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Sun Country Credit Card Review (Fees, Perks, Promotions)

Read our Sun Country credit card review to see if this is the right travel credit card for you.
Deepti Nickam
Author: 
Deepti Nickam
Kacper Kozicki
Editor: 
Kacper Kozicki
Halina Grzeskiewicz
Fact Checker: 
Halina Grzeskiewicz
14 mins
November 29th, 2023
Advertiser Disclosure
Sun Country Airlines Visa Signature8.8Visitsuncountry.com
$69
19.49%-27.49%
25,000 bonus points
Good to excellent (690+)

The Sun Country Airlines card comes with tons of rewards and a generous sign-up bonus. The $69 annual fee could even tempt savvy travelers into picking this card over a more pricey one.

This credit card, however, only works with Sun Country—a small, low-cost airline with less than thirty aircraft in its fleet.

But don’t write it off just yet, because the Sun Country card could be an ideal choice for some.

Read on to find out more—

This article will tell you:
  • How the Sun Country credit card works.

  • Its fees, rewards, and benefits.

  • The pros and cons you should consider.

Read more:

Sun Country Credit Card: Quick Glance

Full name: Sun Country Airlines® Visa Signature® Credit Card

Best for: Travel credit card for frequent flyers of Sun Country airlines

Issuer: First Bankcard

Required credit score: Good to excellent (690+)

What is the Sun Country Credit Card?

The Sun Country Airlines® Visa Signature® card is a travel rewards credit card that lets you redeem your points to fly with Sun Country Airlines.

This card may be a good choice for frequent Sun Country flyers who don’t mind paying an annual fee.

Notable cardholder benefits include priority boarding, one free premium drink per flight, a 50% discount on select seat selections and first-bag fees, and a $0 foreign transaction fee.

Remember

Sun Country has less than 30 aircraft in its fleet. It serves just 19 domestic destinations (including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and 15 international destinations (Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean). The airline focuses on holiday travel, so many of its routes are seasonal.

Want to explore your options? Take a look at our list of the top travel credit cards.

How Does the Sun Country Credit Card Work?

This airline card is a great choice for Sun Country fans, offering perks to save on affordable flights and vacation packages.

New accounts can earn 25,000 points (a $250 value) by spending $1,500 in the first three months.

With no foreign transaction fees and a $69 annual fee, it’s a fairly versatile travel credit card.

Here’s a breakdown of Sun Country’s rewards program:

  • As a cardholder, you’ll get 3x points on all Sun Country Airlines purchases, including base fares, incidentals, and baggage.

  • Gas station and grocery store purchases earn 2x points per $1 spent, excluding big stores like Walmart and Costco.

  • Other purchases earn 1x point per dollar spent, with no limit.

  • Points expire after 36 months.

How to Redeem Rewards

You’ve got multiple options to cash in your Sun Country Rewards.

You can use your points for flights, baggage fees, and vacation packages—or even spread the love by donating points to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Just remember that you can only make bookings directly through Sun Country.

Here’s how to get the ball rolling on your redemption journey:

  • Log in to your Sun Country account on their website.

  • Go to the Review and Pay page, and keep your eyes peeled for the “Redeem Sun Country Rewards points” button.

  • Click on the button, and you can choose how many points you want to use for your flight.

  • The system will crunch the numbers and deduct your points. If there’s still a bit left to pay, you can whip out your credit card to cover the rest.

Take a look at our list of the best cashback credit cards for more rewards.

Sun Country Credit Card: Rating

Here’s our quick Sun Country credit card review and overall rating:

APR

19.49%–27.49%

Annual fee

$69

Intro offer

25,000 bonus points after making $1,500 in purchases in the first 3 months

Rewards

1–3 points

Overall credit card rating

4.4/5

Learn more

Sun Country Credit Card: Fees

Here are all the key fees you should consider before getting your hands on this Sun Country Credit Card:

FEE

DETAIL

Annual fee

$69

Security deposit

N/A

Sign-up bonus

Earn 25,000 bonus points after making $1,500 or more in purchases in the first 3 billing cycles after opening an account

Earn 10,000 bonus points when you spend $10,000 or more on your card in a 12-billing-cycle period

Intro APR

N/A

Purchase APR

19.49%–27.49% (variable)

Balance transfer APR

19.49%–27.49% (variable)

Balance transfer fee

$10 or 5% of the amount of each transfer (whichever is greater)

Cash advance APR

29.99% (variable)

Cash advance fee

Either $15 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance (whichever is greater)

Foreign transaction fee

$0

Returned payment fee

Up to $35

Late fee

Up to $40

Sun Country Credit Card: Pros and Cons

Here’s a glance at all the pros and cons of getting this credit card:

  • Generous sign-up bonus.
  • Great rewards rate.
  • No foreign transaction fee.
  • Airline perks when traveling with Sun Country.
  • Additional travel perks.

Pros—Why we like it

Generous sign-up bonus

The Sun Country Visa has a sign-up bonus that can score you a free flight shortly after getting the card.

You’ll get a whopping 25,000 bonus points (a cool $250 value) once you spend $1,500 within the first three billing cycles.

There’s more—if you decide to stick with the Sun Country Visa card beyond the first year, you’ll bag more rewards. Spend $10,000 a year (around $833 per month), and you’ll earn a bonus of 10,000 points (which adds up to approximately $100 in value).

Want a travel credit card but only have fair credit? Check out the CheapOair Visa® credit card.

