The mainstream luxury clothing brand Banana Republic is a favorite of stylish shoppers far and wide.
Focused on bringing customers contemporary yet classic wardrobe pieces, the brand prides itself on its detailed craftsmanship and versatility.
So what about the Banana Republic credit cards? Can they help you save big on your most fashionable finds?
In this review, we’re outlining the differences between the Banana Republic credit cards, the rewards program, the fees and drawbacks of the cards, how to manage your account, and much more. We also cover why you might want to consider an alternative rewards credit card,especially to avoid the high APRs of these 4 Banana Republic cards.
The Banana Republic Credit Cards at a Glance
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| Banana Republic Credit Card | Banana Republic Visa® Card | Banana Republic Luxe Credit Card | Banana Republic Luxe Visa® Card | ||
| Main Benefits | 5️⃣ Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Gap Inc. brands | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| 💰 $5 Reward for every 500 points earned | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| 👛 Special cardmember only offers and private sales | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| 📅Early access to special events | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| 🎂 Surprise birthday gift | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| 📃 Receipt-free returns | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| 🚫 Zero fraud liability | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| 📦 Free 3-5 day shipping on any Gap Inc. online order | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| ✨ 20% bonus points each quarter | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| 🧵 Free basic alterations on Banana Republicpurchases | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| 🎉 Choose Your Own Sale Day | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| 📞 A dedicated Silver cardholder toll-free priority line | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| 💳 1 point for every $1 spent anywhere Visa is accepted | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| 🔥 Special Visa cardholder offers and promos | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| 🙌 20% off of your first purchase | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| Annual Fee | $0 | ||||
| APR | 25.99% (variable) | ||||
| Late Fee | Up to $40 | ||||
All 4 cards listed above are rewards-based co-branded credit cards offered by Gap Inc. (for Banana Republic) and issued by Barclays.
As you can see from the table, there are basically 2 main types of Banana Republic credit cards:
- Basic Banana Republic cards
- Banana Republic Luxe “status” cards
Banana Republic Card and Banana Republic Visa Card
These 2 cards are the base level credit cards for Banana Republic.
Banana Republic Card
Of the 4, this is the most basic Banana Republic credit card offered.
Most simple store-branded credit cards can only be utilized at the store that issues the card. However, in this case, Banana Republic is a part of the Gap Inc. family of brands, so this card can also be utilized at its associated store brands (Gap, Old Navy, and Athleta).
The main benefits of the basic Banana Republic credit card include:
- Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Gap Inc. brands
- $5 Reward for every 500 points earned
- Special cardmember only offers and private sales
- Early access to special events
- Surprise birthday gift
- Receipt-free returns
- Zero fraud liability
- 20% off of your first purchase*
* The terms and conditions state that the 20% discount code expires 90 days from account open and can be used 1 time online at BananaRepublic.com. The transaction must be completed with your new Banana Republic card orBanana Republic Visa card.
Banana Republic Visa Card
The Banana Republic Visa card is a step up from the basic credit card. Its Visa distinction means this card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.
Banana Republic Visa cardholders enjoy the same baseline perks as Banana Republic cardholders (above), PLUS:
- 1 point for every $1 spent anywhere Visa is accepted
- Special Visa cardholder offers and promos
Banana Republic Luxe Card and Banana Republic Luxe Visa Card
These 2 credit cards are Banana Republic’s “status” or elite spending cards. Shoppers cannot apply for either of these cards outright — Banana Republic Luxe status can only be achieved by those individuals who already hold a current Banana Republic Card or Banana Republic Visa.
Below are the requirements for achieving Luxe status:
- Earn 5,000 reward points (excluding bonus points and returns) within a calendar year
- Make the minimum payment by the due date after reaching the 5,000 points
- Keep their account in good standing
Terms and conditions state that a cardholder’s upgrade to Luxe status will be processed within 90 to 120 days after the customer qualifies.
Hot Tip: Note that Banana Republic Luxe cardholders must re-qualify each calendar year to achieve their Luxe status — it does not carry over.
Banana Republic Luxe Card
All basic Banana Republic Luxe cardholders receive added perks (on top of those mentioned above for basic cardholders).
That means:
- Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Gap Inc. brands
- $5 Reward for every 500 points earned
- Special cardmember only offers and private sales
- Early access to special events
- Surprise birthday gift
- Receipt-free returns
- Zero fraud liability
PLUS:
- Free 3-5 day shipping on any Gap Inc. online order
- 20% bonus points each quarter
- Free basic alterations on Banana Republic purchases
- Choose Your Own Sale Day
- A dedicated Silver cardholder toll-free priority line
As with the basic Banana Republic card, theBanana Republic Luxe card can only be utilized at Banana Republic and the Gap Inc. family of brands (Gap,Old Navy, and Athleta).
Hot Tip:Free 3-5 day shipping on online orders does not automatically apply; Luxe cardholders must enter the code LUXE at checkout.
Banana Republic Luxe Visa Card
The Banana Republic Luxe Visa card is the upgraded version of the Banana Republic Visa card and the most rewarding card offered in this lineup.
Again, due to it’s Visa distinction, this cardcan be used anywhere Visa is accepted.
