Sam’s Club Mastercard Review: Should You Get It?

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Sam’s Club® Mastercard®

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• Our Rating 3/5 How our ratings work
• APR20.65% or 28.65% Variable APR
• Annual Fee$0
• Sign-Up Offer $30Statement Credit More Info

  Get a $30 statement credit when you open a new account and make $30 in Sam’s Club purchases within 30 days

The Sam’s Club Mastercard is best for people who shop a lot at Sam’s Club because rewards can only be redeemed as Sam’s Cash and spent there. But Plus-level members will find more value than Club-tier members because they'll benefit from up to 5% back at Sam's Club instead of 1% back.

Solid Rewards for Dedicated Sam's Club Shoppers

The Sam’s Club store credit card and Sam’s Club® Mastercard® are best for those who shop often at Sam’s Club, whether in stores or online. If you hold the Mastercard, you’ll earn a generous 5% back at fuel pumps, 3% back on dining, 1% back on Sam’s Club purchases and 1% back on all other purchases. If you’re a Sam’s Club Plus-level member, your in-club purchases can earn up to 5% back. But if you’re not a loyal Sam’s Club shopper, we don’t recommend going out of your way for the card, as you can maximize your rewards better with a different rewards credit card.

Card Highlights

• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn 5% back on gas, 3% back on dining, 1% all other purchases (Mastercard only)
• Sam's Club Plus members earn up to 5% back at Sam's Club (Club members earn 1% back)
• 20.65% or 28.65% Variable APR is quite high, making this card best for people who don’t carry a balance

Sign-Up Bonus

Sam’s Club offers a sign-up bonus with its credit card, but it’s rather underwhelming and you’ll need to be diligent about meeting the conditions to earn it. 

• Get a $30 statement credit when you open a new account and spend at least $30 within 30 days.

If you apply online, however, it’ll take 7-10 business days for you to get that card in the mail before you can even use it. If you complete the spending requirement, you’ll get a $30 credit posted to your account within the next 90 days.

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Earning Rewards

Sam’s Club’s rewards program is fairly confusing because it depends on which card and membership level you have. People with the Sam’s Club Credit Card won’t earn any rewards from the card at all, regardless of membership level. 

But if you qualify for the Sam’s Club Mastercard, you could earn:

• 5% back on Sam’s Club purchases for Plus members 
• 5% back on gas and EV charging, on up to $6,000 in spending per year (only 1% back after that)
• 3% back on dining and takeout
• 1% back on all other purchases

Note that the 5% back on Sam’s Club purchases for Plus members with the Mastercard comes from two sources: 2% back with a regular Plus membership (no credit card needed), plus another 3% back if you’re a Plus member with the Mastercard.

These rewards are logged as Sam’s Cash rewards rather than actual cash, although you can redeem for that if you choose.

Earning Cap

You’re limited to an annual earnings cap of $500 if you’re a Plus member without any of the Sam’s Club credit cards. If you’re a Plus member and you use a Sam’s Club Mastercard, however, you can earn up to $5,000 more in cash back per year by using your card. 

Redeeming Rewards

You’ll need an active Sam’s Club membership to redeem Sam's Cash, which you can do in one of several ways:

• Cash: Redeem your rewards for cash at any checkout stand.
• Sam’s Club purchases: Select “Sam’s Cash” as payment while checking out at any Sam’s Club online or in-store location, excluding fuel purchases.
• Sam's Club membership fees: You can apply your Sam's Cash toward your Sam's Club membership dues.

Any Sam’s Cash you earn from using your Sam’s Club Mastercard will be pushed to your club membership account each month, making it available to use. You can let them accumulate without any limit or use them whenever you have an available balance.

Sam's Cash never expires but you do need to maintain an active membership with the club in order to redeem your cash.

