Best credit union credit cards of June 2026

Because they invest proceeds back into products that benefit members, credit unions often offer lower credit card interest rates and more generous 0% APR periods than traditional banks do.

Eligibility requirements vary widely: Some credit unions have stringent membership requirements, while others allow almost anyone to join simply by opening a deposit account or making a small donation to a partner organization. (In some cases, the credit union will even pay the fee on your behalf.)

CNBC Select analyzed credit union cards and picked the best in several categories. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit union credit cards.

Who's this for? The Choice Rewards World Mastercard® from First Tech Federal Credit Union is a well-rounded card that has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and a robust rewards program. New card members can repay debt with a 12.50% - 18.00% variable APR and there's $0 balance transfer fee, saving you the typical 3% to 5% fee other balance transfer cards often charge.

The rewards program is geared toward everyday expenses, such as groceries and gas: earn 2X points on groceries, gas, electronics, medical, household goods and telecommunications, and 1X points on all other purchases. Plus, there's a welcome bonus of 20,000 points when you spend $3,000 in your first 60 days from account opening.

How to join First Tech: The easiest way to become a First Tech member is to join the Community History Museum or the Financial Fitness Association. The first year's membership is free and you can cancel after opening an account. Other ways to become a member include:

• You have a family or household member who's already a First Tech member.
• You or a family member works for a partner company or the State of Oregon.
• You live or work in Lane County, Oregon.

Who's this for? If you frequently commute to work with your car or spend the weekends making day trips, the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card can help you maximize rewards when refueling your car. This card offers a high 5X points for gas purchases at the pump, which is why it ranks as our best gas rewards card.

In addition to a great rewards rate on gas, you can earn 3X on supermarket purchases and 1X on all other purchases. Plus, you can benefit from no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

How to join PenFed: You can become a member by opening a PenFed bank account with a $5 deposit.

Who's this for? The Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card from Navy Federal Credit Union is a strong offering for those with military affiliation. Cardholders enjoy a complimentary year of Amazon Prime, a reasonable 14.74% to 18.00% variable APR and great travel perks.

The card also offers account holders a credit worth up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck applications every four years, plus no foreign transaction fees. Additionally, you can earn 3X points on travel and an above-average 2X points on everything else.

This card comes with a $49 annual fee, but that pales in comparison to other travel cards from major banks that charge upwards of $95 — especially cards with Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit.

How to join Navy Federal: NFCU membership is available to:

• Active duty members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and Space Force
• Members of the Delayed Entry Program (DEP)
• Department of Defense (DoD) officer candidate/ROTC
• Veterans, retirees and annuitants
• DoD reservists, civilian employees, civilian retirees and annuitants
• U.S. Government employees and DoD contractors assigned to DoD installations
• Family and household members of the groups above

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit union review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit union products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit union credit cards.

To determine which credit unions offer the best credit cards, CNBC Select analyzed the largest U.S. credit unions, based on data from DepositAccounts. We narrowed our rankings to credit unions with flexible membership requirements and robust online and mobile banking features.

We then compared each card in a variety of categories, including:

• Credit score and income requirements
• Introductory and standard APR
• Fees
• Rewards
• Welcome bonuses
• Ease of redeeming points

Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee.

While the five-year estimates we've included are derived from a budget similar to the average American's spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your shopping habits.