![Kohl’s Credit Card Review ([current_year])](https://www.cardrates.com/images/uploads/2017/08/feature-image.jpg?width=415&height=216 "Kohl’s Credit Card Review ([current_year])")
If you live in the United States, there’s a very good chance you live near a Kohl’s department store. The company has 1,100 locations in 49 states (sorry, Hawaii). The first Kohl's Department Store opened in 1962, selling groceries alongside its other goods.
Today, the retailer is best known for its selection of clothing, shoes, and accessories, but Kohl's also has a robust offering of housewares, kitchen products, and gifts. For regular shoppers, the store’s credit card is a decent choice. It has the potential to save frequent Kohl’s customers a lot of money — but getting maximum value out of the card can be complicated.
Kohl's Card Overall Rating: 3.7/5.0
The store’s credit card is called the Kohl’s Charge. It’s a “closed-loop” store card, meaning you can use it only at Kohl’s. The interest rate is quite high — 21.9% as of February 2017 — so you may want to avoid carrying a balance on your Kohl's card.
Many store cards, such as the Amazon Prime Store Card, offer cardholders a discount on every purchase. The Kohl’s card is different. Instead of knocking off 5% or so at checkout, Kohl’s runs regular promotions and “secret sales” to give cardholders extra opportunities to shop at a discount, advertising at least 12 special offers a year.
Kohl's Credit Card
- APR: 24.99% - 27.99% as of Jul 2019
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards: Receive 12+ special Kohl's offers each year.
The discounts, too, can be significant. Budget-conscious shoppers who wait for sales and get lucky with an especially good scratch-off coupon can buy clothes for a fraction of what the price tags say. The initial signup bonus can also be quite lucrative, providing 30% off your first Kohl's Charge Card purchase.
Having a Kohl’s Charge makes shopping there easier. Returns are smooth, even without a receipt, because the sales associates can look up your purchase history in their database. Forgot your card at home? They can verify your account information, check your ID, and let you charge things anyway.
Approval Requirements & Application
The Kohl's Charge Card has relatively flexible credit requirements, with reviewers reporting being accepted with even poor credit scores. You can apply for the Kohl's card in your local store, or head online using the link below.
Better Cards to Use at Kohl's
If you don’t shop at Kohl’s very often, or don’t want to deal with all the sales and gimmicks, there are other credit cards out there. Our top-rated cash back and travel rewards cards will give you perks no matter where you shop and can be redeemed for a wide range of rewards – not just rewards at Kohl’s. Check out our expert’s top picks.
Cash Back
A good cash back program is like a coupon that’s valid everywhere your credit card is accepted, giving you a percentage of your purchases as a statement credit or gift card. When it comes to comparing cash back offers, the main factor to consider is the nature of the cash back program.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
- To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 13.99% – 23.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 13.99% – 23.99% based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi's discretion.
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
0% Intro APR Period 18 months on Balance Transfers
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13.99% – 23.99% (Variable)
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$0
|
Excellent, Good
|
Additional Disclosure: Citi is a CardRates advertiser.
0% APR
If you’ve been taking good care of your finances, and have earned a good credit report, you are likely eligible for one of these three top low-APR offers. Use them to pay less interest on your purchases.
- INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 14.99% - 23.74%.
- No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR on Purchases 15 months
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0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers 15 months
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14.99% - 23.74% Variable
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$0
|
Good/Excellent
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Travel Rewards
Travel rewards cards are a good option for those who want to use the same rewards card to purchase their hotel accommodations as they do their airline tickets. The best travel rewards cards on the market offer sizeable signup bonuses that could have you on your way to the beaches or slopes in no time.
- Enjoy a one-time bonus of 60,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $600 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X 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
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- 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
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Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
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15.99% - 23.99% (Variable)
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$95
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Excellent, Good
|
If you shop at Kohl’s often, chances are this card will save you some money. The discounts come frequently and are fairly substantial, and if you plan ahead to use them for bigger purchases they can get very valuable. Otherwise, we would recommend one of these alternative cards as the Kohl’s card can be used in-store only, as it’s not co-branded with a major card network.
What Others Say About the Kohl's Credit Card
Wondering what others who have used the Kohl’s card are saying about their experience? We’ve gathered some of the top reviews around the web below.
This was worse mistake of my life. I opened the card to get the discount. I paid it off in the store. Now a year later I find out that they have been charging my card since April. I just had to pay an outrageous amount of money to get this card off my credit. The phone people blamed it on me. They never once sent a bill informing me I owe money. I have closed my card and will never open anything with Kohls again. — CreditKarma.com
”
No complaints! Loving it so far the couple months I’ve had it, great rewards perks. Credit line is low though but I'm okay with that since it's less temptation to spend. As long as you pay off your balance each month the interest isn't a worry, all rewards cards at least for stores have high interest rates. — WalletHub.com
”
If you want your credit score to take a hit use this card. I have paid the balance on time always but I missed one payment (due to the site and auto pay) issues, it got immediately reported to the credit bureau and my credit score suffered immensely. This is the second time it happened and I am cancelling my card right away. Not to mentioned that the late fees is $37 apart from your credit score dinged. Stay away from this card! — NerdWallet.com
”Is the Kohl's Card Right for You?
This card is best for regular Kohl’s shoppers who are also in possession of an additional credit card with a reward structure and more reasonable interest rate. It may be worthwhile to apply for this card if you think you’ll use the 12 coupons that being a cardholder will get you. If MVC status and its additional coupons are valuable enough in your estimation to justify spending $600 or more on the card each year (money that could be earning rewards if you used a cashback card), make sure to pay off your balance in full each month to avoid the high interest rates.
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 from many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across the site (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: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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