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 Jun 2023
- 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.
- $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.
- If you're a 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 no expiration on rewards.
- 0% Introductory APR for 18 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 17.99% - 27.99% Variable APR will apply. A 3% fee applies to all balance transfers.
- 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
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 18 billing cycles for purchases
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0% Intro APR for 18 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days
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17.99% - 27.99% 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.
- 0% Introductory APR for 21 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 15.99% - 25.99% Variable APR will apply. A 3% fee applies to all balance transfers.
- No annual fee.
- No penalty APR. Paying late won't automatically raise your interest rate (APR). Other account pricing and terms apply.
- Access your FICO® Score for free within Online Banking or your Mobile Banking app.
- 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 21 billing cycles for purchases
|
0% Intro APR for 21 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days
|
15.99% - 25.99% 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.
- UNLIMITED BONUS: Only Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
- Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase - with no annual fee.
- Redeem Miles to pay any part of your monthly bill, including your minimum payment.
- Turn Miles into cash in any amount, any time. Or redeem as a statement credit for travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more with no blackout dates. However you redeem, Miles keep the same value. And Miles never expire.
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 16.99% - 27.99% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
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Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 15 months
|
0% Intro APR for 15 months
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16.99% - 27.99% Variable APR
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$0
|
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.
Final Word on the Kohl's Charge Card
We rated the Kohl’s Charge Card a 3.7/5.0, with it’s 24.99% – 27.99% APR on purchases being a major factor in that rating. We generally recommend using credit cards with a lower APR and better set of rewards, whether you’re shopping at Kohl’s Charge Card or elsewhere.
For better options than the Kohl’s Charge Card, see our top picks for 2023:
If you decide the Kohl’s Charge Card or another card is right for you, be sure to know all the terms and details before applying. Happy shopping!
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