Navy Federal Flagship Rewards card will be getting upgraded starting September 5, 2018 with 3x points on travel purchases (instead of the current 2x), and a statement credit of $100 for Global Entry or $85 for TSA Precheck once every 4 years. Points will be worth $.01 per point to redeem as cashback.
Included in the travel category is: airline and train tickets, hotel stays, car rentals, travel agencies, cruises, campgrounds, RV parks, timeshares, tourist attractions, boat rentals, airports, motor home rentals, ride-sharing services, bridges, tolls, ferries, parking, bus lines, limos, taxis commuter transport, public golf courses, aquariums, amusement parks.
The card earns 2x everywhere, and now will have the added 3x travel category. Card has a $49 annual fee, waived the first year, and no foreign transaction fees. Learn more about Navy Federal credit cards in the post Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) Credit Cards: List, Best Cards & Things You Must Know.
Hat tip to the readers who sent this on over the past couple of weeks.
@DOC
I think this is good for those that don’t qualify for BOA Platinum Honors status with the Premium Rewards card. If you do, I think that’s a better option.
Just went and double checked to make sure the changes took place and sure enough the cash value is now showing .01 per point. Baller. Increased the cash out value pretty substantially for me as I already had it for the points!
https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-cards/credit-cards/offers/flagship-visa-signature.php
Recently applied for the Penfed Pathfinder specifically for GE/TSA + and travel credit for upcoming international vacation. With no AF, it could easily transition into a long term hold. But Penfed UWs hate me, so I was denied with near 800 score, 6 % utilization and only 3 new (visible!) CC accounts/inquiries in the last 24 months.
So, I guess I will be signing for this new bad boy and downgrading to a no fee sock drawer card. I just wish they had matched Penfed with the incidental travel credit and no AF. I’ll take what I can get.
You can always get both!!
See above; Penfed denied me!
That doesn’t make sense you got denied. I hate to think when i finally get my credit to 800 I could still get denied for a card I want…
did they let you apply for a diff CC instead? with NFCU, if you apply and get denied, they let you use that HP for a diff CC application. penfed says they reuse the HP for 90 days (although their disclaimer is that you have a 75% chance of another HP)
i just applied for the penfed pathfinder today over the phone. instead of an instant approval, CSR said it went to the loan processing dept (CCs=loans). CSR said they’d have an answer within 24-48hrs. told me to call back tomorrow (sunday). wonder if i’ll be denied, too 🙁
my equifax report is not as great as yours:
credit score 748
16% utilization
1 inquiry in 24mo
3 new accounts in 24mo (2 cards using the SCT)
They didn’t offer to let me apply for another product. I’m done with PenFed. They don’t want my business — fine. I have profitable relationships with many other financial institutions. When I did have direct deposit with PenFed a few years ago, the service was nothing remarkable. NFCU, on the other hand, has been an excellent financial partner and offered nearly identical rates, and now they offer a near-identical card.
Really odd Penfed thought you weren’t credit-worthy esp w an 800 FICO score (what’s your secret??). Was going to suggest calling the recon dept but it sounds like you’re done w them. They prob want people with mid-range FICO scores so they can make money on interest and fees. Just speculation since people are reporting instant denials for the Capital One Savor card with 800+ FICO scores and a thick credit file. I guess having a near perfect FICO can hurt your chances for approval with some financial institutions (counterintuitive IMO). Their loss! 🙂
I only joined Penfed since they said there wouldn’t be a HP to join (incorrect), but they rectified the mistake by removing the HP from my Equifax report. So I was able to join, open checking/savings, and apply for a new CC all without a HP from Penfed.
I also have NFCU but haven’t opened any products with them other than the checking/savings. Glad to know your experience w them is good. Thanks for sharing!
Hey there, I did try to recon with PenFed but they wanted proof of additional income or a co-signer! LOL. Income is more than $70K, have joint responsibility on a mortgage, an $18k car loan, only $1,500 total student loans (yes, total) and a personal loan with only $900 remaining. My utilization is now at 4%, with tons of available credit. They just don’t like me.
This is the second time I applied for a CC and was denied by them for a ridiculous reason. I’m told PenFed worries about debt pyramiding but this really doesn’t apply in my case. Otherwise, DPs suggest they love high FICO, low utilization, and high income. My income isn’t high, but also not low.
NFCU, on the other hand, gave me an incredible rate on said car loan even when my score was around 710. They’ve given great CLIs on my card with them, which also has a sub 9% interest rate. If you want a credit union card or other loan products with great limits/rates, and friendly customer service, call Navy Fed tomorrow. Your profile looks good. Check out the NFCU Definitive Guide on MyFico. Good luck!
got approved! $7.5k SL and 16.74% APR
Sorry about your denial. Wondering if you can call penfed’s recon dept
Penfed actually gives 4% back on travel if you use their checking account or served in the Military which probably the majority of NFCU members have.
