Salt Lake City-based First Electronic Bank partners with several financial technology companies — including Cardless and Imprint — to issue a wide variety of credit cards. Among First Electronic Bank’s portfolio are a collection of store cards and co-branded travel cards.
Whether their cards are a good fit for you can depend on what you’re looking for. Co-branded cards in general may benefit anyone who's loyal to those brands, but the ones that First Electronic Bank partners with are relatively niche.
Here’s a closer look at First Electronic Bank’s credit cards.
For cryptocurrency rewards
Cardless services the Coinbase One Card, which earns up to 4% back in Bitcoin on all purchases. The more assets you hold on Coinbase, the higher your rewards rate. While the card itself charges no annual fee, you must be a Coinbase One member, which does come with a cost.
For shopping
Imprint’s Rakuten American Express Card is a $0-annual-fee card that earns an extra 4% cash back on Rakuten purchases and 5% cash back on Rakuten Dining, on top of what you’d already earn by using the cash-back app. Plus, it earns 2% cash back on groceries and at restaurants, and 1% back on everything else.
There’s also the Fetch American Express Card, which earns points on everyday purchases, plus points when you scan receipts to the Fetch app. The annual fee is $0.
Imprint also has a collection of store cards issued by First Electronic Bank, including:
- The H-E-B credit card ($0 annual fee).
- The Eddie Bauer World Mastercard ($0 annual fee).
- The Brooks Brothers World Mastercard® ($0 annual fee).
- The Horizon Hobby Visa credit card ($0 annual fee).
- The Crate & Barrel Visa Signature credit card ($0 annual fee).
Cardless, meanwhile, services the Alibaba.com Business Edge Credit Card, a co-branded card for the online retailer.
For travel
Airline cards
First Electronic Bank issues the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature card, in partnership with Imprint. The $99-annual-fee card offers a sign-up bonus, as well as an elevated rewards rate for Turkish Airlines purchases, dining, groceries, entertainment and lodging. But it lacks some travel perks, like a credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
The bank also partners with Cardless on its portfolio of co-branded airline cards for other carriers, including:
- The Avianca lifemiles American Express Elite Card ($249 annual fee) and Avianca lifemiles American Express Card ($99 annual fee). See more about these cards here.
- The Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Credit Card ($499 annual fee) and Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Signature Credit Card ($99 annual fee). See more about these cards here.
- The TAP Miles&Go American Express Credit Card ($79 annual fee).
- The LATAM Airlines World Elite Mastercard ($99 annual fee) and LATAM Airlines Mastercard ($0 annual fee). See more about these cards here.
- The Avelo Airlines World Elite Mastercard ($99 annual fee).
Ultimately, these are relatively niche products. They could be decent picks for loyalists who often fly internationally, but First Electronic Bank doesn't issue any co-branded airline cards for major domestic carriers.
However, many of the international airlines above are already partners for premium travel cards from major issuers like Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo. So you may already have the ability to earn miles with these carriers, indirectly, through an existing card in your wallet.
Hotel cards
Imprint’s World of Westgate Mastercard and Holiday Inn Club Vacations World Mastercard are issued by First Electronic Bank. Both earn rewards on resort purchases, including the mortgage for a timeshare.
Of course, it's an understatement to say that timeshares aren't for everyone and can be very costly. As with First Electronic Bank's co-branded airline cards, these are niche products aimed at a very specific audience.
Note that the bank also issues Booking.com’s Genius Rewards Credit Card, which is not tied to a specific airline or hotel but is tied to the Booking.com travel site. The $0-annual-fee card earns lucrative rewards for purchases made through the online travel platform and decent rewards for non-brand spending like dining, gas and groceries. However, rewards are earned in the form of travel credits that can only be redeemed for purchases on Booking.com.
Is a First Electronic Bank credit card right for you?
When it comes to airline, hotel and store credit cards, brand loyalty is key. The more you shop in a specific store, or book travel through a specific airline or hotel chain, the more you stand to benefit from that brand’s credit card. If you’re not wedded to specific brands, a more general rewards credit card could be a better choice — especially if that general rewards card has travel partners to which you can transfer your points.
