Navy Federal Upgrades Its Flagship Rewards Credit Card

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The offer described in this article changed in January 2020. See our story for more information, or see our details page on the Navy Federal Credit Union® Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card for the current offer.

The Navy Federal Credit Union® Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card, issued by Navy Federal Credit Union, has shipped some travel-focused upgrades to the market.

The card previously offered ways to earn rewards on travel spending, but it now offers a travel-specific rewards category, along with a new travel benefit and a beefed-up sign-up bonus. Through Sept. 3, 2019, the intro annual fee is $0, then $49.

Here’s a closer look at what changed:

• A larger sign-up bonus for new cardholders: Get the Flagship credit card, and you could earn 40,000 bonus points (a $400 value) when you spend $3,500 within 90 days of opening your account. Expires on Jan. 01, 2025. That's an increase of 20,000 points from the previous offer, but note that you also have to spend an extra $1,000 to earn it.

• A new rewards category: The new travel category makes it possible to earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases. You'll earn 2 points per $1 spent on everything else. The card previously offered 2 points per $1 spent on all purchases. Rewards redeem for cash, travel, gift cards or merchandise.

• A new travel perk: Cardholders now get a credit of up to $100 for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA Precheck.

Current cardholders will be upgraded to the new card — and card numbers won't change.

The new rewards category has a broad definition of “travel” that includes things like hotel stays, airfare, train tickets, rideshare services, parking expenses, commuter transportation, amusement parks and golf courses. The enhanced features complement the card’s lengthy list of existing travel benefits: no foreign transaction fees, broad international merchant acceptance, travel insurance and car rental coverage, to name a few.

With the makeover, the Navy Federal Credit Union® Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card also joins a string of issuers offering a credit for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application, which can help you move faster through the airport security screening process.

“Given that our membership is the military, we have a very active traveler base who goes around the world,” said Annie Sebastian, senior vice president of credit card products and business optimization for Navy Federal Credit Union. “Our members travel for both work and personal reasons, so giving them that Global Entry or TSA Precheck benefit we thought aligned well with who they are.”

You’ll need a qualifying credit score and a membership at Navy Federal Credit Union to be eligible for the Navy Federal Credit Union® Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card. Among those eligible to join are current or former military service members, civilians currently or formerly employed by the military, or qualifying family members of someone with a Navy Federal membership.