If you’re a fan of Victoria’s Secret, you’ve probably already heard of the lingerie boutique’s credit card, the Victoria’s Secret Angel Card. What you might not know is whether getting the card is a good deal.
We’ve broken down the numbers to help you better decide whether this store card is a good choice for your personal shopping habits.
The Angel Card is a tiered rewards card that lets regular shoppers earn greater levels of benefits the more they buy. For every dollar spent at Victoria’s Secret, cardholders — referred to as Angels — earn a point plus advancement toward a higher tier of rewards. There are also opportunities to earn extra points on certain purchases, like bras. All of the tiers come with the same 27.24% variable annual percentage rate (APR), and there’s no annual fee for any of the cards, which are offered through Comenity Bank. Keep in mind there’s a $39 late payment penalty and a $25 returned payment fee.
For every 250 points earned ($250 spent), Angels earn $10 good toward store purchases. Spend $250 on your Angel card within 12 months and you’ll be automatically upgraded to VIP. Spend $500 in that same timeframe and you’ll be upgraded to Forever Status.
What that means for cardholders is pretty straightforward.
Angel Card Tiers & Rewards
| Reward | Angel | Angel VIP | Forever Angel |
| Yearly Birthday Gift | X | X | X |
| Free Shipping
(only on orders that include bras) |
X | X | X |
| Shopping Rewards | X | X | X |
| Insider Access & Invitations | X | X | |
| Yearly Thank You Gift | X |
While there’s no limit to how many points you can accrue as a cardholder, but points do expire 12 months after they’re earned, so if you don’t use them you will definitely lose them. Likewise, Angel Forever cardholders must maintain 500 points from February 1 through January 31 the following the year they were upgraded or will lose any accumulated points.
Also keep in mind that once you reach a certain status, you must continue spending in order to maintain it. For example, a Forever status cardholder must re-qualify by spending $500 during every program year in order to maintain that tier status. Fall below that spending level, and you’ll be reset to VIP status. VIP and Forever status cardholders will never drop below VIP status, however, no matter how little they might spend in subsequent years.
If you do a lot of shopping at Victoria’s Secret, particularly if you do so online and buy a lot of bras, the savings on shipping alone could make this card a handy addition to your wallet. Similarly, if status and exclusive invitations are important to you — and you spend a lot of money on lingerie and other items sold by Victoria’s Secret — you might find good value in this card. Another pro is how easy Victoria’s Secret makes it to cancel your card if you ever change your mind about having an account. Their online cancel wizard provides easy, step-by-step instructions, plus contact information. Plus, if your credit is just so-so, store cards like the Angel card are typically easier to get than a standard credit card. (You can see where your credit stands by viewing two of your credit scores for free on Credit.com.)
Even with the above positives in mind, if you aren’t paying off your Angel card balance every month, the steep 27.24% variable APR could seriously cut away at any savings or benefits you might earn. And the $10 shopping reward for every $250 spent isn’t as generous as some other store card reward programs. Even if you spend the necessary $500 to reach Forever Angel status, your only financial perks are free shipping, an extra $5 for each $250 you spend, and two gifts.
If you’re serious about shopping and saving money while you’re doing it, a cash back rewards card that gives you rewards at more than just one store could be a better alternative. We’ve selected two of our favorites for your review.
Card Details +
Why We Picked It: Impressive rewards in the form of 6% cash back on up to $6,000 spent each year at U.S. supermarkets (then 1%), plus 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and 1% cash back on all other purchases make this card a great general-use card that you can go to time and time again for all your shopping needs.
On top of that, there numerous shopping benefits, including extended warranty coverage and a purchase protection policy that covers purchases against accidental damage or theft within 90 days of sale. Other benefits include a roadside assistance hotline and a global assistance hotline for travelers.
At publishing time, the Blue Cash Preferred from American Express is offered through Credit.com product pages, and Credit.com is compensated if our users apply and ultimately sign up for these cards. However, this relationship does not result in any preferential editorial treatment. This content is not provided by the card issuer(s). Any opinions expressed are those of Credit.com alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer(s).
Note: It’s important to remember that interest rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products frequently change. As a result, rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products cited in these articles may have changed since the date of publication. Please be sure to verify current rates, fees and terms with credit card issuers, banks or other financial institutions directly.
This article was updated on April 26, 2019.
