I wasn’t aware that I was a part of Navy Federal until my mom told me. Since my grandfather was in the military our family is able to join their bank. After becoming annoyed at the annual fee that’s tacked on TD Bank credit cards I explored Navy Federal’s options and found a wonderful 1.5% Cash Back credit card that I’ve been using for a few years.
I actually wasn’t aware of how powerful this credit card is until I read a Mr. Money Mustache post about credit card churning. I had never used my cash back points and wasn’t even aware how, but poking around on the Navy Federal site led me to see that they were quite clearly displayed above the fold on my credit card page. I had $75 just sitting there! I felt like I’d won the lottery – using those free $75 for all my expenses and not having done anything to deserve them besides make a few purchases on a credit card that I paid off immediately.
From that point on I only used this credit card and watched the cash back points grow with glee. I also started researching actual credit card churning and reading ThePointsGuy.com and seeing how I can use credit cards not just for Cash Back, but for enormous travel savings. As for Navy Federal, their customer service is outstanding and for that reason I ended up opening a Checking Account with them as well without even meaning to – it was that simple.