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With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holidays just around the corner, you're probably gearing up to shop for gifts for friends and family. The holiday season can be an expensive for most people, but if you're shopping at major retailers you can easily save some money by using the right credit card or enrolling in free online rebate programs.
Select looked at dozens of credit cards to find the best card to use when shopping at Walmart for Black Friday. Here's what you need to know before you shop online from the comfort of home or in-person and brave the Black Friday crowds.
Walmart Black Friday sales: Here's how to pay
You can pay for your Walmart purchases in a variety of ways such as with a credit card, debit card, cash, gift card or now, a 'buy now, pay later' loan. However, credit cards are one of the best options because they offer rewards and consumer protections.
Here are some of the best cards to use when shopping Walmart's Black Friday Sales:
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Best card for rewards at Walmart
Capital One Walmart Rewards® Card
Information about the Capital One Walmart Rewards® Card has been collected independently by CNBC and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
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Rewards
5% cash back at Walmart.com; 2% cash back on Walmart in-store purchases, at restaurants and on travel; 1% cash back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted
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Welcome bonus
5% back on in-store purchases when using Walmart Pay for the first 12 months after approval (after, earn 2%)
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
17.99% to 26.99% variable
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Good/Excellent
Terms apply.
If you're looking for a card that will earn you a high rewards rate on your in-store and online Walmart.com purchases, you should consider the Capital One Walmart Rewards® Card. The card offers 5% cash back at Walmart.com; 2% cash back on Walmart in-store purchases, at restaurants and on travel and 1% cash back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted.
While you might want a higher rewards rate for your in-store purchases, Walmart also gives cardholders a welcome bonus: 5% back on in-store purchases when using Walmart Pay for the first 12 months of card membership (after, earn 2%).
In other words, if you're signing up for the card for the first time, you can get 5% cash back on both in-store and online purchases during the holiday shopping season. Walmart Pay is also easy to use. Cardholders just need to download an app, add their preferred payment method — a credit card, debit card or gift card — and then scan the QR code that you get at checkout.
Best card for cash back
Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card
On Wells Fargo's secure site
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Rewards
Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
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Welcome bonus
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
0% APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 15 months from account opening
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Regular APR
14.99% to 24.99% variable on purchases and balance transfers
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Balance transfer fee
Introductory fee of 3% ($5 minimum) for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5% ($5 minimum)
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Excellent/Good
For people who want a card that earns them cash back at retailers that are not just Walmart, the Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card is a good option because it offers a welcome bonus and has a solid, flat cash-back rate on all purchases. If you're planning on spending a lot this holiday season, you can cash in on the welcome bonus of $200 cash rewards after you spend $1,000 within the first three months of card membership. You'll also get 2% cash rewards on all eligible purchases. The card has no annual fee.
Best cards for the welcome bonus
Chase Freedom Flex℠
On Chase's secure site
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Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year, 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (then 1%), 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on drugstore purchases and on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 1% cash back on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
$200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
0% for the first 15 months from account opening on purchases
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Regular APR
14.99% to 24.74% variable
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Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Terms apply.
If you're spending a lot more than you typically would this holiday season, a card with a generous welcome bonus could be a good choice for you. With credit cards, you typically only earn between 1% and 5% on your purchases. If you sign up for a new card with a welcome bonus, on the other hand, you have the chance to earn a lot more money upfront.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. That's like earning 40% cash back on $500. So instead of looking for a card that'll earn you cash back on certain spending categories, you might opt for a card with a welcome bonus and a spending requirement that you can hit without going beyond your means.
If you're willing to get a card with an annual fee, you could get a much larger welcome bonus with the Citi Premier® Card, which is currently offering 80,000 ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Citi Premier® Card
On Citi's secure site
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Rewards
3X points per $1 spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and on hotels and air travel, 1X points on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
15.99% to 23.99% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
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Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer, $5 minimum
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Good/Excellent
Terms apply.
Though the redemption value varies, if you redeem the 80,000 points for gift cards at stores like Target and Macy's, you can get $800 to spend which is a one cent per point redemption value. If you assume a one cent per point redemption value, the cash-back rate on the welcome bonus is 20%. Or, you can transfer those ThankYou points to travel partners and potentially receive significantly more value.
