Barnes & Noble Mastercard®

Bookworms of all types might be charmed by the terms of the Barnes & Noble Mastercard. Offering a generous 5 percent back on all Barnes & Noble purchases—including textbooks, Nook e-books, games and collectibles, it may seem like an open-and-shut case to add this card to your wallet. But there are other cards on the market that are likely to offer you more value on these same types of purchases.

Review

The Barnes & Noble Mastercard gives you 5 percent back as a statement credit on all Barnes & Noble purchases but also rewards you for using the card outside of its stores. The card pays 2 points for every $1 spent at restaurants, as long as they are actual restaurants: Barnes & Noble in-store cafes only yield 1 point per dollar. The card also pays 1 point per $1 on all other spending.

The card also comes with a 15-month 0 percent APR offer on balance transfers made within the first 45 days of opening the account. Additionally, every time you accumulate 2,500 points, you’ll get a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card, as well as after either your first transaction or balance transfer. However, the 3 percent balance transfer fee is probably going to outweigh the benefit of a $25 gift card.

If you spend $7,500 or more a year on the Barnes & Noble Mastercard, you’ll also get a $25 Barnes & Noble membership for free. The B&N membership gives you $60 in coupons at sign-up, a 40 percent discount off the current hardcover bestsellers, and a 10 percent discount on everything else, including at the in-store café. Members also get free express shipping for online orders and special members-only offers throughout the year.

But the $7,500 minimum is a rewards rate of about a third of a cent per $1 spent. You’d be far better off with a cash-back card that pays 2 percent back on all purchases; you would earn enough back to cover the cost of a B&N membership after spending just $1,250.

Although this card does give you a 5 percent rebate on all B&N purchases, so does the Amazon Prime Rewards Signature Visa Card, and Amazon has a far greater breadth of merchandise than Barnes & Noble.

If you’re looking to save money on books, music and a selection of gifts, there are better ways and better credit cards to use than the Barnes & Noble Mastercard. We don’t see a happy ending with this card.

Who should get this card

Someone who does the math and somehow finds greater value in this card than a cash-back or other rewards card may benefit from owning this card.

Fees and APR

• There’s no fee to own this card.
  • This card has a variable APR of 15.24 percent or 26.24 percent on purchases.
  • There’s an introductory 15-month 0 percent APR offer on balance transfers made within the first 45 days. After that, it’s a variable 15.24 percent to 26.24 percent.
  • Balance transfers are subject to a 3 percent fee.
  • Late payments won’t affect your APR but you may be subject to a late fee of up to $37.
  • There’s a foreign transaction charge of 3 percent.

Extras, perks and using points

You’ll automatically receive 5 percent back on your Barnes & Noble purchases as a statement credit. Every 2,500 points earned on the card will automatically earn you a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card, which will be sent via mail to the address on file with your card account.