So, in addition to all of the benefits above (basic + Luxe status perks), theBanana Republic Luxe Visa card includes:
- 1 point for every $1 spent anywhere Visa is accepted
- Special Visa cardholder offers and promos
Additional Visa Card Benefits
Lastly, in addition to all of the perks mentioned above, Visa cardholders are entitled to even more benefits that come standard with all Visa credit cards:
- Chip and signature technology
- Cardholder inquiry service
- Lost or stolen card reporting
- Emergency card replacement and cash disbursem*nt
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Roadside dispatch (a pay per use system)
Banana Republic Credit Card Rewards: In-Depth
Earning Points
In general, the rewards program utilized by Banana Republic is pretty simple. Actually, it’s the same rewards program that’s used across all Gap Inc. brands.
Regardless of which of the 4 Banana Republic cards you are using, the basic earnings strategy is the same.
Cardholders earn 5 points for every $1 spent across the Gap brands. These points are earned on purchases made in-store, online, or by mail or phone.
To be clear, we’ve listed the Gap Inc. family of brands here:
- Athleta
- babyGap
- Banana Republic
- Banana Republic Factory Store
- Gap
- GapBody
- GapKids
- Gap Factory Store
- Gap Maternity
- Gap Outlet
- Old Navy
- Old Navy Outlet
As mentioned previously, if you’re a Banana Republic Visa card or Banana Republic Luxe Visa cardholder, you’ll also earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (anywhere Visa is accepted) and 20% bonus points each quarter (applied to your account once the quarter is complete).
All cardholders also can earn a 1-time bonus of 500 points eachfor:
- Enrolling in paperless statements via the online portal
- Signing up for emails from Gap Inc. brands
Hot Tip:Banana Republic cardholders can utilize their mobile wallet (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay) to make in-store purchases and earn rewards.
How Rewards Are Issued
For every 500 points a cardholder earns, a $5 reward is issued.
Rewards are issued to the member’s account at the end of each billing cycle and are available for use at any of the Gap Inc. family of brands (not just Banana Republic).
Technically, there is no limit to the number of points a rewards member can earn. However, the fine print of the program does state that the maximum amount that will be awarded in any 1 billing cycle is $250.
Additional terms state that any number of points less than those required for the lowest reward denomination (i.e. <500) will be carried over and applied toward the rewards for the next billing cycle. For example, if you earn 2,400 points on your Banana Republic account, you will receive a $20 reward and 200 points will carry forward in your balance for your next billing cycle.
Hot Tip: Remember, all of these stores in the Gap Inc. family of brands utilize the same rewards program, and rewards can be earned and spent interchangeably.
Using Your Rewards
Each reward that is issued to your account will have a clear expiration date. You must make your purchase within the valid window to apply your rewards. Once expired, rewards will under no circ*mstances be reissued.
Rewards members are allowed to redeem up to 3 rewards in a single transaction if they are purchasing items in store. However, this is upped to5 rewards in a single transaction if shopping onlineor making a purchase over the phone.
Shoppers are allowed to stack their rewards on top of1 other promotional offer and rewards can be appliedtoward sale items at any store location.
With every program comes stipulations:
- You may not gift your rewards to another shopper — rewards may only be utilized by the rewards member who earned them
- When redeeming a reward, the purchase amount must be greater than the reward amount (i.e., you can’t use $30 in rewards for a $25 purchase)
- You must pay the residual cash amount owed on your purchase after redeeming the rewards certificates with a Gap Inc. credit card
Managing Your Rewards
We present additional information on viewing and managing your rewards account in the Login and Online/App-Based Account Management section below.
Fees and Drawbacks of the Banana Republic Cards
No credit card comes without fees and drawbacks to be aware of. With the Banana Republic credit cards, these can be pretty intense if you’re not careful.
Fees
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| Banana Republic Card and Banana Republic Luxe Card | Banana Republic Visa Card and Banana Republic Luxe Visa Card | |
| Annual Fee | $0 | |
| Purchase APR | 25.99% (variable) | |
| Cash Advance APR | N/A | 26.99% (variable) |
| Cash Advance Fee | N/A | $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance (whichever is greater) |
| Minimum Interest Charge | $2 | |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | N/A | 3% of each transaction |
| Late Fee | Up to $40 | |
While there is no annual fee — which is a plus — there are certainly some other hefty fees in that table. So how do you go about avoiding them?
This is no secret: be a responsible cardholder.
What does that mean? It means paying off your statement in full and on time, each and every month. If for some reason you cannot pay the full amount, you should attempt to pay as much as you possibly can and again, do so on time.
At the very least, you should make the minimum payment. You do not want a considerable balance to carry forward on your account. Acting as a responsible cardholder will result in keeping extra fees and penalties to a minimum.
As you can see above, the purchase APR on this card is pretty massive. At 25.99% variable, a hefty credit card balance could get you into trouble quickly.
Hot Tip: Is a low APR important to you? If so, check out our article on the best 0% APR credit cards.
Additional Drawbacks
There are a few important drawbacks to consider outside of fees and penalties.
