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We give the JCPenney Credit Card three out of five Stars. It features straightforward rewards along with special savings and offers for people who love shopping at JCPenney.
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The JCPenney card’s features revolve around special deals and offers for customers of the department store chain.
If you shop often at JCPenney, you should find some solid value here. The 1X point per dollar works out to a 5% cash back equivalent, which is good even by normal rewards card standards.
It’s important to note that this card can only be used at JCPenney, either online or in store.
Becoming a cardholder will grant you access to bonus events and special savings days. And the higher membership tiers expand on the savings, including select 30% off discount days and extra point earnings.
Continue reading to see if, and how, this card will benefit you.
The JCPenney Credit Card rewards program offers 1X rewards point per dollar for every purchase you make at JCPenney stores. And for every 200 points you earn, you’ll get a JCP reward certificate that’s worth $10. That means you’ll get a cash back equivalent of 5%.
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You can earn up to 2,000 points on a single purchase.
The point redemption process for this card is pretty simple.
Every time you earn 200 points (by spending $200), you’ll receive a $10 JCPenney rewards certificate.
So there’s little fuss in turning your points into something you can use. As long as your account is in good standing (which means paying on time each month), you’ll be able to earn points and get the reward certificate.
Your points won’t expire as long as your account remains active: In this case, that means making a purchase that earns rewards at least once in a 12-month period.
Beyond the basic reward membership JCPenney offers, which anyone can enroll in, there are three membership tiers associated with this card. Each one accumulates additional perks as you rank up.
The first and standard cardholder tier offers:
The Gold membership tier requires you spend $500 or more within a calendar year, and expands on those perks, adding:
The third and final tier, the Platinum membership, has a $1,000 annual spending requirement and adds:
Purchase APR | Balance Transfer APR | Cash Advance APR |
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25.99% Variable | None | None |
Annual Fee | Foreign Transaction Fee |
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$0 | None |
Balance Transfer Fee | Cash Advance Fee |
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None | None |
Penalty APR | Late Fee | Returned Payment Fee |
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None | Up to $38 | None |
There isn’t really much hidden here. But you should take note of the high interest rate.
In order to avoid accruing interest on your balance, we recommend paying off your statement balance in full each month. If you follow that strategy, assuming you’re paying on time, you’d also ensure that your account remains in good standing. That way, you can continue to earn rewards and won’t have to worry about paying interest for your purchases.
The JCPenney Credit Card should only be considered by people who shop frequently with JCPenney.
It’s a pretty rewarding option, and it can lead to some decent savings, especially if you manage to reach the higher membership tiers.
With the 5% cash back equivalent and bonus days, you could probably earn some decent savings just by being a cardmember.
But some spending is required to really get the most from this card. For Gold status, you’ll have to spend at least $500 in a calendar year to get additional discounts via a coupon book, and for Platinum status, $1,000 to unlock more bonus days and Platinum Appreciation. So, it might only be worth it for die-hard JCPenney shoppers.
Simply use the apply now button near the card name. You’ll be directed to JCPenney’s website where you’ll be prompted to fill out an application.
All the necessary info you’ll need is listed below, and you’ll typically hear back instantly if you’ve been approved or not.
The JCPenney Credit Card is designed for people with fair credit.
If you’re within 580–669 for FICO and 601–660 for VantageScore, you’re considered to have fair credit. Obviously, it’ll be even better if you have higher credit scores.
With that being said, approval relies on more than just credit scores; if you have lower credit scores than what are recommended, you may still be approved. Or, even if you have high credit scores, you might not be accepted.
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This card can only be used at JCPenney, in store and online. If you’re looking for other store cards, you can see some of our favorites here.
Or, see some excellent reward credit cards you can use to earn points or cash back anywhere you shop.
Each point is worth 5 cents.
For every dollar spent you’ll earn one point. For every 200 points you earn, you’ll get a JCP reward certificate that’s worth $10.
Therefore, the cash back equivalent for your spending works out to 5%.
Your points won’t expire as long as your account remains active: In this case, that means making a purchase that earns rewards at least once in a 12-month period. And as long as your account remains in good standing (which means paying your bill on time each month), you’ll continue to earn rewards.
You won’t have to spend anything to get the most basic level of benefits, like reward points and bonus events. But to reach the Gold and Platinum tiers, you’ll need to spend $500 or $1,000 in a calendar year, respectively.
If JCPenney doesn’t have what you’re looking for, Amazon probably will. The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card (Review) is your key to rewards with the largest online retailer.
The Amazon card doesn’t have an annual fee, but it does require you to subscribe to Amazon Prime. If you don’t want to do that, there’s always the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card. It doesn’t require a subscription, but you’ll get lesser rewards than you would with the Prime card.
Similar to the JCPenney Credit Card, the Amazon Prime card earns up to 5% cash back. But you won’t be confined to earning rewards in one place — it earns not only at Amazon, but also at Whole Foods, with a smaller reward at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% everywhere else.
While you won’t get exclusive saving days or coupon books, you will gain some travel and shopping protections, such as travel accident insurance and purchase protection.
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The Target REDcard™ Credit Card (Review), as you might expect, benefits people who prefer to shop at Target.
But instead of featuring typical rewards, the Target card offers an automatic 5% discount on eligible purchases. Cardholders will get early access to certain promotions as well as let in on exclusive sales. So you’ll still earn some savings, but in different ways than the JCPenney Card.
If you prefer this red-themed department store over the others, maybe this is the retail credit card for you.
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The Macy’s American Express® Card (Review) is another store-branded credit card, providing rewards and discounts focused on Macy’s.
However, this is also an American Express card and can therefore be used everywhere Amex is accepted. While the bulk of the rewards come from restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets, the benefits deal strictly with Macy’s.
So you’ll have more freedom with where to use this card, and you’ll get discounts like annual Star Passes which save you 25%. In addition, you’ll gain access to Amex Offers, providing exclusive reward deals at a slew of different vendors.
If Macy’s is your preferred department store, this is another viable option for you.
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Status | Annual Spend Requirement | Annual Star Passes | Benefits |
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Silver | $0–$499.99 | 3 |
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Gold | $500–$1,199.99 | 6 |
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Platinum | $1,200+ | 12 |
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The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer (Review), unlike the other cards mentioned here, is a general-use rewards credit card and not co-branded with any stores.
So rather than focusing on benefits and discounts centered on a single store, you’ll earn cash back for everything you buy, no matter where you shop. And as far as no annual fee reward cards go, the Citi Double Cash is one of the best available.
Along with a flat rate of 2% cash back, you’ll be able to access your FICO Bankcard Score 8, based on your Equifax credit report. That’s a pretty useful perk, being able to keep an eye on one of your credit scores.
With this card you’ll get more freedom in where you can earn, but it will be less than the 5% cash back equivalent the JCPenney Credit Card offers.
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Citi is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
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Do you use the JCPenney Credit Card? How has it treated you? Let us know how you like it in the comments!
Interested in shopping somewhere else? Best Retail Store Credit Cards of January 2021The JCPenney Credit Card offers 1X point per dollar at JCPenney, which comes to a 5% cash back equivalent. It features membership tiers with increasingly beneficial perks, including special savings and offers for JCPenney shoppers. This card can only be used at JCPenney.
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