The Worst Store Credit Cards

Signing up for a new credit card can offer you a great means of stretching your spending power.


It also builds your credit score and nabs you some neat bonuses for signing up or spending money depending on the kind of card you get. But it’s also important to keep your credit card’s interest rate in mind. The APR – or annual percentage rate – is the rate of interest you’ll be hit with if you fail to pay off your monthly credit card bill on time.

Many stores offer their own credit cards nowadays, many offering extra benefits for frequent shoppers. But some of these store cards are also notorious for especially high APRs and relatively lame bonuses, too. Here are the worst offenders:

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

GameStop PowerUp Rewards Credit Card

Even for the most hardcore gamers, 29.24% APR is a bad deal, especially when coupled with the GameStop PowerUp Rewards Credit Card’s terrible rewards. The sign-up bonus is 5,000 points (roughly $5 in-store credit) for standard members, or 15,000 points (a whole $15) for GameStop PowerUp Rewards Pro members, which as an entirely separate GameStop subscription that already costs an extra $15.

Staples More Account Credit Card

Featuring a horrendous 30.24% APR for a personal account, Staples More Account Credit Card only gives you 5% back on Staples purchases and free shipping on orders over $49.99. So unless you’re buying a ton of office supplies on a near-constant basis, there are plenty of other cards with way better savings, rewards, and benefits packages, along with much lower APR.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Zales The Diamond Card

If you’re buying lots of diamonds at retail for whatever reason, Zales The Diamond Card might seem tempting. It offers $50 off on your birthday, free shipping, and 10% off on jewelry repair services. Of course, this comes with a whopping 29.99% APR, which barely does anything to make up for a nice discount on a single day once a year.

Piercing Pagoda Credit Card

The Piercing Pagoda Credit Card isn’t just bad. It’s unimaginably bad. With a 29.99% APR and the sole benefit of $25 off on your birthday, there is no reason that anyone should ever get a Piercing Pagoda Credit Card. With no extra benefits or cash back for Piercing Pagoda purchases, even someone covered in piercings who constantly buys new studs and rings gets no real mileage out of this massive dud of a card.

[shortcode-1-In-Article-Banner-728×60]

BrandSource Credit Card

With the highest APR on this list at 30.74% and no benefits or rewards to speak of, the BrandSource Credit Card might be one of the worst credit cards in history. Why would anyone buy it? What could you possibly hope to gain from this card, aside from horrible fees should you fail to make a payment. You’re better off going with Piercing Pagoda. At least they give you a measly $25 on your birthday.

Overall, store credit cards don’t tend to be the best way to go if you have other credit card options. Their benefits tend to be limited and sometimes even nonexistent, and their APRs are unusually high. Be careful when signing up for a new credit card, and be sure to do your research. Liking a store isn’t a good enough reason to go with their card.


Dan Kahanis a writer & screenwriter from Brooklyn, usually rocking a man bun. Find more at dankahanwriter.com

string(4511) "

Signing up for a new credit card can offer you a great means of stretching your spending power.


It also builds your credit score and nabs you some neat bonuses for signing up or spending money depending on the kind of card you get. But it's also important to keep your credit card's interest rate in mind. The APR – or annual percentage rate – is the rate of interest you'll be hit with if you fail to pay off your monthly credit card bill on time.

Many stores offer their own credit cards nowadays, many offering extra benefits for frequent shoppers. But some of these store cards are also notorious for especially high APRs and relatively lame bonuses, too. Here are the worst offenders:

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

GameStop PowerUp Rewards Credit Card

Even for the most hardcore gamers, 29.24% APR is a bad deal, especially when coupled with the GameStop PowerUp Rewards Credit Card's terrible rewards. The sign-up bonus is 5,000 points (roughly $5 in-store credit) for standard members, or 15,000 points (a whole $15) for GameStop PowerUp Rewards Pro members, which as an entirely separate GameStop subscription that already costs an extra $15.

Staples More Account Credit Card

Featuring a horrendous 30.24% APR for a personal account, Staples More Account Credit Card only gives you 5% back on Staples purchases and free shipping on orders over $49.99. So unless you're buying a ton of office supplies on a near-constant basis, there are plenty of other cards with way better savings, rewards, and benefits packages, along with much lower APR.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Zales The Diamond Card

If you're buying lots of diamonds at retail for whatever reason, Zales The Diamond Card might seem tempting. It offers $50 off on your birthday, free shipping, and 10% off on jewelry repair services. Of course, this comes with a whopping 29.99% APR, which barely does anything to make up for a nice discount on a single day once a year.

