Depending on your shopping habits, you could save big money and enjoy other lucrative benefits from a brand-specific credit card. From department store credit cards and clothing store credit cards to cards specific to your favorite electronics store, your loyalty can be rewarded with cash back, special financing, exclusive offers and more. GOBankingRates has compiled a list of the 10 best store credit cards available right now, listed in order from lowest APR to the highest.
Nordstrom Credit Card
Costco Anywhere Visa
Target REDcard
GapCard
J. Crew Card
Victoria's Secret Angel Credit Card
Macy's Credit Card
My Best Buy Credit Card
Amazon Prime Store Card
Lowe's Consumer Credit Card
Store Card
Purchase APR (%)
Sign-Up Bonus
Rewards
Discounts for Cardholders
How to Apply
Nordstrom Credit Card
11.15 - 23.15
$20 bonus note for spending $100 at Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, HauteLook or Trunk Club with your new card the day you're approved
2 points for every $1 spent at Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, HauteLook and Trunk Club (online or in store); same rewards for Visa Signature cardholders, who can also get points wherever Visa is accepted
Access to bonus point events; early access to anniversary sales; personal 3x point days; alteration reimbursement; private holiday shopping party
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Costco Anywhere Visa
15.49
Introductory rate of 0% for 7 months
4% cash back on gas; 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases; 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com; 1% cash back on all other purchases
No
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Target REDcard
23.15
No
No
5% off everyday purchases; free shipping on most Target.com orders
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GapCard
24.99
15% off your first purchase
5 points for every $1 spent in GAP brand stores (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta) in store and online; 1 point for every $1 spent everywhere Visa is accepted; $5 reward for every 500 points earned
Free online shipping and basic alterations with silver card; 10% off Tuesdays at Gap online and in store; birthday gift
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J. Crew Card
25.24
15% off your first purchase
$25 rewards card for every $500 you spend; special birthday surprise
Complimentary personal shopping and styling services; free standard alterations on in-store purchases
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Victoria's Secret Angel Credit Card
25.24
No
$1 = 1 point; reward earned every 250 points
Free shipping; birthday gift; exclusive rewards for shopping; insider access and invites
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Macy's Credit Card
25.49
20% off purchases up to $100 today and tomorrow
Star Pass mailings; surprise savings offers at the register; Thanks for Sharing rewards (which can also include 15% bonus events); birthday offer; exclusive shipping offers; customer service number
No
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My Best Buy Credit Card
25.49
10% back in rewards on your first purchase
5% back in rewards (6% for Elite Plus) or 18-month financing on purchases greater than $479 for a limited time
No
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Amazon Prime Store Card
26.24
$40 Amazon gift card upon approval for a limited time
5% back every day on Amazon.com purchases with no category restrictions and no limits; can opt for promotional financing instead of 5% back when your cart totals more than $149
No
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Lowe's Consumer Credit Card
26.99
No
5% off everyday purchases or special project financing through 36, 60, or 84 fixed monthly payments
5% off everyday purchases
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Learn: 6 Pros and Cons of Store Credit Cards
Nordstrom Credit Card
Purchase APR: 11.15% to 23.15% APR
Fee: $0
Earn two points for every dollar spent at Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, HauteLook and Trunk Club, both in stores and online. Visa Signature cardholders get one point for every dollar spent everywhere Visa is accepted. There is no annual fee for the Nordstrom card, and shoppers get a $20 Note when they spend at least $100 at Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, HauteLook and Trunk Club. Two-thousand points earns you a $20 Nordstrom Note. There are four different spending tiers that offer more rewards the more you spend. Throughout the year, special events allow cardholders to rack up points even faster. Triple Points events, for example, require cardholders to spend just $334 to earn a $20 Note.
Costco Anywhere Visa
Purchase APR: 15.49% APR
Fee: $0
The Visa Anywhere Card doubles as the customer's Costco membership ID. Cardholders enjoy 4 percent cash back on gas, 3 percent on restaurants and eligible travel, 2 percent on all Costco purchases both in store and online, and 1 percent cash back on everything else. The card comes with an introductory rate of 0-percent interest for the first seven months, which then turns into a 15.49 variable rate APR. The issuer, Citi, offers both a business and personal version of the card, which pays out points in the form of an annual certificate. The certificate is delivered in February and can be redeemed for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouses.
Target REDcard
Purchase APR: 23.15% APR
Fee: $0
Target REDcards could be a Target Credit Card, Target Debit Card or Target MasterCard. No matter which Target card a shopper uses, he'll get 5 percent off most purchases. Eye exams, prescriptions, gift cards and restaurant purchases are among the excluded expenditures. Cardholders also enjoy an extra 30 days to return most items beyond the standard return policy. This applies to both in-store and online purchases from Target, but does not include mobile purchases, non-returnable items and purchases with a fixed return date. The card also comes with free shipping on online purchases across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, but only for standard shipping.
