USAA Credit Cards

There is no USAA student credit card. So the best USAA credit cards for students are the USAA Secured Visa Platinum card and the USAA Secured American Express card, both of which have $35 annual fees, require a deposit of at least $250, and are available to people with limited or bad credit.

To be eligible for USAA membership, you must be an active military servicemember or an officer candidate in a commissioning program. You're also eligible if you're the child, spouse, widow or widower of a USAA member who also has a USAA home or auto insurance policy.

Secured cards work just like their unsecured counterparts, except you'll have to put up a deposit, which is fully refundable when you close the account with no unpaid balance. But a student credit card is an even more valuable tool for building credit. And there are numerous options to make up for the lack of USAA student credit cards. Some good alternatives are the Discover it Student Chrome and Cash Back cards, and the Capital One Journey Student Rewards card.

In addition to student credit cards from other issuers, you can also use either a debit card linked to your bank account or a prepaid card for convenience while at school. USAA offers free checking accounts to eligible students. But prepaid cards and debit cards will not enable you to build credit.

Here are some alternatives to a USAA student credit card:

• USAA Secured Visa Platinum: Minimum $250 deposit to open account. Deposit earns interest. $35 annual fee.
• USAA Secured American Express: Minimum $250 to open account. Deposit earns interest. $35 annual fee.
• Journey Student Rewards from Capital One: 1% - 1.25% cash back on all purchases. No annual fee.
• Discover it Student Chrome: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants up to $1,000 spent each quarter. First year's cash back matched. $20 statement credit for a 3.0+ GPA each school year. 0% APR on purchases for 6 months (high regular APR). No annual fee.
• Discover it Student Cash Back: 5% cash back on the first $1,500 spent per quarter in categories that rotate. First year's cash back matched. $20 statement credit for a 3.0+ GPA each school year. 0% APR on purchases for 6 months (high regular APR). No annual fee.
• Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students: 25,000 points when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. 10% points bonus on all purchases when you have a BofA checking or savings account. 0% APR on purchases for 12 months. No annual fee.

If you're a student with an eye on building credit, a student credit card is clearly the best option. But you will have to look outside of the USAA lineup to get one. Whichever student card you choose, use it wisely. Don't go over your credit limit and make timely payments. Avoid opening too many credit accounts in a short amount of time. Irresponsible use of your student card can easily damage the very credit you're trying to build.

It's also good to note that USAA offers free checking accounts for college students, so it may be a good idea to get one of those along with your first credit card.

USAA credit card pre-approval isn't something you can initiate, unfortunately. There's no way to check which, if any, USAA credit card you pre-qualify for. You can only sit back and wait to receive a pre-approved USAA credit card offer in the mail, which may not come, or go ahead and submit a full application.

But before you get ahead of yourself, there are a few ways to get a feel for your approval odds without pre-approval. And it starts with making sure you're actually eligible for USAA membership. In particular, you must be a member of the U.S. military, or an eligible family member of someone who has served in the armed forces.

Assuming you clear that first hurdle, you can move on to figuring out which offer card is the best fit. Fortunately, there are USAA credit cards are available to people of all credit levels, from bad to excellent. So you should find an offer that will approve you.

Here's what to do instead of USAA credit card pre-approval:

• Check your credit score: You can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub, the only site with free daily updates. Your score will give you a good sense of which offers you're likely to qualify for. Most USAA credit cards require good credit or better. And if you have bad credit, USAA's secured credit cards are your only options.
• Take the USAA quiz: USAA's tool matches you with a card, based on your credit score as well as your expected monthly spending and payments. Getting a match isn't the same thing as being approved, though.You can get a similar recommendation using WalletHub's free CardAdvisor tool, which considers offers from other major issuers, too.
• Call customer service: USAA members can call 210-531-8722, enter their member ID number, and ask to speak to a credit card specialist. You can ask the specialist for advice about which USAA card would be the best fit for you. They won't be able to give you definitive answers, but they can point you in the right direction.

If you aren't a USAA member yet, you can find out whether you're eligible and join online.

• Assess your own needs: If you have good or excellent credit and plan to pay your bill in full every month, focus on USAA's rewards credit cards. If not, consider an offer with a 0% introductory APR, either on new purchases or balance transfers.

There's no way to check for USAA credit card pre-approval. But if you're eligible for USAA membership, you should be able to find a card that will approve you.

The best USAA cash back credit card is the USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card because it offers 5% cash back on up to $3,000 spent per year at gas stations and on military bases. It also gives 2% cash back on the first $3,000 spent at supermarkets each year, along with unlimited 1% cash back on everything else. The USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card has a $0 annual fee and requires good credit for approval. 

For people who'd prefer to earn cash back rewards at one flat rate on all purchases, the best USAA cash back card is the USAA® Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card. It offers 1.5% cash back on everything. Plus, as a Visa card, it will be accepted by more merchants than an Amex card. The USAA® Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card also has a $0 and requires good credit.   

Those are the only two USAA cash back credit cards on the market right now. And the choice really comes down to your spending habits.

USAA Cash Back Credit Cards

• USAA® Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card – Best Overall
• USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card – Best for Flat-Rate Rewards

The real question is whether the best USAA credit card for cash back is actually the best cash rewards card overall. There are a lot of great offers out there from other issuers, and they're at least worth a look.

You can fill out a USAA credit card application online. To apply for any USAA credit card, you'll first need to sign up for a USAA membership on their website, which means you'll need to meet the USAA eligibility requirements.

Once you have established your membership, you can apply for a USAA credit card just like you would any other credit card. To submit your application, you will need to provide personal information, such as your full name, non-P.O. Box mailing address, Social Security number, and other information.

After you submit your USAA credit card application, allow up to 7 business days for a decision. However, many people will be approved or denied instantly. To check on the status of your USAA application, call (800) 531-8722 and ask to speak to a credit card specialist.

You can no longer get a USAA limitless credit card. The USAA Limitless Cashback Rewards card stopped accepting applications in late 2017. The card offered 2.5% cash back on all purchases to customers who maintained direct deposits of at least $1,000 a month in a USAA checking account. If they didn't, they got 1.5% cash back instead.

USAA launched Limitless Cash Back as a pilot program in 2017. The program originally included around 30 states. Louisiana was the only participating state left when the program was halted later that year.

USAA requires you to have a USAA membership before you can apply for one of their credit cards. Membership is limited to U.S. military personnel and immediate family members. Close relatives of USAA insurance customers can also join.

While USAA no longer offers “limitless” credit cards, you could get a credit limit of up to $50,000 on any of its regular credit cards. USAA will review your account about once a year for a possible credit limit increase too.