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USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card

3.8WalletHub Rating

WalletHub Rating

3.8

This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Lower Cost of Existing Debt." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.

Editor’s Rating

3.0

User Reviews

3.5

Market Comparison

3.9

fees: 5.0

cost: 3.1

APR: 4.6

TermsReviewsFAQContact

WalletHub Rating

3.8/5

The USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card is a good credit card for military families who plan to either spend modestly or use other cards too. It offers 5% cash back on your first $3,000 in gas and military-base purchases each year – combined. It also gives 2% cash back on the first $3,000 spent annually at supermarkets, along with unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Info about the USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card has been collected by WalletHub to help consumers better compare cards. The financial institution did not provide the details.

WalletHub Rating Breakdown

User Reviews

3.5/5

70 reviewsRead and write reviews

Editor’s Review

3.0/5

John Kiernan, Credit Card EditorRead full review

Market Comparison

3.9

The Market Comparison is a key component of the WalletHub Rating, as it measures how appealing the terms of a card are compared to a pool of over 1,500 credit card offers monitored by WalletHub. To ensure cards are evaluated for their most relevant purpose, we score each card across various cardholder needs and select the rating for the need with the highest score, which is “Lower Cost of Existing Debt” for this card.

Fees

5.0

Cost

3.1

APR

4.6

3.9/5

Compared against 1,500+ credit cards

KEY TERMS

Excellent Credit, Good Credit

Annual Fee

APR on Purchases

15.90% - 27.90% (V)

Balance Transfer

0% intro APR until June 2027, 15.90% - 27.90% (V) APR after that

Balance Transfer Fee 5%

Rewards

Earn 5% cash back on your first $3,000 in combined gas station and military base purchases yearly.

Earn 2% on your first $3,000 on grocery purchases per year

Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card's Additional Info

USAA membership is available to active and former military and their eligible family members.

Security Benefits: Zero liability coverage for unauthorized transactions if your card is lost or stolen.

Travel Benefits: Auto Rental Coverage, Travel Accident Insurance, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Coverage, Baggage Delay and Reimbursement.

Your Balance Transfer must post to your account by February 28, 2026 for the Introductory APR to apply to the transaction.

Learn More

at USAA® Federal Savings Bank's secure site

Editor's Review
Fact checked

John Kiernan

November 14th, 2025

Fact Checked by Alina Comoreanu

Senior Researcher

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Pros & Cons

No membership fees

0% intro APR on balance transfers

High rewards rate

Bonus rewards categories

Spending caps on rewards

No initial rewards bonus

No intro APR on purchases

Balance transfer fee

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Review

The USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card is a good credit card for military families who plan to either spend modestly or use other cards too. It offers 5% cash back on your first $3,000 in gas and military-base purchases each year – combined. It also gives 2% cash back on the first $3,000 spent annually at supermarkets, along with unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus Amex Card has a $0 annual fee and a 0% foreign transaction fee. Applicants need good credit or better for good approval odds.

