USAA Eagle Navigator Card Review: A Decent Travel Card for USAA Members

USAA Eagle Navigator Card Benefits

Straightforward Rewards Structure

The USAA Eagle Navigator Card comes with a simple earning structure. Cardholders earn:

• 3x points on travel and transit, including air, hotel, car and vacation rentals, rideshare, tolls and more
• 2x points on other purchases

There are no categories to track other than just “travel” and “everything else,” and no limits to how much you can earn. In other words, you won’t have to do mental gymnastics every time you pull out your card to pay.

Travel And Purchase Protections

The card includes comprehensive insurance coverage to give you peace of mind in the event of travel mishaps and other incidents. The list of benefits includes:

• Car rental insurance: Use your card to pay for your rental and decline the agency’s collision damage waiver, and you’ll receive secondary rental car insurance in your country of residence (primary otherwise) on eligible rentals up to 31 days.
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage: Pay for your travel with the card and receive up to $1,500 per covered person toward nonrefundable fares if your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason.
• Baggage delay reimbursement: If you paid for travel with the card and your checked baggage is delayed, you can be reimbursed for essentials such as clothing or toiletries, up to $100 per day for up to three days.
• Travel accident insurance: When you purchase your air, ferry, cruise, train or bus ticket with the card, you’re eligible for travel accident coverage for loss of life, limb, hearing, speech or sight, up to $500,000 depending on the loss.
• Travel and emergency assistance: Cardholders can access a 24/7 hotline that can help with arranging things like medical and legal referrals, prescription refills and relaying emergency messages. The hotline is complimentary, but third-party costs are the cardholder’s responsibility.
• Cell phone insurance: Charge your monthly wireless bill to the card, and you can be reimbursed up to $500 if your eligible cell phone is stolen or damaged, subject to a $50 deductible.
• Purchase security: Pay for an eligible item with the card and if it’s stolen or damaged within 90 days of purchase, you could be reimbursed up to $1,000 per claim with a maximum of $10,000 per cardholder.
• Extended warranty: Receive up to an additional year of warranty coverage on items purchased with the card, on original manufacturer’s warranties of three years or less.

Annual 10,000 Bonus Points

Once per calendar year, cardholders can earn 10,000 bonus points after they (or an authorized user) book a hotel and/or car rental through the USAA Rewards Center. To unlock the 10,000-point bonus, you’ll need to spend at least $100 and redeem at least 100 points on a qualifying booking.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry Fee Credit

Cardholders are eligible for up to $120 in credit toward the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee, once every four years. These Trusted Traveler Programs can save you loads of time waiting in airport lines; just use the card to pay the fee, and you’ll receive the credit within one or two billing cycles.

Existing USAA Customers Can Benefit From Banking In One Place

If you’re already a USAA customer, you can streamline your finances by consolidating your financial products under one roof. Some may prefer to have just one bank login to keep track of, or simply like the idea of keeping their personal financial life with one institution.

USAA Eagle Navigator Card Drawbacks

Requires USAA Membership

You have to join USAA to apply for the USAA Eagle Navigator Card, and eligibility is restricted to those who are currently serving or have previously served in the military, employees of certain federal agencies, and the spouses and children of those who are eligible.

Rewards Program Has Limitations

Unlike the travel rewards cards offered by big banks, the USAA Eagle Navigator Card doesn’t allow you to transfer your rewards to travel transfer partners or offer a potentially higher value than 1 cent per point for bookings made through the USAA Travel Center.

And, if you redeem points for cash back, they’re worth just 0.7 cents each. You can find other rewards credit cards that offer travel transfer partners, elevated value when booking through the issuer platform and the ability to take your points as cash back for 1 cent per point.

Annual Point Bonus Has a Caveat

Although the card offers a 10,000-point bonus each year (worth up to $100 when used for travel), you have to make a rental car or hotel booking through the USAA Rewards Center to get the bonus. You’ll also have to spend at least $100 on the booking and redeem at least 100 points. If your plans don’t include a need for a hotel stay or rental car over the course of the year, you won’t get the bonus.

Who Is the USAA Eagle Navigator Card Best For?

This card is best for existing USAA members who want both the predictability of knowing exactly what reward they’re earning every time they use their credit card and want to use those rewards for travel booked through USAA.

Is It the Right Card for You?

The USAA Eagle Navigator Card is the right card for your needs if:

• You’re looking for a travel card with simple earnings and straightforward redemption options
• You want to earn rewards to use for travel and don’t anticipate wanting cash-back rewards
• You already bank with USAA (or are eligible to join) and want to keep your financial products all with one bank

Alternatives to the USAA Eagle Navigator Card

The USAA Eagle Navigator Card is a decent choice as far as entry-level travel rewards cards go, but there are several similarly priced options that can be even more beneficial.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: This popular $95-annual-fee card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards® points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for a $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit, 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out, 3x points on eligible online grocery purchases (excluding Target,* Walmart and wholesale clubs), 3x points on select streaming services, 2x points on other travel purchases and 1x points on all other spending. What makes this card a better choice is that you can transfer rewards earned with the Sapphire Preferred Card to over a dozen Chase travel partners and potentially get greater value than 1 cent per point, plus bookings made through the issuer can earn at a high rate. I personally own this card, and the ability to transfer my rewards to airlines like JetBlue and Southwest has saved me hundreds of dollars on flights for my family.
• Citi Strata Premier® Card: The Citi Strata Premier Card, an advertising partner, also has a $95 annual fee and is aimed at someone seeking a low-cost travel card that doesn’t skimp on the benefits. It earns 10x Citi ThankYou® points on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on Citi Travel, 3x on air travel and other hotel purchases, 3x at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, and 1x on all other purchases. You can also transfer your rewards to Citi’s travel loyalty partners.
• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card: The $95-annual-fee Autograph Journey Card is another worthy contender. It earns 5x points on hotels, 4x points with airlines, 3x points at restaurants and other travel and 1x points on all other purchases. The card also offers a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase. Cardholders can also transfer rewards to a small list of Wells Fargo airline and hotel partners.