Best 0% APR intro period
Wells Fargo Reflect℠ Card
On Wells Fargo's secure site
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Rewards
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Welcome bonus
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
Introductory 0% APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 18 months from account opening; extension of up to 3 months (totally 21 months) with on-time minimum payments during the intro and extension periods
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Regular APR
12.99% to 24.99% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
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Balance transfer fee
Introductory fee of 3% ($5 minimum) for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5% ($5 minimum)
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Excellent/Good
With a 0% introductory APR credit card, cardholders can revolve their balance on new purchases and/or balance transfers without paying interest. The introductory period typically lasts between 12 and 20 months. This means that you can make your holiday purchases now and wait to pay them off without interest and fees (as long you make the minimum monthly payment). However, you should remember that in order to qualify for a 0% APR credit card, you'll need a good (670-739) or excellent (740 and greater) credit score, so this isn't an option for everyone.
The Wells Fargo Reflect℠ Card is a great choice for people who need a longer repayment period: Cardholders will get an an introductory 0% APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (then, 12.99% to 24.99% variable APR) for 18 months from account opening. Cardholders are then eligible for a three month extension if they make on-time payments during the introductory and extension period. You won't get a welcome bonus or any rewards with this card, but it's a good option for those who want to carry a balance on their card without having to pay interest.
Shopping benefits to consider for Walmart Black Friday sales
Shopping portals and cash-back platforms
A shopping portal is offered by affiliates of a company to encourage customers to shop by offering them cash back or rewards. With shopping portals, you typically need to visit a website, download a browser extension or use an app to earn rewards for on your purchases.
CashBackMonitor is one site that will show you which services you can use to earn the greatest amount of rewards when shopping at Walmart. All you have to do is click one of the options and then you'll be redirected to another website where you can sign-up for the respective platform. Once you've signed up, all you need to do is click through the shopping portal to Walmart's website and then shop.
Rakuten is a free service that gives people cash back on certain Walmart purchases. Once you've downloaded the browser extension or the app, click through Rakuten before doing your normal shopping at Walmart. You can then redeem your rewards as cash through PayPal or as a check.
Another service you might consider using is Ibotta, a free cash-back and rebate platform. With Ibotta, you can also earn cash back on certain purchases by using the browser extension or by shopping in person or online through the app or the website.
Credit card shopping benefits
When you're buying gifts this holiday season, there's a chance your sweater arrives with a hole or your new watch doesn't work. If you end up needing to return an item or you receive a faulty product, credit cards are a great payment choice because some offer purchase protection, return protection and an extended warranty. A few credit cards that offer this benefit are The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Walmart+ membership
If you're planning on doing a lot of online shopping at Walmart.com, you might consider getting a Walmart+ membership. With Walmart+, members will receive unlimited free delivery on orders and discounts at select gas stations. The service costs either $98 a year or $12.95 a month, or you could try the 15-day free trial period.
But, if you pay for your Walmart+ membership with The Platinum Card® from American Express, you'll receive a statement credit reimbursing you for the full cost every month.
BNPL with Walmart
Earlier this year, Walmart announced that it was getting rid of it's layaway program which allowed shoppers to pay for an item over time and then collect it once they had paid it off. However, Walmart partnered with Affirm to help customers finance their purchases. With Affirm 'Buy Now, Pay Later' loans, Walmart shoppers can split the cost of their purchase into installment payments due over three to 24 months, depending on the cost of the purchase. And unlike layaway, consumers can get their purchase before they've paid it off in full.
However, with Affirm, you could end up spending more on interest than you would with a traditional credit card: Interest rates range from 10% to 30%, but some items may have a 0% promotional APR offering. Affirm does not charge late fees.
If you're considering using a BNPL loan, you should make sure to read the terms and conditions of your loan. You'll want to check the interest rate, when the payments are due and whether Affirm will report your loan to the credit bureaus.
Affirm does not report loans to Experian that are 0% APR and four bi-weekly payments or if consumers were offered one loan option of a three-month payment term with 0% APR. Short-term BNPL loans could harm your credit score regardless of whether you're paying them off in full and on time, so make sure you understand how a BNPL loan could affect your credit score and how much it could cost you in interest.
Bottom line
Due to supply chain issues and shipping delays this holiday season, it's best to get a head start on gift shopping. With a credit card, you have the potential to earn a welcome bonus and rewards on your purchases and also benefit from purchase protection and an extended warranty. The holiday season might be a big spending period for you, but there's no reason you can't save some money in the process.
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Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
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