Thoughts On Store Cards?

[Anonymous]

I like my Amazon Store Card (it gets used a good bit) and I like my Target card because both of them give me 5% back but both of them have alternative options. Amazon has the Chase Amazon VISA Siggy and Target has their debit card so I could do without both cards if I wanted to. 

That is the big problem with store cards - limited opportunity for use. I will replace my Amazon Store Card with the Chase version if I manage to get under 5/24 and I hope to one day get the Target MC upgrade but I have no plans to add anymore store cards. Major credit cards only unless the benefit is really worth it. 

[Anonymous]

I've never seen a store card that made sense for me. I think in the vast majority of situations you'll be able to find a bank card that gives you better benefits than the store card. 

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I've never seen a store card that made sense for me. I think in the vast majority of situations you'll be able to find a bank card that gives you better benefits than the store card. 

---

I haven't found a bank card that consistently gives me 5% back at Lowe's. 

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I've never seen a store card that made sense for me. I think in the vast majority of situations you'll be able to find a bank card that gives you better benefits than the store card. 

---

I haven't found a bank card that consistently gives me 5% back at Lowe's. 

---

Congratulations. I very clearly said "that made sense for me". I've spent less than $30 at Lowe's in my entire life. That card doesn't make sense for me. 

[K-in-Boston]

But then the next sentence said, "I think in the vast majority of situations you'll be able to find a bank card that gives you better benefits than the store card."  <shrug>

If you can tell me how to earn more than 5% on any of mine year-round or get long 0% APR without opening a new card with a bank card I am all ears.  Do I congratulate myself?

[sladesurfer]

I have a Target Redcard and Amazon Store card. Those 2 are my main shopping essentials...Will keep them forever unless they close down

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I've never seen a store card that made sense for me. I think in the vast majority of situations you'll be able to find a bank card that gives you better benefits than the store card. 

---

I haven't found a bank card that consistently gives me 5% back at Lowe's. 

---

Congratulations. I very clearly said "that made sense for me". I've spent less than $30 at Lowe's in my entire life. That card doesn't make sense for me. 

---

I found for smaller purchases Amex was running 10% back on up to $100,  or something along those lines pretty often and I made purchases using those. But they dried up. Plus, Lowe's every so often made the standard 5% cash back 10% during weekends. 

Lowe's card is the best card right now for Lowe's. 

[Anonymous]

---

@K-in-Boston wrote:

But then the next sentence said, "I think in the vast majority of situations you'll be able to find a bank card that gives you better benefits than the store card."  <shrug>

If you can tell me how to earn more than 5% on any of mine year-round or get long 0% APR without opening a new card with a bank card I am all ears.  Do I congratulate myself?

---

You're doing the exact same thing the other person did. You are picking out an isolated incident as a jutification to make my statement invalid. "Vast majority" doesn't mean every single situation, it just means most. Congratualations, you have a specific situation where a store card makes sense for you. That doesn't make anything that I said incorrect. 

[K-in-Boston]

Or 8 specific situations in my case, but thanks for clarifying who was doing the congratulations.

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@K-in-Boston wrote:

But then the next sentence said, "I think in the vast majority of situations you'll be able to find a bank card that gives you better benefits than the store card."  <shrug>

If you can tell me how to earn more than 5% on any of mine year-round or get long 0% APR without opening a new card with a bank card I am all ears.  Do I congratulate myself?

---

You're doing the exact same thing the other person did. You are picking out an isolated incident as a jutification to make my statement invalid. "Vast majority" doesn't mean every single situation, it just means most. Congratualations, you have a specific situation where a store card makes sense for you. That doesn't make anything that I said incorrect. 

---

Whereas you are making a VERY strong statement ("vast majority") with no examples at all, so we don't know if the exceptions are isolated incidents or if your statement is very wrong (i.e. almost all store cards offer unmatched benefits).   In my opinion, quite a few store cards are potentially worthwhile (providing you PIF) giving discounts year round unmatched by bank cards.

And as I said earlier, the same can be said for bank cards, there are a large number of pretty useless ones (possibly, or possibly not, the vast majority)