BJ’s Credit Card Review
BJ’s offers two no-annual-fee credit cards: The BJ’s Perks Elite and the BJ’s Perks Plus, both of which provide ample rewards for frequent customers of the wholesale club.
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My BJ’s Perks® Mastercard® Credit Card
What we like:
N/A
| Intro Offer | None |
| Rewards Rate | 5% cash back on most BJ’s store purchases 2% cash back on dining and non-BJ’s gas purchases 1% cash back everywhere else Mastercard® is accepted |
| Regular APR | 15.24% – 25.24% Variable |
| Annual Fee | $110 annual membership |
Card Details
Pros
- 5% cash back on most BJ’s purchases beats both the Sam’s Club and Walmart credit cards
- Save 10 cents per gallon on BJ’s gas purchases every day
- Card doubles as your membership card
- Cash back issued in $20 increments (redeem in-club at the register)
Cons
- $110 annual membership required for the BJ’s Perks Elite card
- Rewards expire 6 months from the date of issue (can request a check prior to expiration)
- Rewards cannot be used on BJs.com, at BJ’s gas stations, or outside BJ’s Club locations
- No signup bonus or intro APR
Recommended Credit Score
- Good credit
BJ’s Credit Card Review: The Best Way to Earn Cash Back from BJ’s
BJ’s is a wholesale club similar to Costco or Sam’s Club. If you shop regularly at BJ’s, you may want to consider one of two credit cards it offers: the My BJ’s Perks Elite card and the BJ’s Perks Plus card. The card you’re eligible for depends on your BJ’s membership level:
- BJ’s Inner Circle members are eligible to apply for the My BJ’s Perks Plus card. The Inner Circle membership costs $55 per year.
- BJ’s Perks Rewards members are eligible to apply for the My BJ’s Perks Elite card. The Perks Rewards membership costs $110 per year.
Both BJ’s credit cards offer generous perks and rewards that are great for frequent BJ’s shoppers. We’ll describe some of these perks below.
In this review:
- My BJ’s Perks Elite Benefits
- Downsides of the My BJ’s Perks Mastercards
- How It Compares to Similar Cards
My BJ’s Perks Elite Benefits
The My BJ’s Perks Elite Benefits credit card is the higher-tier card for BJ’s Perks rewards members. You have to pay twice the membership fee to be eligible for the card, which offers 5% cash back on most BJ’s store purchases compared to 3% back with the lower-tier Perks Plus card.
To determine if you should pay the higher membership fee to gain access to the Perks Elite card, you’ll need to figure out if you spend enough money at BJ’s to cover or exceed the extra $55 in membership costs with your rewards.
Since you get 2% more cash back on dining and gas with the Perks Elite card, you can break even on the higher membership fees once you’ve spent $2,750 on qualifying BJ’s products. If you spend more than this, it’s definitely worth paying the higher membership cost to get the card with better rewards.
Signup Bonus
The BJ’s Perks Elite Benefits card does not currently offer a signup bonus.
BJ’s Rewards
The BJ’s Perks Elite card provides 5% cash back on most BJ’s purchases, 2% cash back on dining out, 2% cash back at non-BJ’s gas stations, and 1% cash back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted. Cardholders will also enjoy 10 cents off per gallon at BJ’s gas stations every day.
Points are issued as electronic awards in $20 increments that can only be redeemed by visiting a BJ’s register. Awards can’t be used at BJs.com or at BJ’s gas stations. Rewards expire six months from the date they’re issued, although you can request your cash back in the form of a check prior to their expiration if you don’t think you’ll have time to redeem them in-store.
One Card Convenience
Your BJ’s Perks Elite credit card doubles as your membership card, so you don’t have to worry about carrying both when shopping at the wholesale club.
No Annual Fee
Although you do have to pay for your BJ’s membership, the My BJ’s Perks Elite credit card has no annual fee for cardholders.
Other Perks
BJ’s Perks Elite cardholders can add authorized users to their account to help rack up rewards more quickly. Each cardholder can have up to four authorized cardholders.
Downsides of the My BJ’s Perks Mastercards
The major downside of both BJ’s credit cards is the significant restrictions you’ll face when redeeming rewards.
- You can only redeem rewards at a BJ’s register.
- You can only redeem rewards in $20 increments.
- You can only use points on BJ’s store purchases — not on gas, when shopping online, or for any other purpose.
- Rewards expire six months from the date issued.
Another big downside is you must pay for a BJ’s membership to be eligible for either card — so in effect, you’re not really saving with no annual card fee. If you’re already a BJ’s member, you have little to lose by applying for one of the cards and taking advantage of the everyday gas savings as well as the chance to earn rewards.
How It Compares to Similar Cards
Both BJ’s cards offer pretty generous rewards for shopping at BJ’s, especially compared to similar cards such as the Walmart or Sam’s Club store cards. However, the rewards program is much more restrictive than what you’d find with general cash back or rewards credit cards — especially if you like to do your grocery shopping at multiple stores instead of just sticking to BJ’s.
Bottom Line
If you have a BJ’s membership and do much of your shopping there, consider signing up for one of the warehouse club’s credit cards. Be aware you can only redeem your rewards in-store at BJ’s, though. If you don’t want to deal with the lack of flexibility associated with the My BJ’s Perks Elite card and the BJ’s Perks Plus card, you might look elsewhere for a rewards card that better fits your needs.
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