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Barnes & Noble Mastercard review

Written by Sept. 1, 2022 Sept. 1, 2022

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3.7 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon

Barnes & Noble Mastercard®

Rewards rate Earn 2x points for every $1 spent at restaurants (excluding Barnes & Noble Café purchases) Earn 1x points for every $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Barnes & Noble purchases) Annual fee Intro offer Intro offer is not available to this Barclays credit card Regular APR

Barnes  & Noble Mastercard Overview

The Barnes & Noble Mastercard is a credit card by Barclays that rewards loyal Barnes & Noble customers. If you frequently shop with Barnes & Noble, you'll benefit from a percentage back on each purchase. Additionally, enjoy benefits like rewards on all purchases to help you earn Barnes & Noble gift cards. Read on to find out if this card is the right fit for you.

What are the advantages and disadvantages

Pros

High reward rate on Barnes & Noble purchases Free membership benefit offer Introductory offer on balance transfers

Cons

No intro APR offer on purchases Foreign transaction fee Rewards only earn you Barnes & Noble gift cards

A deeper look at the current card offer

Quick highlights

Rewards rate: 5 percent back on Barnes & Noble purchases, 2x points per dollar spent at restaurants and 1x points per dollar on all other purchases Welcome offer: $25 Barnes & Noble gift card after your first purchase Annual fee: $0 Purchase intro APR: N/A Balance transfer intro APR: 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers made within 45 days of opening your account for 15 months (then 13.99 percent or 24.99 percent) Regular APR: 13.99 percent or 24.99 percent variable

Current welcome offer

After you get your Barnes & Noble Mastercard and make your first purchase, you will receive a $25 gift card for Barnes & Noble. It will automatically be sent to your mailing address.

Rewards rate

With the Barnes & Noble Mastercard, you can earn money back and reward points. What you earn depends on where you shop.

Earning rewards

When you make purchases from Barnes & Noble, you will get credited back to your account in the same billing cycle. As for the points, you will earn two points per dollar when you make purchases at restaurants. All other purchases earn one point per dollar.

Redeeming rewards and cash back

The 5 percent back on Barnes & Noble purchases will be automatically credited to your account. As for points, once you earn 2,500 points, Barnes & Noble will send you a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card within two weeks.

Other cardholder perks

Along with the rewards, you can also earn a Barnes & Noble membership by reaching a specific spending threshold.

Barnes & Noble membership

A Barnes & Noble membership is . If you have spent $7,500 on eligible purchases by your account anniversary each year, you will get the next 12 months of membership free. The membership benefits include 20 percent off your first purchase after enrollment, free shipping, 10 percent off in-store, 40 percent off hardcover bestsellers in-store, birthday offers, early access and more.

Fraud liability protection

You won't have to pay for any unauthorized charges as long as you report them.

FICO credit score access

Get free access to your FICO Score. This helps you keep tabs on your credit score so you can work on improving it.

How much are points worth

It takes 2,500 points to make $25 in rewards, so that means points are worth 1 cent apiece (25 / 2,500 = 0.01).

Rates and fees

The Barnes & Noble Mastercard comes with and an APR of 13.99 percent or 24.99 percent on purchases. The rate you get depends on your credit. If you make a balance transfer within the first 45 days of opening your account, you can take advantage of the 0 percent intro APR offer for 15 months (then the regular APR of 13.99 percent or 24.99 percent will apply). Additionally, you'll pay a balance transfer fee of $5 or 3 percent of the transfer amount, whichever is more. Cash advances come with a higher variable APR of 25.24 percent and a fee of $10 or 5 percent of the cash advance amount, whichever is more. Foreign transactions will cost you 3 percent of each transaction amount in U.S. dollars. And if you make a payment late or have a payment returned, you can face a fee up to $37 per instance.

How the Barnes & Noble Mastercard compares to other rewards cards for booklovers

What other cards should you consider if you are an avid book reader? The is a worthy contender. It has no annual fee ($119 Amazon Prime subscription required) while offering made at Whole Foods and Amazon.com for Prime members (3 percent back for non-Prime members), 2 percent back at gas stations, restaurants and drugstores and 1 percent back on the rest of your purchases. You'll also get a $100 Amazon gift card upon approval and a variable APR between 14.24 percent and 22.24 percent, depending on your creditworthiness.If you want cash back on all purchases and want to use your rewards wherever you want, consider the . It has no annual fee and offers 5 percent cash back after activation on rotating categories every quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter, then 1 percent). It also offers 1 percent back on all other purchases and a 0 percent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then 14.99 percent to 25.99 percent variable APR).

Barnes & Noble Mastercard®

star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon Bankrate Score Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. Annual fee Intro offer Intro offer is not available to this Barclays credit card Rewards rate Earn 2x points for every $1 spent at restaurants (excluding Barnes & Noble Café purchases) Earn 1x points for every $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Barnes & Noble purchases) Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

Annual fee Intro offer Up to a $150 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval Rewards rate 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with eligible Prime membership* 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores* 1% back on all other purchases* Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Discover it® Cash Back

on Discover's secure site Annual fee Intro offer Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300. Rewards rate Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically. Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Best cards to pair with the Barnes & Noble Mastercard

If you opt for the Barnes & Noble Mastercard, we recommend you pair it with another card that will offer you more flexible rewards. For example, cards with rewards programs like the enable you to cash out your earnings and spend them wherever you want. Or, if you want to earn travel perks, consider a like the .

Bankrate s Take-Is the Barnes & Noble Mastercard worth it

The Barnes & Noble Mastercard is a great rewards card for frequent shoppers with Barnes & Noble, whether online or in-store. You can earn 5 percent back on all your Barnes & Noble purchases plus extra points on other purchases which can help you earn Barnes & Noble gift cards. The downside is that the rewards only go toward earning Barnes & Noble gift cards. if you'd rather earn more flexible rewards, you'll want to consider other options. The information about the Barnes & Noble Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

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Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. * See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.