GapCard
Purchase APR: 24.99% APR
Fee: $0
Customers earn five points for every $1 they spend both in stores and online, not just at Gap, but at sister stores, too: Old Navy, Athleta and Banana Republic. Points can also be redeemed across the entire network of stores. For all other purchases, cardholders get one point for every $1 spent, and every 500 points accumulated earns the cardholder a $5 reward. Customers also enjoy cardholder-only promotions, like participation in 10-percent Tuesdays, special birthday savings and special event access. The chip-enabled card boasts heightened fraud protection and zero-fraud liability. New cardholders get 15 percent off their first GapCard purchase.
J. Crew Card
Purchase APR: 25.24% APR
Fee: $0
J.Crew Card benefits are applicable to purchases made online, in stores or from the catalog. Additional authorized users can be added to the card as well, and the primary cardholder gets the points accumulated by secondary cardholders. Cardholders are privy to free styling and shopping services, in addition to complimentary alterations for in-store purchases. New cardholders get a 15 percent discount on their first purchase and a special birthday surprise. Customers can pay their J. Crew bills online or in stores, and can access their accounts at any time. They'll also receive invitations to exclusive cardholder events, as well as priority customer service reserved only for cardholders.
Victoria's Secret Angel Credit Card
Purchase APR: 25.24% APR
Fee: $0
Victoria's Secret gives cardholders a gift every year on their birthday, and customers earn a new reward with every $250 spent -- $1 equals one point. Customers get free shipping on purchases that include bras whenever they use the coupon code JUST4ANGELS and pay with their Victoria's Secret Angel card, as long as the items aren't clearance bras or orders that contain other bra or shipping specials. Cardholders are given the choice of a Triple Points Day, with some restrictions, depending on their card tier.
Macy's Credit Card
Purchase APR: 25.49% APR
Fee: $0
When new customers sign up for a Macy's Credit Card, they automatically receive 20 percent off combined purchases up to $100 for 48 hours -- the day they sign up and the following day. There are three possible tiers -- or "loyalty levels" -- associated with the card. The Preferred level, which applies to all new cardholders, is for customers who spend $1 to $499 per year. Elite customers spend between $500 and $1199 annually, and Premier Elite classification requires purchases of $1,200 or more every year. Each tier comes with increased rewards, exclusives, savings and enhancements in customer service.
Related: 10 Best and Worst Deals at Macy's
My Best Buy Card
Purchase APR: 25.49%
Fee: $0
The Best Buy card offers new customers a choice when they sign up: They can opt for either 5 percent back in rewards or 18-month financing for purchases of $479 or more. New cardholders also get 10 percent back in rewards on their first purchase once they're approved. Customers also get the members-only benefit of Best Buy Pay, which lets users check out quickly and securely with only their BestBuy.com name and password. Also, the My Best Buy Visa card gives the same in-store benefits, but also lets users earn rewards on purchases made outside of Best Buy.
Amazon Prime Store Card
Purchase APR: 26.24%
Fee: $0
For a limited time, a new applicant gets a $20 gift card uploaded directly into his account as soon as his application is approved. Amazon Prime members with the card get 5 percent back on every purchase, with no limits, to put toward their account balance. The card protects customers from unapproved transactions with zero fraud liability. Promotional financing is also available to customers, including special financing for six months on purchases of $149 or more, 12 months on purchases of $599 or more, and 24 months on select items. Cardholders also get access to a 12-month equal pay offer on select items.
Related: 22 Secret Ways to Save Money at Amazon
Lowe's Consumer Credit Card
Purchase APR: 26.99% APR
Fee: $0
Lowe's cardholders get the choice of 5 percent off everyday purchases or six months of promotional financing on purchases of at least $299. If the balance is paid in full within six months, there is no charge for financing. There is also a third option of special project financing, which offers a reduced APR for 36, 60 or 84 fixed monthly payments. This offer is specific only to in-store purchases of $2,000 or more. Customers can not combine both special financing and 5 percent off. Lowe's offers credit cards for both individuals and businesses.
Because many retail credit cards have strict application criteria, they are not always the best cards to build credit. Store credit cards, however, can offer a range of other benefits, including lucrative rewards points, access to special events, annual gifts and exclusive access to VIP promotions, which are not available with normal credit cards.
GOBankingRates is a personal finance and consumer interest rate website owned by ConsumerTrack, Inc., an online marketing company serving top-tier banks, credit unions, and other financial services organizations. Some companies mentioned in this article might be clients of ConsumerTrack, Inc., which serves more than 100 national, local and online financial institutions. Rankings and roundups are completely objective, and no institution, client or otherwise, paid for inclusion or specific placement. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the companies included in the article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Best Store Credit Cards