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Review Highlights

Great for a limited time. The USAA CashBack Rewards Plus Card offers 5% cash back on gas and military base purchases, but only for the first $3,000 spent in those categories (total) each year. Similarly, you get 2% cash back at supermarkets… until your annual grocery bill crosses the $3,000 mark. As a result, these eye-catching earning rates are worth a maximum of just $210 per year. So the fact that they’re roughly two to five times higher than average for a cash rewards card won’t do you as much good as you might think.
Average rewards for most purchases. Each year, the average person makes about $36,506 in purchases that can be paid for with a credit card, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even if such an individual maxes out the USAA CashBack Rewards Plus Card’s bonus categories, that still leaves $30,506 in spending to earn rewards at the card’s base rate of 1% back. That’s slightly below the 1.17% average for a cash back credit card, according to WalletHub’s latest Credit Card Landscape Report. And it’s half as much as you can get from the market’s best rewards credit cards.
No annual fee. USAA CashBack Rewards Plus Card is $26.75 per year cheaper than the average credit card offer. That’s obviously a good thing, all else being equal. But most cash back credit cards – and most USAA cards, for that matter – don’t charge annual fees. And many of them are far more rewarding.
No foreign fee. You won’t have to pay a surcharge for making international purchases with the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card, which saves you 1.58% on every transaction processed abroad compared to the average credit card. But whether you’re traveling or simply buying something from a foreign merchant, you should be able to find a more rewarding credit card with no foreign transaction fee.
Potential for a very high regular APR. You don’t want to carry a balance from month to month with the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus Amex, especially if your credit is good but not excellent. While its regular APR could be slightly below the average among cards for people with excellent credit (17.68%), it could also be twice as high. And that would obviously dwarf the 23.93% average among good-credit credit cards.
Semi-special active duty rates. USAA CashBack Rewards Plus gives you a 4% APR for up to 12 months during deployment or official relocation. Furthermore, if you have a balance on the card at the time you enter active duty, you’ll get that 4% rate until a year after you finish. And if you serve in a “qualified military campaign,” you can get a rebate for all finance charges from that period. None of that is a reason to apply for this card in particular, though. All of USAA’s credit cards offer such terms.
Good or excellent credit required. Roughly 45% of potential applicants won’t be able to meet the USAA CashBack Rewards Plus American Express Credit Card’s good-or-excellent credit requirement. So it’s a good idea to check your credit score for free on WalletHub before you apply. You also need to be a current or former member of the armed forces, or an immediate family member of such an individual, to qualify for USAA membership. But you probably knew that already.

Compare The USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card vs. Popular Alternatives


3.8WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 3.8 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Lower Cost of Existing Debt." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 3.0 User Reviews 3.5 Market Comparison 3.9 fees: 5.0 cost: 3.1 APR: 4.6	4.2WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 4.2 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 5.0 User Reviews 3.6 Market Comparison 4.2 fees: 3.8 rewards: 4.3 cost: 4.6 Other Features: 0.0	4.3WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 4.3 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Finance New Purchases." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 4.4 User Reviews 3.6 Market Comparison 4.3 fees: 5.0 rewards: 5.0 cost: 4.3 APR: 3.8
(70)	(873)	(5,147)
annual fee$0	annual fee$0	annual fee$0
Purchase Intro APRNot Offered	Purchase Intro APR0% for 15 months	Purchase Intro APR0% for 15 months
transfer intro apr0% until June 2027\|Transfer Fee: 5%	transfer intro apr0% for 15 months\|Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days (5%, min $5 after)	transfer intro apr0% for 15 months\|Transfer Fee: 3% for the first 15 months, 4% at a promo APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time
Regular APR15.90% - 27.90% (V)	Regular APR18.74% - 28.24% (V)	Regular APR18.99% - 28.99% (V)
rewards rate 1 - 5% Cash Back	rewards rate 1.5 - 5% Cash Back	rewards rate 1.5 - 5% Cash Back
bonus offerNone	bonus offer $200	bonus offer $300
Add to Compare	Add to Compare	Add to Compare
	Sponsored Apply Now Rates & Fees	Sponsored Apply Now Rates & Fees

Questions & Answers

Can't find what you are looking for? Submit your question about USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card to our community. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by the issuer of this offer. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered. In addition, WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.

Upvotes

What credit score is needed for the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card?

Sarah Bilkins, WalletHub Credit Card Analyst

A credit score of 700+ is needed for the USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card. This means that you need at least good credit to get it.

Having said that, keep in mind that in addition to your credit score, the issuer will also factor your credit history, debt and income.

Ultimately, you can check out your credit score for free on WalletHub.

Upvotes

How to Redeem USAA Cash Back Rewards Plus rewards?

Maria Adams, Credit Cards Moderator

You can redeem your USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card rewards by logging in to your USAA online account or through their mobile app. You can also redeem your rewards by calling (800) 531-8722.

How to Redeem USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Rewards Online

Log in to your online account.
Visit the USAA Rewards Center to see your points balance.
Click on “Redeem Rewards” and then follow the prompts to redeem.

Keep in mind that the USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card points can be redeemed only...

