wealthgeist
Are store credit cards worth it?
You're at the checkout, and there's an offer to earn more rewards with the store's credit card. You shop there regularly, so it sounds plausible. But is it worth having another bill to keep track of?
It can be, if the card adds enough usable rewards on purchases you'd make anyway. The amount that matters is the extra value over your current card, after any fees. Counting every point the store offers can make that extra value look larger than it is.
The WealthGeist Card Finder can help you test that decision: use your usual spending to compare your current card with the everyday-and-store-card combinations we cover, after fees.
Separate the credit card from the loyalty program
A retailer's loyalty membership and its credit card aren't necessarily the same thing. Before comparing, check which rewards you can collect as an ordinary member, regardless of how you pay, and which require the credit card.
Suppose a store gives members an offer worth $10 on a planned purchase, whether they use its credit card or a different one. You can use that $10 in either case, so it isn't a $10 reason to switch cards. Only the difference belongs in your comparison.
If a checkout sign bundles the card's points with a member-only offer, separate the two before comparing cards. Otherwise, you could give the new card credit for a reward you'd receive anyway.
Work out what the extra card would add
Here's an illustrative comparison in Canadian dollars. You spend $500 a month at one retailer, or $6,000 a year. Your everyday card earns 1.5% there. A fictional store card earns rewards worth 4% on those same purchases, after excluding any loyalty rewards available with either card.
Assume both cards have no annual fee, no reward caps and no welcome offers. You can redeem the store rewards at their stated value on purchases you'd make anyway, and you pay both statement balances in full by their due dates.
Your everyday card would earn $90 on the $6,000. The store card would earn $240. Adding the store card therefore gives you $150 more per year, about $12.50 a month. The decision is whether that amount is worth managing the second card.
You can keep using your everyday card elsewhere. If your other purchases total $18,000 and earn 1.5%, that's another $270. Together, the cards return $510, compared with $360 from using the everyday card alone. The store purchases count once, not on both cards.
A reward only helps if you'll redeem it
That $150 advantage assumes you can use the rewards. If they're redeemable only at certain stores, check that those are places you expect to keep shopping. Also check minimum redemption amounts, excluded purchases and any expiry conditions in the program terms.
Convert points to dollars before comparing them with cash back. In a made-up program where 10,000 points buys $10 of eligible purchases, 1,000 points is worth $1 for that redemption. The size of the points balance alone doesn't tell you much.
Prices still matter more than points. If chasing the store's rewards makes you spend $30 more each month than you otherwise would, that's $360 a year. It more than erases the $150 gain in our example. There's no saving if the card persuades you to buy more, or pay more, to collect it.
Give the second bill a place in the decision
A second card means another balance and due date to manage. If either balance is left unpaid, interest can outweigh the extra rewards. Check where the card is accepted, too, before expecting it to replace your everyday card.
If the card or a required membership adds a fee you wouldn't otherwise pay, subtract that from the extra rewards. For someone who shops at the retailer rarely, the remaining benefit may be too small to justify another account. For a regular shopper who already tracks payments comfortably, it may be useful.
Compare your wallet before adding to it
Look at a few months of purchases to see how much you actually spend at the retailer. Keep that store spending within your grocery or shopping total; it isn't an extra category of money you've spent.
If the store card only comes out ahead when you shop there more often or buy extra things, keep your current card. A useful second card rewards the shopping you already do.
See what adding a store card could mean for your wallet. Use spending estimates or a supported statement export to compare your current card with the combinations we cover. Each purchase counts once, and the estimated value includes annual fees.
Want to check a card's features first? Browse the card list and open its details to review rewards, fees and where it can be used.
Sources
Reviewed September 12, 2026. The worked examples use illustrative assumptions, not current card offers.
- Office of Consumer Affairs: Reward and customer loyalty programs. Retail rewards, redemption restrictions and the value of points.
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Choosing a credit card. Comparing fees, borrowing costs and benefits you expect to use.
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Paying off your credit card. How unpaid balances and interest increase the cost of purchases.
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