Charles H. Miller
The Barnes & Noble MasterCard® is created to offer something to the loyal B&N clientele, the folks who hasn’t switched to Amazon and/or those who like visiting B&N’s physical stores. It offers 5% back (5 points per dollar spent) on Barnes & Noble purchases and at bn.com, while also rewarding other card uses: there’s 2% reward for restaurant purchases and 1% on everything else. Once you hit 2500 points, the company will automatically mail you a $25 gift card to use on your next Barnes & Noble purchase. It’s that simple and we’re sure B&N fans will love it for that. Here are the details…
Highlights
- Earn a $25 Gift Card after your first purchase.
- Earn 5x points at Barnes & Noble stores and on bn.com; 2x points on restaurants; and 1x points on all other purchases.
- Every time you reach 2,500 points, you will receive a $25 B&N Gift Card.
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months, then 14.24% or 25.24% variable APR.
- No annual fee
How It Works?
Sign-up bonus: Comes in the form of a $25 Gift Card that is yours after making the first purchase with the card.
Points: Earn 5x points at Barnes & Noble stores and on bn.com; 2x points on restaurants; and 1x points on all other purchases. You will automatically receive a $25 B&N gift card every time you reach 2,500 points.
Spending bonus: You will get 12 Months of B&N Membership after spending $7,500 per year on eligible purchases. If you already have a Barnes & Noble Membership, you will get an additional 12 months to your existing membership, which will extend the date when your next Barnes & Noble Membership fee will be due.
Complimentary FICO® Credit Score: This comes included with many Barclaycard products, allowing users to keep up with their credit score.
APR: 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months, after which a variable APR of 14.24% or 25.24% will apply. The same rate (14.24% or 25.24% variable) applies to purchases.
Costs
- 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months, then 14.24% or 25.24% Variable
- 14.24% or 25.24% Variable APR on Purchases
- 3% Balance Transfer Fee (minimum $5)
- 3% Foreign Transaction Fee
- $0 Annual Fee
At Barclaycard’s secure website
Pros
- This is the card for those frequently buying stuff from Barnes & Noble. They will now get something back for every dollar they spend with the company.
- Sign-up bonus – although not too big, it’s decent for a card that has no annual fee.
- Restaurant purchases also give you 2x points – a nice touch so that you can use this card even for purchases that are not at Barnes & Noble. All other purchases get you 1x point.
- Automatic redemption – no hassle of any kind. Once you hit 2,500 points, B&N will mail you a $25 gift card to use on your next purchase with the company.
Cons
- Limited redemption options – rewards are only good for buying stuff from Barnes & Noble. Then again, most of its users make purchases frequently.
- Foreign transaction fee – you are better off bringing some other card when travelling outside of the U.S.
Is This The Card For You?
It comes to the following: if instead of Amazon, you prefer to buy books and other stuff from Barnes & Noble, the answer is YES – get this card. It will allow you to get something back for every dollar spent with the company, and the redemption process is as seamless as possible. You could also benefit from an introductory period of 0% APR on balance transfers… or not, depending on the other cards you currently use. In any case, the Barnes & Noble MasterCard® doesn’t cost a penny, so why not give it a try?