Upvote

Are purchases at Walmart eligible for the 2% cashback on my Cashback Rewards Plus?

Maria Adams, Credit Cards Moderator

No, purchases at Walmart are not eligible for the 2% cashback on a USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card. You only earn 2% on grocery qualifying purchases at supermarkets. Walmart is considered a discount store and is not included in this category. Other notable stores excluded are Costco and Sam's Club.

For the 2% cash back rewards, qualifying purchases must be made only at merchants identified as primarily selling non-wholesale groceries, such as neighborhood grocery stores and supermarkets.

Upvote

How does the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus rental car insurance work?

Chip Lupo, Credit Card Writer

The USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card offers rental car insurance as a free benefit. USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card rental car insurance covers theft, damage, valid loss-of-use charges imposed and substantiated by the auto rental company, administrative fees, and reasonable and customary towing charges (due to a covered theft or damage) to the nearest qualified repair facility. Cardholders are covered up to the actual cash value of most rented cars. To get the coverage, a cardholder must decline the rental agency's insurance and...

Upvotes

What's the starting credit limit for the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card?

John Miller, Credit Cards Moderator

There is no disclosed starting credit limit for the USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card. The issuer does not include any specific credit limit information in the card's terms. For the most part, credit limits depend on each applicant's overall creditworthiness. Those with the highest income and best credit scores will generally be offered the highest starting credit limits.

Keep in mind that you can ask to get a credit limit increase from your online account, or by calling customer...

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Reviews

Share your insights and review for the USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card

3.5

What's Your Rating?

Michael
December 9, 2023 • @cruvant

Verified Customer

I have been well pleased with USAA bank. Their staff is always available and has the answers to my questions whenever I ask. I would also recommend their insurance plans for home and car.

Comment

Rebecca
March 20, 2022 • @rebeccafrancis909

Verified Customer

Customer service is great but trying to give someone with a 750 credit score with 10 years of good history a 9% credit for a loan is ridiculous. I give 3 stars because when I need them, they are there. It’s just obvious that the company exploits being “for service members” whilst taking from service members.

Comment

Ross M
August 7, 2019 • @navy_guy

I got this card primarily so I could get 5% cash back on base purchases. I have been using for several months and just looked up my rewards.

Firstly, the website makes it incredibly confusing to get an accurate look at what your rewards percentage actually is for each individual purchase. For example, my wife's duplicate card is only showing 1% cash rewards for everything. Over the phone with USAA, I was told that duplicate cards always show only 1% on the card reward details webpage, but it adds another 4% into your total rewards. It may be true, but the only way for me to actually verify that is to look at the total rewards and subtract the rewards amount from my card and then do some more math - well it is unnecessarily difficult to say the least. It blows my mind in 2019 that they can't get their website to simply show the exact percentage and amount of cash rewards earned on each purchase. My other credit cards seem to do that without difficulty.

So I also noticed that while I am getting 5% on gas purchases on my card, I am only getting 1% on all my base purchases, mostly Navy Exchanges (different ones in different states). I asked USAA to clarify this as well. Was the other 4% magically showing up somewhere else, in a way that I couldn't track it, like my wife's rewards supposedly were? No. After they put me on hold for 5 minutes they came back and confirmed that all my on base purchases were only earning me 1%. They blamed the Navy Exchange for coding their stores as "general merchandise" instead of "military" or something like that. It seems that USAA should probably look at those codes before promising 5% cash back on all on base purchases.

In conclusion, this card is useful only for earning 5% cash back on gas, at least for me and also possibly (still not really sure) for my wife's card. Since you almost certainly have another card that can beat the 1% for on base purchases, then the card is really not useful for that purpose. Perhaps you live on a base where all the military stores code the way that USAA thinks they should, and you will earn the advertised 5%. Good luck trying to figure that out in advance.

With the combination of much lower than expected rewards and a website that is confusing as hell when trying to track your rewards, I regret that I ever got this card. For now I'll keep it in my wallet and use it for gas only, but if I can find another card that comes close on gas then I'll probably throw it permanently in the same drawer as my other USAA credit card. They do banking well but I am 0 for 2 on USAA credit cards. Never again.

