SDCCU Visa Cards

Why these cards stand out

The most important thing about the SDCCU Visa Platinum is that its purchase, balance transfer and cash advance rates are non-variable. On most cards the headline APR moves with the Prime Rate; here the rate you are offered is set against your creditworthiness at application and does not drift afterwards. For anyone carrying a balance and paying it down deliberately, that makes the interest cost predictable to the dollar.

The second thing is the annual fee. The SDCCU Visa Platinum charges none at all, and the Fly Miles Plus version is free for the first 12 months and then waives the $35 fee in any year you put at least $6,000 on the card. If you are already spending at that level, the rewards version costs you nothing extra over the plain Platinum.

Rewards versus rate

The SDCCU Visa Signature is the only one of the four that carries a real fee — $89 a year, though the first year is free — and it is also the only one that adds points, at 2X per dollar, with no foreign transaction fee. It trades a lower tier of APR for the fee, so it suits Good or Fair credit more than Excellent credit. Every card here charges a 2% foreign transaction fee except the Signature.

Rebuilding credit

The Share Secured Visa Classic works differently: you post a security deposit and get one low fixed APR of 15% on everything, with a $20 annual fee. The deposit is what makes the approval possible rather than the credit score. Once the account ages, cardholders often move down to one of the unsecured Visa Platinum cards and keep the credit history the secured account built.

Other fees to know about

All four cards charge either $1 or 2% of each balance transfer, whichever is greater. Cash advance APRs run higher than purchase APRs on every card in the line-up — on the Visa Platinum that is 13.99%, 16.99%, 18.99% or 23.99% depending on creditworthiness. Late payment penalties start at $10 on the three Visa Platinum and Visa Signature products, and the Share Secured card caps its late fee at $10 as well.

Which SDCCU Visa card should you pick?

If your credit is excellent or good and you want the simplest possible outcome, take the Visa Platinum: no fee, no points, low fixed APR. If you spend $6,000 or more a year on the card, take the Fly Miles Plus version instead — the fee is waived, so the 1,000-point enrolment bonus and the points program come at no extra cost.

If your credit is good or fair and you travel or pay in foreign currencies, the Visa Signature removes the foreign transaction fee and earns 2X points, which is usually worth the $89 in the second year if you would otherwise pay 2% on every overseas purchase.

If you are starting from poor credit or no credit history at all, start with the Share Secured Visa Classic. You need to be eligible for SDCCU membership to open any of them; the credit union serves members in San Diego, Riverside and Orange County, and the products are only available to members once you are one.

You can put any two or three of these cards side by side with the compare tool, or widen the search with our full list of Visa cards and our low interest picks.