I gave an overview of Citi-branded credit cards recently, but in addition to the ones discussed there Citi offers many store-branded cards as well. I was curious as to what’s out there so I dug up what I could. If I missed any, or if you have any experiences with these cards, please speak up in the comments. Let’s have a look, shall we?
- One Citi store card I actually have is the Best Buy credit card. You get 5% off all Best Buy purchases, plus an extra 1% if you’re an Elite Plus member (which you get by spending $3,500 in a year at Best Buy). Do note that the default rewards rate for the BBY loyalty program is 2%, so the credit card actually gives you 3% or 4% depending on your elite status. This used to be one of my favorites on account of promotions where you could get double or triple rewards buying prepaid Visas, but that deal died last summer when Best Buy figured out they were effectively selling cash at a discount. So as things stand currently, I can’t think of anybody who stands to benefit significantly by using the Best Buy credit card instead of, say, the Citi Double Cash.
- I also have the Brooks Brothers MasterCard credit card. There is currently a $100 sign-up bonus as I write this, but it’s usually more like $20. You get a $20 reward every year that you own the card. Lately Citi / Brooks Brothers has had some pretty good promos on the card for me, though promotions on retailer credit cards are usually YMMV.
- Could I interest you in a Macy’s Amex? Aside from being a no-fee Amex card which may be of use to people who like Amex promotions, the card seems like it would be useful for Macy’s loyalists but few others. The best benefits are for those who spend more than $500 annually at Macy’s.
- There is a Bloomingdale’s store card as well. You can get 10% off your first purchase, and that benefit has a generous $250 cap. Cardholders get free shipping as well.
- Citi underwrites the Sears credit cards as well. I don’t see any significant benefits to this card, other than 2% back in rewards points for Sears purchases, which isn’t much. Surprisingly the MasterCard version of this card does not seem to offer rewards for purchases outside of Sears. However, they do offer some good promotions on this one from time to time.
- The ExxonMobil card offers an anemic 6 cents per gallon rebate, and that’s only if you buy 45 gallons or more of ExxonMobil gas per month. The Shell credit card offers 5 cents per gallon, as do the Sunoco credit card and Citgo credit card, but with no minimum purchase.
- The Goodyear credit card is a store card only. It has some mildly interesting benefits: $5 off oil changes, free tire rotation (“at participating stores”), and “double your mail-in rebates for select tire and services during select promotional periods”. Right now Goodyear is offering a $60 mail-in rebate when you buy a new set of tires, and you can make that $120 if pay with the Goodyear credit card. So if you regularly go to Goodyear for tires anyway, this card could actually benefit you. I had no idea. I mean, that’s $60 extra you can put toward your Maldives trip.
- As long as we’re talking auto repairs, there’s also a Quick Lane store card which also has a Ford affiliation. It can be used at Quick Lane service centers as well as at Ford and Lincoln dealerships. One interesting thing to note here: “Each time you spend $250 or more on your Quick Lane Credit Card, you can earn a $25 prepaid card by mail-in rebate. * Offer good for new and existing Quick Lane customers.” So if you’re going to purchase a vehicle at a Ford dealership and they let you put part of the payment on this card, make sure they charge you $250 at a time.
- I’ve never even heard of BrandSource, but Citi issues their credit card. It’s a store card only and does not earn rewards. You can safely ignore this one.
- Who needs 5X Ultimate Reward points when you can get no rewards whatsoever with the Office Depot card? There are three different store cards: a personal credit card, a business credit card, and a business charge card. The business credit card offers 10% off your first purchase (with the benefit capped at $50, so don’t get any ideas), while the personal card offers unspecified “special promotions throughout the year”. Beyond that, these cards don’t seem to offer much.
- There’s also a Staples store card with the same personal / biz credit / biz charge setup as Office Depot. The Staples card lets you save $50 on a purchase of $150 or more when you apply in-store, plus it gives you free shipping and Premier status.
- There’s a Home Depot store card which offers free financing for 6 months and absolutely nothing else. Lame.
That’s all I have. Did I leave out any cards worth mentioning?
Tractor Supply Company and Radio Shack as well. Do you know if they same application rules apply (2 cards in 65 days)?
Is the Radio Shack card worth mentioning? The last application I saw listed Synchrony as the lender, but with Radio Shack closing their stores, does it matter?
The Tractor Supply Company card is a Citi card. The personal card offers deferred payments but no rewards. The business card is similar to the Staples and Office Max cards – no rewards, no deferred interest, but the TSC card doesn’t offer a sgn-up bonus.
The Home Depot card is available as a business card as well, and it has some interesting perks – 5% off plus it seems to be linked into the Home Depot rewards program where contractors who spend (x) amount on certain categories receive (y) credit towards another category. For example, purchase drywall and receive a paint or trim credit.
There is one reason, and one only, that I can think of for getting a store card with no other benefits. But it’s a big one.
If, for any reason, your FICO score is hovering around 600, store cards are easier to get than others.
And, as we all know, having credit begets credit. Young people just out of college wanting to create a history for themselves, people who got hit from behind by the recession, and had to choose: pay the CCs or feed their kids, whatever.
Having a store card that you keep sparkly clean can lead to better FICO, and to better cards. It’s not a quick process, but it does work.
do all bestbuy purchases (including gift cards) get you 5% in rewards?
Nope, they stopped paying out on Visa GCs last summer.
Damn!
My question is, approval odds for citi bank store cards? I read on other articles that they are somewhat strict on requirements.
I would think your odds are pretty good for most of them, retail cards generally have lower limits and lower FICO cutoffs. But I could see odds being lower for certain cards. For example, my Best Buy card has a significantly higher CL than other retail cards I have, and Citi runs campaigns encouraging folks to use it on dining and other non-BBY categories. So, I could see how that one might be run more like a non-retail credit card.
I had a Sears Credit card that I, last week, and PIF & closed. I made payments every two weeks usually going well over the amount due. They called me and told me that my credit limit was decreased because I wasn’t making payments on time. How can I not be making payments on time when I’m making payments every two weeks and well over the amount due? I called customer service, climbed the ladder and the person at the top was absolutely not able to help me. They apologized and told me that they could not rectify the situation. I had $286. as a balance, so on my next check, I paid it off and closed it. I was very disappointed 😞.
Children’s Place is a Citibank card as well…
Did not know that, thanks!
Given the recent developments with Citibank and Unaoil, I would never reward these thieves by applying for, accepting or using any credit card issued by or connected to Citibank.
They are a greedy avaricious and law breaking bunch of pigs.
Aren’t they all? I mean, yea some of them do it with a smile but heck it’s all the same imo.
I believe that Shell Gas card is. Citi card as well
Does an no if Gordon’s jewelry store is Thur citie bank
Children’s Place is COMENITY.
Citgo is now Synchrony Bank.
What about Costco?
is the citibank/good year credit card accepted at any other store ? Such as Kroger
I am looking to assist my sons credit by adding him to my store branded card Gas/wawa Is it helpful to have a second card, just for activity, with a different related brand, say, Home Depot? Or if they are both underwritten by Citi…is it a wash, on the other hand I could raise the limit. They have already raised the limit. It’s all just here for show…we pay cash for cars and have no mortgage. Just trying to play the game!