I assume you have to have a way to join Navy Federal Credit Union to get this card, correct?
Shinobi, you act fast! Glad you got it.
Iâm thinking about it â I already have two NFCU credit cards so Iâm wondering if theyâll give me a decent credit line. Also, I would have to shift some of my auto payments from another card to the Flagship card to be sure of spending the $4k, and thatâs work.
You need to be in the military, or a family member of a member, or the family member of someone in the military. That includes veterans and retirees. It also includes civilian DoD employees.
You can become a member even if you have an eligible family member who is not a member of NFCU. Grandparents, grandchildren, and spouses count. In other words, if you had a grandfather in the military you may be eligible to join NFCU even if he wasnât a member.
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Kind of you. Thanks. For whatever help it might be to you:
This is my first NFCU card. I have been a member for several years. Never prior even applied for an NFCU CC . . . until seeing your post.
I need credit . . . anything other than worthless AMEX credit, that is. I do not need money. I can turn credit, except for crap AMEX credit, into money pretty effectively. But, except now for NFCU, my âbig bankâ card issuers have been unwilling to grant me more credit. In fact truthfully, the big money center banks cannot decline my credit line increase requests fast enough. So obtaining a fresh $25k from NFCU was like manna from heaven for me, a drink of cool water for the parched throat of a man too long out in the desert. Gonna try Alliant next for a credit line increase, since the big banks all think Iâm, uh, âexcrementâ. 
Yep, the anyone in the family ever in the military is fairly broad. But you DO apparently need something from that person to prove they were in the military. Iâm trying to build up the courage to call my brother, and say âHey, I know you went to Vietnam and got shot at while I went to college, but I sure could use your service for some reward cards.â Iâm gonna do that. Just building up my courage.
Side to Shinobi ⌠is it still the case that Visa does you no good? There is a new Visa at 3% via FNB of Omaha.
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Can the grandparent be deceased?
Here are their guidelines. So it sounds like YMMV. Would like to hear data points. Will they just take your word for it?
If one of your immediate family members serves or has served in the military but is not a Navy Federal member, you may still be eligible for membership.
Immediate family members include:
- Parents and grandparents
- Children and grandchildren
- Siblings and spouses
Once your family member joins Navy Federal, youâll be eligible as well. If they canât or donât want to become a member right now, you can still join. You may need one of the following documents from your family member:
- Driverâs License with Veteranâs designation
- State-issued Veteran ID Card
- Military orders
- Leave orders
- Earning statement (LES)
- Enlistment papers
- Proof of direct deposit from DoD
- Pension papers from DoD
- DD 214
- NGB 22
Give us a call at 1-888-842-6328 or visit a branch to finish signing up for membership.
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I have read accounts of people joining through having a deceased relative who was in the military, but youâll have to call to do so.
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Appreciate the thought. No, actually now I can utilize MasterCards, Discover cards, and Visa cards . . . . anything except cards on the Amex platform. Admittedly I can only use certain cards in certain places . . . and not in others. But I can use Amex cards nowhere.
I will look into FNBO. 3% would be a dream!! Thanks!
I went back to re-read it. Only for first six months, and available only in âselect statesâ. Sorry if that doesnât work out for you.
Yes, you beat me to it. Apparently unavailable where I live. Darn. Still a most interesting card and easily could help other participants on this forum.
The 3/2 structure is very attractive given this card has NO ANNUAL FEE!! Whatâs not to like about (even a) 2% card with no annual fee. Such offerings are NOT out there growing on trees.
(trust me, Iâm on the prowl for such cards 24/7 
)
Even though it appeared at first I was geographically excluded, I applied anyway at FNBO and they accepted my application. However:
Looks as if I came up only with maggieâs drawers, IOW, zero credit. They promised to send me a letter which I am to receive in between two and four weeks. Kinda already know what that letter is gonna say. 