Great rewards rate

With every dollar you spend on Sun Country Airlines, you’ll earn three points. You can also get two points for gas and grocery purchases. All other purchases are worth one point.

Want more rewards on gas and groceries? Check out the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card.

No foreign transaction fee

Wondering what makes the Sun Country card an ideal travel partner? The card comes with a $0 foreign transaction fee when making purchases outside of the US.

Airline perks

The Sun Country Airlines Visa card aims to create a VIP experience from the moment you book your flight to the time you touch down.

As a cardholder, you get awesome perks like:

  • 50% off seat selections.

  • A free bag for you and your companion on the same flight (a potential savings of $55 per person).

  • You also get to enjoy free priority boarding (which is usually worth $10).

  • To top things off, you’ll receive a complimentary premium drink.

Added travel perks

The Sun Country rewards program comes with more unique travel perks:

  • The reward program bases award ticket prices on the cash value of the flight, which means there are no blackout dates. If there’s a seat on the flight, you can buy it with points.

  • This program lets you pool points with up to nine other members to make a purchase.

  • You can use points to pay for fees and extra bags.

  • This program also offers points plus cash awards, letting you pay for a portion of the ticket with a combination of points and cash. (This is unlike other airlines that require you to pay for the entire ticket with miles or points.)

Check out the Capital One® Venture X® card for more travel benefits.

Cons—What to consider

Limited redemption options

Rewards points can only be redeemed for Sun Country Airlines flights or travel packages. This can be a huge setback if you’re not keen on flying this airline.

Limited routes

Finding flights that align with your travel itinerary can be difficult, particularly when your destinations are diverse.

Sun Country operates flights to a limited range of locations within the United States. Typically, these flights connect through the airline’s main hub in Minneapolis. So locating a suitable flight might prove challenging if you reside farther south than this Midwestern city.

Sun Country serves several cities, including Minneapolis/St. Paul, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Savannah in Georgia, Orlando, Miami, Fort Myers, Tampa in Florida, Dallas/Fort Worth, Gulfport/Biloxi in Mississippi, Phoenix, Denver, Palm Springs in California, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland in Oregon, and Seattle.

There are also a few travel destinations available in Mexico, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean.

Sun Country Credit Card Comparison

Here’s how the Sun Country credit card compares toother top travel credit cards:

Sun Country Airlines® Visa Signature® Credit Card

4.4

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

4.2

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

4.2

Annual Fee

$69

Annual Fee

$95

Annual Fee

$395

Rewards rate

1–3 points

3 points per $1 spent on Sun Country purchases. 2 points per $1 spent on gas & groceries. 1 point per $1 spent everywhere else.

Rewards

1x–5x

Earn 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Earn 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services. Earn 2x on other travel purchases. Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Rewards

2x–10x miles

Earn unlimited 2x miles per dollar on every purchase. Earn unlimited 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Intro offer

25,000 + 10,000 bonus points

Earn 25,000 bonus points after making $1,500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Earn 10,000 bonus points when you spend $10,000 or more on your card in a 12-billing-cycle period.

Intro Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Intro offer

75,000 bonus miles

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Learn more

Learn more

Learn more

Sun Country Credit Card Reviews

Here are some mixed but insightful customer reviews about the Sun Country credit card—

I’m a Sun Country credit cardholder. I only have that card because it lets me have free bag checks. This airline has gone down since becoming a low-cost-carrier model. They changed my flight three times.

We were very pleased with their service. They offered free drinks, and the plane was very clean. Would fly with them again.

Our experience with this credit card has been horrible. We called the First National Bank of Omaha to notify them of a large purchase. They wanted to call a landline we canceled a year ago rather than the cell number for verification. Because they couldn’t call the landline, they locked the card.

Is the Sun Country Credit Card Good for Me?

The Sun Country Airlines® Visa Signature® Card could be your ideal travel credit card if you live near a Sun Country hub.

With a reasonable $69 annual fee, this card offers a 50% discount on seat selection and baggage fees, plus a bonus of 10,000-anniversary points.

Sun Country is the fifth-largest budget airline in the US, offering affordable flights to major cities—but international travel is limited to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (with some seasonal restrictions).

Remember

This card has a niche audience and appeals mainly to specific regions.

Go for it if—

  • You’re a frequent traveler with Sun Country Airlines.

  • You’re already a Sun Country loyalty program member and don’t want your points to expire.

  • Spend enough to offset the $69 annual fees.

  • Don’t carry a balance.

Look for a credit card that offers a generous conversion ratio for purchases as to mileage points. Consider the earning rate and redemption options so that they align with your preferred airlines.
Raymond Quisumbing, Registered Financial Planner at BizReport

If you’re someone who will struggle to redeem points to book a Sun Country flight—there are tons of better options available.

Check out our detailed review of the top travel credit cards you should consider.

FAQ

What are the benefits of a Sun Country Visa card?
Does the Sun Country credit card have an annual fee?
What credit score do you need for a Sun Country credit card?
How do I get Sun Country miles?
How much is a Sun Country point worth?
How much should a credit card annual fee be?

Sources

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Contributors

Deepti Nickam
Deepti is a content writing and marketing professional with 5+ years of experience in the B2B and B2C sectors. She has written about several subjects, including finance, project management, human resources, and more.
Kacper Kozicki
Kacper is an editor, writer, and multilingual translator with expertise in producing tailored content for global online brands.
Halina Grzeskiewicz
Halina is a content writer with nearly 5 years of experience. She has written about several topics, including human resources, technology, Forex, cryptocurrencies, and personal finance.
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