Macys has a whole range credit cards (both Visa and store card versions). We are now going to look at the differences between these cards and highlight its’ features. At the end of the review, we are also going to highlight an alternative card where you can actually earn more rebates when you shop at Macys.com.

Macys Visa Cards – The best way to describe the various credit cards that Macys have is to first actually show you a screenshot from their website.

Rebate Formula – The various card correspond with different levels of the Macys StarRewards Program. There is the

The lowest level is actually the gold level. With the gold card, you get to earn 1.5% rebates for every dollar that you spend at Macys and 1% for other regular non-Macy’s purchases. For the rest of the membership tiers, you get to earn 3% rebates on Macys purchases and 1% on other non-Macy purchases. There is no annual fee for all the cards. Once you have earned enough rebates, you will be given a “reward certificate” that you can use at Macys.

Macy’s Store Cards – The Macy store cards are not Visa credit cards so you can only use them at Macy’s. The store cards allow you to have exclusive savings when you shop at Macy’s.

Verdict – The Macys Credit Card will appeal to those who shop frequently at Macys because you can earn 3 points for every dollar that you can spend on Macys. One of the drawbacks of this card is that you can only use the reward points you have earned for reward certificates that can only be used at Macys. But if you are a die hard Macys fan, you might want to consider this card as you can earn points and be invited to special events and sales.

Their store cards (the non-Visa ones) are also popular among folks who have bad credit. But since you can only use them at Macys, I suggest getting a secured credit card instead.

If you really want to earn reward points or cash rebates with Macys, then you should consider the Discover® More(SM) Card instead. Discover has a shopping portal called shopdiscover.com. If you go to macys.com through your Discover account (same site), Macys will track your purchase and give you a 5% rebate. Let me show you a few screen shots as to how this works.

Clicking on the Macys icon takes you to the page which list some terms and conditions.

Once you click the shop now button, it will take you to the macys.com site. When you use your Discover Card to shop, it will record the transaction and let’s you earn 5% rebates with every eligible item you buy.

The advantage of getting a Discover Card over the Macys card is that you can earn more rebates (5% versus 3%) and you can use the rebates for other stuff (not just at Macys). Furthermore, Discover has over 100 partners where you can earn anywhere between 5% and 20% rebates. Hence, even if you shop a lot at Macy’s and are looking at their credit card, I suggest you get the Discover® More(SM) Card instead as you can earn more rebates and have a greater variety of places to earn rewards.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 12:30 and is filed under Credit Card Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.