Banana Republic Rewards Mastercard®: 12 Things To Know And Alternatives (2024)

• Earn 5X points per dollar spent within the family of brands and 1X point per dollar spent on other Mastercard purchases.
• Every 100 rewards points earned gets you a reward dollar toward Gap Inc. brand merchandise.
• Enjoy free shipping for online orders over $50, quarterly bonus points based on qualifying purchases, annual family brand bonus and early access to sales.
• Take 20% off your first purchase at Banana Republic within 14 days of account opening.
• No annual fee to think about.

• First purchase discount. Receive 20% off your first purchase at Banana Republic within 14 days of opening your new account.
• Earn points at Gap Inc. brands. Earn 5X points per dollar spent within the family of brands and 1X point per dollar spent on other Mastercard purchases. Other brands are Gap, Old Navy and Athleta.
• Earn points everywhere else. Earn one point for every dollar you spend outside of Gap Inc. brands.
• Immediate Enthusiast level status. Get an instant bump to the middle-tier Banana Republic elite level as an Enthusiast, which gives you early access to exclusive offers, 250 quarterly bonus points when you make a Gap Inc. purchase and more. Earn 5,000 cardmember points or spend $1,000 annually and you’ll be upgraded to the highest status level, Icon. As an Icon member, you can enjoy 15% off on a Create Your Own Sale Day, 500 quarterly bonus points when you make a Gap Inc. purchase and free basic alterations on Banana Republic merchandise.
• Family of brands bonus. When you shop at two or more Gap Inc. brands, you’ll earn up to 2,000 bonus points: Earn 500 points when you shop with two brands, 1,000 points with three brands and an impressive 2,000 points shopping with all four brands.
• Birthday gift. Enjoy extra perks for your birthday.
• Fraud liability protection. Shop confidently with $0 fraud liability protection.

The Banana Republic credit card has many advantages, making it a well-suited option for specific shoppers. If you fit the following profile, this would be a valuable card to add to your wallet.

• You frequently shop at Gap Inc. stores. If you regularly shop at Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy or Athleta, you’ll reap the rewards. Also, the more you shop, the more perks you earn. Otherwise, the one point per dollar on purchases outside the Gap Inc. brand is low compared to other options.
• You pay your card in full. The regular APR is 29.99% variable, which is quite high. If you’re going to carry a balance, it’s not worth it to have this card. You’ll negate any benefits it offers as you accrue interest on your purchases.
• You pay your card on time. With a late fee of up to $41, you want to not only pay your card in full, but also on time to avoid this costly fee.
• You want to spend your points at GAP Inc. stores. You can rapidly earn reward points when you shop at Gap Inc. brands. Every 100 points earned is worth a dollar in rewards, and there are no brand or merchandise restrictions.

If you don’t regularly shop at Banana Republic or its partner brands or you want more flexibility in how you spend your rewards points, consider an alternative to the Banana Republic Rewards Mastercard®*.

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card*

With the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card*, you’ll get a $0 annual fee and unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. You can earn $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

The opportunity to earn a potentially better welcome bonus and cash rewards on all your spending offers much more flexibility for everyday purchases. Plus, you can redeem your rewards for cash, statement credits and more, so you aren’t locked into redeeming rewards at four clothing stores like with the Banana Republic Rewards Mastercard®*.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card offers an additional 1.5% cash back on up to $20,000 spent in the first year, worth up to $300 cash back, and you can earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 in purchases the first year without paying an annual fee.

If you prefer flat-rate rewards with bonus cash back in a few popular categories, this might be a better choice for you. You’ll also have more redemption options than the Banana Republic Rewards Mastercard®*, including cash back, statement credits and travel.

Citi Double Cash® Card

With a $0 annual fee and ability to earn 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, the Citi Double Cash® Card is a solid option.

There are no bonus categories and no limit to how much you can earn, and the simple rewards are redeemable for cash back, statement credits, travel and more. It’s another straightforward option that’s not as restrictive as the Banana Republic Rewards Mastercard®*.

If you’re a Banana Republic or Gap Inc. brand enthusiast and plan to pay off your bill in full monthly, then you could consider adding the Banana Republic Rewards Mastercard®* to your wallet. You’ll earn points quickly when you shop these brands and enjoy numerous perks the more you shop, including early access to sales, exclusive offers and the ability to earn bonus points throughout the year. Over time, you’ll save on your clothing purchases, which can be a significant benefit.

However, this isn’t the best option if you don’t shop Gap Inc. brands often, can’t pay your card in full each month, want to earn more rewards when you shop outside these brands or want more freedom in spending your bonus points. In any of these scenarios, you might consider one of the best cash-back credit cards instead.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when evaluating credit cards. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.