topic Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards in Credit Cards

Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

UncleB — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 02:24:29 GMT

As reported by DoC: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-sears-shop-your-way-card-to-be-converted-to-citi-thankyou-mastercard/

It's not clear (to me) if this is just the Sears Mastercard or if the PLCC cards are being converted as well (I'm assuming yes?).

Also, it appears the Sears SYW card is not impacted at this time. There's some discussion about this transition over in the ongoing SYW thread, but I'm posting here since this news really isn't about that product. Notably, the app page for the SYW card is still up.

Anyway, here's the official Citi info page: https://citicards.citi.com/crs/CitiThankYou/info/default.htm

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

UncleB — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 02:29:10 GMT

I've not had a Sears card in 20 years, but it was my very first credit card when I was a freshman in college.

While I'm not impacted by this at all, I'm still weirdly sad that the card is now gone even if the stores are practically gone as well (there are seven remaining in the mainland US). It's just another step in the slow death of a once iconic brand.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

cashorcharge — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 04:25:48 GMT

Learned something today....there are 7 Sears stores left!

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

Varsity_Lu — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
I've not had a Sears card in 20 years, but it was my very first credit card when I was a freshman in college.

While I'm not impacted by this at all, I'm still weirdly sad that the card is now gone even if the stores are practically gone as well (there are seven remaining in the mainland US). It's just another step in the slow death of a once iconic brand.

All my hand tools are the old Sears branded Craftsman. I remember "investing" in these as a young buck thinking "I am paying three times the price for this hammer, but it's made in the USA and guaranteed for life!". I have replaced so many broken tools and used to love walking out of Sears with something new that they exchanged for free. Seeing Craftsman in Lowes nowdays makes me sad. They are still my preferred hand tools. My hickory handled hammer has build two houses and is still going strong.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

coldfusion — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:24:41 GMT

From looking at the Citi splash page, on the surface this looks like a rebranding, i.e. from a cardholder perspective this largely an exercise in putting new lipstick on the Sears Mastercard with Thank You Rewards and converting over any existing standard Sears Mastercards that don't earn TYP. Only real questions I have right now would be if new promotional offers that align with SYW cards will still be issued after June and what if any impact will be made to the card's native TYP cash/portal redemption rates.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

TrapLine — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:36:58 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
I've not had a Sears card in 20 years, but it was my very first credit card when I was a freshman in college.

While I'm not impacted by this at all, I'm still weirdly sad that the card is now gone even if the stores are practically gone as well (there are seven remaining in the mainland US). It's just another step in the slow death of a once iconic brand.

Like Montgomery Wards, Sears did themselves in by not staying in synch with the market place. Add Kart to that list as I did so appreciate the "Blue Light" Specials? Then we have Target that is so trying to be a political force and they are slowly killing themselves.

At least Walmart is keeping a lower profile on the political scene. Consumer tastes of the younger people is not what the Silent and Baby Boomer Generations saw retail as (social experience) ... and not paying attention and believing the Mall Shopping experience is returning is folly at this junction of our lives.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

Komma — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:09 GMT

It looks like all they're doing is renaming/removing the old Sears branded card that earned Thank You points and was more or less replaced by the Shop your way version of the card which is still being offered and no mention of it changing.

I don't think you've been able to apply or convert to the TYP version in several years now.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

coldfusion — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:37 GMT

@Komma wrote:

I don't think you've been able to apply or convert to the TYP version in several years now.

They stopped allowing conversions about 5-1/2 years or so IIRC. Used to be you had to be transferred to a specific team located in Ohio but they then allowed regular CSRs to process conversions for about a year then stopped allowing it.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

FlaDude — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:49:15 GMT

@Varsity_Lu wrote:
All my hand tools are the old Sears branded Craftsman. I remember "investing" in these as a young buck thinking "I am paying three times the price for this hammer, but it's made in the USA and guaranteed for life!". I have replaced so many broken tools and used to love walking out of Sears with something new that they exchanged for free. Seeing Craftsman in Lowes nowdays makes me sad. They are still my preferred hand tools. My hickory handled hammer has build two houses and is still going strong.