Comment

Robert Frank
July 20, 2019 • @CreditAstute

Verified Customer

I do NOT recommend that anyone get the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus AMEX if they want to get the 5% back on base purchases. I made several transactions at the Navy Exchange, which should code according to the card’s rewards terms and conditions as a base purchase.

"Qualifying Purchases on Military Bases" are Qualifying Purchases made at businesses that are included in a merchant category identified as primarily selling goods and/or services on United States military bases (such as commissaries, exchanges and shoppettes).

These transactions, however, coded as 1 cent per dollar cash back. When I called USAA to inquire I was told that it is up to the individual Exchange on how they code the transaction based on items I purchase. He said I could get back anywhere from 1 cent, 2 cents, 3 cents, etc. depending on what I buy. I bought some baby supplies and clothing, but apparently these items didn’t qualify. I’ve heard of merchants coding incorrectly, but this excuse of individual items coding incorrectly does not sound right.

I read that these base merchants (Exchanges, Commissaries, Gas Stations) no longer code as “Government Service” but now as "General Merchandise," which will not trigger the 5%. Ultimately if this is true, then this card is now promoted on the basis of false advertisement.

It’s ridiculous that USAA won’t honor their 5% category, which was the main sticking point in getting this card and that I have to hope for the 5%, which apparently is unlikely. Beyond telling me it’s up to the merchant, they did nothing to rectify the problem.

I don’t use it for gas since I live right next to a Costco which has vastly cheaper prices than base, but doesn’t accept AMEX, so I use my Costco Anywhere VISA that earns 4% back.

Comment

jenbaguy
October 5, 2017 • @jenbaguy

I would NEVER ever have a card from USAA .. I have outstanding credit and they refused to give my card a increase where Discover and Chase did in 3 months more than I will ever need and all this with out my request..hmm wonder if its because I pay my card off every month ???

Comment

Jaykid
February 29, 2016 • @jaykid

It's a great card. The rewards rate is nice for someone just starting out, like me. However, I rate the card this way because it's hard to find it accepted in many places. People told me to avoid american express, but at first glance I just couldn't see why. However, not having the card accepted on many websites and stores is so frustrating, especially when trying to build credit. No complaints from the customer service, in fact, it's the best part. Any time I have called them has been a complete breeze and the rep is always friendly. If the card was accepted in more places, I would rate it much higher.

Comment

Kavitha Kavi
December 11, 2015 • @kavithak

Balance transfer rate is optimum. APR seems to be very high. Annual fee is none, this is very good feature.2% cash back on up to $3,000 in supermarket purchases per year can be increased.MAX PENALTY APR and MAX OVERLIMIT FEE is fair.According to me, MAX LATE FEE is high. CASH ADVANCE RATE and CASH ADVANCE FEE is fine.

Comment

David
March 28, 2024 • @david_shamilo

Why would you ever carry a balance to be even considering a late fee? If you can't pay off your credit cards, don't get them. Trust me this will save you a life of debt.

Comment

+ 63 WalletHub users submitted a rating without writing a full review

Review USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card

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* The information about the following cards has been independently collected by WalletHub: PNC Cash Rewards® Visa® Credit Card and USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card.

Offer last updated: Nov 14th, 2025 at 14:22 ET

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card

Credit Score

Annual Fee

APR on Purchases

Balance Transfer

Rewards

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card's Additional Info

Editor's ReviewFact checked

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Pros & Cons

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Review

USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Review Highlights

Compare The USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card vs. Popular Alternatives

Questions & Answers

What credit score is needed for the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card?

How to Redeem USAA Cash Back Rewards Plus rewards?

Are purchases at Walmart eligible for the 2% cashback on my Cashback Rewards Plus?

How does the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus rental car insurance work?

What's the starting credit limit for the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus card?

2025 WalletHub Awards

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USAA® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card Reviews

What's Your Rating?

Important Disclosures

2025 WalletHub Awards

People Also Apply For

Other USAA® Federal Savings Bank Cards

Related Credit Card Categories

Editor's Review
Fact checked