Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right
Loading
Tap on the profile icon to edit
your financial details.
We maintain strict editorial integrity in our writing and assessments. This post contains links from our advertisers, and we may receive compensation when you click these links. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone and have not been provided, reviewed or otherwise endorsed by our advertising partners. Please visit our Advertiser Disclosure for more information and to view our partners.

Old Navy Visa® Credit Card Review

Your Details Done
by Updated
Old Navy Visa® Credit Card

5% Back on All Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta Purchases

The Old Navy Visa® Credit Card can offer great rewards to loyal Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta shoppers, including 20% off your first purchase within 90 days of opening an account, as well as early access to upcoming sales.

You get five points for every dollar you spend with the above four brands, and one point for every dollar you spend elsewhere. For every 500 points you accumulate, you can redeem those points for a $5 coupon. So these rewards essentially equal 5% back on purchases.

However, if you reach the 5,000 point threshold within a calendar year, you’ll be upgraded as a Navyist member. This will earn you 20% more rewards every quarter and get you free three- to five-day shipping on all online purchases with Old Navy and its affiliated brands.

You don’t need to pay an annual membership fee to remain an Old Navy cardholder. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for the card is 27.49% Variable — a high interest rate, though not uncommon in the retail credit card sphere.

Smart Features

Earning your $5 rewards coupon - For every dollar you spend on an online or in-store purchase with Old Navy and its affiliated companies – Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta – you’ll get back five points. For every other purchase, you’ll receive one point for every dollar spent. Once you accrue 500 points, you can redeem those points for a $5 rewards certificate.

20% off your first purchase - New cardholders will receive 20% off their first online or in-store purchase. This discount will remain usable for 90 days following your account’s opening date.

No point limitations - While there are no limits to how many points you can earn at any one time, they can expire.

Losing your points after two years - If you have any points that have not issued toward a $5 rewards certificate after 24 months, they will expire. Once you redeem points, though, they’ll actually be issued to your account on the billing statement following the redemption. However, in certain circumstances, this could take up to two billing cycles.

Navyist Card status - If you can gather 5,000 points within a year, you’ll become a Navyist status member. This will earn you 20% extra rewards points every quarter, as well as free three- to five-day shipping with the code “NAVYIST” on any online purchase from Old Navy or its sister companies. Also, on your Banana Republic purchases, you can get basic alterations done without having to pay anything extra.

No annual fee - You won’t have to pay a yearly charge to remain an Old Navy cardholder.

Early access to sales – You’ll be alerted about upcoming sales. This perk is aimed at making sure you know about sales early enough that you can prepare and get in on them before they end.

Up to $10 in bonus rewards - Once you have an account, if you give Old Navy your email address and sign up for paperless billing statements, you’ll get back 1,000 points, or $10 in bonus rewards. Doing just one or the other separately will result in 500 earned points.

Keeping track of your points – You can see how many points and redemptions you have to your name right on the spot through your online Old Navy account at Secure-OldNavy.Gap.com.

Visa Zero fraud liability – If you notify Visa about any unauthorized purposes, you will be completely off the hook for that amount, no questions asked.

Who It Benefits

The Old Navy Visa® Credit Card is clearly the most beneficial if you shop at Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, as those stores are where the vast majority of earned points will come from. In fact, for every $1 spent with these retailers, you’ll earn five points back, with 500 points equaling a $5 rewards certificate.

Although one point is earned for every dollar spent elsewhere with the Old Navy Visa® Credit Card, typical transactions probably won't garner enough points for this high APR card to be totally worth it.

How It Works

You can apply for an Old Navy Visa® Credit Card either in-store or online, and you’ll immediately be shown rewards possibilities as soon as you’re approved. Right off the bat, your first online or in-store purchase within 90 days of opening your account will result in a 20% off discount.

But you’ll earn the most rewards with the points system, where you’ll get back five points for every dollar you spend with Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta. Every other purchase will garner one point per dollar spent. Once you reach 500 points, they will automatically redeem for a $5 rewards certificate that you can use with any of those four companies, online or in-store.

If you rack up 5,000 points in a calendar year, you’ll be included in the Navyist Card program. This exclusive membership will grant you 20% more rewards every quarter, free three- to five-day shipping on all online purchases with this quartet of retailers and free basic clothing alterations on anything purchased from Banana Republic.

