Writer: Brittney Mayer
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Reviewer: Ashley Fricker
Disclosure: When you apply through links on our site, we may earn a referral fee from our partners. For more, see our ad disclosure and review policy.
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.
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.
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.
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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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|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases
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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%)
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18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
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$0
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Excellent/Good
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Additional Disclosure: Bank of America 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.
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
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.
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
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% for 15 months
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0% for 15 months
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19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
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$0
|
Excellent, Good
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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.
Kohl's Card Overall Rating: 3.7/5.0
The store’s credit card is called the Kohl’s Card. It’s a “closed-loop” store card, meaning you can use it only at Kohl’s. The interest rate is quite high — 30.99% as of October 2023 — 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 pays 7.5% back in the form of Kohls' Cash that can be redeemed for future purchases.
Kohl's Credit Card
- APR: 30.99% as of Feb 2024
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards: Receive 12+ special Kohl's offers each year.
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 35% off your first Kohl's Card purchase.
Having a Kohl’s Card 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 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.
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.
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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.
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