SDCCU Visa Signature

SDCCU Visa Signature Review

The Visa Signature Credit Card from San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) offers cardholders a fixed APR, so they don’t need to worry about changing interest rates. However, interest rates are considerably higher for balance transfers and cash advances. Moreover, there are no introductory APR promotions.

Cardholders can earn two points for every dollar they spent. Cardholders can redeem their points for event tickets, gift cards, travel, and merchandise. What’s more, new cardholders can earn 10,000 bonus points when they spend at least $3,000 in the first three months after opening an account.

This credit card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. This means that international travelers can use their Visa cards freely when they travel abroad. Furthermore, the SDCCU waives the annual fee for the first year after you sign up for this card. To learn more about the features of this card, keep reading the sections below.

Earn Points on Your Purchases

The SDCCU Visa Signature Credit Card lets you earn rewards points on all your net purchases. This means you earn points on all your purchases minus any refunds. For instance, if you spend $3,000 but received a $300 refund, you will only earn points on $2,700.

There are few limits on what purchases qualify for points, which is a plus. You cannot earn points on balance transfers, finance charges, or cash advances. However, this is a standard feature on most rewards cards. This credit card doesn’t have earning restrictions on gambling purchases, which many rewards cards place on users.

Points appear on your account up to 45 days after you have made a purchase. Generally, you will receive points at the end of your monthly billing statement, but it may sometimes take longer.

New cardholders can earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in their first three months. That comes out to about $1,000 in purchases a month, which is attainable for most consumers. This is especially true considering that there are very limits on how you can use your Visa Signature Card. You won’t receive these points until six to eight weeks after you’ve met the spending requirement.

Keep in mind that you earn these points on top of the regular points you earn on your purchases. As such, you’ll be earning as much as five points for every dollar you spend in your first 90 days.

Redeeming Your Points

You can redeem your SDCCU Visa Signature rewards points for items on the credit union’s Signature Rewards catalog. Items include gift cards, event tickets, travel vouchers, and merchandise.

You don’t need to enroll in a rewards program separately. Once you sign up for this card, you are already part of the Signature Rewards program.

One of the great features of the Signature Rewards program is that the catalog is open for the public to browse. This way, you can see what kind of rewards are available for redemption, including how many points you need to redeem an item. Too many rewards cards these days don’t make their catalogs public, which makes it difficult for you to determine if the rewards are even worth it.

Many items in the catalog start at just under 1,500 points. The value of items worth this amount is usually around $10. At this rate, each point is worth about $0.006, which is quite low.

Many other rewards cards value their points at $0.01 (one cent) per point. However, this Visa Signature Card does earn you two points for every dollar you spend. Your points technically have twice as much value for the money you spend to earn them. With that in mind, the value of each point is just slightly over one cent.

Now, your points do expire with this credit card. However, the expiration date is a little convoluted. You have five years to use your points. But they don’t expire exactly five years from the date that you earned them. Rather, they expire on December 31^st at 11:59 PM on the fifth year from the date you earned them. Nevertheless, this may give you a few extra months to use your points before you lose them.

Save Money with no Fees

The SDCCU Visa Signature card normally features an $89 annual fee. This is slightly lower than what many other rewards cards charge cardholders. Nevertheless, it is on par with industry standards.

However, new cardholders don’t have to pay this fee for the first year after they sign up for this credit card. This can save cardholders money in their first year. If you take into account the bonus points you earn, it’s almost as if this Visa Signature Card pays you in your first year.

Additionally, this card never charges foreign transaction fees. This is a great boon for international travelers. Coupled with Visa’s tremendous global acceptance, you can visit your favorite destinations and pay for hotels, dining, and other items with your card.

Should You Apply for the SDCCU Visa Signature?

As a credit Union, SDCCU limits its membership to certain individuals. You must live or work in San Diego, Orange, or Riverside counties to be eligible for membership. Members of the Financial Fitness Association can also join San Diego County Credit Union.

If you meet the membership requirements, this may be a good card for you to have in your wallet. The points earning rate is above the minimum, and the fee is also pretty reasonable. This card – like many credit union cards – offers lower APRs, and they are fixed, which can be a good thing for many consumers.

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