CreditCardGuru

The Sears credit card falls into that class of cards that need to be avoided. The main reason is that while this card is pitched to the customer in the most attractive and profitable manner at the time of the Sears card application... it's technically not a scam, but it's not a good deal either.

False Attractions
The honeymoon period of this card is over with first purchase discount and then the real deal comes in. The first use discount is actually rather attractive, but also a needless discount. Since, obviously the card will be used more than once, it doesn’t help that the discount is available only on the first purchase and not on all the other purchases that follow. Given that this feature is what’s considered the top feature of the Sears credit card, it is undoubtedly one of the most useless cards to choose if it’s best benefit only applies to the first day you use it.

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High Interest
The Sears credit card user is often in a state of shock. The reason for this is the insanely high interest rate that they charge. At the time of applying for the card, the customer may be given the initial discount, which may or may not be a sizeable amount. However the customer’s attention is often drawn away from the other details that accompany it. The Sears credit card levies a very high default charge and coupled with high interest rate make the card a very risky proposition. This practice is not an ethical one in my opinion, but then the customer has no other option but to pay up or face the consequences.

Terms and Conditions
The only redemption of the Sears credit card is that the customer will accumulate points on each purchase. These can then be redeemed as gift certificates. But, while this looks attractive on the outside, the truth beneath it is ugly. To get a decent enough figure in terms of points, the user must make astronomical purchases. The amount of money that he needs to spend to get a gift certificate is far too high. Thus, this feature is also a total waste. The Sears card is lacking in any serious benefits.

Applying for a Sears card
Citibank offers this card and the numbers of documents that are allegedly sometimes required are way too many and the credit card application process is considered tedious by some. This is highly inconvenient, as well as disrespectful to the customer, especially considering it's only a store card. The customer needs quick and efficient response, but you may not always get that with the Sears credit card application department.

The Sears card is not a very attractive card. Along with less than satisfactory service as well as the time taken to receive a credit card, it is enough to drive away some prospective customers. The card is not user friendly as there are few features that can be termed as attractive. The features advertised leads one to believe that the user will save a lot, but the reality of the situation might be totally different.