Since 1977, American Eagle has been known for its selection of fashionable clothing and accessories at competitive prices. With nearly 1,000 stores worldwide, the company has expanded into nearly every major mall in America — and beyond.
Given the popularity of its line of jeans, polo shirts, and graphic tees for men and women, many consumers flock to the store each season to stay ahead of the fashion curve. If you're one of those shoppers who frequents the store for the latest threads, the Real Rewards Credit Card may be for you. The card offers decent rewards as well as a $5 reward for every 1,250 points earned, making it one of the better store cards in the fashion industry.
Better Cards to Use at American Eagle
The American Eagle Credit Card has many perks that stand out among its store card peers. With the ability to earn store credit, free clothes, and discounts on your purchases, it's got many clear benefits.
A major drawback is the limitation on its usage. As a closed-loop card, it can only be used in American Eagle and Aerie stores and online at ae.com. With a traditional rewards card, the benefits — and improved interest rate — make the ideal choice clear.
Cash Back
Rewards are good. American Eagle realizes this and tacked a generous amount onto its point structure. For every $170 you spend, a $10 rewards credit is given. At first, that may sound like a great deal, but a person can only use so many items of clothing. After a while, it gets superfluous.
With a cash back card, you can potentially earn unlimited cash rewards that can be used for any card purchase via a statement credit redemption. You can still make that purchase at American Eagle, but reward yourself afterward with a free coffee to relax after a hard day of shopping.
4.9
- $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
- Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice, automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases) and unlimited 1% on all other purchases.
- Choose 3% cash back on gas and EV charging station, online shopping/cable/internet/phone plan/streaming, dining, travel, drug store/pharmacy or home improvement/furnishings purchases.
- If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. That means you could earn 3.75%-5.25% cash back on purchases in your choice category.
- No annual fee and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% - 28.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America.
- Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
- This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases
|
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days (Balance Transfer Fee 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4%)
|
18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
|
$0
|
Excellent/Good
|
Additional Disclosure: Bank of America is a CardRates advertiser.
0% APR
Don't get tricked into thinking that 31.24% is a good interest rate because it's similar to other store card offerings. It's still higher than the average APR. With a low-interest card, you may trade some of the rewards for the benefit of lower interest charges (though excellent credit can give you the best of both worlds).
Think of it this way: If your $170 purchase carries over into the next payment period on your AEO card, you'll accrue finance charges. Suddenly, that $10 rewards card isn't quite as valuable. With a low APR card, your existing balances and any you charge in the future won't sit as heavy on your bank account if you can't pay them all off instantly.
4.8
- $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
- Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice, automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases) and unlimited 1% on all other purchases.
- Choose 3% cash back on gas and EV charging station, online shopping/cable/internet/phone plan/streaming, dining, travel, drug store/pharmacy or home improvement/furnishings purchases.
- If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. That means you could earn 3.75%-5.25% cash back on purchases in your choice category.
- No annual fee and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% - 28.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America.
- Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
- This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases
|
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days (Balance Transfer Fee 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4%)
|
18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
|
$0
|
Excellent/Good
|
Additional Disclosure: Bank of America is a CardRates advertiser.
Travel Rewards
With the American Eagle Credit Card, you can use your purchase of clothing to buy more clothing. With a travel rewards card, like the one shown below, you can use that purchase to get you closer to a trip that'll allow you to show off those new threads.
Many of our favorite travel cards provide flexible redemption options with no blackout dates or airline restrictions, meaning you can go where you want, when you want. Those new jeans would look really good on vacation.
4.9
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
- Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% for 15 months
|
0% for 15 months
|
19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
|
$0
|
Excellent, Good
|
If you have damaged credit and want to rebuild your profile, the Real Rewards Credit Card is a solid option — assuming you're in the market for new clothes. To properly rebuild your history, though, you'll need regular purchases and payoffs. That makes this card very limited in terms of practicality.
With many rewards cards available for even fair or damaged credit, there are likely options that would serve you better — while still giving you the ability to make those American Eagle purchases.
