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The Barnes & Noble Mastercard has an offer for a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card when you make your first purchase. It’s not the best bonus out there, but you don’t have to spend much to qualify. Plus, the card comes with no annual fee. The Chase Freedom card also offers a bonus with modest spending requirements. See our list for more credit card offers.
If you’re a Barnes & Noble regular, you’ll love the benefits that come with the Barnes & Noble credit card. It features 5% back on Barnes & Noble purchases and double points on dining purchases. On top of that, you’ll get a chance to score a free Barnes & Noble membership every year.
But if you’re not such a bookworm, look into a non-branded rewards card instead.
*The Barnes & Noble Mastercard is issued by Barclays. Barclays offers great sign-up bonuses for its Checking/Savings accounts.
| Bonus Available | Get a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble after your first purchase. |
| Bonus Value* | $25 |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | 5% back on all in-store and online Barnes & Noble purchases. 2 points for every $1 spent on restaurant purchases and 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Barnes & Noble). Earn 12 months of Barnes & Noble membership when you spend $7,500 a year on eligible purchases. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees? | 3% |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by MoneysMyLife and not the card issuer. Read our card review for more details.
View our latest valuations here.
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PROS
- No annual fee
- Bonus gift card
- Bonus points on dining
- Simple rewards
- Earn Barnes & Noble membership
- Free access to FICO score
CONS
- Good-Excellent credit needed to qualify
- Limited redemption options
- Foreign transaction fees
CHASE FREEDOM FLEX℠
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card is going to earn you a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The welcome bonus comes in the form of 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points. This card has no annual fee.
This card earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (new categories each quarter). Travel purchased through Chase also earns 5%.
This card earns Ultimate Rewards (UR) points and is a popular option for a multi Chase card strategy. You can pool points together with consumer cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Or, with a business card like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. The 20,000 UR points could be worth around $400 with this strategy, rather than the standard $200. Read more on this here.
Barnes & Noble Credit Card $25 Gift Card Offer
Take advantage of the Barnes & Noble credit card’s introductory offer: a $25 gift card. To qualify, simply charge your first purchase to your card. There’s no spend amount or time limit to worry about.
Redeeming Your Barnes & Noble Rewards
When you shop at Barnes & Noble using your credit card, your rewards are redeemed automatically as statement credit. For all other purchases, you’ll get a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card once you hit 2,500 points.
That means each Barnes & Noble point is worth $0.01. This valuation is neither good nor bad. It’s what you would get for your points, on average, across different rewards cards.
Earn 12 Months of Barnes & Noble Membership
Get a free 12-month Barnes & Noble membership each year you spend at least $7,500 on your card. As a member, you’ll enjoy:
- 40% off the list price of bestselling hardbacks
- 10% off almost everything else
- $60 in bonus coupons
- Free express shipping at BN.com
Normally, you would have to pay $25 to enjoy these exclusive member benefits.
Bottom Line
The Barnes & Noble Mastercard is a straightforward rewards card that offers a lot of value for book-loving consumers. The sign-up bonus isn’t much, but you’ll earn a good return rate for Barnes & Noble purchases and dining out.
If you’re not into books, consider a general rewards credit card instead.
What’s The Competition?
Below are some of the top competitors to the Barnes & Noble Mastercard you should consider.
CAPITAL ONE® QUICKSILVER® CASH REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card will earn a $200 bonus when you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months. The bonus offer is comparable to its top competitors, but this card earns a respectable 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no limit on how much you can earn. There are no spending categories to keep up with and the cash back won’t expire while the account is open.
People like this card because of the cash back rate, the flexibility to redeem your cash back for any amount, and there’s no annual fee.
CAPITAL ONE® SAVORONE® CASH REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $200 bonus when you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months of account opening. This card has no annual fee. The annual-fee version of this card is the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card.
This SavorOne card earns unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment spending. Grocery store spending earns 2% cash back. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. There are no rotating categories to worry about and the cash back won’t expire while the account is open.
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Disclaimer: These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. It is not the bank advertiser's or any other entity's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.