Piercing Pagoda Credit Card

The Piercing Pagoda Credit Card isn't just bad. It's unimaginably bad. With a 29.99% APR and the sole benefit of $25 off on your birthday, there is no reason that anyone should ever get a Piercing Pagoda Credit Card. With no extra benefits or cash back for Piercing Pagoda purchases, even someone covered in piercings who constantly buys new studs and rings gets no real mileage out of this massive dud of a card.

[shortcode-1-In-Article-Banner-728x60]

BrandSource Credit Card

With the highest APR on this list at 30.74% and no benefits or rewards to speak of, the BrandSource Credit Card might be one of the worst credit cards in history. Why would anyone buy it? What could you possibly hope to gain from this card, aside from horrible fees should you fail to make a payment. You're better off going with Piercing Pagoda. At least they give you a measly $25 on your birthday.

Overall, store credit cards don't tend to be the best way to go if you have other credit card options. Their benefits tend to be limited and sometimes even nonexistent, and their APRs are unusually high. Be careful when signing up for a new credit card, and be sure to do your research. Liking a store isn't a good enough reason to go with their card.


Dan Kahanis a writer & screenwriter from Brooklyn, usually rocking a man bun. Find more at dankahanwriter.com

"

This Credit Card Myth Simply Will Not Die

I can’t remember who gave me this personal finance hack, or, rather, advice: but one juicy tidbit was that I should keep a balance on my credit cards and that it would up my credit score. I’ve even wiped out the balance on a credit card debt and then purchased something that I slowly pay

Creating A Distraction-Free Zone At Work

Photo by Arlington Research (Unsplash)

You’re powering through your morning. You’re in the zone. Getting so much done. But then you get Slacked with an innocent question: “Gotta moment to discuss the Jefferson thing?” “💯!” you answer instantly and get pulled off-task for 15- 20 minutes. And just before you’ve solved the Jefferson issue, your manager’s supervisor’s EA emails you

The Artists Vs. The Machine: The Dark Side Of AI In The Music Industry

Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department

Republic Records

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become overwhelmingly popular in the past few years. The world has leaned full-force into technology and entrusted AI with, well, everything. You can see AI commercials, AI-powered statistics during sports games, and there was even a whole writer’s strike over the AI Invasion of storytelling and Hollywood. As I’ve watched tens

So…The Hybrid Work Model Is Weighing On Your Mental Health

A majority of the population works from home...but are you happy about it?

Resume Genius via Unsplash

Ever since the pandemic popularized (or forced) virtual meetings and, countless companies adopted the hybrid work model or went completely virtual. And once the public health crisis was declared over, we remained confined to our desks in our kitchens and attics working from home. And it’s not just work. Doctor’s TeleHealth appointments, therapy visits on

The Worst Ways To Use Your Company Credit Card

If your business offers corporate credit cards or expense accounts to employees, there’s a good chance there is unethical spending going on. 33% of corporate credit card holders admit to blatantly defrauding the companies they work for, and twice that amount confess to making “risky purchases.” But a thread on AskReddit reveals some of the

The TRUTH About The Trad Wife Trend

Nara Smith, Lucky Blue Smith, and daughter Rumble Honey

Matthew Brookes / Oliver Peoples

Imagine this: you marry the man of your dreams. You have two beautiful children with another on the way. You spend your days cooking gorgeous, nutritious meals for your family…. from scratch. You get paid to share your daily life and meals with people around the world. But here’s the catch: half of those people

You’ve filed an extension, now what?

April 18 came and your taxes were not ready. So you filed a tax extension. Well, you should file an extension, if you haven’t already. Form 4868 is one of easier tax forms to fill out and it will give you an extra six months to get your taxes together. Everyone is eligible for a

The Unexpected Emergence of Personal Finance TikTok

When you think of personal finance, what springs to mind? Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank fame? Dave Ramsay yelling into a podcast mic? Finance bros tracking their Bitcoin? Unfortunately, these are the images we’re constantly bombarded by. So they’re the archetypes overwhelmingly represented in personal finance. But it’s not all Chads in down vests and