American Eagle Card Overall Rating: 4.0/5.0
The Real Rewards Credit Card gives new cardholders 30% off of their first purchase, plus 15 rewards points for every dollar spent. A $5 reward is given for every 1,250 points, in addition to a birthday coupon and exclusive cardmember sales. If you spend more than $350 per year, you'll earn 20 points per $1 spent to help boost your earnings.
The rewards of the card are clear if you make enough purchases over time. Just be sure to pay your balance in full to avoid any late fees or finance charges.
American Eagle Credit Card
- APR: 31.24% as of Feb 2024
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards: Earn 15 points per $1 spent at AE or Aerie
If shopping at American Eagle is your thing, the Real Rewards Credit Card offers enough perks to keep your closet — and wallet — full through any season.
While the card offers great perks for members, it is limited in how those perks can be used. Redeemable only at American Eagle and Aerie stores and on its website, the card’s might help keep you well-dressed — but that's about it.
Approval Requirements & Application
American Eagle offers two versions of the card, a closed-loop store card for fair credit and a Visa version for people with good credit. While approval for the closed-loop version isn't uncommon for applicants in the mid-600s, credit limits that hover around $150 for those customers are the norm. That puts it just short of being able to earn you a reward coupon.
If you apply and are approved for the American Eagle Credit Card, check back after your first six months to see if you're eligible for a credit limit increase. With responsible usage, issuers are often willing to extend more credit.
What Others Say About the American Eagle Credit Card
American Eagle's Credit Card offers in-store rewards equal to a 4% cash back card. While that's stellar within the space, cardholders are limited as to where and how they can use their bonus.
Atop those limitations are several complaints about customer service and the way transactions are processed through the card. Below are a sampling of the reviews we found.
I discovered an advertisement that said if I applied for their store credit card, I could get a discount on my order. Being a frugal guy, I applied for their credit card via their website only to discover that I had to make a phone call. I called the number provided and ended up waiting a long time until a person picked up and made me go through some nuisance security tests before I could finally get my darn credit card. But then I found out I wouldn't get to use my card until it was sent to me. They could've stated that in the banner ad. Instead of being vague, they should've put that out there in bold lettering. Other stores don't do this. Macy's doesn't do this. Best Buy doesn't do this. When you apply for a store credit card, you should have it INSTANTLY. So, thanks for dropping down my credit score and doing a hard check on my credit report. Once I got my credit card, I went back to the checkout only to find out that one of the items in my cart was out of stock. I had to find another item that was similar because I really wanted one and added it to my cart. After that whole fiasco was done, I finally tried to checkout again and paid via PayPal and everything went through. The next day, I woke up to an email saying that my order got canceled to a security issue. — TrustPilot.com
”
Unless you're hurting for credit, this card isn't worth it. You only earn points to get a $10 coupon to use in store. Other cards give better benefits. I'm only keeping mine open so I don't take a ding on my credit report. Customer service is great if you can get to them. Their automated line is complete crap and just keeps repeating itself. It takes at least five minutes with an automated voice to get transferred. — CreditKarma.com
”
The rewards and little 'extras' that you receive for being a cardholder are really good (including the birthday reward). It just seems that the interest rate is a little high. This card would really be perfect for somebody who, essentially, doesn't need a credit card- because you're going to want to pay the card off right away! — WalletHub.com
”Is the American Eagle Card Right for You?
If you're a fan of American Eagle's jeans and other clothing items, you could accrue substantial savings with regular purchases through the Real Rewards Credit Card. If your closet is already pretty full and you plan to just buy a few items every now and then, you're likely better served with an open-loop card that can be used anywhere you shop and still offer you the perks you deserve for your purchasing power.
Applying for the card comes down to how often you plan on using it — and how quickly you'll be able to pay your balance in full. If you're not sure on either of those, your wallet will thank you for the addition of a different card.
Advertiser Disclosure
CardRates.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation for referrals for many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across CardRates.com (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CardRates.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.
Editorial Note: Our site content is not provided or commissioned by any credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed on CardRates.com are the author's alone, not those of any credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by credit card issuers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information; however, all credit card offer details, including information about rewards, signup bonuses, introductory offers, and other terms and conditions, is presented without warranty. Clicking on any offer on CardRates.com will direct you to the issuer's website, where you can review the current terms and conditions of the offer.
About the Author
