Navy Fed More Rewards Review: Rich Rewards on Everyday Spending

The $0-annual-fee card also offers an unusually big sign-up bonus. But you must join the credit union to get it, and if you travel abroad, the card may not be ideal.
Kimberly Palmer
Melissa Lambarena
By Melissa Lambarena and  Kimberly Palmer 
Edited by Kenley Young

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Our Take

4.8

NerdWallet rating 
The bottom line:

If you qualify for membership at Navy Federal Credit Union, this card can earn easy rewards on groceries, gas, dining and transit. For a card that travels well, look elsewhere.

Jump to: Full review
Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card
Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
13.90%-18.00% Variable APR
Intro APR
1.99% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, then 13.90%-18.00%, Variable
Rec. credit score
630-850 (Average - Excellent)

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • No annual fee

  • Bonus categories

  • No balance transfer fee

  • New cardholder bonus offer

  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Must be a member/customer

  • No 0% intro APR

  • Lower acceptance abroad

Alternate Pick: No membership requirement
Citi® Double Cash Card
NerdWallet rating 
Citi® Double Cash Card
High rewards on all purchases

This card earns 2% cash back on everything: 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay it back. It has a $0 annual fee, and as a Mastercard, it will have widespread international acceptance.

Read our review

Compare to Other Cards

NerdWallet rating 
NerdWallet rating 
NerdWallet rating 
Annual fee

$0

Annual fee

$0

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

18.49%-28.49% Variable APR

Regular APR

16.49%-27.49% Variable APR

Regular APR

19.49%-28.24% Variable APR

Intro APR

0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months

Intro APR

0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers

Intro APR

0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers

Recommended Credit Score
Recommended Credit Score
Recommended Credit Score
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Full Review

For an everyday rewards card, the Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card is an excellent choice: Cardholders earn a high rewards rate on supermarket spending, gas and transit spending and restaurants — a wide swath of daily spending — all for no annual fee.

There's also a richer-than-usual sign-up bonus, plus the card is available to people with average credit, which is not always the case with rewards cards.

As an American Express product, international acceptance may be somewhat limited. But as long as you can qualify for it by being eligible to join the Navy Federal Credit Union, it’s hard to find a better card for daily use.

Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card: Basics

Annual fee: $0.

Sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 bonus points (a $100 value) when you spend $1,000 within 90 days of opening your account. Expires on May. 01, 2023.

Ongoing rewards:

  • 3 points per $1 spent on groceries, gas, dining and transit. (The transit category covers rideshares, tolls, railways, parking lots, taxi services, bus lines, limos and more. )

  • 1 point per $1 spent on everything else.

You can redeem points for things like cash back, gift cards and travel.

APR: The ongoing APR is 13.90%-18.00% Variable APR.

Balance transfer fee: None.

Foreign transaction fee: None. (Note, however, that American Express isn't as widely accepted internationally as Visa or Mastercard.)

Other benefits:

  • Up to 25% off car rentals, plus car rental loss and damage insurance.

  • Roadside assistance.

Benefits of the Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card

Bonus rewards on everyday spending

The Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card makes it easy to earn back some value on your purchases whether you're shopping for one or a large family. You get an unlimited 3 points per $1 spent at supermarkets and gas stations; 3 points per $1 spent on dining and transit; and 1 point per $1 spent everywhere else. A card that offers top rewards in all of these everyday spending categories is rare, and some that do offer them put a cap on those higher rates. But there's no limit to the rewards you can earn with this card.

Average credit is welcome

With average credit — also known as fair credit, meaning FICO scores of at least 630 — your pool of options is limited when it comes to rewards cards. Some of those options even charge annual fees. The Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card is an exception. It's surprisingly generous with a high rewards rate, introductory incentives and low fees. Another option that is accessible to those with fair credit is the Discover it® Secured Credit Card.

Flexible redemption

The card offers a variety of redemption options: cash back and travel, yes, but also merchandise, gift cards, event tickets and more.

Why you might want a different card

Credit Union membership requirement

To get this card, you'll have to join the Navy Federal Credit Union. Typically, membership is limited to current or former members of the military, Department of Defense employees, or their qualifying family members. If you don't qualify or if it's just one too many hoops to jump through, remember that general rewards credit cards usually don't require membership with the issuing bank.

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers similar rewards categories and doesn't require a credit union membership. You might also want to consider other cards that reward spending on restaurants, gas and grocery stores.

Lack of 0% intro APR offer

The card doesn't offer a 0% intro APR period on balance transfers. True, there are no balance transfer fees, and the card's ongoing interest is potentially lower than you might find on other cards (depending on your creditworthiness). But the Navy Federal Credit Union® Platinum Credit Card is a better balance transfer option. You get a $0 annual fee, no balance transfer fee and an intro 0.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 10.24%-18.00%, Variable APR.

Limited global acceptance

Even though it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, this card isn't the best travel companion. Because it's an American Express, you'll face limited merchant acceptance abroad compared with the Visa and Mastercard networks. If you are in the military or belong to a military family that moves from country to country, you’ll need a backup payment method. The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card runs on the Mastercard network and is an ideal option with no foreign transaction fees. It earns 3% cash back on dining, grocery stores and entertainment, including streaming services; 8% on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; and 1% on all other purchases.

Set rewards categories

Perhaps you would benefit from the ability to choose your own rewards categories. The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card earns 3% cash back on a chosen category (from a list of six) and 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases), and an unlimited 1% back on all other purchases. Possible 3% options include gas, dining, online shopping, travel, drugstores, or home improvement/furnishings. Or consider the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card. It earns 5% back on the first $2,000 in combined purchases in two categories of your choice from the issuer's approved list (see it below); 2% unlimited cash back on an everyday category of your choice (such as gas stations, grocery stores or restaurants); and 1% back on other non-bonus-category purchases.

  • Fast food.

  • Home utilities.

  • TV, internet and streaming.

  • Department stores.

  • Cell phone providers.

  • Electronics stores.

  • Sporting goods stores.

  • Movie theaters.

  • Gyms/fitness centers.

  • Furniture stores.

  • Ground transportation.

  • Select clothing stores.

Is the Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card right for you?

If you can qualify for membership at Navy Federal Credit Union, the Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card can reward you handsomely for your everyday purchases.

But if you're looking to pay down debt or for a good travel buddy, consider another option. See how the card stacks up with others by visiting NerdWallet's roundup of the best credit cards to get.

Methodology

NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.