Navy Federal cashRewards

Rewards by category

Our take

The first thing to understand about the Navy Federal cashRewards is that you do not choose it. Navy Federal now runs two versions of this card off one application: a credit limit under $5,000 gets the cashRewards at unlimited 1.5% cash back, and a limit of $5,000 or more gets the Navy Federal cashRewards Plus at unlimited 2%. The tier is set at approval by the limit you are given, not by a deposit account, a direct deposit or anything you can switch on afterward, which is why SwipeCaddy lists the two as separate cards — star whichever one is actually in your wallet.

As a product it is deliberately plain: 1.5% on everything, with no cap on what you can earn and no rotating categories to track, no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and no balance transfer fees. Be aware that the widely repeated "1.75% with direct deposit" structure is gone from Navy Federal's own page — if you are reading that on a comparison site, it is stale. At 1.5% this is a solid floor rather than a leader; several no-fee flat-rate cards from banks anyone can join pay 2% on everything, so the case for carrying this one rests on the rest of the relationship, not on the headline rate.

Membership is the real gate, and it is closed. Navy Federal serves the armed forces, veterans, Department of Defense personnel and their family members, and there is no donation to make and no association to join that opens the door. If you do qualify, the sensible use is as an everyday floor card behind any bonus-category card you hold: 1.5% uncapped with no foreign transaction fee travels well and never needs managing. If you are approved with a $5,000 limit or better, you get the 2% version instead and the same logic applies with a better floor.

Key benefits

• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees
• No balance transfer fees
• No cap on the rewards you can earn
• No rotating spend categories

Common questions

Does Navy Federal cashRewards have an annual fee?

No — Navy Federal cashRewards has no annual fee.

What rewards does Navy Federal cashRewards earn on everything else?

1.5% on all other purchases, in Cash Back.

Do I get the cashRewards or the cashRewards Plus?

Navy Federal decides at approval, based on your credit limit. Under $5,000 you receive the cashRewards at 1.5% cash back; at $5,000 or more you receive the cashRewards Plus at 2%. It is not a setting you toggle and not something a checking account or direct deposit unlocks, so treat the version you were issued as the card you own and star that one in SwipeCaddy.

Is the 1.75% direct deposit rate still available?

No. That structure no longer appears on Navy Federal's own cash rewards page, even though comparison sites still repeat it. What the page describes today is unlimited 1.5% on the cashRewards and unlimited 2% on the cashRewards Plus, with no cap on rewards and no rotating categories, and with the version you get decided by your credit limit at approval.