My wife just got the conversion letter today, she's had that card for over 40 years.

I was also big on Craftsman way back when. I have many tools I bought back when I was on a framing crew for a couple of years 45 years ago that still get some use and are going strong.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

dfwxjer — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:59:03 GMT

@Varsity_Lu wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
I've not had a Sears card in 20 years, but it was my very first credit card when I was a freshman in college.

While I'm not impacted by this at all, I'm still weirdly sad that the card is now gone even if the stores are practically gone as well (there are seven remaining in the mainland US). It's just another step in the slow death of a once iconic brand.
All my hand tools are the old Sears branded Craftsman. I remember "investing" in these as a young buck thinking "I am paying three times the price for this hammer, but it's made in the USA and guaranteed for life!". I have replaced so many broken tools and used to love walking out of Sears with something new that they exchanged for free. Seeing Craftsman in Lowes nowdays makes me sad. They are still my preferred hand tools. My hickory handled hammer has build two houses and is still going strong.

I too invested in Craftsman tools from a young age, as my Dad taught me early on. Knowing I could walk in Sears and replace a broken tool was valuable to me as a consumer.

Now I wouldn't even bother. Not sure if the new owners are obligated to fulfill the lifetime warranty, but I don't want their new import line as a replacement.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

ptatohed — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 06:16:14 GMT

What are 'PLCC cards'?

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

UncleB — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:17:30 GMT

@ptatohed wrote:
What are 'PLCC cards'?

Private Label Credit Cards, or simply put in the case of the Sears card it's the non-Mastercard version (a.k.a. the "store card").

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/User-Guidelines-General/Common-Abbreviations/td-p/88458

(Technically "PLCC cards" is a bit redundant, sort of like saying "ATM machine" but I was in a hurry so forgive my sloppiness.)

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

Zoostation1 — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:38:28 GMT

@TrapLineI think with Sears it may be worse than with Montgomery Ward. Eddie Lampert's tenure as CEO pretty much guaranteed a near death spiral. Since I'm getting off topic I won't go any further on this one.

Re: Sears Cards to be Converted to ThankYou Mastercards

GreatLife — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:30:28 GMT

@dfwxjer wrote:
@Varsity_Lu wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
I've not had a Sears card in 20 years, but it was my very first credit card when I was a freshman in college.

While I'm not impacted by this at all, I'm still weirdly sad that the card is now gone even if the stores are practically gone as well (there are seven remaining in the mainland US). It's just another step in the slow death of a once iconic brand.
All my hand tools are the old Sears branded Craftsman. I remember "investing" in these as a young buck thinking "I am paying three times the price for this hammer, but it's made in the USA and guaranteed for life!". I have replaced so many broken tools and used to love walking out of Sears with something new that they exchanged for free. Seeing Craftsman in Lowes nowdays makes me sad. They are still my preferred hand tools. My hickory handled hammer has build two houses and is still going strong.
I too invested in Craftsman tools from a young age, as my Dad taught me early on. Knowing I could walk in Sears and replace a broken tool was valuable to me as a consumer.

Now I wouldn't even bother. Not sure if the new owners are obligated to fulfill the lifetime warranty, but I don't want their new import line as a replacement.

WAY back in the day my parents paid about $180 year to lifetime warranty ALL Sears appliance purchases. It included EVERYTHING.. furnaces, water heaters, stoves, fridges, washers, dryers, ovens, lawn mowers, etc.. plus any tools that would've normally required paying for an extended warranty. Repair parts & labor were included, anything that couldn't be fixed was replaced free of charge. I grew up and married, then spouse & I were able to add my parents lifetime warranty for our purchases using our own name & address long as my dad paid with his Sears credit card, which we would reimburse him with cash. When my parents died I stupidly cancelled their policy expecting to get a new one for my own household only to find out they weren't offered anymore. 🫣