From the looks of it I see it as a very good offering. The AF is high, but I don't see any caps to how much you are allowed to spend to get the full 5% reward.
I saw this card when someone highlighted it in another post last year.
@Anonymous wrote:... But I usually have higher expectations for credit unions.
Unfortunately, all credit unions (or banks for that matter) are not created equal. While credit unions often offer better rates and lower fees, some are better than others in the value they pass back to their members. Some credit unions are more profit-oriented for whatever reason whether it's paying for higher salaries for staff, more expensive offices and branches, or stockpiling for future growth. I just see this card and credit union as a less consumer-friendly lender than as an actual scam.
@Anonymous wrote:The part that I disagree with is comparing the card to the CSR or Platinum. These cards are nothing alike.
I agree that the card does not compare to CSR or Platinum, but all lenders are free to make claims which may or may not represent reality when you drill down into the details. Those of us on the forums know enough to see through it. Maybe in the minds of the credit department, their card really is comparable since they may not have those cards or really understand them! 
So perhaps it's not an intentional misstatement.
I really think smaller banks and credit unions shouldn't try to compete with the big banks on their premium cards. The big banks just have too many resources at their disposal to create better products, so any attempt to mirror them by the little guys comes across as looking like a "scam." It's probably the best they could do. They're offering a 60K point bonus too, which has to be a strain for a credit union. Even though they have $3.77 Billion in assets, are the 5th largest CU in FL, and the 89th largest CU in the US, their size pales next to the large national banks such as Chase. Chase has 1000x their assets at almost $3.7 TRILLION.
This card is obviously oriented towards credit union members who prefer to keep their cards and banking at the same institution. It was probably supposed to be a way of giving members more value on their card spend while at the same time growing the credit union's business. It's unfortunate that they chose to compare their product to two of the industry leaders in travel cards, and no, this is not in the same league.
IMO, this card is not comparable to Barclay's Luxury Card. It's actually better in many respects. 
No, you don't get a fancy metal card. Yes, you're paying a $250 AF for it compared to Luxury Card's $195/$495/$995 setup. But you do at least get good earnings on travel and dining and I'm assuming that the 2x points on everything else can be redeemed for cash at a 1ccp rate? Can you do better? Sure. But it's not a bad offering, especially for someone who doesn't care to shop around for the best card deal going like those of us on My Fico.
It's tricky comparing this card to the Navy Federal CU Flagship. For one, not everyone is eligible for NFCU membership. Yes, Flagship is probably an overall better value if someone had the choice. Both cards offer comparable Visa Signature benefits, and the Fairwinds CU Visa is much more comparable to Flagship Rewards than Chase Sappire Reserve or AMEX Platinum. Yes, Fairwinds is charging a $200 premium over the FSR. However, their SUB is quoted to be worth over 2x the amount of FSR's 40K point SUB. Both cards pay the same 2% base rate on uncategorized spending. Yes, FSR gets a TSA Global Entry credit that Fairwinds does not give. But while FSR pays 3% in travel, Fairwinds pays 5% in travel plus 3% in dining out. And Fairwinds gives you the "50% more" boost in travel redemptions like you get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Depending on spend, it could be worth more than Flagship Rewards.
If I were giving the credit union feedback on this card, I would suggest they offer some credits or additional perks if they want to make it a more viable contender to the big bank travel cards. The beauty of credits is that they encourage more use of the card so they help both the lender and the cardholder. I agree that a $250 AF with no credits is a stretch, even at that higher earnings rate. That's basically the same AF as my Chase Sapphire Reserve after my $300 annual travel credit, but Chase is offering me even additional credits as well as much more overall value. So either they failed to fully evaluate the competition or they hope their customers will fail to do so.
