Best Store Credit Cards (2024)

If you frequently shop at big retailers such as Amazon, Target or Costco, getting a store credit card may allow you to save on your regular spending. While store cards have gotten somewhat of a bad name, thanks to high interest rates and low credit limits, there are cards in this category that offer outstanding rewards. In fact, the best store credit cards can earn 5% back at major retailers where general cash back cards will get you 2% back at best.

This type of credit card can be a good addition to your wallet if you don’t mind carrying an extra card just to use at your favorite store. That said, some of the best store credit cards can also be decent general rewards credit cards, yielding significant cash back on everyday purchases.

Our picks for Best Store Credit Cards offer generous rewards at some of the biggest and most popular retailers. Most are also “open-loop card that you can use anywhere, as opposed to “closed-loop” cards that can only be used at a specific retailer or brand. Scroll down to read our methodology and learn how we rated them.

The Prime Visa, issued by JPMorgan Chase, is an excellent choice for Amazon shoppers and Prime members. The card offers 5% cash back on all Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, as well as 2% back on dining, gas stations, and drugstores. Note, however, that the 5% rate is only available with a Prime membership, which costs $139 per year. Without the membership, the rate drops to 3%. All other purchases earn 1% cash back.

Amazon is the largest online retailer in the U.S. by sales and peddles just about everything under the sun. For an avid online shopper, maximizing the Amazon Prime Rewards card’s value should be easy.

Let’s say you have a Prime membership and spend $1,000 per month with the card. You spend $500 at Amazon, which earns you $300 in cash back in a year on these purchases alone. If you were to charge another $250 per month on dining and gas and the remaining $250 on purchases outside of bonus categories, you would add $90 to your annual cash back. This brings your yearly reward earnings with the Amazon Prime Rewards to $390.

For heavy Amazon shoppers, those rewards compare favorably to what they are likely to earn with a top general purpose. Wells Fargo Active Cash, Buy Side from WSJ’s pick for Best Overall Cash Back Card, earns 2% on all of your spending. This means that in the scenario as above, you’d earn $240 cash back.

The Amazon Prime Rewards also comes with an attractive financing feature. At the checkout, you can opt to use a 0% APR offer instead of earning 5% back. With the offer, you can pay your purchase off in equal monthly payments: Six payments on purchases of $50 or more, 12 payments on purchases of $250 or more, and 18 payments on purchases of at least $500.

Besides that, the Amazon Prime Rewards card comes with Visa Signature benefits, including travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursem*nt, auto rental collision damage waiver, and others. These are common among general rewards credit cards but hard to come across on store cards.

The Apple Card, issued by Goldman Sachs, can be a good option for Apple fans who are also comfortable using Apple Pay wherever it’s available. The card offers 3% back on Apple purchases, as well as at select merchants when paying through Apple Pay. Eligible merchants currently include Uber and Uber Eats, Walgreens and Duane Reade, T-Mobile stores, Nike, Exxon and Mobil gas stations, Panera and Ace Hardware. Everything else you buy through Apple Pay will get you 2% back. All other purchases earn 1% back.

For an Apple enthusiast, maximizing the Apple Card should be relatively easy. According to Apple, 85% of retailers in the U.S. accept Apple Pay, meaning you can use it for most of your shopping.

If you spent $1,000 a month, including $100 on Apple and Uber purchases and $500 on Apple Pay purchases, you would earn $156 in annual cash back. You’d also earn $48 on the rest of your spending. In total, you’d receive $204 in cash back per year.

Still that’s less than what you could earn with a general cash back card. For example, the Wells Fargo Active Cash with its 2% rate on all purchases would yield $240 in annual cash back for the same spending. In other words, this card can be a useful addition to your wallet if you already use Apple Pay for most of your shopping or are planning to finance a big Apple purchase, like a laptop or a phone. Otherwise, you may be better off with a regular rewards card.

Speaking of Apple purchases, the card offers the option to pay for new Apple products in interest-free monthly installments. Whether you shop at an Apple store or online, you can choose Apple Card Monthly Installments as your payment option when paying with the Apple Card. Even better, you won’t have to choose between special financing and cash back as you would with the Amazon Prime Rewards card—you’ll still get 3% back if you opt-in to pay in installments.

The Target RedCard, issued by TD Bank U.S.A., is a closed-loop credit card worth looking into if you frequently spend at Target. The card doesn’t offer any rewards—instead, you get a 5% discount on in-store and online Target purchases. You’ll also get shopping perks, including free 2-day shipping on most items at Target.com, an additional 30 days for returns and exchanges, and access to special promotions.