The 4x points is valued at approximately 3.4% cash back, its still a great travel credit card, so getting both NFCU Flagship and Penfed Pathfinder Amex credit card isn’t a bad idea…
In my experience, the PenFed card only gives 1.5 points per dollar with American and United tickets and Hilton hotels so it’s often only 1.3% cash back. 🙁
Could you request Mastercard instead of Visa?
Only comes in visa signature format
Aside from no forex fees, how is this card even marginally better than PenFed Pathfinder Amex?
Well first off the NFCU has the same definition of travel as the Penfed Pathfinder amex credit card. Visa signature is accepted in a lot more places than Amex. Penfed Pathfinder has a 5 year point expiration, the NFCU doesn’t. NFCU Flagship gives 2% cash back on everything else, Penfed gives only 1.5% on everything else. NFCU Flagship credit card gives cell phone protection, Penfed doesn’t. So the the $49 annual fee is trivial and tolerable in my opinion for the benefits you are getting…
You must work for NFCU. Never seen a non blogger push so hard to sell a less than mediocre card with an AF. Tell me what those benefits were again and sign me up….. Got a referral?
lol exactly what I was thinking.
does the flagship give a travel credit? the penfed pathfinder amex gives $100 travel credit + $100 global entry/TSA pre check credit. the main difference is that penfed pathfinder gives $100 travel credit each yr (NFCU doesnt).
right now, pathfinder has a 25k point bonus if you spend $2.5k in first 90 days. since i have an access america checking account, i get 4x points on travel with the pathfinder. no AF or FTFs. the point devaluation though is annoying. i’m pretty sure anyone can sign up for the access america checking if you’re a penfed member. my bro is in the army, but they said they no longer allow siblings to qualify unless my bro was a penfed member (he isn’t). however, the CSR asked if i donated blood to american red cross. even though it’s been years, they said it didn’t matter and let me join for free
i think the NFCU flagship and penfed pathfinder are pretty comparable.
NFCU flagship 3x travel + AF
penfed pathfinder 4x travel (with point deval. slightly less) + no AF + $100 travel credit
i’m an NFCU and penfed member. was thinking of applying for the NFCU flagship, but i might wait to see if i can get the penfed pathfinder first.
If push comes to shove you can always get both!!!
Is gas “travel”?
If you are BoA Platinum Honors, gas is 5.25%
Fort Knox federal credit union platinum rewards visa credit card gives you unlimited 5% cash back at all gas stations including Costco, only 1% foreign transaction fees, no annual fee, anyone can join
are you sure anyone can join? in the eligibility tab, there are a few conditions: http://www.fortknoxfcu.org/join.html
• You are an employee of any of our Select Employer Groups
• You live, work, worship, attend school, or regularly do business in certain designated areas of Kentucky
• You are active duty military, Reserve, Guard, or a civil service employee
• You are retired military or civil service
• You are a contractor attached to the post
The initial requirement for membership is only $15, of which $5 represents one share in the Credit Union, and the remaining $10 covers your one-time-only membership fee.
heard about them awhile back, but saw i wasn’t eligible 🙁 the 5% gas sounds awesome. penfed’s platinum sig. rewards is also 5%, but with point devaluation when redeeming it’s more like a 4.5% gas card
EDIT: looks like even non-members can apply for CCs.but when i clicked on the “non members Apply here” link, it asked me for my member number (required). not clear if non-members can actually apply for CCs, but that’s awesome if anyone can!
https://akcwebloan2.fkfcu1.net/Akcelerant.Lending.Webloan/product.MVC
An interesting comparison would be the Citi Thank You Premier and the Bank of America Premium Rewards. Obviously those have higher fees. DOC correct me if I’m wrong, but if you are BoA Platinum or Platinum Honors, that’s a better choice.
If you can tolerate holding 100k for ransom just to those BOA rewards is quite bittersweet…
Don’t see how having 100k in a Merrill Edge account could possibly qualify as being held for ransom, but ok…I’ll just be over here enjoying my Plat. Honors, you keep doing you…
This. +1
+2
+3 and beyond.
You’ll earn more points to go more places. Earn 3x points on all travel purchases,1 including:
Getaways
airline and train tickets hotel stays
car rentals travel agencies cruises campgrounds and RV parks timeshares tourist attractions boat rentals airports motor home rentals
Commutes
ride-sharing services
bridges, tolls and ferries parking bus lines limos and taxis commuter transport
Entertainment
public golf courses
aquariums
amusement parks
I am trying to decide to apply for this with a 50k targeted offer for the new WF propel. Both are compelling cards and obviously the NFCU has a larger bonus offer but I’m not sure how I’d use the card going forward. So that plus an AF is making it a tough choice.
I’ll add that, thanks
Its virtually a copy and paste of the Penfed Pathfinder Amex credit card.
NFCU Flagship credit card also has:
Cell phone protection
Travel and emergency insurance
Lost luggage reimbursement
Travel and entertainment deals and discounts