Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® Review
Earn up to 5X points with Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa®, the brand-new no-annual-fee credit card from the largest outdoor specialty store in the Western U.S and Alaska. Issued by Comenity Bank, this card is ideal for outdoorsy types, this retail card also offers bonus points for purchases at gas stations, campgrounds, and home improvement stores. Points can be redeemed for top-quality gear and clothing from Sportman’s Warehouse via eGift Cards.
Earning Points
New cardholders can kickstart their earnings with the Explorewards Visa® by earnings 5,000 points (a $50 value) after spending $500 outside of Sportsman’s Warehouse within 120 days of opening an account – that’s one more month than most other credit cards allow to qualify for a signup bonus. Afterward, cardholders will have the opportunity to partake in cardholder-exclusive sales and special offers.
In terms of long-term earning potential, the Explorewards Visa® has well-designed categories that are specific to outdoor-related activities:
- 5X points on Sportsman’s Warehouse purchases
- 2X points on gas stations
- 2X points at campgrounds
- 2X points at home improvement stores
- 1X points for all other pictures
Even if you already have a set lineup of credit cards, the specificity of its rewards means it runs little risk of overlapping with your current rewards cards (and avoids the conflict of having to choose which card to use for what).
Redeeming Points
The card features unlimited earning in all categories and cardholders can choose when they redeem their points. Each point has an individual value of $0.01 and won’t expire as long the account has activity every 12 months. There is one drawback of the Explorewards Visa® — but it’s tiny. Points can only be redeemed for Sportsman’s Warehouse gift cards, which will leave those who love cash back with no luck. However, it’s easy to overlook the limited redemption options as there are virtually no other point redemption restrictions beyond that.
There is no minimum amount of points required for redemption, nor is there a maximum number of points that can be redeemed at one time (you could redeem for a 1 cent gift card if you felt inclined to do so). Even better is that there is no limit on how many gift cards (or their worth), that could be applied to a single purchase. If you’re drawing close to the 1-year mark of inactivity but aren’t in need of outdoor gear, feel free to redeem however many (or few) points you have since eGift Cards never expire.
Should You Apply for the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa?
Overall, the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® credit card is a strong retail card geared towards hunting, fishing, camping, boating and other outdoor activities. In terms of redemption, this card is very similar to the Bass Pro Shops® CLUB Card / Cabela’s CLUB® Card but features a stronger signup bonus and many more opportunities to earn bonus points outside of store purchases.
If being able to have an in-store shopping experience is important, you may be better off choosing the Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s credit card. These competing outdoor brands have double the brick-and-mortar locations of Sportsman’s Warehouse (95 compared to Bass Pro Shops’ 171) and includes locations in Canada. If you’re located in the Western United States or primarily shop for outdoor gear online, the Explorewards Visa® is the more lucrative option between the two.
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