Retail Reward Credit Cards | September 10

Retail Reward Best Buy Guide Read more in... Part 2: How to Compare Retail Reward Credit Cards Part 3: Using a Retail Reward Credit Card Retail Reward Credit Card Questions Got a Credit Card Question? Send your question to and we'll set our team of credit card experts to it! Most recent questions: What type of rewards can I get with a retail rewards credit card? Which shops offer retails rewards credit cards? Are retail reward credit cards the same as store cards? More frequently asked questions »

Part 1: How Do Retail Reward Credit Cards Work?

Fancy earning as you shop? Big retailers and utility companies are willing to put in some serious work in order to keep your business and that could end up being seriously rewarding.

Retail reward credit cards have a number of points schemes available to help you get something back when you flash the cash. There are also ways to help you spread the cost of your spending such as introductory 0% purchase credit card offers.

By collecting rewards on what you're spending already it's also easier to avoid the temptation that's a drawback of cash back credit cards: overspending in order to get more rewards.

Current retail reward credit cards

Good for		Typical APR (variable)
Cash back on online shopping	Egg credit card Cash back (10% average) with over 1,500 online retailers.	17.9% APR
Rewards on everyday spending	American Express Rewards More points in supermarkets and department stores for shopping vouchers.	17.9% APR
Rewards on home entertainment	Play.com Reward points for Play.com gift vouchers and 0% on all purchases for 9 months.	16.9% APR
Clubcard points	Tesco Clubcard credit card Clubcard points on all spending and more at Tesco	16.9% APR
Nectar points	Sainsbury's Nectar Double Nectar points at Sainsbury's and points on all other purchases too	12.9% APR
Rewards on motoring	The AA credit card Reward points and 0% for 12 months on purchases. Double points for AA breakdown members.	18.9% APR
Rewards on utilities	BT credit card Money back on your BT bill.	16.9% APR

Use our retail reward credit cards comparison table to see more deals.

How retail reward credit cards vary

Just because each retail reward credit card offers you points for your spending, doesn't mean you'll be getting the same number of reward points per pound you spend, or that you'll need the same number of points to get your hands on your first free gift.

So when you compare retail reward credit cards its important to not only look at the number of points you'll earn, but also how much those points are worth in terms of a redemption value.

You can use our reward calculator to find out how many points you'll get for your spending level - and also how much those points are going to be worth.

How to earn retail rewards

Credit card spending. The main way to earn retail rewards is to arm your wallet with a retail reward credit card and then remember to use it for buying stuff as much as possible.

The more you spend on a retail reward credit card the more loyalty points you will earn.

Remember with most retail reward credit cards you are not just limited to a select shop or number of shops where you can earn points - points will usually be awarded on all credit card spending - even when you spend with a rival company!

Bonus points. Some retail reward credit cards offer bonus points when you first open the account or when you first use the credit card to pay for a purchase.

Bonus points can be a great way to kick start your point earnings, and are often enough to claim your first free reward too!

Loyalty spending incentives. Retail reward credit cards that are partnered with one particular retailer or that are part of a particular loyalty scheme will often award you with extra points when you spend money with them and their partners.

For example, the Sainsbury's Nectar credit card will double your Nectar points when you spend at Sainsbury's.

Currently available retail reward credit cards

	Reward	0% Purchases	Typical APR (variable)
Egg credit card	Average 10% cash back with over 1,500 online retailers	1 Dec 2010	17.9% APR
American Express Rewards	Points for high street shopping vouchers. Earn triple and double points at supermarkets and department stores.	6 months	17.9% APR
Play.com credit card	Play.com gift vouchers. Points on all spending, plus double points at Play.com.	9 months	16.9% APR
Tesco Clubcard credit card	Clubcard points. Points on all spending and more at Tesco.	13 months	16.9% APR
Sainsbury's Nectar credit card	Nectar points. Points on all spending and more at Sainsbury's.	None	12.9% APR
BT credit card	BT phone bill rebate. No maximum limit.	3 months	16.9% APR
The AA credit card	Motoring rewards. Points on all spending, double points on motoring & fuel. Points doubled again for AA breakdown members.	12 months	18.9% APR
BT Retail credit card	BT phone bill rebate. Up to £75 per year.	10 months	16.9% APR
Virgin Money credit card	Virgin discounts	3 months	16.6% APR

See more retail reward credit cards...

Watch out for...

As with all reward credit cards, you'll need to keep a sharp eye on your special offers to make sure that a retail reward credit card stays rewarding.

You'll need to watch out for continuing to use a retail reward credit card after a special offer has expired or 'overloading' a credit card by trying to take advantage of too many rewards at once. There's more on how to avoid this pitfall in the 'How to Use a Retail Reward Credit Card' section.

For more on the offers available and whether they'd suit your spending see our 'How to Compare Retail Reward credit cards' section.

Retail reward credit cards