Ducks Unlimited Card Review: It’s Bye-Bye to Those Big Gas Rewards
This card made its name with unlimited 5% cash back on gas and at sporting goods stores. But now it pays a flat 1.5% on all purchases.
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Our Take
3.6
The bottom line: The card's ongoing rewards rate matches what you'll find on many good cash-back cards, but it lacks some of the upfront incentives that those other options offer.
Full Review
Best Gas Credit Card
Ducks Unlimited Rewards Platinum Edition® Visa® Card
Annual Fee
$0
Regular APR
19.99% Variable
Intro APR
N/A
Recommended Credit Score
Quick Facts
Pros & Cons
Pros
No annual fee
No reward caps
Cons
High APR
Minimum redemptions apply
No sign-up bonus
Alternate Pick: 2% cash back on Everything
Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer
No categories, just consistent rewards
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer pays 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when you buy something and another 1% when you pay the bill. If your credit card spending covers a lot more ground than gas, this card makes it simple to earn elevated rewards on all purchases.
Compare to Other Cards
Annual Fee$95 | Annual Fee$0 |
Regular APR14.99% - 23.74% Variable APR | |
Intro APR0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months | Intro APR0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
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Full Review
The $0-annual-fee Ducks Unlimited Rewards Platinum Edition® Visa® Card was once a rare bird. Issued by First Bankcard, a division of First National Bank of Omaha, it offered an exceptional rewards rate — unlimited 5% cash back — on gas and at sporting goods stores.
Offered — past tense. In spring 2020, the card radically restructured its rewards. Out went the big, honking rate on gas that had originally made it NerdWallet's best gas card of 2020. In its place: a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases. That's not a terrible rate — it matches what's offered by plenty of good cards. But it's not unlimited 5% on gas.
Ducks Unlimited Rewards Platinum Edition® Visa® Card: Basics
Card type: Cash back.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: None.
Rewards:
1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 19.99% Variable.
Foreign transaction fee: 3%
Why the Ducks Unlimited Rewards Platinum Edition® Visa® Card might be right for you
You want to support ducks unlimited
In terms of features, there's really nothing about this card to recommend it over other 1.5% cards, especially those that offer cash sign-up bonuses or introductory 0% interest periods. However, if you're a hunter or conservationist who believes in Ducks Unlimited's mission, it might find a place in your wallet.
A portion of every purchase made with the Ducks Unlimited Rewards Platinum Edition® Visa® Card is donated to Ducks Unlimited’s efforts to preserve and maintain wetlands and other native habitats for ducks, geese and other wildlife. The organization says its conservation and management efforts have provided over 14 million acres of habitat for waterfowl, and that the number of ducks recorded in those areas has increased as a result. As its credit card motto says: “You buy, ducks fly.”
Potential alternatives
Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer
If you're seeking solid and consistent rewards every time you use your card, you'll find that with the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer. With this card, you'll earn a total of 2% cash back on every purchase — 1% when you make it and another 1% when you pay the bill.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns 1.5% cash back on purchases, like the Ducks Unlimited Rewards Platinum Edition® Visa® Card. But it also gives you:
Bonus rewards: 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstores.
New cardholder incentives: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get 5% back on up to $12,000 in grocery store purchases in the first year.
An introductory APR offer: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 14.99% - 23.74% Variable APR.
Sam's Club® Mastercard®
To be sure, 5% back on gas isn’t unheard of. The Sam's Club® Mastercard®, for example, offers that rate on up to $6,000 spent on gas per year. After that, you’ll drop down to 1% back on gas. It also earns 3% back at restaurants and travel, and 1% on all other spending. And while the card’s annual fee is technically $0, you must join Sam’s Club to get it. Membership there costs at least $45 a year. But, if your gas spending is in line with the average household and you tend to buy in bulk, the Sam's Club® Mastercard® might save you more money overall.
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