Navy Fed More Rewards Review: Rich Rewards on Everyday Spending
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Our Take
4.8
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.

Quick Facts
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
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.
Compare to Other Cards
Annual fee$0 | Annual fee$0 | Annual fee$0 |
Regular APR14.74%-24.74% Variable APR | Regular APR15.24%-23.99% Variable APR | |
Intro APR0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months | Intro APR0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers | Intro APR0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
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: You can earn 20,000 bonus points (a $200 value) when you spend $2,500 within 90 days of account opening. Expires on May 01, 2022.
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, including airlines, cruises, car rentals, hotels, tours and attractions, and events. Points are generally worth 1 cent apiece.
APR: The ongoing APR is 9.65%-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.
A generous sign-up offer
The card features a rich bonus offer for a $0-annual-fee product: You can earn 20,000 bonus points (a $200 value) when you spend $2,500 within 90 days of account opening. Expires on May 01, 2022. That's more generous than you'll find on many other cards in its class.
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 Propel American Express® 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% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 5.99%-18.00%, Variable APR.
Limited global acceptance
Even though it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, this card isn't the best travel companion. As 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 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 3% cash back on dining, grocery stores and entertainment, including streaming services; 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; 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.
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.
Information related to the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
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.