Barnes & Noble Mastercard®
- Best for: Regular Barnes & Noble shoppers who pay with a separate 2% card everywhere else
- What Sets It Apart: 5% back at Barnes & Noble stores, bn.com, and Paper Source stores, as a statement credit; on top of member discounts
- Cost: $0 annual fee; 17.74% to 29.74% variable APR; 3% foreign transaction fee; 5% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum)
- Features: 2 points per dollar at restaurants other than Barnes & Noble Cafés; 1 point per dollar elsewhere; $25 Barnes & Noble gift card by email every 2,500 points; $25 gift card after your first purchase or balance transfer; Premium Membership free for a year after $7,500 in eligible purchases a year
- Pros: No annual fee; 5% on top of member discounts; credit on the same statement as the purchase; 0% interest for 15 billing cycles on balance transfers that post within 45 days of opening
- Cons: Points pay only in Barnes & Noble gift cards; 1 point per dollar on most purchases; $7,500 yearly spend for Premium Membership; 3% foreign transaction fee
The Barnes & Noble Mastercard® pays 5% back at Barnes & Noble as a statement credit and charges no annual fee. Get it if you shop there regularly. Put your other spending on a no-fee 2% cash back card, since this one earns 1 point per dollar on most of it, paid in Barnes & Noble gift cards.
Barclays issues the card, and it works anywhere Mastercard is accepted, but its 5% back applies only at Barnes & Noble and Paper Source. That makes it a second card for people who buy books and gifts there several times a year.
Key Features
- No annual fee and a variable 17.74% to 29.74% interest rate (APR) on purchases
- 5% back at Barnes & Noble stores, bn.com, and Paper Source stores, paid as a statement credit
- 2 points per dollar at restaurants (not Barnes & Noble Cafés) and 1 point on other purchases, paid in $25 Barnes & Noble gift cards, emailed every 2,500 points
- A $25 Barnes & Noble gift card after your first purchase or balance transfer
- A free year of Barnes & Noble Premium Membership, which otherwise costs $39.99, after $7,500 in eligible purchases in an account year
Pros
- The 5% comes on top of Barnes & Noble member discounts, such as Premium Membership’s 10% off
- The 5% posts as a credit on the same statement as the purchase, with nothing to redeem
- No annual fee, so it costs nothing to keep for Barnes & Noble purchases alone
- 0% interest for 15 billing cycles on balance transfers that post within 45 days of opening, for a 5% fee ($5 minimum)
Cons
- Points pay out only as Barnes & Noble gift cards, worth 2% of restaurant spending and 1% of other purchases, where a flat-rate card pays 2% in cash
- Spending $7,500 on it for Premium Membership, on purchases that earn 1 point per dollar, gets you $75 less than a 2% card would, so buying the membership for $39.99 costs less
- A 3% foreign transaction fee, so another card works better abroad
Shoppers who spend $500 a year at Barnes & Noble get $25 back from this card, $15 more than a 2% card pays on those purchases. Anyone who wants one card for everything does better with a flat 2% cash back card, which pays twice this card’s rate on most purchases, in cash.
Learn more about the Barnes & Noble Mastercard® or see how it compares to the best cash back credit cards.
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