The United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) is a New York based cooperative which is somewhat open to everyone. Membership is primarily for United Nations employees or volunteers and their families, but unaffiliated people can join UNFCU by simultaneously joining an affiliate organization. As of 2021-2022, there are two options:
- The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) costs $0 if you’re 25 or younger; otherwise it’s at least $50 per year ($25 for the first year). UNA has a Lifetime membership for $1,000 (equivalent to $20 per year for 50 years).
- Kilimanjaro Initiative USA (KI-USA) costs $0 if you’re a student, otherwise it’s $25 per year.
You can join during the UNFCU application process or do it on your own. We haven’t verified yet if UNA/KI membership can be a one-time cost or must be maintained indefinitely to retain UNFCU membership.
UNFCU’s checking account has no significant fees or minimum balance requirements, and can earn up to 1% APY. There’s an inactivity fee for accounts that have 2+ years of zero transactions.
The main benefit we’ll explore here is their two credit cards. Both have a $100 sign-up bonus (SUB) after spending $2,000 in 4 months, plus 0% APR for 6-12 months.
Both cards have modern features like chip/pin functionality (good for overseas travel), digital wallet compatibility, contactless tap-to-pay feature, instant card number, and a lock/unlock feature. One unique perk is Credit Life Protection (“In the unfortunate event of your passing, UNFCU will cover up to $20,000 of your credit card balance… Coverage will stop once you reach the age of 70.”) They also have Visa Zero Liability Coverage, Fraud Alerts, Visa Personal Identity Theft Protection, and identity theft protection with NortonLifeLock (enrollment required).
Points earned are best used for cash or statement credits, where they’ll be worth $0.01 each (1 cpp). Redemption options like gift cards tend to be worse.
UNFCU Elite Visa Signature
The Elite has a $50 annual fee (AF) and zero foreign transaction fees (FTF). It earns:
- 3x points on dining/restaurants
- 2x points on groceries
- 2x points on food delivery (Seamless, Grubhub, etc.)
- 1x points on all other transactions
Although UNFCU touts the “travel benefits” of this card, it’s strange that it doesn’t earn bonus cash back on any travel categories. It uses the now-outdated 3/2/1 earning structure and applies bonus earnings strictly to food categories. It overlaps with the no-fee Azure card too, so there isn’t much reason to get both cards. Benefits like Purchase Security also don’t make sense for food categories.
It does have interesting features for a non-premium card:
- Priority Pass lounge access (5 free visits per year – unclear if guests are included)
- Travel accident insurance up to $500,000
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance up to $5,000
- Lost luggage reimbursement up to $1,250
The Priority Pass feature alone is worth more than the AF (normally $99 membership fee + $32 per visit). If someone wants lounge access, it’s cheaper to get the Elite card compared to buying Priority Pass outright.
However, it’s typically more cost-effective to use a premium card which carries more benefits. The Chase Sapphire Reserve, U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve, and other metal cards are usually better. The Capital One Venture X is fee-free for almost anyone who travels at least once a year. If you want to be even thriftier while earning more points on travel, the number one choice is the Penfed Pathfinder Rewards Visa Signature. It includes basic Priority Pass (no free visits) plus travel credits and up to 4% cash back on travel. A few cards earn more cash back than the UNFCU Elite when it comes to travel expenses.
UNFCU Azure Visa Signature
The Azure doesn’t have an annual fee (AF) and it has a 1% foreign transaction fee (FTF). It earns:
- 3x points on dining/restaurants
- 3x points on groceries
- 2x points on streaming
- 2x points on transit
- 1x points on all other transactions
The card is just okay when it comes to earning points. Its closest equivalent is probably the Capital One SavorOne (3% cash back on dining, groceries, streaming, entertainment). The difference is -1% streaming and +1% transit. Capital One doesn’t have foreign transaction fees either.
The main draw of the Azure is that it has Cell Phone Protection, plus now-uncommon benefits:
- Visa Price Protection
- Visa Return Protection
- Visa Purchase Security
Compared to other Visa Signature cards, the Azure is reasonable overall, and has a few extra perks. Whether that’s worthwhile is up to you.
For earning more cash back, better choices include the Citi Custom Cash (5% back on a category of your choice such as groceries).
Both UNFCU credit cards have great perks. It’s just confusing how the cards are set up, because this doesn’t result in the greatest possible value for UNFCU customers.