Belk Rewards Mastercard®

Belk Rewards Mastercard® Credit Card Review

Not to be confused with the store-only Belk Rewards Card, the Belk Rewards Mastercard® can be used to make purchases and earn points just about anywhere. While the majority of points awarded will come from Belk purchases, you’ll also earn 2X points at gas stations and grocery stores. Combine this with 1X points on all other spending and exclusive Belk discounts, and you have a Belk lover’s dream rewards card.

Applying for the Belk Rewards Mastercard®

Before we get into the rewards, it’s important to point out that even if you apply for a Belk Mastercard, that may not be the card Belk gives you. This is because the application you fill out applies to both the store-only Belk Rewards Card, and the Mastercard version. While these cards come with the same perks (including upgrades), only the Mastercard can be used outside of Belk stores. Therefore, that’s the card that offers the most flexibility and bang for your buck. Unfortunately, that means applying for this card is a bit like playing Russian roulette – you won’t know which one you’ll get until you apply. The rule of thumb is, the better credit history you have, the more likely you are to get the card you want. It’s also possible to start out with the store card and work your way up to the Mastercard with responsible use.

Earning Basic Belk Rewards

If you do happen to receive the Mastercard version of this credit card, you’ll hit the ground running when it comes to earning rewards. As with most great retail credit cards, you don’t just earn points on purchases from the associated store – which would be 3 points per dollar in this case. The Belk Mastercard also allows you to earn points on gas, groceries, and other daily items. In particular, you can earn 2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and grocery stores. This includes service stations, bakeries, supermarkets, but not warehouses and wholesale stores. You’ll also collect 1X points on all other purchases, in addition to these exclusive cardholder perks:

• 20 exclusive savings days
• Returns with no receipt required
• Events where you can earn bonus rewards
• Cardholder savings day of the month
• Early access to new promotions and store events

In addition, you qualify for certain sign up bonuses on the day your account opens. This includes 1,000 bonus points for your first purchase (worth 10 Belk Dollars), and 20% off most Belk merchandise.

Belk Mastercard® Rewards Upgrades

Once you’ve had your Belk credit card for about a year, you become eligible for a card upgrade. Belk offers 2 upgrade levels depending on your yearly level of spending, though this only includes your store purchases. (Note that just as Belk can upgrade your rewards card, it can also downgrade your account as your yearly spending habits change.) Each level improves upon the perks you get from the basic card, starting with the reward rate:

The Belk Premier Rewards Mastercard comes with all the exclusive benefits of the basic rewards card, with a few other additions. This includes a birthday coupon, use of the Belk Rewards Flex Pay Plan, and access to invite-only premier savings days. Likewise, the Belk Elite Rewards Mastercard gets all that, plus free shipping on Belk items, a 20% off sale day of your choice each quarter, and 4 invite-only savings days. 

To qualify for these upgrades, your account must also be in good standing and you can’t be more than 2 payments past due – not that you’d want to be. While it’s fairly easy to achieve and maintain the upgrades on your Belk Mastercard, you want to make sure not to spend more than you can handle. This card comes with pretty high APRs and late fees, and these can quickly cancel out any savings you earn.

How to Use Your Belk Rewards

Once you collect enough points with your Belk Rewards credit card, you’ll start to automatically redeem them for Belk Reward Dollars. Every 1,000 points earned is equal to 10 Belk Reward Dollars, and they’re always issued in this increment of 10. Any leftover points transfer over to the next billing cycle. There’s no cap to the amount of points you can collect overall, but note that they expire 1 year from the day you earn them. You can receive no more than 100 Belk Reward Dollars per billing cycle, and they will arrive in the mail within 2 to 3 billing cycles. 

To redeem them, you’ll need to shop with your Belk card either in-store or on belk.com within the timeframe specified, and present the rewards at checkout. One of the best parts about this system is that you have the ability to combine your rewards with other promotions for additional savings. However, if you don’t use the full value of your Belk Reward Dollars on your transaction, you forfeit the remaining balance.

Card Ratings

How does the Belk Card stack up? Here are a selection of expert reviews for the card and Synchrony – the card’s issuer:

Should You Apply for the Belk Rewards Mastercard® Credit Card?

If you’re a frequent shopper at Belk – and I mean a frequent shopper – then this card may be a no-brainer for you. The tiered rewards system allows you to earn rewards based on your own spending habits, and there’s almost no end to the extra discounts. At the highest level, you can take advantage of at least 25 exclusive savings days throughout the month. This means you save almost every time you’re in the store. However, unless your Belk’s biggest fan, this is likely not the best option. It has punishingly high APRs and late fees that can gut your credit score if you fall behind on your payments. And given that this card encourages large amounts of retail spending, that can be a dangerous game to play.