Rewards cards can be the heavyweight champions of your wallet — if you choose the one that really lands. In this face-off, we’ll rate sign-up bonuses, earning power, redemption ease, and fees to crown the card that’s built for your spending style. Lace up your gloves (and pull up your spending data), because it’s time to see who comes out on top.
The Cards at a Glance
This table compares the ICCU Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card with the leading wholesale club’s rewards card. Just the facts, no fluff.
On most categories, we highlighted the winner in green. Some categories, like gas and groceries, weren’t highlighted because they were a toss-up.
| ICCU Premier Rewards Visa Card | Leading Wholesale Club Rewards Card | |
| Signup Bonus | $300 cash back when you spend $1,000/mo. for the first 3 months1 | No sign-up bonus |
| Intro APR | 6 months 0% intro APR1 | No intro APR |
| Entertainment Rewards | 4X pts (2.5% cash back) | 1% cash back (falls under misc. rewards) |
| Travel Rewards | 4X pts (2.5% cash back) | 3% cash back |
| Wholesale Club Rewards | 4X pts (2.5% cash back) | 2% cash back |
| Dining Rewards | 3X pts (1.88% cash back) | 3% cash back |
| Gas Rewards | 3X pts (1.88% cash back) | 5% cash back at the club store only, and 1% for gas at superstores, supermarkets, and other wholesale clubs. Certain eligible gas stations receive 4%. |
| Grocery Rewards | 3X pts (1.88% cash back) | 2% cash back on the club’s groceries only, 1% everywhere else |
| Misc. Rewards | 2X pts (1.25% cash back) | 1% cash back |
| Rewards Earning Cap | Earn unlimited rewards | 5% and 4% combined earn applies to the first $7,000 per year, then rewards drop to 1% thereafter |
| Amazon Prime Membership Subscription Reimbursement | Yes, if you spend $1,000/mo.2 | No Amazon Prime membership subscription reimbursement |
| Redemption Flexibility | Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel, and merchandise | Redeem for a credit card reward certificate (cash back or wholesale club merchandise) |
| Redemption Speed | Redeem any time | Redeem in store once a year |
| Reward Expiration | Redeem within three years | Redeem by the end of the year or lose all rewards |
| APR | Often has a lower APR. See rates for details. | Tends to have a higher APR |
| Member Requirement | ICCU membership required: one-time $5 fee and $25 deposit | Wholesale club membership required: minimum of $65 per year |
| Annual Fee | None3 | None |
| Balance Transfer Fee | None3 | Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | Foreign transaction fees still apply3 | No foreign transaction fees |
How We Evaluated Each Card
We focused on four areas we know matter most to cardholders: sign-up perks, rewards rates, redemption ease, and fees. Each card earns a little differently, so we’ve broken down the highs and the lows side by side — no fluff, just the facts you need.
All our numbers and fine print come straight from each issuer’s website and terms & conditions. We’ve double-checked everything as of this post, but it never hurts to peek at the latest terms and FAQs before you decide.
Detailed Comparison
Below, we break down how ICCU’s Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card and the leading wholesale club’s rewards credit card stack up. You’ll see where each card shines so you can pick the right fit for your wallet.
Signup Perks
ICCU: ICCU’s Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card greets new cardholders with a $300 cash back bonus after you spend $1,000 in each of the first three billing cycles, plus a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for six months. 1
Leading Wholesale Club: By comparison, this rewards card skips the welcome bonus and starts charging its regular APR right away.
How Signup Perks Compare
If you’re looking for upfront value or need a little breathing room on interest, ICCU clearly takes the lead. The wholesale club’s no-bonus approach keeps things simple but offers nothing extra to jumpstart rewards.
Ongoing Rewards
ICCU: With ICCU, you earn unlimited points: 4X points (2.5% cash back) on entertainment, travel, and wholesale clubs; 3X points (1.88% cash back) on dining, gas, and groceries; and 2X points (1.25% cash back) on all other purchases. You can even get your Amazon Prime membership subscription reimbursed2 if you hit $1,000 on monthly spend.
Leading Wholesale Club: This card takes center stage when you buy gas (or electric vehicle charging) at their club store, which earns you 5% cash back, easily the highest cash-back rate they offer. That rate drops to 4% at eligible gas stations and 1% at superstores, supermarkets, or other wholesale clubs. After you spend $7,000 in the 5% and 4% categories, your cash-back rate drops to 1%.
If you’re shopping for groceries at the wholesale club, you’ll earn 2% cash back; again, that rate drops to 1% at any other store. Restaurant and travel purchases also earn an impressive 3% cash back worldwide. All other purchases, including entertainment, earn 1%.
How Rewards Compare
When it comes to ongoing rewards, both cards have perks and drawbacks.
ICCU’s Premier Rewards Visa is straightforward — you know you’re earning points no matter where you shop, and those points are easy to understand and track. If you use your card regularly and don’t typically carry a balance, you’ll rake in rewards in the form of easy points and an Amazon Prime membership subscription reimbursement (assuming you spend $1,000 a month). It also features unlimited rewards.
On the other hand, if you’re someone who doesn’t mind diving into credit card strategy specifics, the leading wholesale club rewards card might have some advantages for you. It’s hard to beat 5% cash back on gas so long as you’re willing to buy gas only at the wholesale club. (Though interestingly enough, the ICCU Premier Rewards Visa has a better wholesale club grocery rate.) This card is useful if you’re willing to shop at specific stores to earn the highest cash-back rate. It tends to outperform other cards in gas and travel rewards, so if you’re a road-tripper or jetsetter, this could be a good card for you, despite the earnings cap on its rewards.