As Target is another major retailer selling many types of merchandise, it should be easy to rack up savings. If you spend $500 at Target monthly, you’ll save $300 per year with the Target RedCard. No other rewards card from a major bank can offer this much in cash back earnings on Target purchases.

Unfortunately, the Target RedCard doesn’t come with any special financing offers for Target shoppers. If you’re looking for a store card to fund a big purchase, this card might not be the best pick.

The Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi is a great option for Costco members who spend a good portion of their budget at this big-box retailer. While the card’s base rate on Costco purchases is only 2%, you’ll also earn 4% back on gas and electric vehicle, or EV, purchases, for up to $7,000 in annual spending (then 1%), and 3% back on travel and dining. All other purchases earn 1% back.

These rates make the Costco Anywhere Visa a solid cash back card in its own right. For example, no major bank offers a credit card that consistently earns such a high rate on gas and EV charging. The 3% cash back rate on dining and travel is also competitive. Some of the best travel cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, earn similar rates on travel and restaurants but typically charge annual fees.

There’s, however, an unusual and significant downside to Costco’s rewards system: You can only redeem your cash back once a year after your February billing statement closes. You’ll get a certificate you can use to shop at Costco or exchange for cash.

Still the Costco card’s rewards can be generous. If you have a $1,000 credit card budget and spend $500 per month at Costco with the Costco Anywhere Visa,you’ll earn $120 annually on these purchases. Let’s say you also spend $150 on gas and another $150 on dining monthly, earning an additional $126 in cash back per year. If the rest of your purchases on the Costco Anywhere Visa doesn’t fall into any of the bonus categories, you’ll earn $24 on the remaining portion of your spending. In this scenario, the total annual cash back is $270—or $210 if you subtract the cost of the Costco membership

To compare, the Wells Fargo Autograph card earns 3 points per dollar on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, streaming services, and phone plans. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar. In the scenario above, you’d get $192 in cash back per year. That’s less value than you’d get with the Costco Anywhere Visa, even though the Wells Fargo Autograph doesn’t charge annual fees.

One more thing to note: The Costco Anywhere Visa doesn’t have a 0% APR offer or any special financing options, so it might be a good idea to pick a different card if you’re planning a large purchase.

The Lowe’s Advantage Card, issued by Synchrony Bank, is a closed-loop credit card worth considering if your hobby is DIY home improvement, or if you are planning a home renovation. The card doesn’t offer any rewards, but you’ll get 5% off all eligible Lowe’s and Lowes.com purchases. Plus, you can currently get 20% off when you open the card—up to a $100 discount. Note, however, that the two discounts can’t be combined.

Let’s say you’re doing a kitchen remodel and your budget is $15,000. You spend it at Lowe’s with the Lowe’s Advantage Card. Your first purchase is $500 to allow you to maximize the sign-up discount and save $100. Then you get a discount of 5% on the rest of your spending, saving another $725, or $825 in total on your project.

That’s much better than what you can get with the card’s competitor, the Home Depot Consumer Credit Card. This card also offers up to $100 off as a sign-up bonus through Jan. 25, 2023, but no ongoing discounts. Additionally, the Home Depot card also provides a special financing option, but just one: Six months of deferred interest on purchases of $299 or more. You’ll be charged no interest if you pay in full within six months. If you still have any balance left after the six months, you’ll have to pay interest on the full purchase amount.

The Lowe’s Advantage Card, on the other hand, offers several choices for financing. First, you also can use a deferred-interest offer on purchases of at least $299. You’ll pay no interest for six months. After that, if you haven’t paid off the balance in full, the standard APR of 26.99% is applied to the full purchase amount. Another option is available on purchases of $2,000 or more, which you can pay off in 84 fixed monthly payments at a reduced APR of 7.99%. Plus, the Lowe’s Advantage Card frequently runs limited-time promotions on financing for specific types of items.

Unfortunately, you can’t get both 5% off and special financing. Still, the card can offer significant ongoing savings, whether you choose to save on interest or with the discount.

Our best store credit card methodology

To choose Buy Side from WSJ’s Store Credit Card, we looked at more than 200 store credit cards. We looked for no-annual-fee store credit cards that provide significant savings through rewards, discounts, and/or special financing options. We favored cards offered by major retailers selling multiple types of merchandise. We also looked for cards that can be used outside of their stores, assuming most readers aren’t credit card aficionados interested in complex spending strategies that come with juggling multiple cards.