REI Credit Card Reviews: Is It Worth It? (2024)Reviews, rates, fees, and rewards details for The REI Credit Card. Compare to other cards and apply online in secondsJohn KiernanWalletHubNo membership feesHigh rewards rate$100 initial rewards bonusNo foreign feeNo intro APR on purchasesNo intro APR on balance transfersRequires good/excellent credit
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards (Store Cards)." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
REI Credit Card has a rating of 4.6/5 according to our proprietary credit card rating system. This rating reflects how appealing REI Credit Card's terms are compared to a pool of more than 1,500 credit card offers tracked by WalletHub. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is 'Earn Rewards (Store Cards)'. To break it down further, REI Credit Card earned a score of 5.0/5 for Fees, 5.0/5 for Rewards, 4.8/5 for Cost, and 3.5/5 for User Reviews. Info about the REI Credit Card has been collected by WalletHub to help consumers better compare cards. The financial institution did not provide the details.
WalletHub Rating Breakdown
User Reviews
3.5/5
279 reviewsRead and write reviews
Editor’s Review
4.5/5
John Kiernan, Credit Card EditorRead full review
Market Comparison
Market Comparison
4.7
The Market Comparison is a key component of the WalletHub Rating, as it measures how appealing the terms of a card are compared to a pool of over 1,500 credit card offers monitored by WalletHub. To ensure cards are evaluated for their most relevant purpose, we score each card across various cardholder needs and select the rating for the need with the highest score, which is “Earn Rewards (Store Cards)” for this card.
Fees
5.0
Rewards
5.0
Cost
4.8
Other Features
0.0
4.7/5
Compared against 1,500+ credit cards
KEY TERMS
Accepted Credit Scores
Accepted Credit Scores
Excellent Credit, Good Credit
Annual Fee
$0
APR on Purchases
19.24% - 30.24% (V)
Balance Transfer
APR: 19.24% - 30.24% (V)
Balance Transfer Fee:$0
Rewards
Get a $100 REI Gift card after you make your first purchase outside of REI within 60 day of account opening.
Earn 5% back at REI retail locations and on REI.com, and 1.5% back on everyday purchases.
REI Co-op Rewards won't expire for the life of your account.
You will earn $50 account credit when you use your card to make an REI Co-op Experiences purchase, including multiday and single-day trips and instructional courses.
REI Credit Card's Additional Info
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Info about the card has been collected by WalletHub to help consumers better compare cards. The financial institution did not provide the details.
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The REI Co-op® Mastercard® program proudly donates $2M every year to the REI Cooperative Action Fund, which directly supports organizations promoting justice, equity and belonging in the outdoors.
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The REI Mastercard is offered exclusively to REI members.
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Membership is not included with the card; however, in order to apply for the card, you must first become a member, which requires a one-time payment of $30.
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24/7 Account Access with Online Banking and 24/7 Cardmember Service.
$0 annual fee, but $30 for a lifetime. The REI Mastercard doesn’t have an annual fee, which might make it easier to justify opening a credit card primarily for purchases from a single retailer. The REI Credit Card isn’t completely free, though. You’ll have to pay a $30 one-time fee for a lifetime membership in the REI Rewards program.
$100 sign-up gift. Making a single purchase within 60 days of opening your REI Mastercard account scores you a $100 REI gift card. This is a pretty sweet deal, considering how easy that should be to do.
Solid ongoing earning rates. The REI Credit Card gives you 5% cash back on pretty much everything you buy from REI, including gift cards and already-discounted items. That could certainly come in handy around the holidays. You’ll also get 1.5% cash back on everything else. But no one would blame you for getting the REI Card just for REI spending.
Unusual payout method. Simply paying the $30 fee to join the REI Rewards program entitles you to an annual dividend, equal to roughly 10% of what you spend at REI each year. And instead of crediting the cash back that you’ll earn with the REI Mastercard to your account immediately after you make a purchase, REI tacks it on to your yearly dividend. That’s not too big of a deal, but it does mean that you won’t reap the fruits of your labor as regularly as you might like.
Not meant for financing. With the REI Credit Card you will be assigned an APR, depending on your creditworthiness. The low end of the range, likely reserved for people with excellent credit, isn’t too bad, considering the average card for excellent credit charges 18.01%. But the high end is well above the 24.1% average for good-credit credit cards. Besides, REI spending can’t really be considered a necessity, so you should be able to pay for anything you buy with your REI Card in full by the end of the month.
Good or excellent credit required. Unlike many other major retailers, REI does not offer a store-only card with more-lenient approval requirements. So you’ll have to check your credit score – which you can do for free on WalletHub – before submitting an application for the REI Mastercard.
