Verdict: Store credit cards often charge high interest rates for a mediocre rewards program. The Pottery Barn Credit Card at least gets the rewards program right, providing one of the more generous programs among its retail competitors. Unfortunately, the card does come with the high interest rate typical of store credit cards. For that reason, this card is a bad choice for consumers who carry a balance from month to month.
Overview: The Pottery Barn Credit Card is not connected to any major bank. This means that cardholders can only use it at Pottery Barn, PBteen and Pottery Barn Kids stores, as well as at the Pottery Barn Web site. Cardholders earn rewards points every time they charge a purchase at one of these outlets. They can then redeem these points, when they’ve built up enough, for a rewards certificate that they can use at Pottery Barn and affiliated stores.
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How This Card Works: The Pottery Barn Credit Card can be a good one for homeowners who spend a lot of money furnishing their residences with wooden chairs, thick bedding and antique-looking bowls. The more purchases that cardholders use their Pottery Barn to make, the more rewards they’ll accrue. Consumers, though, should make sure that they don’t carry a balance. The high interest rates — 19.99 percent for those with the best credit scores — can make carrying a balance an expensive proposition.
Travel and Shopping Benefits: Consumers will receive 10 percent back for every purchase at a Pottery Barn, PBteen or Pottery Barn Kids that they charge. They’ll receive the same whenever they charge an item from the Pottery Barn Web site or catalog. After cardholders have spent $250, they’ll receive a $25 reward certificate that they can spend at these outlets.
Fees: Like many store credit cards, the Pottery Barn Credit Card’s fees are a bit of a mystery. The company’s credit-card Web site doesn’t say much about them. However, the interest rate on this card runs from 19.99 percent for consumers with strong credit scores to 24.99 percent for those with weaker scores. This rate is far too high for any cardholders who plan on carrying a balance. The card comes with no annual fee, a plus.
Pros
- One of the more generous rewards programs among store credit cards.
- Cardholders will earn 10 percent back with every Pottery Barn purchase that they charge.
- No annual fee.
Cons
- High interest rates, even for cardholders with good credit.
- Can only use card at Pottery Barn and affiliated locations.
