In less than three short decades, J Crew has grown to be one of the largest clothing retailers in the country. They have fashionable clothes for reasonable prices, but does the J Crew credit card actually make sense?

Where can you use it?
The J Crew card is not affiliated with any major payment network (like Visa, Discover, etc) so it can only be used for purchases from J Crew, whether it’s at their store, on their website, or via their mail order catalog.

What are the rewards?
Surprisingly, the J Crew credit card application doesn’t do a very good job explaining the rewards program. Here’s what you need to know:

• For every $500 spent at J Crew a $25 rewards card is given that can be spent at their stores
• Usually a 10% off first purchase made is included with the card, however there are a number of exceptions – the offer does not apply toward branded merchandise. For example, Bobbi Brown, Adidas, Levis, Angela Adams for J.Crew, J Girl by J Brand, and dozens of others won’t qualify for the discount.

What’s the interest rate?
At the time of this review the APR is a very high 24.99 percent! This is excessive to say the least and it makes their rewards program not worthwhile if you ever carry a balance.

Are there any other benefits?
The other benefits listed on the card’s application don’t sound very impressive. For example they list “personalized service” and invites to sales. There was one benefit listed that sounded nice – complimentary standard alterations – but then I saw in the fine print there were some big exclusions; J Crew factory merchandise and sale items

Should you apply for it?
This appears to be your typical run-of-the-mill store charge card. The J Crew rewards program is nice but it only applies to purchases at their store. Meanwhile there are major credit cards that give 5% at all apparel stores, so the rewards program in and of itself does not justify getting the J Crew card.

The top card for buying clothes (sponsored)
The Discover More offers a 5% cash back bonus at both department stores and apparel stores (like J Crew) for two quarters every year (that’s a total of half the year). This is a way better value than the J Crew credit card. To find out more visit our Discover More Review (includes a cash signup offer)