The first Zales Jewelers was founded by Morris Zale, William Zale, and Ben Lipshy in 1924. The trio built Zales into a viable chain with its remarkable credit plan that allowed customers to put a penny down and make weekly payments of $1. The company changed hands in 2014, when Signet Jewelers (owners of Kay Jewelers and Jared) purchased the Zale Corporation. Although Zales currently operates over 700 stores in the US, they began shuttering doors in early 2017.
Given the success of its initial credit plan, it makes sense that Zales has continued the financing tradition through its Zales Credit Card. But while the card's special financing can be handy to those who make the most of it, the deferred interest model and sky-high APR that come with the card can easily ruin any potential savings.
Zales Card Overall Rating: 1.7/5.0
Unlike the vast majority of store credit cards, the Zales Credit Card doesn't offer cardholders any purchase rewards. Instead, the card's main focus is special financing. So, given that the financing options available to Zales Credit Card users are the card's primary offering, you'd think that they would be, well, better.
Unfortunately, the financing deals are only really deals under the right circumstances. For example, if you need longer than 18 months to pay off your purchase, you won't receive the 0% APR offer, instead paying 9.99% APR for up to 36 months. And each time you use the 12- or 18-month financing options, you'll be charged a $9.95 transaction fee.
Zales Credit Card
- APR: 29.99% as of Jun 2023
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards: Get special financing on qualifying purchases
And it gets worse from there. Unless you can completely pay off your entire purchase amount before the end of your promotional period — or you make even one late payment — you'll be charged interest on the entire purchase amount. And that 9.99% rate looks downright generous next to the 29.99% APR you'll be charged for regular and deferred interest.
Beyond the financing, cardholders do get a handful of other benefits, including free standard shipping for online orders and a $50 off birthday coupon. Cardholders can also receive exclusive coupons, jewelry inspection reminders, and 10% off repair services charged to their Zales Credit Card.
Approval Requirements & Application
Although store credit cards are often easier to obtain than open-loop cards, there is no evidence that the Zales Credit Card accepts bad-credit applicants. Instead, you'll likely need at least fair credit or better to qualify.
You can apply for a Zales Credit Card online through the link below, or while shopping at any Zales location.
Better Cards to Use at Zales
No matter what you're looking for in a credit card, the odds are fairly good you can find a better option than the Zales Credit Card, even for your Zales purchases. Even a basic rewards card will likely provide better savings, and a wide range of credit cards are available with 0% APR offers that can compete with the special financing offered by the card — without that dangerous deferred financing.
Cash Back
While few, if any, credit cards offer bonus rewards specifically on jewelry purchases, you can easily earn up to 2% cash back on your Zales purchases with a good unlimited cash back card. Even better, you can use the card to earn rewards anywhere, rather than being limited to a single merchant as you would be with the Zales Credit Card.
- $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 have decent credit and want to finance a Zales purchase for 12 months or more, your best option is likely to obtain a credit card with an introductory 0% APR offer. Not only will you receive more than a year of 0% interest, but you can often do so with no annual fee. Plus, if you can't pay off your full balance before the end of the promotional period, no problem; you'll only be charged interest on the remaining balance, rather than the full purchase price.
- 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
What good is fine jewelry if you've no place to wear it? With a great travel rewards credit card, you can turn that big-budget broach or ritzy ring purchase into points or miles that can be used for free flights or hotel stays.
- 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)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 15 months
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0% Intro APR for 15 months
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16.99% - 27.99% Variable APR
|
$0
|
Excellent/Good
|
The Zales Credit Card doesn't actually offer its users very much in the way of perks and benefits, which makes it a simple task to find better cards in today's glutted market. Whether you want rewards, 0% interest, or a way to hasten your next vacation, you can likely find an open-loop credit card that provides way more value than the Zales Credit Card.
What Others Say About the Zales Credit Card
The most common complaint about the Zales Credit Card is that its customer service is severely lacking. A goodly number of reviewers also found fault with how the credit card's promotional financing was explained to them in-store, particularly that the card's deferred interest policy was not disclosed by the sales associate at sign-up.
This card is very INCONVENIENT. The website doesn't allow you to set up MONTHLY autopay. You must manually log in once a month by your due date to schedule a payment. Only one payment is allowed every 30 days!! So users beware if you're taking advantage of 6 months no interest same as cash! My best advice: use your personal online banking account and schedule monthly auto payments a week before they're due!! I have several credit cards and ALL of them allow you to set up AUTOPAY!! It's ridiculous and a SCAM really so that you get hit with all that interest at 29%+ when you don't pay off and/or monthly late fees because their WEBSITE/CUSTOMER SERVICE stinks. I called to complain and the Comenity associate assured me that AUTOPAY was an option. TOTAL LIE! I scoured all the payment options. ONE TIME PAYMENT, MAIL, or PAY BY PHONE is all that is allowed. — CreditKarma.com
”
The Zales Credit Card has meager benefits and no purchase rewards. The 0% financing deals can be helpful for those who need a little longer to pay off a purchase, but they operate on deferred financing, which can be a real shock to those who don't understand how it works. Essentially, if you don't pay off your full balance before your financing expires, you'll be charged interest on the whole amount. — WalletHub.com
”
I got a diamond cross pendant from Zales on a credit account. Made my payments on time but somehow they were showing that they weren't paid. Called them to fix the issue. Had all my receipts. Took them four months to fix the issue after I made my payments on time. Zales's credit system sucks. — ConsumerAffairs.com
”Is the Zales Card Right for You?
Although the Zales Credit Card's special financing deals can be very useful for cardholders who can repay their full purchase before the terms expire, that's really it's only value to most users.
The fringe benefits are limited in use, and it's unlikely that many will find the birthday coupon, repair discount, or free shipping to be worth the hassle of a new card, particularly one with questionable customer service. All in all, unless your credit score is too low to qualify for a better financing deal, the Zales Credit Card is simply a poor choice for most shoppers.
Final Word on the Zales Charge Card
We rated the Zales Charge Card a 1.7/5.0, with it’s 29.99% 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 Zales Charge Card or elsewhere.
For better options than the Zales Charge Card, see our top picks for 2023:
If you decide the Zales 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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