See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Barnes & Noble Mastercard®
Rewards rate
1X–2XAnnual fee
$0Intro offer
N/ARegular APR
13.99% or 24.99% variable, based on your creditworthiness.Barnes & Noble Mastercard® review
Why you can trust Bankrate
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to:
- Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options.
- Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you\'re well-equipped to make confident decisions.
- Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you.
At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.
Editorial Integrity
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
How We Make Money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Insurance Disclosure
Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
ON THIS PAGE
ON THIS PAGE
Snapshot
3.7
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 5 percent of the purchase amount 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 currently $25 per year. 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 no annual fee 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 Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is a worthy contender. It has no annual fee ($119 Amazon Prime subscription required) while offering 5 percent cash back on all purchases 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 Discover it® Cash Back. 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 15.74 percent to 26.74 percent variable APR).
Barnes & Noble Mastercard®
See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Annual fee
$0Intro offer
N/ARewards rate
1X–2XRecommended credit
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Annual fee
$0Intro offer
$150 Amazon Gift CardRewards rate
1%–5%Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)
Discover it® Cash Back
Annual fee
$0Intro offer
Cashback Match™Rewards rate
1%–5%Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)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 cash back rewards programs like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® enable you to cash out your earnings and spend them wherever you want. Or, if you want to earn travel perks, consider a travel credit card like the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
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.
Share