Update 7/17/22: Annual fee has been reduced to $95 from $249.
Fairwinds Credit Union offers an interesting credit card called the FAIRWINDS Preferred Visa Signature. Let’s take a look at this card in this quick review. Unfortunately this card is restricted to those who live, work or operate a business in Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Osceola, Polk, Brevard, Lake, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, or Sarasota counties.
Card Basics
- Annual fee of $95 (extra $75 for additional cardholders)
- Sign up bonus of 60,000 bonus after $5,000 in spend withint he first three months
- 50% more value on travel redemptions
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 5x points on travel
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on all other purchases
How Much Are Points Worth
You can redeem points for gift cards at a rate of 11,000 points = $100 gift card (0.9¢ per point) or through the CURewards portal and get 50% more value (e.g 60,000 points = $900 in travel). It looks like these are CURewards points, so I’m not sure if you can use them for other travel like other cards (some options discussed here) and if so, do you still get the 50% bonus?
Our Verdict
Card is potentially very interesting, at minimum it earns 2x points on all purchases and points are worth 1.5¢ each for travel. If you can redeem for some of the other travel portals and still get the 50% discount then it’s even more useful. That being said the card does have a $249 annual fee and that isn’t really offset by any airline/travel credits or lounge access. Might be worth grabbing for the first year if you’re a heavy spender, but for most people not worth considering.
Hat tip to tom0963