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Compare The REI Credit Card vs. Popular Alternatives
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards (Store Cards)." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Editor’s Rating
4.5
User Reviews
3.5
Market Comparison
4.7
fees: 5.0
rewards: 5.0
cost: 4.8
Other Features: 0.0
4.6WalletHub Rating
WalletHub Rating
4.6
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Editor’s Rating
5.0
User Reviews
3.9
Market Comparison
4.6
fees: 2.9
rewards: 4.8
cost: 5.0
Other Features: 5.0
3.7WalletHub Rating
WalletHub Rating
3.7
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Gas Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Can't find what you are looking for? Submit your question about REI Credit Card to our community. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by the issuer of this card. In addition, WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.
The best REI Credit Card benefits are Trip cancellation insurance and Extended warranty. The REI Credit Card also has $0 liability protection and ID theft protection, which are more common perks across Capital One credit cards.
REI Credit Card Benefits
Trip cancellation insurance
Extended warranty
$0 liability protection
ID theft protection
Price protection
Welcome gift card
ShopRunner membership
Concierge
Discounts
In addition to these benefits, the REI Credit Card comes...
No, there is no REI Credit Card foreign transaction fee. This means you won't be charged extra anytime you use the REI Credit Card outside of the United States. This applies whether it's a purchase at a physical location in a foreign country or an online transaction through an internationally-based merchant.
Having a credit card with no foreign transaction fees is a great idea if you often travel outside the U.S. or make online purchases through foreign merchants. Plus, with all...
The REI Credit Card credit score requirement is 700 or better. That means people with good credit or better have a shot at getting approved for the REI Credit Card.
You should note that while your credit score is an important factor, there are plenty of other things that will impact your chances of being approved for the REI Credit Card, too. Some other key criteria include your income, existing debt load, number of open accounts, recent credit inquiries, employment...
The REI Visa card is actually being replaced by the REI MasterCard. You can still get a $100 gift card by opening a REI MasterCard and making a purchase within 60 days of card approval. Best of luck!
In order to use your REI Credit Card chip, you insert your card in the reader and leave it there for several seconds. It may be slower compared to using the magnetic stripe on your credit card, but it provides better protection against fraud. The chip simply improves the security of your account by making your card harder to copy.
You can learn more about chip-and-PIN vs. chip-and-signature credit cards here.
With the REI Credit Card cell phone insurance, you can be reimbursed for damage or theft of an eligible cellphone when you pay your monthly cellphone bill with your card REI Credit Card.
Your coverage is up to $800 per claim, 2 claims per year, with a $50 deductible, up to $1,000 per 12-month period. Coverage begins the first day of the calendar month after you make a payment.
The REI Credit Card trip cancellation policy provides reimbursement for your non-refundable payments to a common carrier if a covered trip is canceled due to a covered loss.
So, if you cancel your trip prior to departure, you will receive a check for the dividend amount 4-6 weeks later.
Exclusions apply, so for additional information please call 800-622-2236.
Share your insights and review for the REI Credit Card
5
18%
4
50%
3
15%
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6%
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10%
3.5
279 reviews
279 reviews
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Lance Duch @lanced_22
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1 Star Rating
I love REI, but avoid this card and CapitalOne. Seriously. Astonishingly poor service when disputing a charge. They continue to send me a form letter stating that my dispute is closed due to 'lack of requested documentation,' but they fail to mention any specific documentation. Every time I call, I am told that I need to provide a new piece of documentation that was not previously mentioned, including a signed letter describing the situation. Most recently, I was informed that I failed to respond to the specifics of the merchant's rebuttal letter, but the agent discovered that CapitalOne never sent me the rebuttal letter. She apologized for this and for the 'auto-generated form letters'. She also mentioned that other cardholders have complained about CapitalOne's dispute resolution communications. My wife's Chase card was charged by the same merchant, and Chase resolved it in under two weeks with no documentation requirements. Simple. Meanwhile, I am on month four and still unresolved with CapitalOne.
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ideasputtowork @ideasputtowork
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1 Star Rating
Dividends are nice, but Capital One provides awful service. Not worth it. Because there was a fraudulent charge, I called to request a new card. More than a week later, the card never appeared. Every other bank I've dealt with had always sent replacement card by FedEx or UPS. Capital One drops it into the mail! No tracking. After a week, the bank says they would resend for "three business day" arrival (with the weekend, makes it 5 days) for a fee of $16. When I asked whether the card could be overnight shipped, they say NO. If I were traveling and needed a quick replacement, I'd be out of luck. Time to dump this awful bank.
