The Chase AARP credit card is one of the few co-branded credit cards that Chase offers that isn’t with a travel partner. Because this card isn’t affected by the Chase 5/24 rule, it’s one of the cards a lot of people will be approved for from Chase. Let’s take a look at this card in a bit more depth.
Contents
Card Basics
- No annual fee
- Sign up bonus of $100 after $500 in spend within three months
- Introductory APR of 0% for the first twelve months
- Chase donates $0.10 for every restaurant purchase to the AARP Foundation in 2015 (up to a maximum of $1,100,000)
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 3% cash back on restaurant & gas station purchase
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No limits on the amount of cash back
- Minimum redemption of $20
- Rewards do not expire as long as the card is open
Sign Up Bonus
The current sign up bonus on this card is $100 after $500 in spend within three months, typically the Chase site does not show any bonus on this card. Below you can find the sign up bonus history of this card (if anybody has any other data points, let me know in the comments).
There are plenty of cards that have higher cash sign up bonuses.
On Going Spend
As mentioned, this card earns at the following rates:
- 3% cash back on restaurant & gas station purchase
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
I wouldn’t recommend using this card for ‘all other purchases’ as there are cards that earn at 2% or above on all purchases, also with no annual fee. Similarly there are also cards that earn at higher rates on gas purchases. This card does earn at the highest rate of 3% on restaurant purchases with no annual fee though (U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold AmEx does have the ability to earn up to 6% back, but comes with an annual fee of $85 and it’s also difficult to get the maximum redemption value for these points).
Our Verdict
This is by no means a bad credit card, but I think for most people there are better options out there. When it has a sign up bonus of $200 it does become a lot more appealing though. I wouldn’t recommend this card currently, but if it does go up to a $200 sign up bonus again it could make sense if you’re looking for a cash bonus or put some spend towards restaurants but not enough to justify a hefty annual fee. If you have any thoughts on this card or questions, please let me know in the comments. Before applying for this card, I’d strongly recommend you read about things you should know about Chase credit cards.
Card Alternatives
- U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express – this is best suited for people that spend a lot on restaurants and can maximize FlexPerks
- Fidelity Visa Credit Card From Elan Services (U.S Bank) – currently comes with a $100 sign up bonus and earns 2% on all purchases with no annual fee.
- Any of the other Chase credit cards not affected by 5/24
F.A.Q
Do I need An AARP Membership To Apply For This Card?
No this field can be left blank.
This Card Earns Points, Can They Be Transferred To Airline Partners?
No, unlike the Chase Freedom card this card does not earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points which are transferable with a premium Chase card (e.g Chase Ink Plus or Chase Sapphire Preferred). Points are basically just good for cash back at a rate of one point = one penny.
Is This Card Effected By The New Chase Churning Rules?
No, it’s not. You can get this card as long as you haven’t gotten the bonus in the past 24 months.
