NASA Federal VISA Platinum Cash Rewards Review

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NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card Essentials

Do you want a simple cash-back credit card that offers 1.5% cash back on all your purchases and doesn't charge you a ton of fees? If so, you might want to tune in to what the NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card has to offer.

A quick glimpse into NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card:

Top Features

Cash Back on Gas Cash Back on Groceries Cash Back on Other FEATURED CARD

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Terms and Limitations Apply Credit Needed: Good, Excellent

What Our Editors Like Most About the NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card

The NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card is a good option if you are mild spender with your credit card. Cardholders reap 1.5% cash back on all your purchases, so you can rest assured you're earning a decent return without having to think about which card to use or whether you've hit a spending cap.

The lack of an annual fee and balance transfer fee makes this card competitive. The ongoing balance transfer rate for this card is low and the market average fee for balance transfers is around 3%, so if you have a high balance to transfer, saving this percentage could be a compelling reason to try this card. If you’re struggling to pay off your balance on a high-interest rate credit card, this benefit is worth taking advantage of.

Since NASA Platinum Cash Rewards is a Visa® credit card, you’ll also get many of the same benefits that Visa® cardholders have come to expect, including rental car insurance, 24-hour travel and emergency assistance, zero liability if someone makes fraudulent purchases on your card and free Verified by Visa fraud protection that provides added security when you shop at participating online stores.

Potential Downsides of the NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card

The most obvious downside is the lack of signup incentives. There’s no 0% APR offer and no signup bonus, but the NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card’s lack of annual fee and balance transfer fee has the potential to save you more than that over the long term. Plus, that flat-rate cash back could be just the kind of easy rewards system you're looking for.

While you don’t have to be Neil Armstrong to land a NASA card, you do have to be an employee or retired employee of an approved space center, lab, research center or a member of an approved association to become eligible for this credit union – you may have to jump through a hoop or two to earn a membership at this credit union.

How the NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card Compares to Other Cards

NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card vs. CardName

Neither card has an annual fee, but the CardName has higher ancillary fees like those on balance transfers and foreign transaction fees. The CardName , however, offers $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases during the first 90 days of account opening, which is a bonus the NASA Platinum Cash Rewards Credit Card lacks.

The cash-back structure also differs on both cards. The CardName has a new offer to help you maximize your cash back in the category of your choice: gas and EV charging station, online shopping/cable/internet/phone plan/streaming, dining, travel, drug store/pharmacy or home improvement/furnishing purchases. Now earn 3% cash back in your choice category and 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases), and unlimited 1% on all other purchases. You can update your choice category for future purchases once each calendar month using the mobile banking app or online banking, or do nothing and it stays the same.

Like the NASA card, the CardName offers an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases, but it also offers 1.8% cash back on eligible digital wallet purchases for your first 12 months as a cardholder (See Rates and Fees).

With the no-annual-fee CardName , new cardholders earn a $150 bonus once spending $500 in purchases with the card within the first three months of account membership, and there's a 15-month introductory offer from date of account opening of 0% APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers made within the first 120 days (then RegAPR ). The downside though is Wells Fargo still charges a balance transfer fee. Though the CardName card doesn't have a 0% APR period, it does not charge a balance transfer fee.

Who Should Get This Card?

Any eligible person who likes to bank with a credit union and is looking for an everyday card they can use to reap rewards should give this card a moment of thought.