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Browse credit cards from a variety of issuers to see if there's a better card for you.
Questions to ask yourself to get a good answer:
Do you travel a lot? Do you have a particular hotel chain or airline you want to earn points for? Would you rather have points that have flexible redemption options? Do you just want cashback? Do you spend a lot on groceries, gas, Amazon, restaurants?
@Crashem wrote:Noticed the Military Star. Are you still in service or retired (as opposed to veteran)?
I noticed the STAR card too. And if you are military and are often stationed in foreign countries, you should get a Visa that you can use there without any fees.
Look at State Department Federal Credit Union too. Anyone can join and their visa is awesome, especially for someone being stationed overseas.
awesome will do!
what about nfcu or usaa, apparently theyre great about credit.
i guess we bank with the worst military bank, they dont have anything.
USAA is my favorite bank, mostly because of the accessibility and all-encompasing website, which offers everything I need and makes transactions so easy. Yes they will give you a good card.
NFCU gives out high credit limits and I only joined with $5 so I could open a credit card. They have good 24/7 customer service, but I still prefer USAA for my regular banking accounts. NFCU will give you a good card too.
As far as foreign travel, BoA Travel Rewards and SDFCU are the best cards with $0 annual fee and 0% foreign transaction fee that also include an EMV chip (like on your CAC card) which can be used in foreign unmanned terminals. SDFCU allows PIN transactions as well and will give a superior APR if you ever come accross a point in time where you need to carry a balance.
PenFed Platinum Rewards is a great all-around card with travel benefits too, although without the benefits of the EMV chip. This is also a difficult card to get approved for as the CU is very picky about who they approve.
how long after getting a membership until we can apply for credit?
You can apply immediately at any of the credit unions I mentioned.... I would assume they all allow you to apply immediately. If NFCU, you could call them right now.
@Anonymous wrote:
Yes, both my spouse and I are currently serving.
Today in the mail we got a bofa visa offer and a citi visa. I don't really like my Hdepot card so I don't want citi.
both of you should join nfcu whether or not you want their credit card.. OnLy active and retires with pension are eligible to join so take advantage while you can. they are ridiculously generous with credit lines but their rewards are basically average. A poster said earlier said ask yourself what you are looking for. That is great advice. If you tell us what rewards or other features you are looking for, we will have some good recommendations.