Navy Federal Visa Signature Flagship Rewards Credit Card Review
This article was last updated Oct 19, 2020. Terms and conditions may have changed. For the most accurate information, please consult the issuer website.
If you’re a Navy Federal Credit Union member who travels on a regular basis, the Navy Federal Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card should be on your radar. Along with providing travel benefits, such as a Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit and travel and emergency assistance, the card lets you earn 3x points on travel and 2x points on everything else .
Just know, you must be a member of Navy Federal Credit Union to apply (more details on the card’s eligibility requirements below).
We review the pros and cons of the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card, and show how it compares to another travel rewards card — the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card.
- Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card pros
- Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card cons
- Compare it to the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
- Which credit card is best for me?
Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card pros
Rewards rate. Earn 3X points on travel and 2X points on everything else . The travel category includes a broad range of purchases, including airfare, hotel bookings, car rentals, cruises, timeshares, campgrounds and RV parks, ride-sharing services, parking, tolls, ferries, amusement parks, public golf courses and more.
Points can be redeemed for travel, including flights, hotel stays and car rentals, as well as cash, merchandise or gift cards.
Free Amazon Prime membership. Enjoy a year of Amazon Prime—on us! Use the Flagship Rewards card to purchase an Amazon Prime membership, and we’ll reimburse you for the cost. That’s a $130 value.
Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit. Cardholders receive a credit of $100 for Global Entry or $85 for TSA Precheck every four years to cover application fees.
None foreign transaction fees. You will not be charged additional fees if you use the card to make purchases outside of the U.S.
Additional Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card benefits:
- Collision damage waiver to cover physical damage and theft of a rental vehicle.
- Worldwide automatic travel accident insurance to cover you and your dependents for bodily injury and/or loss on a covered trip.
- Travel and emergency assistance, including medical referral, lost luggage locator service and prescription assistance.
- Extended warranty service, which doubles the original manufacturer’s warranty for up to one year.
- Cellphone protection when you use your card to pay your monthly cellphone bill.
- Ability to freeze and unfreeze your card.
- Free access to your FICO Score.
How to Check Your Credit Score When You’ve Never Done It Before
Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card cons
Eligibility requirements. To be eligible for the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card, you must be a member of Navy Federal Credit Union. You may qualify if you or one of your family or household members has ties to the armed forces, National Guard or Department of Defense. Learn more about Navy Federal’s qualification requirements.
Annual fee. The Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card charges an annual fee of $49.
No intro APR. If you want to finance a large purchase and pay it off over time, know that the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card does not offer a 0% intro APR on purchases.
That said, the card does offer a very reasonable ongoing APR of 9.99% - 18.00% variable.
Compare it with the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
If you want to earn a similar rewards rate on everyday purchases, but aren’t eligible for a Navy Federal credit card, you may want to look at the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card.
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card offers 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. Venture miles can be redeemed for cash in the form of a check or account credit and gift cards, as well as eligible restaurant delivery, takeout and streaming services through Dec. 31, 2020.
You can also use miles to purchase merchandise from Amazon.com, book new travel reservations through capitalone.com or the Capital One Rewards Center, or redeem miles for past travel using Purchase Eraser. Plus, cardholders can transfer miles to 14 airline and hotel loyalty programs.
See how the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card and Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card compare side by side in the table below.
Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card vs. Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
| Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card | Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $49 | $95 |
| Rewards | Earn 3X points on travel and 2X points on everything else . | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. |
| Sign-up bonus | Enjoy a year of Amazon Prime—on us! Use the Flagship Rewards card to purchase an Amazon Prime membership, and we’ll reimburse you for the cost. That’s a $130 value. | Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening, or still earn 50,000 miles if you spend $3000 on purchases in the first 3 months. |
| Regular purchase APR | 9.99% - 18.00% variable APR | 17.24% - 24.49% (variable) APR |
| Foreign transaction fees | None | None |
Unlike the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card doesn’t offer additional miles on travel purchases. However, it does allow cardholders to earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening, or still earn 50,000 miles if you spend $3000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Venture miles are worth 1 cent each — making the card’s sign-up bonus worth $500 if you max out the $3,000 spend requirement in the first three months of card membership, or $1,000 if you reach the $20,000 spend requirement in the first 12 months.
Just know, the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card comes with a slightly higher annual fee $95. But the value you can get from the card’s sign-up bonus can easily cover that amount during the first year of card membership.
Which credit card is best for me?
If you’re in the market for a travel credit card, the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card are both solid options. But while the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card offers a higher rewards rate on travel purchases and a lower annual fee than the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, you stand to get much more value from the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card’s sign-up bonus. Keep in mind that you have to be a member of the Navy Federal Credit Union before applying for the Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card.
