SDCCU Visa Platinum with Fly Miles Plus

SDCCU Visa Platinum with Fly Miles Plus Credit Card Review

If you’re in the market for a low rate rewards card, the Visa Platinum with Fly Miles from San Diego Credit Union is hard to beat. As with the regular SDCCU Visa Platinum, you’ll get a low, non-variable APR on purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers, but with the addition of 1 point per dollar spent on all purchases.   This isn’t a massive rewards rate, but it’s significant for what you could easily consider a balance transfer credit card. If you qualify for membership with this credit union and want a card that covers all of your bases, this could be the card you’re looking for.

Cancel Out the Annual Fee

With most rewards cards, you have to decide if the benefits offered will offset the annual fee (if there is one). In the case of the SDCCU Visa Platinum with Fly Miles Plus, however, you can eliminate the fee just by spending.   The Fly Miles rewards program for the card comes with an annual fee of $35, which is already automatically waived in the first year. After that, all you need to do is spend at least $6,000 each year and SDCCU will waive the fee again. At $500 per month, this a fairly manageable condition. Even if you can’t meet that, $35 is on the lower side of typical annual fees so it won’t set you back much each year.

Earn 120,000 SDCCU Fly Miles Toward Travel and More

Unlike some of the best travel credit cards which allow for unlimited earnings, this SDCCU credit card caps rewards at 120,000. This might seem restrictive initially, but upon further inspection it’s unlikely this cap will affect most cardholders. Since you’ll earn 1 point per dollar spent, this means you’ll have to spend a pretty unrealistic $10,000 per month to max-out your rewards.   While many travel cards have earnings scales that reward more for particular categories, this card gives you flexibility. You’ll earn the same 1 point per dollar for all purchases, which makes it easy to calculate how much you need to spend before you can start to redeem.   The SDCCU Visa Platinum with Fly Miles Plus even gives you two easy opportunities to earn bonus points right off the bat. First, you’ll automatically receive 1,000 points just for getting the card. Then, you’ll receive an additional 1,000 points when you sign up for the Fly Miles Plus Rewards Program. This second bonus is basically automatic as well, since you’ll need to sign up for the rewards program to cash in your miles.

Spending Your SDCCU Credit Card Points

As with earning, this card is pretty flexible when it comes to redeeming your SDCCU Fly Miles. How you spend your points helps to determine their value, so it’s important to consider this when making your decision. Overall, you can redeem your points for any of the following:

• Cash deposits into an associated SDCCU savings account
• Gift cards and merchandise in the Fly Miles store
• Airline tickets
• Hotel stays and car rentals
• Cruises and other vacation packages
• Must-see attractions and events

To redeem for a cash deposit, you’ll need a minimum of 6,000 points saved up. Similarly, gift cards and items in the Fly Miles store start at around 3,000 points. Though the card’s terms and conditions don’t really specify, generally miles are worth the most when redeemed for travel.   SDCCU provides an elaborate breakdown of point values when redeemed for airline tickets in the Fly Miles Plus reward program website. Rewards start with a $100 discount when you cash in 10,000 points, which gives your miles an average value ($.01) compared to other starter travel cards. For perspective, you’ll need to spend at least $10,000 to redeem for this $100 discount.

Should You Apply for the SDCCU Visa Platinum with Fly Miles Plus?

This is a pretty basic card as far as rewards go, with lots of flexibility on how you can earn and redeem your miles. However, the fact that the SDCCU Visa Platinum with Fly Miles Plus complements these rewards with competitively low APRs is what sets this credit card apart.  These features enable the card to transition you from paying off a large balance to earning rewards toward your next vacation with ease. If you want higher rewards, the trade-off will likely be higher APRs and an annual fee.

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