Redemption Ease
ICCU: The Premier Rewards Visa lets you cash in points anytime for next-day cash back, gift cards, travel bookings, or merchandise — no minimums or certificates. You have three years to use your points before they expire.
Leading Wholesale Club: The wholesale rewards card bundles your year’s worth of earnings into one reward certificate and issues it in February, which you can only redeem in person at a warehouse before it expires within 10 months.
How Redemption Ease Compares
The wholesale club’s certificate model forces a long wait and an extra trip just to use your cash back, plus its points expire quickly. If you value on-demand access, zero friction, and cash-back longevity, ICCU’s redemption experience is the clear winner.
Fees and Interest
ICCU: The ICCU Premier Rewards Visa comes with no annual fee, no balance transfer fees, and foreign transaction fees still apply.3 You must maintain an ICCU membership, which comes at a one-time $5 fee and a $25 deposit into a Share Savings Account. APR rates vary by applicant and credit profile, but ICCU’s variable APRs tend to run lower than the leading wholesale club’s.
Leading Wholesale Club: This rewards card also comes with no annual fee and waives all foreign transaction fees. But it includes a balance transfer fee, and to keep your card active, you must pay a minimum of $65 a year in membership costs.
How Fees Compare
Fee savings depend on how much you travel abroad. ICCU’s Premier Rewards Visa wins on upfront membership costs. For mostly domestic spending, ICCU’s minimal membership costs make it the more budget-friendly option. If you’re swiping abroad often, the wholesale club’s rewards card can save you more on every purchase by waiving foreign transaction fees.
Which Rewards Card is the Winner?
After several rounds of perks, points, redemption rules, and fees, it’s time to call the match.
ICCU’s Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card packs a punch with on-demand redemption, wholesale club rewards, and low fees. In the opposite corner, the wholesale club card is a strong contender for travel lovers, thanks to its gas cash-back rate and zero foreign-transaction fees.
Answer these quick questions to see which card you should choose:
- Do you want to redeem rewards on your schedule, not wait for a once-a-year certificate?
- Is minimizing upfront and ongoing membership costs a top priority?
- Will you spend heavily on gas and overseas purchases?
- Are you into mastering advanced card tactics to maximize your points and cash back?
If you answered yes to the first two questions, ICCU’s card is likely your best choice. If you aligned with the second two, the wholesale club card could be worth the extra fees and strategy.
At the end of the day, it’s up to you to pick the winner. Take a quick look at your last few monthly statements — on groceries, gas, dining, entertainment, travel — and run the numbers. Are you all about instant redemptions, or do you chase every gas and travel bonus? Let that answer steer you to the card that fits your routine best.
1ICCU Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card Disclosure
1$300 welcome bonus is only applicable for new consumer ICCU Premier Rewards Visa Credit Cards. To qualify for the welcome bonus, the total of all debits and credits for each 30-day period over the first 90 days from account opening must exceed $1,000. Meeting qualifications will earn the account holder 48,000 points. 48,000 points is equivalent to $300 cash back. Cash back can be deposited into member’s Share Savings Account or paid as statement credit. Cash back redeemable at rewards.iccu.com. Welcome bonus earnings will be applied and eligibility will be calculated at the account level, not by card. Balance transfers and cash advances do not count towards spending requirements. Only new purchases and transactions posted with code CCP that earn points are eligible for rewards. Welcome bonus points will be awarded once to each qualifying member account and will be posted during the first full month following the promotion and 90-day spend period. The 0% introductory APR on new purchases is only valid for the first 6 months immediately following the opening of the account(s), after that a variable APR of 17.74% – 24.00% will be applied. Must apply and be approved for a new consumer ICCU Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card to participate. Offer not valid for ICCU Business Rewards Cards, for members who currently hold an ICCU Rewards or Premier Rewards Card account, or for members who have previously had an ICCU Rewards or Premier Rewards Card account that is now closed. All loans OAC.
2Amazon Prime Disclosure
2Amazon Prime subscription reimbursement offer is only applicable for new and existing ICCU Premier Rewards Visa and ICCU Rewards Visa Credit Card accounts. To qualify for Amazon Prime subscription reimbursement, the total of all net purchases (eligible purchases minus returns) for your billing cycle(s) must exceed $1,000 in the applicable billing cycle(s). Balance transfers and cash advances do not count towards the spend requirement. The Amazon Prime subscription must be charged to the ICCU Premier Rewards Visa or ICCU Rewards Visa Credit Card account that met the spending requirement. If the Amazon Prime subscription is charged monthly, net purchases must exceed $1,000 in the prior billing cycle, then ICCU will issue a statement credit for the monthly subscription fee. Limit 1 monthly reimbursement per month per account. If the Amazon Prime subscription is charged annually, net purchases must exceed $1,000 in each of the 12 consecutive billing cycles preceding the billing cycle in which the Amazon Prime charge occurs, then ICCU will issue a statement credit for the annual subscription fee. Limit 1 annual reimbursement per year per account. The statement credit will be issued within 4-6 weeks after the subscription charge is posted to the card. Your account must be in good standing to be eligible for the reimbursement. Offer is not valid for ICCU Business Rewards Credit Cards. Cardholders must apply and be approved for an ICCU Premier Rewards Visa Credit Card or ICCU Rewards Visa Credit Card to participate. All loans are subject to credit approval (OAC). ICCU reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time. If we determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this offer, or if you return purchases made to meet the Amazon Prime subscription reimbursement offer spending requirement, we may withhold, freeze, or revoke your Amazon Prime subscription reimbursement.
3Fees Disclosure
3No annual fee. No balance transfer fees. Foreign transaction fee: 1%. Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the transaction amount, whichever is greater. Interest on balance transfers and cash advances accrues from the transaction date. APR ranges from 17.74% to 24.00% based on card type and creditworthiness.
