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USAA Cashback Rewards Plus Amex Card Review: A Unique Card With Bonus Rewards for Military Base Purchases

Review Updated
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By: Brittney Myers
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 and  Steven Porrello
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Offer Status

USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card is unavailable on The Ascent. All information was collected independently and not reviewed for accuracy or provided by the credit card issuer. Some items may be out of date.

If you're in the military and spend a lot of money on base, the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card may take some of the strain off your wallet. It offers a rare bonus category for military base spending, plus a high rate of return on eligible gas purchases. There are a lot of caveats, however, including spending limits. See our full USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card review for all the details.

Ratings Methodology

USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card

USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular APR

17.15% to 31.15%, variable

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. 5% cash back on the first $3,000 in combined gas station and military base purchases each year, 2% cash back on the first $3,000 in grocery purchases each year, 1% cash back on other purchases.

1%-5% cash back

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Offer

N/A

  • A somewhat nice rewards card open only to military members and their families. The key feature is bonus cash back on gas and military base purchases, but this has come limitations to consider.

    • Rewards points on purchases
    • Sign-up bonus
    • No annual fee
    • No foreign transaction fees
    • No intro APR on purchases
    • Must be USAA member
    • 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.
    • Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
    • No Annual Fee
    • No Foreign Transaction Fees
    • Rely on us — from secure logons to zero liability for unauthorized transactions.
    • Set up a variety of alerts on your mobile device to stay informed.
The information for the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card has been collected independently by The Ascent. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Circle with letter I in it. N/A 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back 		Up to $300 cash back Circle with letter I in it. Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. 1.5% - 5% cash back Circle with letter I in it. Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months

Regular: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable

Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for earning travel rewards 		75,000 Miles Circle with letter I in it. 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening 2X-5X miles Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

Intro:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Apply Now for Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

On Capital One's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Full USAA Cashback Rewards Plus Amex Card review

This credit card is a good fit for: Active or retired members of the military who want bonus rewards on gas and/or military base purchases.

Top perks

This card has some competitive perks, especially when it comes to its rewards categories and welcome offer.

Earn up to 5% cash back

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card is a unique rewards card in that it's one of the only cards we've seen that offers bonus rewards on military base purchases. But that's not the only bonus category. Cardholders earn:

  • 5% cash back on the first $3,000 in combined gas station and military base purchases each year
  • 2% cash back on the first $3,000 in grocery store purchases each year (wholesale stores, like Walmart and Target, don't typically qualify)
  • 1% cash back on other purchases
  • Terms apply

The 1% cash back is unlimited, so even after you hit the spending caps for the bonus categories, you'll get at least 1% back on purchases. Your cash back rewards can be redeemed at any time, with no minimum, so long as you redeem in increments of $1.

Learn more: Best Gas Credit Cards

No annual card fee

This card has no annual fee, so you won't need to pay extra just to keep your account open. This is handy for any cardholder, but especially nice considering the spending caps on the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card's bonus categories. No annual fee means you can use the card until you hit the spending caps, then switch to another card to keep maximizing your rewards -- without worrying about whether you're getting your money's worth because you don't have to pay anything out of pocket.

No foreign transaction fees

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card charges no foreign transaction fees, which is extremely useful for a card aimed at military personnel. As a member of the military, there's often no telling where you'll be sent next. If you head abroad with a card with foreign transaction fees, every purchase could end up being 3% more expensive. Cards with foreign transaction fees charge extra for every purchase in a foreign currency or that routes through a foreign bank. With the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card, this isn't a worry.

Read more: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

What could be improved

The drawbacks really limit the value of this card, especially when it comes to the intro offer and rewards.

No intro APR on purchases

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card doesn't come with any kind of introductory APR offer on new purchases. This means your purchases will be subject to the go-to 17.15% to 31.15%, variable APR right from the get-go. The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card comes with an intro APR on balance transfers, but the value of that offer is limited due to the lack of an intro APR on new purchases.

Bonus categories have low annual limits

We touched on this briefly above, but it's really worth mentioning twice: There are annual purchase limits for the bonus categories. While this isn't uncommon -- many cards with high rewards rates have some sort of cap on how much you can earn -- this card's limits are pretty low.

You only get the 5% back on up to $3,000 in combined gas and military base purchases each year. That comes out to just $250 a month. Depending on gas prices and your other on-base expenses, you could blow past that fairly quickly. Similarly, the 2% rate on grocery purchases also has its own $3,000 annual cap. This breaks down to a little over $57 a week in groceries, which isn't much when you're feeding a family.

Comparable grocery rewards cards have caps in the $6,000 range -- or none at all. And while you won't find a lot of other cards that can compete with the rate on gas or military base spending, that cap certainly limits the value of those bonus categories.

See more: Best Rewards Credit Cards

Must be a USAA member to apply

USAA is a credit union, which means everyone who uses its services must be a member. So, to apply for the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card, you first need to apply for USAA membership. Unfortunately, membership isn't open to just anyone. You must be one of the following:

  • Active duty member of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine, Navy, National Guard, or Reserves
  • Veteran of the U.S. military with an honorable discharge
  • Current spouse, widow/widower, or unremarried former spouse of a USAA member (member must have joined before or during the marriage)
  • Children whose parents are USAA members
  • Cadets and midshipmen at U.S. service academies or prep schools in advanced ROTC or on ROTC scholarship, or officer candidates within 24 months of commissioning

As part of the application process, you'll need to disclose your branch of service, rank, and either your entry to service date (active duty) or your service start and end dates (veterans).

Read more: The Ascent's Guide to the Best American Express Cards

Suggested credit score

There's no published credit score requirements for the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card. You'll likely have the best chances of approval if you have at least good to excellent credit. However, credit unions are known to have flexible credit requirements, so you may get approved with a lower credit score. Additionally, USAA will look at your entire credit history, not just your scores, when evaluating your application.

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus Amex Card is right for you if:

  • You're a military member who makes a lot of on-base purchases and can take advantage of this rare bonus category

However, the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card isn't a great one-card wallet option due to the purchase caps. It also isn't for anyone not in the military (or related to military) due to the USAA membership requirement.

Learn more: Best Cash Back Credit Cards

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • Yes, you must be a member of the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), which is reserved for active or retired military members and their close relatives.

  • Only the 1% cash back category is unlimited. The rewards you can earn in the feature categories are capped, after which you'll earn a flat-rate 1% back on your purchases.

  • A fee of 5% is applied to each transaction amount.