Pros
- No membership fees
- High rewards rate
- up to $225 initial rewards bonus
Cons
- Spending caps on rewards
- No intro APR on balance transfers
- Balance transfer fee
- Foreign fee
The Verdict: Sears, a nationwide retailer perhaps best known for its appliances and a shrinking store count, appears to have already thrown in the towel as far as its eponymous credit cards are concerned. Neither the Sears Mastercard Credit Card nor the the Sears Store Card charge an annual fee, but that’s pretty much the best thing going for the store card.
The Sears Mastercard — the better of the two offers, considering you need “good” credit for approval versus just “fair/limited” credit for the store-only version — gives you a up to $225 initial bonus (applied as statement credit) for spending $500 in the first 90 days. Beyond that, you’ll receive ongoing rewards between 10 and 50 points, which work as 1% to 5% back.
The only thing that’s different about the Sears Store Card, other than its use being limited to the Sears family of brands, including Kmart, is the lack of rewards.
Sears Credit Card
Rewards Details
- Earn a $75 statement credit for every $500 spent on eligible purchases within 90 days of account opening, up to a maximum total value of $225 in statement credits.
- Earn 50 points (5% back) on eligible purchases at gas stations, 30 points (3% back) on eligible purchases at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $10,000 of combined gas, grocery and restaurants purchases per calendar year and 10 points (1%) thereafter.
- Earn 20 points (2% back) on eligible purchases at Sears & Kmart, and 10 points (1% back) on all other eligible purchases.
- You can use earned points to save in-store or online at Sears or Kmart and at shopyourway.com.
- The points are valid for twelve months from the date they are awarded.
Additional Info
- Deferred Interest Details: No interest if paid in full within 12 months on select sitewide purchases of at least $299.
- 5% off select sitewide purchases.
- More Details & Reviews About Sears Credit Card
The Highlights
- up to $225 Statement Credit: If you get approved for the Sears Mastercard and make purchases of at least $500 in the first 90 days, you will automatically receive a up to $225 statement credit. Such savings certainly won’t make you rich, but they’re better than nothing.
- Average Rewards: The Sears Citi Mastercard is currently offering purchase-based rewards just for 12 months from date of account opening with 5% in points on eligible purchases at gas stations and 3% in points on eligible purchases at grocery stores & restaurants on the first $10,000 of combined gas, grocery, and restaurants purchases, and 1% thereafter. You will also earn 2% in points on eligible purchases at Sears and Kmart, plus 1% in points on all other eligible purchases.
- No Annual Fee: Although the Sears credit cards don’t give you much, they at least don’t necessarily take anything from you, either. Their lack of annual fees helps cushion your budget and enables cost-effective credit building.
The Lowlights
- Deferred Interest 0% Financing: All of the many promotional financing arrangements offered via the Sears credit cards have a nasty little secret known as “deferred interest.” Its presence means that if you’re late on a monthly payment by even a day or you’re just a dollar short of paying off your full balance by the end of the promotional period, the card’s regular interest rate will retroactively apply to your entire original balance. Such an offer therefore has the potential to leave you saddled with a surprisingly expensive bill, a risk not worth taking when so many consumer-friendly 0% APR cards are available.
That’s especially true when you consider that opting for one of Sears’ promotional financing offers — including those that waive interest for more than six months, which are available during the first month after account opening — precludes you from receiving the 5% special discounts in select categories.
- High Regular APR: Both the Sears Mastercard and the Sears Store Card have a 29.74% (V) regular APR. Compare that to 21.2% for the average good-credit credit card, according to WalletHub’s latest Credit Card Landscape Report, 23.87% for its fair-credit counterpart and 26.97% for the average store card, and you’ll understand why it’s a bad deal.
Other Things To Consider
- Store Card Offers Surprising Flexibility: Most store credit cards can only be used at the retailers whose names they bear. That doesn’t quite describe the Sears Store Card, however, as it can also be used at Kmart, which is owned by the Sears Holding Company.
- Temporary Shopping Pass: If you find yourself at Sears or Kmart needing to make a purchase but unable to find your card, you can obtain a temporary card to use by showing your ID to a store employee. It’s a nice convenience.
- 5% (min $10) Balance-Transfer Fee: You probably wouldn’t even think to transfer a balance to the Sears Mastercard (not allowed with the store card), considering the treacherous financing climate it fosters. But if by chance you do, its 5% (min $10) balance-transfer fee should help dispel that notion once and for all. The market average, in case you’re wondering, is 3%.
- 3% Foreign Transaction Fee: Sears doesn’t have an international presence, so this particular nuisance fee applies only to the Mastercard. In short, it’s good reason to leave your Sears Mastercard at home in favor of plastic that will reward you for what you spend abroad, not charge you for it.
Compared To The Competition
Sears isn’t the only store where you can shop, and its credit cards aren’t the only plastic you can pay with. It’s well worth browsing around in both cases, so we’ll help you out by explaining how the Sears Mastercard — the better of the two — stacks up against its top competition.
Info | Sears Credit Card | Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard® | Amazon.com Credit Card | Target Credit Card |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Bonus Offer | up to $225 | N/A | $50 gift card | N/A |
Rewards Rate | 10 - 50 points / $1 | 1 - 5% Cash Back | 1 - 5 points / $1 | 5% discount |
Purchase Intro APR | 0% for 12 months | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Transfer Intro APR | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Regular APR | 29.74% (V) | 17.99% or 28.99% (Variable) | 18.74% - 26.74% (V) | 27.15% (V) |
Editors' Rating | 1.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 |
Details, Rates & Fees | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More |
Winners |