Ducks Unlimited Visa®

Ducks Unlimited Visa® Review

The Ducks Unlimited Visa® Card is a cash back rewards card from wildlife and wetland conservation group Ducks Unlimited and First Bankcard, the credit card arm of First National Bank of Omaha.

Cash Back on Every Purchase

The Ducks Unlimited Visa® Card earns an impressive 1.5% cash back on every purchase. This considerable cash back potential allows outdoor enthusiasts to stock up on camping supplies, fishing gear, or whatever they need for their favorite outdoor pursuit and then hit the road – all while earning some serious rewards.  Outdoors pursuits – and especially hunting – often require travel which makes this rate of 1.5% back a winner.

What makes the 1.5% cash back even more interesting is that there are absolutely no caps on the total amount of rewards a cardholder can earn. This places the card on par with other 1.5% cash back cards, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited, the Cash Magnet from American Express, and even the Discover It Miles. Unlike these cards, however, the Ducks Unlimited Card helps protect the endangered wetlands with every swipe.

How to Redeem Cash Back Rewards

Earning 1.5% back on all purchases is a pretty impressive perk of the Ducks Unlimited Visa®, but the way redemptions are handled leaves something to be desired. First Bankcard offers three methods of receiving cash back, those options being:

• Statement credits
• Direct deposits into a checking or savings account
• Physical checks

These award options are standard with cash back rewards, but First Bankcard complicates the situation by requiring the awards be in set denominations of $25, $50, $100, $250, or $1,000.

What does 1.5% cash back look like in terms of rewards? To reach a $25 cash back reward a cardholder would need to spend around $1,700 to meet the lowest threshold for redemptions. In this regards the card is somewhat of a competitor for the impressive Chase Freedom Unlimited (or even the Freedom Flex).

The obvious issue with set denominations for redemptions is that it requires a cardholder only to receive a portion of their rewards, unless of course, they currently have a precise amount of cash back rewards. If, for example, a cardholder has $45 in cash back, they could only receive $25, with the remainder held until the additional $5 is earned. This adds a wrinkle in the redemption process and compels the user to plan accordingly before applying.

Help Protect the Wetlands Every Time You Use the Card

One of the best perks of the Ducks Unlimited Visa® Card (besides the unlimited 1.5% cash back) is that a portion of every purchase goes towards wetlands conservation efforts. Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest nonprofit waterfowl conservation organization and has led conservation efforts to protect over 13 million acres of wetland since its foundation in 1937.

The Ducks Unlimited organization currently runs a variety of conservation projects throughout North America, with its top priorities being located on the Gulf Coast, California Coast, Great Plains, Mississippi Valley, and the Western Boreal Forests of Central and Northwest Canada. Every swipe of the card helping to preserve nature is an excellent perk of the card, as part of the processing fee for each transaction goes to help the cause, the importance of which can’t be stressed enough.

Things to Consider Before Applying

There are no signup bonuses with the card, nor are there any real perks beyond what has already been outlined above. There isn’t, for example, an introductory interest rate period on purchases or balance transfers. And, while the card has no annual fee, it does charge a 3% foreign transaction fee, meaning it offers less value abroad than other cards – especially for the hunter that loves to travel abroad in search of a specific game.

The ongoing interest rates of the Ducks Unlimited Visa® also leave a lot to be desired. The APR on purchases and balances transfers is fixed, but that rate is over 20%, far more than you’d typically expect from a 5% cash back card. The fixed-rate is right in the middle of the average range for a 1.5% back card, but that is of little solace for those with excellent credit who could probably receive a much lower variable APR elsewhere.

While the APR may seem high, it should also be understood that the best way to make the most of any rewards credit card – and especially a cash back card – is to pay the entire balance in full each month, thus negating the effects of a high-interest rate. Removing interest payments means cardholders only have to contend with things like annual fees – something the card lacks. This means that spending only what they can afford to pay back immediately brings in far more in rewards than their paying in additional costs.

Should You Apply for the Ducks Unlimited Visa® Card?

The Ducks Unlimited Visa® Card was one of the best credit cards on the market for those who frequently purchased gasoline with credit. Now, however, the card offers a decent, but reduced cash back rate. The card benefits from no annual fee and earns a solid 1.5% back on all purchases, which makes it a reliable choice for those who want to preserve mother nature with every purchase.

Before applying for the card, potential applicants must take the time to understand that Ducks Unlimited is an organization for hunters and by hunters – and that while they want to preserve nature, the hunting wildlife is still involved. That said, the Ducks Unlimited organization promotes a sustainable way of life, looking to ensure that man and nature can coexist, so these ethical dilemmas should be tempered somewhat.

Overall, the Ducks Unlimited Visa® from First Bankcard provides real value for money for those that spend heavily and want a no annual fee card to keep in their back pocket for just that purpose.