Your mother taught you two pieces of financial advice: 1) Pay off your credit card in full every month and 2) Never, ever open a store-branded credit card. (“The monthly APR alone will drain your wallet,” she lectured.) OK, so she was half right. As long as you pay off your balance monthly, there are actually a handful of in-store cards that make opening one worth your while. Here, the best bets.
6 Store Credit Cards That Are Actually Worth Having in Your Wallet
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Published Jun 8, 2018
Twenty20
Target Redcard
It’s not really a weekend without a trip to Tar-jay for the essentials. (What? Hand and Hearth throw pillows aren’t an essential?) If this sounds familiar, the brand’s in-store credit card will save you big. Sample perks: You get an automatic 5 percent discount (meaning it goes through at the register) on all Target purchases and 30 extra days for returns. (Without the card, the return policy is 90 days, as long as the item is unopened.) You also get free two-day shipping on most items ordered from Target.com.
No annual fee; closed loop
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Ikea Visa Card
This card softens the financial blow of buying a Hemnes dresser for every bedroom with 5 percent cash back on all IKEA purchases. And here’s the kicker: You’ll also get 5 percent cash back on TaskRabbit product assembly services, a major incentive if you—like everyone else—can’t figure out the illustrated directions to save your life.
No annual fee; open loop
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Gap Inc. Visa Card
Gap Inc. actually includes Old Navy, Athleta and Banana Republic, too, which is exactly why this card has serious benefits if you tend to shop exclusively for clothes from these brands. It works like this: You get five points for every $1 you spend on clothes at Gap brands and one point for every $1 spent elsewhere. A point is worth a penny, aka if you spend $100 on two pairs of Gap blue jeans, you just earned $5 back (sometimes more, depending on whether or not you hit double or triple point days). You also get 10 percent off every purchase—savings you can tack on to other promotions—and can make returns without a receipt.
No annual fee; open loop
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Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
If you’re already shelling out the $99 annual fee for Prime, this card is worth considering, too. Here’s why: In addition to the perks you already get by being a Prime member, you’ll also earn an unlimited 5 percent back on all purchases and extra rewards in other spending categories (think groceries, gas, restaurants) when you use your card to shop elsewhere. Rewards typically come in the form of Amazon gift cards, but reality check: What can’t you buy on Amazon these days?
No annual fee; open loop
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Lowe’s Advantage Card
This card rewards its users with 5 percent off all home improvement purchases, a discount taken at the register, versus points you cash in later. It also offers special financing on larger purchases, a solid perk if you need to splurge on a new ride-on lawn mower and don’t have the cash to pay for it in full.
No annual fee; closed loop
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Uber Visa Card
OK, so it’s not a “store” per se, but this card offers 4 percent cash back on dining and 3 percent back on hotels and airfare (Airbnbs included). But that’s not all: Rack up $5K in the first year and you’ll get a $50 credit on streaming services like Netflix or Hulu.
No annual fee; open loop