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klpierson10 @klpierson10
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2 Star Rating
Verified Customer
MY Capital One REI card has been hacked 4 or 5 times. I never had any problem previously with US bank REI card. I may have to give it up if this continues.
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Michael Budros @mbudros
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2 Star Rating
Benefits are OK but US Bank is not great, and it's very difficult to create accounts in some areas (e.g., DC) so be aware. It was not mentioned in other reviews that a US Bank account with $1,500 minimum balance (to avoid fees) would be required.
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David @davidg65
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3 Star Rating
Verified Customer
Service as expected you stupid machine
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Chris Liu @ozmomomo
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3 Star Rating
The REI-specific and general card benefits are fine, and are why I own this card. That said, the technology of US Bank is not great.
For example, when contacting the back-of-card customer service number, I have to travel through two phone trees and enter my card number TWICE in order to reach a human.
That said, if you want a card with REI benefits, this is your only choice. Just know what to expect.
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Ryan Malloy @ryan17
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1 Star Rating
Avoid this card and lender. It is a shame that REI deals with U.S. Bank. They are HIGHLY predatory. After speaking with a representative about an issue impacting my ability to make a single payment due to COVID 19, I was told that the late fee would be waived and that the missed payment would not be reported. I immediately made my payments, to find out months later that I was reported, had my credit limit dropped and my credit score significantly reduced. I would recommend that any individuals looking into this credit card avoid this unethical institution and opt for a credit card through a local credit union.
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Mitchell Souter @Mbsouter
I had a very similar experience. REI is great but US Bank is horrible. After waiting months to GET the card through multiple written (yes, I mean through the postal service...) they gave me a 2k credit limit. I missed one payment but called and paid the total balance off immediately when I was notified. I then found months later that they dropped my limit to 500. It's insane that I have my Amex Platinum approved on the spot and overnighted but US Bank drops me to a credit limit equal to my first credit card as an 18 year old in the Army. There are a bunch of other forums out there that echo my complaint on the approval process and would highly recommend anyone considering this card to read those stories.
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iatwoodf @iatwoodf
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1 Star Rating
Avoid this card at all costs simply due to customer service. If you ever have to reach someone with an issue, you better have time. I have been unable to use online bill pay for 3 days now. The drop down does not show my checking bank account even though it says I have added it. When I click on payment accounts I get a response that the system is offline. It's been offline for 3 days. The last 3 times I've called the help number I've had to wait 15-20 minutes to reach an individual. I just called this time and it said I had to wait 15 minutes to reach a banking individual. This is the worst service I've ever had with a credit card. I'm extremely close to cancelling and never doing business again with US Bank. Every other credit card I own, I have to wait less than 1 minute to reach a customer service representative.
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Lisa Walters @lisawalters5
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1 Star Rating
Verified Customer
I have been profoundly disappointed with the REI Mastercard and strongly recommend against it to anyone. I have been a member for several years with no issues until a month ago. I first noticed that the app I used to make payments was down due to technical issues; I was told to call customer service for assistance or try again later. I was also unable to make a payment using the online banking website due to technical issues. So, around 12/11/18, I called the 24-hour customer service line and was on hold for over 20 minutes until I was connected to a representative. During the call, I made a payment, and was also informed that my card had been shut down due to fraudulent activity. I waited for my new card to be mailed to me a few days later, and I immediately activated the new card and mailed in the requested documentation about the fraud. During these past weeks, I still have been unable to manage my account using the app or the online banking website due to technical difficulties. (My bank account is not an available payment method; when I try to add it, the website says that it's already added, but I cannot access it). Today, almost a month after the initial call to customer service to make a payment, my card is still declined when I try to use it and I am still unable to manage my account using the app or online banking website. I called the 24-hour customer service line today to get assistance with the technology to manage my account and with my card itself, and I was on hold for over 1 hour and 15 minutes before finally giving up. I have neither the time nor the phone battery power to obtain assistance. I have spent hours of my time and still have not been able to solve the technical issues or the account issues, AND I have been deprived of increased dividend due to my REI shopping during the holidays. My next payment is due soon and I will have no choice but to call customer service again when I have more time (how much time will be necessary, I do not now), or I risk penalty for not making a timely payment. I have requested assistance by email, having no time left to wait on hold by phone, but have not yet received a response.
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iatwoodf @iatwoodf
I currently have this exact same problem with consistent terrible online waits. I'm never using this card again.
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Stephanie Jensen @Stephj
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1 Star Rating
I’ve had this card over 5 years. Just went through a divorce and they couldn’t take my ex’s name off the existing account...they had to cancel my card. That totally messed up my credit history and they list a loyal customer.
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