The Banana Republic card and Banana Republic Luxe card (the basic credit cards) can only be utilized at Banana Republic and across the Gap Inc. family of brands.
Accordingly, you can only earn points at these stores, and the rewards you earn can only be redeemed at these stores.
If you’re an avid Banana Republic shopper then this likely isn’t a big drawback to you. However, if you’re looking for a more diverse way to shop, earn points, and utilize rewards, then this could put you in a bind.
While these cards may often offer bonus point shopping days at the Gap brand stores, you won’t ever earn rewards in categories like dining, groceries, travel, gas, etc. (where many people spend a large chunk of their hard-earned income).
If you’re looking to add a Banana Republic card to an arsenal of credit cards you’re already utilizing for maximizing your everyday spending, then more power to you. But if you’re only looking for a simple go-to credit card to earn the most bang for your buck, you should consider the alternative cards listed below.
Alternative Rewards Credit Cards (Recommended)
Earning cash-back is one of the main reasons that someone would sign up for a Banana Republic credit card, but we’d recommend looking at other cash-back cards instead that are — in our opinion — more rewarding.
An excellent cash-back card is the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, which earns 1.5% cash-back across all purchases.
UP TO $300 BACK
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
This all-purpose cash-back card offers great bonus categories, including bonus points for every purchase you make!
(at Chase's secure site)
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
This all-purpose cash-back card offers great bonus categories, including bonus points for every purchase you make!
INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
Up to $300 cash back
$0
0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.
Good to Excellent (670-850)
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is easily one of the best cash-back credit cards on the market. There aren’t many no-annual-fee credit cards that offer multiple great bonus categories like 5% back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% back on all other purchases.
When paired with other Chase cards in the Ultimate Rewards family, you can transfer that cash back into points if you wish – making it one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet.
Pros
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel
- 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases
Cons
- 3% foreign transaction fee
Read Full Review
- INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program thatlets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back.You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expireas long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- No annual fee –You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
Financial Snapshot
- APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- Foreign Transaction Fees:3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Rewards Center
Chase Ultimate Rewards
If you combine the Freedom Unlimited card with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card, you could even convert that cash-back into Chase Ultimate Rewards and then redeem those points for maximum value.
Applying for the Banana Republic Credit Cards
Shoppers who want to apply for a Banana Republic credit card can do so in-store or online.
Hot Tip:There is only 1 application for the Banana Republic credit cards. When you apply, you are first considered for the Banana Republic Visa card; if you do not meet those requirements for approval you are then considered for the basic Banana Republic card.
Neither Barclays nor Gap Inc. publicly lists the minimum credit score needed for approval on its cards.
However, most credit card review sites generally agree that individuals with a fair credit score are likely to be approved for the basic card, while individuals with a good credit score are likely to be approved for the Visa version.
Remember, the “Luxe” cards cannot be applied for directly — these are only issued to current basic cardholders who reach the elite spending bracket of 5,000+ points in a calendar year.
Login and Online/App-Based Account Management
Online Management
Barclays provides a dedicated platform for Banana Republic cardholders to manage their account online.
If this is your first time utilizing the platform, you’ll need to register your card to create an account. If you’ve already registered, you simply log in with your username and password.
The platform allows users to manage their account in the following ways:
- View account activity
- View billing statements
- Make a payment
- Set up paperless statements (and earn bonus points!)
- Set up alerts
Hot Tip:Banana Republic cardholders cannot pay their bill in-store. The options for payment are either online (or via the app), by phone, or by mail.
App Management
As an alternative option to desktop online management, Banana Republic offers a mobile app (iOS) with a tab/platform for account management.
Via the Wallet tab within the app, users can manage many aspects of their account, including:
- Managing your Gap Inc. credit card
- Viewing statements
- Setting up alerts
- Paying bills
- Managing points and rewards
- Tracking progress
- Linking cards
Unfortunately, at this time theAndroid appdoes not appear to offer users the option to manage their Banana Republic card.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a devoted Banana Republic (or Gap brand) shopper, then you’re likely to appreciate these particular credit cards. This is especially true if you achieve the coveted Banana Republic Luxe status and are awarded the added perks that come with it.
When it comes to fees and penalties, they’re pretty harsh… so be sure you’re acting as a responsible cardholder to minimize them.
Remember, if you don’t qualify for the Visa version of the card, you won’t be able to use them anywhere but Banana Republic and the other Gap brand stores (Gap, Old Navy, and Athleta).
Similarly, no matter which of the 4 cards you use to earn points, your rewards will only come in the form of certificates to be redeemed at Banana Republic and the Gap Inc. family of brands.
If you’re looking for 1 simple credit card to maximize your spending/rewards, a credit card that’s more flexible with its earning and redemption options, or a credit card that will earn you rewards related to travel, then this isn’t the card for you.
If you already use a collection of cards to maximize your everyday spending, and a majority of your clothing-related expenses are spread across the Gap Inc. family of brands, then a Banana Republic card could be worth adding to your arsenal.
The information regarding the Banana Republic Credit Card, Banana Republic Visa® Card, Banana Republic Luxe Credit Card, and Banana Republic Luxe Visa® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