Those points you earn that aren’t converted toward a rewards certificate will expire after two years. When you do redeem points, they will be issued to your account during the following billing cycle, though sometimes it can take up to two cycles to do this. Even with all this, there’s absolutely no cap on how many points you can earn.

All your rewards points earnings can be kept track of at Secure-OldNavy.Gap.com, where you can also easily redeem points towards certificates. If you disclose your email to Old Navy, you’ll earn 500 bonus points, and if you go with paperless statements, you’ll get the same. In essence, these two optional tasks give you a bonus of 1,000 points -- $10 in rewards certificates.

What's the Catch?

The Old Navy Visa® Credit Card features a high APR at 27.49% Variable. Though an interest rate in this area is fairly common for retailer-specific credit cards, it’s still a high APR.

It might be frustrating for some that as soon as you redeem your points, they aren’t in your account and ready to be spent. Old Navy applies a policy where it only gives out rewards certificates at the end of the month when they spent or when the billing cycle ends. In some rarer cases, this could take up to two billing cycles, further slowing down the redemption process.

Just the Math Please

Rewards

The majority of the rewards you’ll earn with the Old Navy Visa® Credit Card come from the five-points-per-dollar-spent rate that you get from making purchases at Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta. Every other purchase with the card will instead earn one point per dollar spent.

Once you’ve built up at least 500 points, you can then redeem those fictional points into real-life value in the form of a $5 rewards certificate. These rewards can be used to help cover the cost of any in-store or online purchase made with one of the above four brand names.

But perhaps the first promotion you’ll take advantage of is the 20% off discount you’ll have available to you for the first 90 days of your account's life. This coupon can be applied to any online or in-store purchase with Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic or Athleta.

Rates and Fees

Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for Purchases

27.49% Variable, based on your creditworthiness. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.

APR for Balance Transfers

N/A

APR for Cash Advances

28.49% Variable, based on your creditworthiness. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.

Penalty APR and When It Applies

N/A

How to Avoid Paying Interest on Purchases

Your due date is at least 23 days after the close of each billing cycle. You will not be charge any interest on purchases if you pay your entire balance by the due date each month.

Annual Fee

$0

Transaction Fees

  • Cash Advance: Either $10 or 4% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.

  • Foreign Transaction: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.

Penalty Fees

  • Late Payment: Up to $39

See all Rates and Fees

How It Stacks Up

It can be useful to see how the features of the Old Navy Visa® Credit Card compare to another industry option. For example, how does the My Kohl’s Charge card stand up against it?

The My Kohl’s Charge card has a much more controlled rewards environment, meaning that you don’t have as much choice in what you want to save money on. This is because most of the promotions Kohl’s affords cardholders are special offers for specific sales, etc.

By contrast, the Old Navy Visa® Credit Card is much more open and inclusive, as you can spend the $5 rewards certificates you earn by racking up 500 points online or in-store with not only Old Navy, but Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta as well.

Both cards offer sign-up discounts, 20% for Old Navy and 35% for Kohl’s, as well as higher level membership programs, “Most Valued Customer” for Kohl’s and “Navyist Card" status for Old Navy, if you spend enough to meet their requirements. Overall, they both have extremely similar rewards programs, though the Old Navy Visa® Credit Card has much more controllable rewards.

Bottom Line

The Old Navy Visa® Credit Card has a very strong rewards program featuring the ability to earn quite a few $5 certificates, along with 20% off your first purchase as a cardholder. If you spend enough to reach the 5,000 point threshold for the Navyist status, this card becomes more beneficial, as whatever rewards you earn during a three-month quarter are automatically compounded by 20%.

So if you’re a big lover not only of Old Navy, but also of Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, this card could be a good fit. Even though the 27.49% Variable APR is high, and will probably deter some prospective cardholders, it won’t really affect you as long as you don’t overspend and can fully pay off your card's balance at the end of each billing cycle.

Next Steps

  • Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors in your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • Saving money is easier said than done, but having a high-yield savings account is a great start. To see what's available today, take a look at our overview of the top savings accounts.

Save more with these rates that beat the National Average
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to find savings account that fit your criteria. Please change your search criteria and try again.
Searching for accounts...
As of
Marketing Disclosure
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to find savings account that fit your criteria. Please change your search criteria and try again.
Searching for accounts...
As of
Marketing Disclosure