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Card Benefits and Perks

There are a few ways the Sam’s Club cards can help you get more back if you already do most of your shopping there:

• Few fees: Aside from cash advance and late fees, you won’t pay much for this card. And if you can pay it off in full each month to avoid paying interest, you won’t pay anything at all. 
• $30 welcome bonus: It’s not much, but it’s something. 
• Doubles as your membership card: You can use your credit card to get into the store and make purchases, so you won’t need to carry two cards with you. 
• High rewards rate for Plus members with Sam’s Club Mastercard: Families who fuel up frequently will appreciate earning 5% back on gas plus 5% on Sam’s Club purchases. Reward rates aren’t quite as good for lower member tiers though. 

Drawbacks

As good as this card can be, there are some serious limitations that you’ll need to be careful about:

• High interest rate: We only recommend this card if you pay it off in full each month so that you won’t have to pay any interest at all and can instead earn free rewards. 
• Confusing program: With two card options and two membership levels to choose from — plus a base membership rewards program already in place — it’s confusing to sort out how much you might earn and on which purchases it applies. 
• Limited redemption options: You can only redeem rewards for Sam’s Club purchases (not counting fuel), toward membership fees or for cash — but only if you go to a store cash register, which isn’t exactly convenient. 
• Can’t choose which card you get: You don’t get a choice of which Sam’s Club card you receive when you apply. Sam’s Club likely bases this decision on your credit score. 
• Requires a Sam’s Club membership: The card is free, but the membership you need is not. You’d need to spend at least $2,200 in-store as a Plus member with the Sam’s Club Mastercard to break even on the membership fee.

Annual Fee

Neither of the two Sam’s Club credit cards charges an annual fee. That’s handy, but remember — you’ll still need to purchase a Sam’s Club membership to use the card, so it’s not as free as it first seems. A basic Sam’s Club membership costs $50 per year, while a Plus annual membership costs $110.

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APR

The APR offered on these two cards is quite high: 20.65% or 28.65% Variable APR for the Sam’s Club Credit Card and the Sam’s Club Mastercard. Some Sam’s Club Mastercard users may be offered a lower rate if they have better credit. 

Other Fees

Once you get over the hurdle of the high APR, there aren’t very many other fees you need to worry about.

There’s no foreign transaction fee, although you won’t earn any rewards for overseas purchases either.

If you pay late you could face a penalty fee and you’ll also pay a cash advance fee of either $5 or 3% of your cash advance amount — whichever is more — if you use your card to get cash out of an ATM.

Recommended Credit Score

Sam’s Club doesn’t disclose what type of credit score you’ll need to qualify for its credit cards. Typically, however, stores offer one credit card application. If you have a good credit score (at least 670, generally speaking) you’ll likely be offered the regular credit card that can be used anywhere — the Sam’s Club Mastercard, in this case. If your credit score could use some more work, you may only be offered the store credit card version.

Is the Sam's Club Credit Card Worth It?

The Sam's Club credit card is worth it if you’re already a Sam’s Club Plus member with good credit since you’d stand a better chance at getting approved for the Sam’s Club Mastercard, which offers really good rewards for fuel, Sam's Club purchases and dining. Just be sure to pay off your credit card in full each month to dodge the high interest charges. 

If not, there are plenty of other good cash-back cards to choose from that are simpler and offer better benefits across a wider range of scenarios.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Does the Sam's Club credit card give you free membership?

  No; you’ll first need to pay for a membership before you can apply for the Sam’s Club credit card. However, you can use the rewards you earn aftereward to pay for your membership renewal fees in the future.

• Can I use my Sam’s Club credit card at Walmart?

  Yes, both versions of the Sam’s Club credit card can be used at Sam’s Club and Walmart, since they’re a part of the same company. If you have the Sam’s Club Mastercard, however, you can use it at any merchant that accepts Mastercard.

• Can I use the Sam's Club credit card anywhere?

  It depends on which version of the card you have. The Sam’s Club Credit Card is a store credit card that can only be used for Sam’s Club and Walmart purchases. If you have the Sam’s Club Mastercard, however, you can use it anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

• What is the average limit on a Sam's Club credit card?

  Synchrony Bank, which issues Sam’s Club credit cards, doesn’t disclose what the average credit limit is for these credit cards. It’s generally based on things like your credit and income.