Navy Federal cashRewards Plus

Rewards by category

Our take

The Navy Federal cashRewards Plus is the upper half of a single product. Navy Federal issues both versions off one application: a credit limit of $5,000 or more gets this card at unlimited 2% cash back, and a limit under $5,000 gets the plain Navy Federal cashRewards at unlimited 1.5%. The tier is assigned at approval by the limit you are given — it is not a deposit relationship, a direct deposit or a setting you can flip later — so SwipeCaddy lists the two separately and you should star the one you were actually issued.

What you get is an uncomplicated 2% on every purchase, with no cap on the rewards you can earn and no rotating categories, plus no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and no balance transfer fees. Do not go looking for the "1.75% with direct deposit" tier that comparison sites still describe; it is gone from Navy Federal's own page. Uncapped 2% with no foreign transaction fee is a genuinely strong everyday floor — it matches the best no-fee flat-rate cards on the market rather than beating them, and it does so without asking you to manage anything.

The catch is who can hold it. Navy Federal membership is required and the field of membership is closed: armed forces, veterans, Department of Defense personnel and their family members, with no donation or association route in. For members, this is the card to reach for on everything a bonus-category card does not cover, and its lack of a foreign transaction fee makes it a reasonable card to travel with. If your approval came in under a $5,000 limit you hold the 1.5% version instead, which is the same card with a thinner 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 Plus have an annual fee?

No — Navy Federal cashRewards Plus has no annual fee.

What rewards does Navy Federal cashRewards Plus earn on everything else?

2% on all other purchases, in Cash Back.

How do I get the Plus version rather than the 1.5% one?

You do not choose it directly. Navy Federal assigns the version at approval based on your credit limit: $5,000 or more gets the cashRewards Plus at 2% cash back, and under $5,000 gets the cashRewards at 1.5%. A checking account or direct deposit does not unlock it, so the practical lever is the underwriting decision on your limit, not anything you can toggle afterward.

Are there caps or categories to track on the cashRewards Plus?

No. Navy Federal states there is no cap on the rewards you can earn and no rotating spend categories, so the 2% applies to every purchase all year with nothing to activate. The card also carries no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and no balance transfer fees, which is what makes it a set-and-forget floor for everyday spending rather than a card that needs managing.