Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature®

Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card Review

The Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card is a retail and entertainment credit card designed to save you big money at Universal Studios, including Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Who Is this Card for?

Who can benefit from a theme park credit card? Anyone who lives, breathes, and loves Universal Studios, its films, characters, or rides will get the most value from this premium amusement park card. If you want a card that offers additional cash back savings at the park, online through the Universal store, or even just on everyday categories like travel, dining, and gas, then this might be the right card for you.

Welcome Bonus

Credit cards for theme parks are a type of entertainment and (in some cases) hotel credit cards that cater to families and those who love theme and amusement parks nationwide. Because of this family-oriented approach, these credit cards tend to have welcome offers more akin to cash back credit cards. Take the Universal Rewards Plus, for example.

New accounts with the card can earn a $100 Statement credit when spending $100 within the first billing cycle after opening an account. That bonus isn’t mind-bending, but it is a very simple-to-reach bonus of $100 that can quickly be applied to offset an upcoming vacation to a Universal Studios location.

Anniversary Bonus

The Plus-version of the Universal Rewards credit cards offers an impressive annual bonus that can quickly make the annual fee worth it.  Account holders earn a single-day theme park general admission ticket to one of three Universal Studios locations on their card anniversary and after sending $6,000 or more with the Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature Card during each 12 billing cycle period

The cost of going to Universal Studios theme park now ranges from $119 to $179, depending on the day you plan to visit. Because of that sky-high price, the Plus Visa Signature can pay for itself with just this yearly bonus.  Here are the eligible Universal Studios locations:

• Universal Islands of Adventure
• Universal Studios Florida
• Universal Studios Hollywood

How to Earn Rewards

If the anniversary bonus with the Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card is exceptional, the rewards with the card are equally robust – and especially so when compared with other amusement and theme park credit cards.

Cardholders earn the following rewards on purchases with the card:

• 4% back in rewards on qualifying Universal purchases
• 2% back in rewards on travel, gas, and dining purchases
• 1% back in rewards on all other purchases

The 4% cash back with Universal Studios transactions is a nice feature that offers double the rewards of the Disney Premier Visa (as covered in the comparison section below) but lacks in value for purchases outside of the theme park brand.

Rewards Breakdown and Analysis

According to FNBO, purchases that earn 2% back include the following:

• Vacation packages
• Annual, day, and special event passes, including Universal Express passes
• Purchases from sellers of goods and services located inside the theme parks
• Purchases at Universal-owned and operated locations in Universal CityWalk Orlando and Universal CityWalk Hollywood, from Universal-owned and operated merchandise stores in hotels and airports, and the official Universal Orlando Resort mobile app or the official Universal Studios Hollywood mobile app
• Parking at the parks

Double cash back on travel, gas, and dining is decent but significantly lacking when compared to other cash back credit cards, like the Capital One® Savor® which features a comparable annual fee but earns far greater rewards on entertainment (unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services). Worse, Capital One defines “entertainment” as including amusement parks, meaning the Savor might provide better bang for your buck.

How to Redeem Rewards

Rewards with the Universal Rewards credit cards are redeemable through Universal FUNds Visa® prepaid cards. These prepaid cards let you use your cash back for Universal theme park purchases, as well as flights and hotel stays booked directly through the airline or hotel. Rewards are also redeemable as statement credits to help offset your monthly bill.

Comparisons

There aren’t many amusement park credit cards on the market – but that doesn’t mean there are none. In fact, the Universal Rewards credit cards face competition from some familiar faces.

Perhaps the biggest competition from the Universal Rewards credit cards from FNBO are the Disney Visa credit cards from Chase. The Disney co-branded credit cards (and especially the Disney® Premier Visa®, which carries a $49 annual fee) offer comparable bonus categories to the Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature, though at a slightly lower rate. Here’s how the two Disney credit cards stack up:

Another close competitor comes from Credit One Bank. The Six Flags® Rewards Visa earns 3X points on eligible Six Flags purchases, 2X points on eligible gas, grocery, and lodging purchases, and 1X on all other purchases with the card. Unfortunately, this up to $39 annual fee card no longer accepts new applications.

Comparison with Other Universal Credit Card

Then there is the $0 annual fee Universal Rewards Visa Signature® Card. Here’s how the two Universal Rewards credit cards compare:

Other Card Features

Other note features with the card include 10% off select merchandise, food, and beverage purchases at select locations throughout Universal theme parks and Universal CityWalk in Orlando and Hollywood. Account holders also get 0% APR for six months anytime they spend $1,000 or more on one qualifying Universal purchase.

Cardholders also enjoy Visa Signature benefits and protections, including:

FNBO Ratings

How does the First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) stack up? Here are a selection of expert reviews for the card, as well as an overview of FNBO as a bank:

Should You Apply for the Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card?

Does a theme park credit card, like the Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card, make sense for you? That depends on how much you love Universal Studios and prefer those rewards to other everyday rewards. The answer is likely yes for those who want maximum rewards at Universal, plus 10% savings and a free one-day general admission pass each year.

However, for everyone else, the card likely doesn’t provide enough value for money. As mentioned, the Savor from Capital One provides more everyday value than the premium Universal credit card from FNBO – including at theme parks. Cardholders will earn the same 4% back on theme parks as the Universal Card, just with many more options to choose from than just one brand.

Ultimately, if you want a Universal Studios credit card and can live without the free park admission once per year, consider the no annual fee Universal Rewards Visa Signature®.