The only thing better than shopping is shopping for a deal. Some of our favorite stores to get lost in—hello, Target!—offer credit cards with even cooler in-store perks. It can be hard to say no to 20% off your first purchase or the promise of future member discounts. But not all store cards are created equal. Some perks aren’t worth the high APRs that come with the card or the temptation to spend money on unnecessary items.
You should make credit decisions carefully, understanding the effects of a hard inquiry on your credit report, as well as the APRs and other terms of any credit card you apply for. Still, store cards are some of the easiest credit cards to get, making them attractive if you’re trying to build or rebuild credit. In fact, many store credit cards are available for people with a fair credit score.
If you’re a big shopper, here are some of our favorite options to help you build credit and shop easy.
Here’s a look at five 2020 contenders for the store credit card that might be best for your wallet.
Note: The information below about terms and offers was all current at the time of writing. You should always read the fine print before you apply for offers to make sure information hasn’t changed.
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Everyone loves Target. It’s a common refrain among shoppers that you walk into Target for one item and come out with twenty—a phenomenon known as “Target Syndrome.” If you find yourself regularly walking out with an armful of their signature red bullseye bags, you might want to consider the TargetRED card.
Target lets you apply for a credit or debit card, depending on your financial needs. Both offer 5% off your purchases at Target and Target.com and come with no annual fee. Cardholders also get perks like free two-day shipping, up to 30 days extra to return items and exclusive gifts and offers.
The only difference between the cards is that the TargetRED debit card connects to your own checking account. When you use it to make purchases, the money comes out of your checking account. The TargetRED credit card is a credit card. When you use it to make purchases, you pay with credit, which can create more flexibility at checkout. The APR is a little higher than average—it’s currently —but if you pay off your card regularly, the perks and flexibility offered by the card may be worth it.
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Everyone’s gotta eat, right? If you shop at Kroger, you can earn points using their reloadable prepaid Visa or Mastercard REWARDS cards. Those points, no matter where you shop, equate to free groceries at participating Kroger stores.
The Kroger REWARDS card is basically a debit card, but it doesn’t draw directly from your checking account. Simply preload the card with your chosen amount from $10 to $5,000, then shop until it’s gone or until you drop—whichever comes first. Rinse and repeat. The great thing is that you can use this card anywhere Visa and Mastercard debit cards are accepted and still reap Kroger rewards.
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It works like this:
Because this is a prepaid card, there is no APR to worry about. There is no annual fee, but there is a $4.95 monthly maintenance fee if you have a balance on the card. There is also a cash reload fee of $3 if you reload at checkout rather than via direct deposit.
Kohl’s is one of the largest department store chains in the United States—Mary-Kate and Ashley have even allowed their Elizabeth and James brand to be sold exclusively in the store—and the Kohl’s Charge card is one of the most popular store credit cards for building credit. The store has many shopper rewards programs, and the Kohl’s Charge card is the obvious next step for regular Kohl’s shoppers.
With one of these cards, you’re entitled to extra savings offered throughout the year. These discounts are offered monthly—and they do expire, so you’ll need to keep track of them. You must use the Kohl’s card to take advantage of these discounts, and you can only use the card at Kohl’s and Kohls.com. To sweeten up the pot, Kohl’s allows you to combine the dollar-off rewards from Kohl’s Cash and Yes2You Rewards with Kohl’s Charge discounts (though you cannot combine multiple percent-off discounts).
There’s no annual fee, but the APR is a little steep (it’s currently 26.49%). If you shop at Kohl’s often enough to make a Kohl’s Charge card worth it, try to pay off your balance each month to avoid expensive interest fees. The one bummer about the Kohl’s Charge card is that there are no additional spending rewards beyond the monthly discounts. You’ll want to sign up for the free Yes2You Rewards program, which provides 1 point per dollar on Kohl’s purchases, and combine it with your use of the Kohl’s Charge card. Otherwise, wait for the monthly rewards and keep this card securely in your wallet when not in use.
When you need to restock on toilet paper, where do you go? If you don’t go to Sam’s Club, you might be paying too much for your 24-pack of TP. Members of Sam’s Club warehouse store, however, might consider a credit card from the retailer to save even more money. You can apply for a Sam’s Club Mastercard that can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted. The retailer also offers a Sam’s Club credit card that can only be used at Sam’s Club and Walmart.
The Sam’s Club credit card typically comes with a modest bonus offer than can easily be activated by regular Sam’s Club and Walmart shoppers. The Sam’s Club Mastercard offers more reward options, including various levels of cash back. There’s no annual fee beyond your regular Sam’s Club membership fee. That’s great news, but the variable APR is a little high, so if you use the card you’ll want to pay your balance off regularly to avoid high interest fees.
Those who are more apt to shop for clothing than groceries might find a Gap credit card a better option for their wallet. Regular shoppers can sign up for a GapCard or a Gap Visa. You can use the GapCard at any of the Gap family of brands, including Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta, while the Gap Visa can be swiped anywhere Visa is accepted.
The GapCard lets you rack up—pun intended—5 points per dollar for shopping at affiliated stores and offers 10% off at Gap stores and online on every purchase. You also get points offers on your birthday and other special occasions. With the Gap Visa credit card, you also get a point for every dollar you spend outside of the Gap brands using the card. Every 500 points equals a $5 store credit.
Account holders who meet certain requirements can be upgraded to a Gap Silver or Gap Silver Visa card. When you reach this tier, you can choose your own sale day, get free online shopping and receive various other perks. Both cards come with no annual fee, but once again the APR is a little steep. As of this writing, the APR is 27.49% variable.
Not everyone is loyal to a single store—and we can’t say we blame you. There’s a lot of good shopping to do out there. But if you’re not going to shop at the store often, you may not build up enough rewards to make it worth holding the store’s card. That’s true no matter how awesome the perks seem when you first look at the offer.
When used responsibility, credit cards can be a great financial tool. Before you apply, check your credit score so you have a better sense of what cards you might be approved for. You can sign up to see your credit score using our Free Credit Report Card.
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.
At publishing time, the TargetRED card, Kroger REWARDS card and Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards credit cards are offered through Credit.com product pages, and Credit.com is compensated if our users apply and ultimately sign up for this card. 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).
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