This makes my earlier win at NFCU even more valuable and sweet. Sometimes you get the bear. Other times the bear gets you. If you donât ask, you donât get. Tried, failed, shot down like a filthy dawg!!
Yes. I tried & they wouldnât accept my zip code.
At least you will not be subjected to one of their dreaded âlettersâ.
Everyone, just a quick heads up to an addition I made to the Wiki - the Huntington Voice MC. I put it in the rotating categories sub-heading. What makes it a little different is that you can choose one category to earn 3% on each quarter, but youâre not forced to make a selection each quarter if you still want to keep the same one. Also, Super Walmart is included in the grocery category, unlike many cards that specifically exclude them.
I had to apply in person at a branch, because I wasnât currently a banking customer.
Guys I need some help here if you are a PenFed member and have their PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature Card.
Q: Shin, why do you need help?
I need help, quite frankly, because too often I am dumb as a box of rocks and cannot see a GREAT deal which might be right under my ugly nose.
Q: Shin, you notice nobody is arguing with that. Right?
Donât blame 'em. Could I have been ignoring an amazing 2% cash reward card, and the October deal for it, which has been so obvious everyone else already knows?
Q: Uh, got a link for that deal?
Sure, here you go:
Q: All right, you mentioned you needed help?
I do. If anyone already has this card Iâd appreciate knowing how it is working out for you. My addled brain seems to recall something about PenFed cheating cardholders in the past by devaluing the worth of each point earned. Yet the blurb there is stating unequivocally the reward is a straight 2% if you have the Access America checking, which I do.
So Iâm wondering if you see a catch or a âgotchaâ in this deal? If not, this looks to be a pretty decent deal. No?
ETA
Forgot to mention this card apparently has no annual fee.
I called a little while back and was told my deceased grandfather would count but I needed his SSN. Still need to call my dad to get this⌠Iâm slacking. Time to put this as a priority on my to do list. Thanks for the reminder. Wasnât aware of the $500 cb card. Thanks!
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Awesome, Shinobi. Glad to hear itâs all working out for you. Case in point: many people starting out with very little credit history have a tough time getting approved. Once you have many cards it becomes much easier, even with the initial hit to your credit score for inquiries. Travel hackers have repeatedly posted how their credit scores have actually improved after 12 months of applying for and receiving multiple cards. You are officially in the game (even if you arenât applying for travel cards).
Keep in mind, there are often a couple card offers a year that give $500 cash signup bonuses (business and personal). These are very lucrative and it doesnât sound like you need to MS to meet the spend either.
Thanks, guys. I appreciate the input.
That PenFed deal just appeared too good for me to ignore, so I applied despite the many turndowns I have been experiencing recently at the big banks. PenFed granted me a $21k line, which is pretty sweet for a card with no annual fee, as well as the full 2% reward. I already have the Access America account with only a couple of bucks in it . . . I mean, literally two bucks. But Iâve never needed to pay a fee, probably because Iâm totally a senior citizen. If not for that reason then I do not know why.
For whatever help it might be to others interested in this card:
I have been a PenFed member for a number of years and I had (and have) substantial CD money at PenFed. Then when Valor went belly up and was taken over by PenFed I ended up with still MORE CD dough at PenFed. So, anyway, they have a history on me and they know I do not need money . . . something which the big financial center banks might not know since I do not have any money in those banks.
But I imagine my level of resources at PenFed helped me to obtain this card with a decent credit line. That said, I have only about fifty bucks right now at NFCU and they granted me regardless an even higher credit limit! So who really can say for certain what is going on?
Anyway, this added $46k (total of PenFed and NFCU) of new credit will really help me to make great money with my little side hustle.
BTW, the application process at PenFed was easy and straightforward. I could sort of tell they were drawing heavily from my history with them, as well as from my credit report. Bottom line, if ya want credit, try going to where they know you and (even better) to where you have dough on deposit.
I suppose the Confederacy doesnât count?
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