents.

Hot Tip: If you’re active military, see our guide to the best credit cards for active military. Many issuers do not charge annual fees, and you can still use the benefits that come with those cards. The Platinum Card^® from American Express is the most popular choice for military members, given the perks and benefits that come with it. See our in-depth guide on the Amex Platinum card military benefits.

USAA Rewards Points Cards

USAA points can be earned with either of the 3 USAA Rewards credit cards. These are personal credit cards — USAA doesn’t have a business credit card in this realm.

USAA Eagle Navigator^® Visa Signature^® Credit Card

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

USAA Eagle Navigator^® Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The USAA Eagle Navigator^® Credit Card earns 3x on travel purchases, including tolls, rideshares, hotels, vacation rentals, flights, and more!

Learn More(at USAA's secure site. Must be a USAA member, or become a member, to apply.)

USAA Eagle Navigator^® Credit Card

The USAA Eagle Navigator^® Credit Card earns 3x on travel purchases, including tolls, rideshares, hotels, vacation rentals, flights, and more!

Welcome Offer

Earn 30,000 bonus points ($300 travel value) after spending $3,000 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of account opening.

30,000 points

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.65% to 27.90% variable regular

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x points on travel purchases
• 2x points on all other purchases, such as groceries, gas, and utilities
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Annual fee of $95
• No point transfer travel partners

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Must be a USAA^® member, or become a member, to apply. USAA proudly offers membership to current and former military, as well as their spouses and dependents.
• Intro Offer: Earn 30,000 bonus points ($300 travel value) after spending $3,000 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of account opening.
• 3X points on travel purchases – triple your points on tolls, rideshares, hotels, vacation rentals, flights and more.
• 2X points on everyday purchases – double your points on groceries, gas, dining, bills and more
• Earn a one-time $95 statement credit when you make your first purchase within 90 days of account opening
• Earn 10,000 bonus points every year – applies after you complete eligible hotel or car booking. That’s equal to a $100 travel value.
• Up to $120 credit towards TSA PreCheck^® or Global Entry^® fee every four years.
• Enjoy valuable travel benefits and protection, including Auto Rental Coverage, Travel Accident Coverage, Trip Interruption Coverage, Baggage Delay Reimbursement, Purchase Security and Cell Phone Protection.
• Points never expire for the life of the account and there are no spend caps on point earning.
• Redeem points your way, on your schedule.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• A fee of 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, cash advance and convenience check applies.
• 19.65% to 27.90% variable regular APR.
• $95 annual fee.
• See Rates and Fees for details.
• Terms and Restrictions apply. See the Guide to Benefits and Reward Terms and Conditions on USAA’s website for details.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.65% to 27.90% variable regular
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

If you’re looking for a point-earning travel card by USAA, you should take a look at the USAA Eagle Navigator^® Credit Card. Not only does the card come with a welcome bonus offer, the card offers:

• 3x points on travel purchases, including tolls, rideshares, hotels, vacation rentals, and flights
• 2x points on everyday purchases like groceries, gas, dining, and bills
• Earn 10,000 bonus points every year after you complete an eligible hotel or car booking
• Up to $120 application fee credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee every 4 years
• No foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)

USAA Rewards™ American Express^® Card

The USAA Rewards Amex card offers big benefits with no annual fee.

This card usually comes with a small welcome bonus after your first purchase — to sweeten the deal, you’ll earn as per the following structure:

• 3x points on dining out
• 2x points on gas and groceries
• 1x points on all other purchases

Your earning is uncapped, which means that are no limits to the bonus spending you can earn points on.

This credit card offers primary rental car coverage if renting outside of your country of residence and secondary rental car coverage if renting within your country of residence; it also comes with trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay reimbursement, travel accident insurance, and travel/emergency assistance.

Furthermore, you’ll enjoy extended warranty coverage, identity theft resolution services, personal identity theft reimbursement, zero fraud liability, and access to a 24/7 concierge.

As we mentioned above, the USAA Rewards Amex card doesn’t have an annual fee and also doesn’t incur foreign transaction fees!

USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature^® Card

The USAA Rewards Visa card has plenty to love, too!

To start, you’ll almost always find an identical welcome bonus offer to what’s offered to new cardholders of the Amex version.

But you’ll notice that the rewards structure is reduced:

• 2x points on dining out
• 2x points on gas
• 1x points on all other purchases

In comparison to the USAA Rewards Amex card, this card will earn you 1 point per dollar less on dining out and groceries.

You’ll enjoy all of the same benefits, including rental car coverage (secondary if renting inside your country of residence, primary elsewhere), trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay reimbursement, travel accident insurance, a 24/7 concierge, extended warranty, and more.

Notably, this credit card also comes with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Bottom Line: The USAA Rewards Amex card earns 1 more point per dollar spent on dining out and groceries, but the USAA Rewards Visa card is more widely accepted around the world. See our comparison of Amex vs. Visa for more details on the differences, acceptance, and perks.

USAA Cash-Back Rewards Cards

USAA has a different set of credit cards for those interested in stable, cash-back rewards.

In total, there are 2 USAA credit cards that deliver cash-back, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.

Let’s take a look at our options.

USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature^® Credit Card

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited 1.5% cash-back, easy to redeem rewards, and a good intro offer reward bonus.

Learn More(at USAA's secure site. Must be a USAA member, or become a member, to apply.)

USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card

The USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited 1.5% cash-back, easy to redeem rewards, and a good intro offer reward bonus.

