American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), or simply American Eagle, is one of the most well-known retailers in the US due to its quality denim products and ageless style. It also boasts affordable price tags from shirts to jeans, making it more appealing to the youth looking for comfortable casual clothes. And to encourage its loyal customers to continuously support its products through rewards earning, AEO introduced the American Eagle credit card. But how much value can it offer to you as a shopper?
Intro Bonus: 20% off
Regular APR: 25.99%
Credit Score: Fair to Good
Annual Fee: $0
Highlights:
- The American Eagle credit cards come in 3 designs.
- The rewards can be used at American Eagle Outfitters stores, Aerie stores, OFFL/NE by Aerie stores, AEO Factory stores, Aerie Factory stores, through online transactions (including purchases made through the AEO | Aerie mobile app), and customer care.
- Points can expire after 375 days of not using the card.
- The American Eagle credit cards are available in an open and closed loop.
- The cards can help you earn up to 80 points per dollar spent on jeans items.
- New cardholders get a 20% discount intro bonus.
- The Visa version can earn 5 points per dollar spent at other stores accepting Visa.
American Eagle Credit Card Review:
Designs of American Eagle Credit Cards
The American Eagle credit card is considered a booster of perks found in the Real Rewards program. Indeed, without applying for a card, you can enjoy the program’s benefit for free. The non-card membership alone can offer you a 15% off birthday coupon, Aerie Days, free shipping, and members-only sales/events. You can also start collecting 10 points per $1 spent at American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie, and OFFL/NE by Aerie through this free membership account. Then, you get 2x points on jeans, and you can convert 1,250 points collected for a $5 reward (available up to $60, issued in $5 increments).
Real Rewards Program Benefits
As your spending advances, you will reach the higher tiers of the program: the Level 2 and Level 3 that need $150+ and $350+ spending requirements, respectively. Getting on these higher tiers will bump up your points, with Level 2 getting 15 points and Level 3 getting 20 points per $1 spent. With all these things mentioned, it is safe to say that the non-card membership alone is enough for most AEO shoppers. So, what is the American Eagle credit card for?
There are two annual fee-free American Eagle credit cards: the closed-loop Real Rewards credit card and the open-loop Real Rewards Visa. They might look like some other store cards offered as a marketing gimmick, but they can seriously make significant changes in your Real Rewards basic non-card membership.
Upon the approval of an American Eagle credit card, you can receive a 20% discount welcome bonus that you can use for your first purchase. Then, you can enjoy free shipping and returns at all times, pick your own sale day, and get access to exclusive cardmember sales. However, the main attraction of the cards is geared towards the improvement of your points earning. And as you get to the higher tiers of the program, the more it will be effective as a points booster.
With a card, you will be automatically placed at the Level 2 of the rewards program. This means you will get an instant upgrade in your perks. Besides the higher discount rate in the birthday coupon you’ll receive (Level 2 gets 20% off and Level 3 gets 25% off), the points you will earn per dollar spent on regular items will be doubled while the points for jeans will be QUADRUPLED. That being said, Level 2 card members can get 30 points, and Level 3 card members can earn 40 points per dollar on qualified items. On the other hand, jeans purchases can provide 60 points for Level 2 and 80 points per dollar spent for Level 3. Add to that, Real Rewards Visa cardholders earn 5 points per $1 where Visa credit cards are accepted (regardless of tier).
Shoppers can convert 1,250 points for a $5 reward.
Due to the points earning capability of cards, earning rewards can be much faster. Collecting the 1,250 points you need for a $5 reward can be easy, even with regular purchases. And if you would use any of the American Eagle credit cards frequently for qualifying jeans purchases, you would only have to spend at least $200 to get the maximum $60 reward of the Real Rewards program.
Final Thoughts:
The Real Rewards program offers excellent value to its members. The generosity of points of the program is incredible, and required spending thresholds to move to higher tiers are doable. This is even made better using the American Eagle credit cards that can cause tremendous changes to the number of benefits one receives. Using the cards can help you earn the points in the best and fastest way possible, but are they really worth it? And if you decide to get one, should you get the closed-loop Real Rewards credit card or the Real Rewards Visa?
There is almost nothing different in the two cards in terms of the benefits they can unlock. The only addition the Visa version can give you is the 5 points per dollar outside AEO stores when you use it (which is a bit underwhelming). This means the only way to maximize the program’s full potential through the card is to move to higher tiers, and you can only do it by meeting a specific spending requirement.
Also, as we have mentioned in our past reviews before, such cards still have flaws. While the American Eagle credit cards promise appealing value in points earning and rewards, it is only limited to its shoppers. The rewards can only be used at AEO stores and nothing more. There is no flexibility in redeeming options at all. So, if you are a certified AEO brand fan, you would probably enjoy the Real Rewards cards. If not, consider a more versatile general rewards card like those from Bank of America, Capital One, Discover, Chase, and more.
Also, don’t forget that even though the cards can guarantee you some advantages when shopping at AEO stores, there are still possible drawbacks. The APR of the cards is considerably high at 25.99%, and the late payment fee can reach up to $40. Nonetheless, you can avoid paying interest charges by paying your entire balance by the due date each month, so you need to use the cards with pure caution. If you think you can do that, owning an American Eagle credit card won’t hurt.
