@Anonymous wrote:
Since you said no travel cards I would have to say NFCU Flagship. $500 cash sign up bonus. At least 2 percent on everything and tons of benefits.That's a travel card. The only thing that makes it worth the AF is the possibility to make it back through 3% on travel and credit for global entry. There are plenty of cards with no AF and no $50 minimum cash back redemption that earn 2%.
Yes, it's a travel card. But that seems a little harsh and hasty a review of the Flagship card. Pardon my off-topic diversion. I don't have it but have considered it. I think it can be a great card depending on what else is in someone's wallet. For someone who can get qualify for membership in NFCU, who doesn't want a high-priced travel card but wants to save rewards for travel, who doesn't yet have a 3%+ travel card and/or a 2%+ all-purpose card, it's certainly a worthy contender.
First off, it has a 50K point ($500 SUB) that effectively pays the annual fee for more than 10 years if you keep it! (Regardless of all other benefits you get from the card.)
Yes, it has $49 AF but for someone who uses that Global Entry credit you mentioned, the effective AF is actually $24 ($100 credit every 4 years = $49-25.)
For that $24, you get a lot of other Visa Signature "value" items you neglected to mention that are sometimes not available in sub-$50 AF cards including basic travel protections like secondary rental car CDW, Accidental Death & Dismemberment travel insurance ($250K), Lost Luggage Reimbursement, plus also Purchase protection, Extended Warranty coverage, Cell phone protection, Visa Signature Concierge, Roadside Assistance Dispatch, and Emergency Travel Assistance hotline. For someone who can use those things, it easily pays the other $24 in AF for being able to decline CDW, cancel cell phone insurance plans, or file claims for purchase protection or extended warranty coverage. Some other no-AF Visa Signature cards may have some of those benefits but there are probably few that have all.
Also, no FTF's, no BT fees, and even no Cash Advance fees! That can really add up if you ever do BT's alone.
And what other rewards cards have APRs as low as 11.99%? That is exceptional for a card that also pays 2-3%. (PenFed Power Cash is 11.74% and no FTF ... but they also have 3% BT and 5% Cash Advance fees.)
There are only a handful of cards that give 3% or more back on travel in CASH at a penny-a-point with either no-AF or that low an AF. My Citi Costco does, but Costco membership is required. WF Propel and Barclays UBER do, but they don't offer a base of 2% on anything, so it's more cards to carry with less-favorable terms. That appears to me to be one of the strong suits of this card: the ability to consolidate in one place all the cash back awards for future travel usage. Someone can combine their 2% and 3% cashback categories and allow it accumulate for major travel purchases like vacations, hotel stays, airfare, rental cars.
NFCU also advertises "Member Deals" for shopping redemptions that can amplify reward points value. The website shows an example of up to 5% bonus on top of the 2% base earning, so points could be worth effectively 7% for shopping with the Flagship, if you chose to redeem them that way. I believe the CITI DC is the only card that allows something similar, since they just began allowing conversion of DC to TY points.
Navy FCU is known for generous approvals, generous SLs, generous CLIs, and good customer service. All this really counts. From what I've read, I've rather deal with NFCU for customer service issues more than any of the well-known national 2% card products, including Synchrony (PayPal), Citi (DC), Elan Financial Service (Fidelity), Alliant CU (Visa Signature), or even PenFed (Power Cash), which is also on my radar. I've read some pretty negative reviews on all of those from some customers. (*I do wish USAA would bring back the 2.5% Limitless Cashback, though!)
Yeah, the $50 minimum redemption is high, and that turns me off in some ways. But as I said, I think it's intended to be a program where rewards are allowed to accumulate for major travel redemption. If you don't spend enough to accumulate rewards quickly enough or travel often enough, it's not such a good card for you. Also, depending on what else is in your wallet, the overlaps may make the AF an unnecessary expense. But for the right consumer, it's a highly competitive product to those $89 and higher-AF travel cards.
@Anonymous wrote: It's still a card that works best with travel. I don't refute all of the benefits the card has but if you don't travel, it's not anywhere near as good as a flat 2% with no AF.
I agree ... it's not for everyone. It's best suited for people who value travel but want a more economical way to save for trips than a higher-priced premium travel card. If you don't travel, it's not designed for you. If you do travel, it can be a solid card.
The SUB is great and does indeed cover the AF for a long time but that doesn't change the fact that you're still going to get hit with that $49 every year you have the card, long after the SUB is spent.
( ... which would be 10 years out, or 20 years if you're using the Global Entry feature ... That's a long time! Spending the SUB up-front is not required.)
Annual Fees aren't necessarily bad; it depends on the card, user's lifestyle, and their spending habits. I'm not talking about AF's on secured or entry-level cards that offer no benefit other than carrying the card. I'm talking cards that charge AFs that give value back in some ways. Blindly paying them without a thought is never a smart idea. Paying them after thoughtful consideration can be a smart move as part of a financial strategy. There are often direct offsets (such as that TSA Global Entry) as well as indirect offsets (value-added) that someone must make a judgment as to whether they are a good fit.
If you want Siggy benefits, get a cashRewards VISA.
Siggy benefits are not always siggy benefits, as you probably know. Even with the same lender, what benefits they offer on different cards may vary. While it appears cashRewards has similar benefits to Flagship (and I acknowledged some cards might have those benefits at no or lower AF), one conspicuous benefit missing from cashRewards is Flagships' $250K AD&D Insurance common carrier coverage. There may be others.
Sure, it's 1.5% instead of 2X points but no minimum redemption and no AF and the APR can go even lower than the Flagship at 11.65%.
So, depending on spending, that extra 0.5% or 1.5% on travel could really add up to pay for that annual fee and then some.
If you don't take advantage of 3X categories or the Global Entry credit, it's $9800 of spend to break even on the Flagship AF vs the cashRewards.
If you're not going to take advantage of the benefits of any card without altering your spending behavior or lifestyle, then it's probably a poor choice for you. A card needs to make sense for someone's spending and lifestyle. But we're all different.
For some people, that cashRewards may be a better selection. It all depends on the consumer.
I have several non-travel faves in my current collection of cards: BEFCU VISA, PACU MC, BoA Cash Rewards MC, and my 2 Unify VISA cards.
@Anonymous wrote:Lol my entire reason for the recommendation is because OP said no travel. The Flagship actually makes a lot of sense for people with travel expenses. cashRewards is better for the rest of us.
Sooooo ... you mean after all that, we were just saying the same thing? Lmao 
Oh well, unnecessarily killed a few electrons 
Give me travel cards or give me death......Live a little and see the country and world!!
Personal Cards: Amex Plat | Amex Delta Res | CSR | Citi AA Exec Business Cards: Ink+ | Amex BGR
@longtimelurker wrote:
@redpat wrote:Give me travel cards or give me death......Live a little and see the country and world!!
Scary! So you apply for a travel card and get:
Dear redpat, after much consideration we cannot approve your application for our card, and so we have decided to give you death. Thank you for your understanding.
Hope you can recon!
Yowsers ... 
That's enough to make you reconsider an app spree ... lol
I guess that was ONE too many cards ... 