Welcome Offer

Intro Offer: Earn a $200 reward bonus when you spend $1,000 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of account opening.

$200

Annual Fee

$0

APR

16.65% to 28.65% variable regular

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Has an intro reward bonus offer
• Unlimited cash-back with no category restrictions or caps
• No annual fee

Cons

• No intro purchase or balance transfer offer
• No cash-back bonus categories

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Must be a USAA^® member, or become a member, to apply. USAA proudly offers membership to current and former military, as well as their spouses and dependents.
• Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases, no category restrictions, no caps on cash back.
• Intro Offer: Earn a $200 reward bonus when you spend $1,000 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of account opening.
• Auto Deductible Reimbursement (up to $200).
• A fee of 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, cash advance and convenience check applies.
• No annual fee.
• Cash back rewards never expire.
• Redeem cash back your way, on your schedule.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• 16.65% to 28.65% variable regular APR.
• Terms and Restrictions apply. See the Reward Terms and Conditions and the ADR Benefit Guide on USAA’s website for details.
• See Rates and Fees for details.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 16.65% to 28.65% variable regular
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

The USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card has a different appeal.

What’s special about this card, however, is that instead of bonus categories like military base purchases, you’ll earn a flat 1.5% cash-back on all qualifying purchases with no category restrictions.

Your potential rewards are infinite because there aren’t any caps on spending.

Of course, you’ll also get travel perks such as baggage delay coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, travel accident insurance, auto rental coverage, and more.

Just like every other card above, there are no annual fees or foreign transaction fees.

USAA^® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express^® Card

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card is the best cash-back credit card USAA offers.

Although you won’t typically get access to a welcome bonus, what you will get is access to up to 5% cash-back in rewards:

• 5% cash-back on your first $3,000 in combined gas station and military base purchases yearly
• 2% cash-back on your first $3,000 in grocery purchases yearly
• 1% cash-back on all other purchases

As you can see, this is our first credit card with bonus category limits, so just be sure you keep track of that when making purchases.

With the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card, you’ll get all the same benefits as the USAA Rewards cards above, including rental car coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, travel accident insurance, baggage delay and reimbursement, identity theft resolution, zero fraud liability, and 24/7 concierge service.

There are no annual fees or foreign transaction fees with the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card.

USAA Cards with APR Offers

USAA Rate Advantage Credit Card

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

USAA Rate Advantage Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The USAA Rate Advantage Credit Card offers no annual fee, a low APR rate, and no penalty APR.

Learn More(at USAA's secure site. Must be a USAA member, or become a member, to apply.)

USAA Rate Advantage Credit Card

The USAA Rate Advantage Credit Card offers no annual fee, a low APR rate, and no penalty APR.

Welcome Offer

Intro Offer: Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post within 90 days of account opening. After this time, the variable regular APR of 11.65% to 25.65% will apply to introductory balances.

Low intro APR for 15 months

Annual Fee

$0

APR

11.65% to 25.65% variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Low variable APR on purchases, balance transfers, and cash advances
• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Does not earn rewards
• No welcome bonus

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Must be a USAA^® member, or become a member, to apply. USAA proudly offers membership to current and former military, as well as their spouses and dependents.
• Intro Offer: Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post within 90 days of account opening. After this time, the variable regular APR of 11.65% to 25.65% will apply to introductory balances.
• A fee of 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, cash advance and convenience check applies. If you transfer a balance or write a convenience check to take advantage of the introductory rate offer, you will immediately incur interest on purchases until you pay your balance in full, including any transferred balances.
• No annual fee.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• See Rates and Fees for details.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 11.65% to 25.65% variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Lastly, there is the USAA Rate Advantage credit card. This cards offers a great low APR intro offer and no foreign transaction fees, all for $0 annual fee (rates & fees).

Currently, the card is offering:

• Low intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post within 90 days of account opening. Then, the variable regular APR of 11.65% to 25.65% will apply.

The card also comes with travel protections like auto rental collision damage waiver, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and baggage delay reimbursement.

Options To Redeem Your Points

So after you’ve earned your points, the next thing to do is redeem them! You can currently redeem USAA points in the following ways:

• Airline travel
• Merchandise
• Gift cards
• Cash
• Charitable contributions
• Cruise travel

The most you’ll get from your redemptions will be 1 cent per point when booking cruises and airfare.

You’ll get around 0.9 cents per point when redeeming for cash-back, around 0.8 cents per point when redeeming for charity, and around 0.7 cents per point when redeeming for gift cards.

Sadly, this isn’t a competitive redemption rate. Nonetheless, you can redeem your points by logging into your online USAA account or calling the USAA Rewards Service Center at 800-980-8722 (to redeem points for a cruise, you’ll need to call 800-571-4208).

Redeeming Your Cashback Rewards

It’s much simpler to redeem your cash-back because there’s just 1 redemption option: cash-back!

You must redeem your cash-back in increments of $1.

To use or check your cash-back rewards balance, log into your online account or call 800-980-8722.

Final Thoughts

All in all, USAA offers a great incentive structure and schedule of fees, considering a total absence of any annual fees.

If you happen to be an eligible military member, you can enjoy no foreign transaction fees, annual fees, and a decent rewards structure on a few different bonus categories like dining and grocery.

Hopefully, you found this guide useful in learning more about USAA’s credit cards and rewards program.

The information regarding the USAA^® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express^® Card, and USAA Secured Visa^® Platinum Credit Card was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.