5 Things to Know About the Sun Country Credit Card

The Minnesota-based airline Sun Country has its own credit card for frequent fliers of the budget carrier. The Sun Country Visa credit card, issued by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO), has an annual fee but also some perks that may make the card a worthwhile investment. Certainly, this card could make sense for people who fly Sun Country’s relatively limited routes: The airline is in more than 100 airports across the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Canada and the Caribbean.

But if Sun Country airline doesn’t satisfy your travel plans, then the Sun Country credit card won’t do much for you, either. In that case, a general travel card or another airline card would be a better fit.

» LEARN: How to choose a travel card

1. It has an annual fee

You’ll pay $69 a year for the Sun Country credit card, placing it within the mid-tier travel card category. Compared with similar cards, the Sun Country falls a little short in terms of value. For example, for a slightly higher annual fee, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2x miles on everything else, a credit for Global Entry or PreCheck every four years, and perhaps most importantly, the ability to transfer miles to Capital One’s 15 travel partners.

If an annual fee of any amount is too rich for you, there are a handful of $0-annual-fee travel cards such as the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card and the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card.

» BEST: Airline credit cards right now

2. Perks can help offset the fee

Sun Country cardholders get the following benefits, some of which can help recoup some of the annual fee:

• Priority boarding on Sun Country flights every time you fly.

• One free premium drink per flight.

• 50% off seat selections and first checked bag for you and your travel companions when traveling on the same itinerary. Seat selections and bag fees must be prepurchased to receive the discount.

• The ability to get 10,000 bonus points if you spend at least $10,000 over 12 consecutive billing cycles beginning with the account anniversary. Points are worth 1 cent each, so 10,000 bonus points are worth $100 toward Sun Country flights.

• No foreign transaction fee. 

3. It has a decent sign-up bonus

New Sun Country Visa cardholders can get 25,000 points if they spend at least $1,000 in the first three billing cycles after account opening. Because 1 point is worth 1 cent, the sign-up bonus is worth $250. Note that the bonus can only be redeemed toward more Sun Country flights.

The Sun Country card’s welcome offer is fine, but it’s hardly the best. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, widely recognized as the gold standard among mid-tier travel cards, has a $95 annual fee, but the sign-up bonus is far superior to the Sun Country card’s. New Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card holders get the following welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

4. The card pairs well with Sun Country's loyalty program

The Sun Country card earns the most points on Sun Country bookings, but it has some good everyday spending categories, too. The card earns:

• Unlimited 3 points for each $1 on Sun Country purchases.

• Unlimited 2 points for each $1 on gas and groceries. (Wholesale clubs are ineligible.)

• Unlimited 1 point for each $1 on everything else.

Even better, rewards earned with the credit card are stackable with Sun Country’s loyalty program, Sun Country Rewards. Members of the Sun Country Rewards Program get:

• 2 points for every $1 spent directly with Sun Country, either online at suncountry.com or by calling Sun Country Reservations. 

• 1 point for every $1 spent on bookings made through a travel agent or other travel websites.

That means if you have the Sun Country credit card and are enrolled in the Sun Country Rewards Program, which you can do at www.suncountry.com, you’ll earn 5 points per $1 on Sun Country purchases.

Rewards don’t expire as long as the account is open and in good standing.

5. Redemption is limited

Points earned with the Sun Country card are only redeemable for travel booked directly with Sun Country including flights, seats, checked bags and vacation packages. Again, consider a general travel card or another airline card if you want more redemption options.