Is it hard to get a USAA Rewards Visa card?

All USAA credit cards require good credit or better for approval, so they are all equally easy (or hard) to get. That doesn’t necessarily make USAA credit cards easy for anyone to get, though, because the average credit score is right on the edge of good credit. USAA does not currently issue any credit cards for people with less-than-good credit.... read full answer

USAA Credit Card Requirements for Approval

• USAA® Rate Advantage Visa Platinum® Card: requires excellent credit or better
• USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card: requires excellent credit or better
• USAA® Rewards™ American Express® Card: requires excellent credit or better
• USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card: requires good credit or better
• USAA® Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card: requires excellent credit or better

The USAA credit score requirement is 750 for most cards. This means that people with excellent credit have a decent shot at getting some of the best USAA credit card offers. USAA also offers a credit card for people with good credit (a credit score of 700), plus two other cards for people with bad credit (a credit score of 300).... read full answer

To see which USAA credit card you qualify for, make sure to check your credit score before applying.

USAA Credit Score Requirements by Card

• USAA® Rewards™ American Express® Card: 750+ (Excellent credit)
• USAA® Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card: 750+ (Excellent credit)
• USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card: 700+ (Good credit)
• USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card: 750+ (Excellent credit)
• USAA® Rate Advantage Visa Platinum® Card: 750+ (Excellent credit)
• USAA® Secured American Express® Card: 300+ (Bad credit)
• USAA® Secured Visa Platinum® Card: 300+ (Bad credit)

You should note that while your credit score is an important factor, there are plenty of other things that will impact your chances of being approved for a USAA credit card, too. Some other key criteria include your income, existing debt load, number of open accounts, recent credit inquiries, employment status, and housing status.

USAA will automatically increase the credit limit for eligible credit card accounts based on periodic account reviews that typically begin six months after an account is opened. Automatic credit limit increases are done at USAA's discretion, and there's no guarantee when one will occur.

How to Get an Automatic Credit Limit Increase From USAA... read full answer

You don't have to do anything for USAA to review your account for an automatic increase. However, taking the following steps will boost the odds of getting USAA to automatically increase your credit limit:

• Pay the bill on time for at least the first six months that you have the card.
• Keep your credit utilization below 30%.
• Update your account profile if your income has gone up since you applied for the card.

How a USAA Automatic Credit Limit Increase Affects Your Credit Score

A USAA automatic credit limit increase requires a soft pull of your credit, which does not affect your credit score.

USAA may offer you the option to decline the automatic credit limit increase amount and request a higher increase. If you decline and ask for a higher amount, USAA will conduct a hard pull on your credit report, but they cannot do so without your permission.

A hard pull may lead to a slight decrease in your credit score, but your score should bounce back after a few consecutive months of timely payments. You can keep track of your progress with free daily credit score updates from WalletHub.