Crate and Barrel Mastercard®: Enjoy 10% Back Everyday

In-Depth Review: Crate and Barrel Mastercard

Home décor lovers considering the Crate and Barrel Mastercard® will be impressed by the frequency with which they’ll be able to earn $20 reward vouchers. The greatest highlight of this retail credit card is the above-average earning rate for store purchases. Beyond that, the signup bonus is meager (which changes every few months), and the card doesn’t provide any immediate practical value to cardholders one would expect, such as free shipping or exclusive discounts.

The card has no annual fee but doesn’t provide much incentive to use it – much less to own it – beyond its point-earning capabilities. Synchrony Bank issues the Crate and Barrel credit card and has a high purchase and cash advance APR, with no option for balance transfers.

Choose How You Save

The Crate and Barrel Mastercard (and the closed-loop Crate and Barrel Store Credit Card) give cardholders the choice of how they can save and earn with Crate & Barrel, Crate & Kids, and CB2 brand catalogs, stores, or websites – crateandbarrel.com, crateandbarrel/kids.com, and cb2.com – located in the United States.

Earn Cash Back Rewards

First, cardholders can select to earn up to 10% cash back rewards. For those who opt to keep the card’s earning potential intact, the Crate and Barrel Mastercard® will earn the following rewards:

• 10% in rewards dollars on all Crate & Barrel and CB2 purchases
• 2% back on grocery purchases
• 1% for everything else

The 10% return is well above average – double what most other retail credit cards offer, which is one of the biggest strengths of the Crate and Barrel credit card. Cardholders will earn $20 in rewards for every $200 spent, ensuring cardholders regularly earn rewards through shopping. However, as there is no bonus for meeting a spending minimum outside of C&B purchases, you’d be better off using this card strictly for Crate & Barrel purchases.

All earnings (reward dollars) can be redeemed for “reward certificates,” which are used to reduce the final price at checkout. Reward dollars have a 1:1 value with reward certificates but require a minimum of 20 reward dollars to do so.

Rewards generate automatically once the required minimum has been met – so cardholders should be wary as reward certificates (the vouchers with cash value) expire 90 days after issuance. Reward dollars have a longer shelf life and expire 12 months after they have been earned. 20 Reward Dollars in the Crate & Barrel rewards program equals a $ 20 Reward Certificate.

Or Opt for Promotional Financing

The other choice for cardmembers is special six (6) or 12-month financing on purchases of $749 or $1499 and up. While advantageous to shoppers making large purchases, forgoing the 10% back in the primary rewards category effectively kills the card’s potential. Instead of being a tool for continually earning value towards future purchases, the financing ultimatum turns the Crate and Barrel Mastercard® into a one-time use card that will collect dust in the back of your wallet after the 6 or 12 months are up.

Differences Between the Crate & Barrel Mastercard and Store Cards

As noted, the Crate and Barrel Mastercard® is just one of the credit products from Synchrony and Crate & Barrel. The bank also issues a no annual fee store card, the Crate and Barrel Credit Card.

The biggest difference between the cards is where you can use it. Unlike the Mastercard version, which you can use to make purchases anywhere in the world Mastercard is accepted, the closed-loop store card is only good for Crate & Barrel, Crate & Kids, and CB2 brand catalogs, stores, or website purchases in the United States. Another major discrepancy is how to earn rewards. The closed-loop card does not earn cash back rewards for purchases made outside of eligible Crate & Barrel stores.

Finally, the two cards differ based on credit requirements. Closed-loop credit cards have lower credit requirements, making them good options for those who are building credit and who might not qualify for the best-unsecured credit cards yet.

Here are how the two cards stack up:

Mastercard Benefits and Protections

The Crate & Barrel Mastercard also enjoys EMV chip technology, mobile wallet compatibility with Google Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal, plus Mastercard® benefits, including $0 fraud liability, ID Theft Protection™, travel assistance, and travel protection. Here’s everything you can expect from a Mastercard credit card:

Synchrony Ratings

How does Synchrony stack up as a credit card issuer? Here is a selection of ratings for the bank:

Should You Apply for the Crate and Barrel Mastercard?

Overall, the Crate and Barrel Mastercard® is not a compelling retail card – even for those who frequently shop at Crate & Barrel. There are virtually no rewards for customers or incentives for being a cardholder beyond the potential to earn reward dollars that could eventually be used toward purchases. Although the earning potential of the Crate & Barrel card is above average, given the high price point of most of their merchandise, those $20 Reward Certificates will not go very far at this retailer. Those who want rewards for home furnishings but would like more flexible reward options, a better APR, and an actual signup bonus should consider the Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card instead.