Get 5 Points Back for Every $1 Spent at T.J.Maxx
The TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® offers frequent T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and Sierra Trading Post shoppers the chance to get $10 rewards certificates back for every $200 they spend either in-store or online with these companies. You even get 10% off your first in-store or online purchase as well, depending on which medium you use to apply for an account.
That means that you’ll earn five points for every dollar spent with those four retailers, though you can also earn one point per dollar spent everywhere else Mastercard is accepted. Once you’ve accumulated 1,000 total points, you can then redeem them for a $10 reward, though you can hold off and redeem in up to $20 denominations depending on your point total.
You can compound your benefits by including a free TJX Rewards® Access membership with your newfound TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard®. This will give you access to free shipping offers for online orders, as well as other periodic and monthly sweepstakes, giveaways and instant-win prizes.
While it’s extremely beneficial that there’s no annual fee with this card, all cardholders will receive the same variable APR of 28.49% Variable . This is no doubt a high APR, so it would be ideal to keep paying off your card every month you use it.
Smart Features
Building up rewards points - For every dollar you spend at a U.S. based T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and Sierra Trading Post, you’ll earn five points. Any Marshalls purchases in Canada will get you one point per dollar spent. Outside of those brands, you’ll also garner one point per dollar spent.
1,000 points = $10 rewards certificate - Once you’ve accumulated 1,000 total points, you can then redeem them for a $10 rewards certificate. These can also be issued in $20 denominations, but that’s up to you. Certificates can be used toward purchases made in-store with T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and Sierra Trading Post, or online through TJXMaxx.com and SierraTradingPost.com.
10% off your first purchase - New cardholders who applied online will receive a 10%-off coupon to be used only toward an online purchase. If you instead applied through a mobile device, that 10% off coupon will be sent in the mail with your new card. In this case, the coupon will be available for use on an in-store purchase.
Point and rewards stipulations - While points you earn never expire, the rewards certificates you redeem them for do. This will occur two years following the original issue date, so you’ve got plenty of time to use them. Rewards also cannot be used to pay off your monthly credit statement, buy gift cards, e-gift cards or cash.
No annual fee - There is no yearly charge needed to remain a TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® cardholder.
Pair with a TJX Rewards® Access membership - Cardholders who are simultaneously TJX Rewards® Access members will gain the most benefit, especially as this bonus service is free.
Free shipping - Members get access to free shipping on online orders, significantly improving their digital shopping experience.
$100 gift card sweepstakes - Every time you shop with T.J.Maxx, HomeGoods or Marshalls, you’ll be entered into their monthly drawing for an $100 gift card.
Bonuses - You’ll be eligible to receive various giveaways and instant-win prizes from time to time, just for shopping with the T.J.Maxx brands.
Optional card security - Card Security will be offered to you during the application process. This is a protection against up to $10,000 of credit card debt following a covered incident occurring in your life. This includes unemployment, hospitalization, disability or loss of life. To use this service, you must pay $1.66 per $100 of each of your monthly statement balances.
Who It Benefits
Who this card is meant for is highlighted right in the name of the TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® -- frequenters of not only T.J.Maxx, but also its sister companies in Marshalls, HomeGoods and Sierra Trading Post. While you’ll earn one point for every dollar spent with the card wherever Mastercard is accepted, the real point growth will come when you often shop with the above brands, as every dollar spent there will garner you five points.
That rate will get you to 1,000 points quite a bit faster than the one-point base rate, getting you $10 in rewards as fast as possible. U.S. customers are preferable as well, since Canadian Marshalls shoppers earn the one-point base rate.
How It Works
It’s very simple — if you want to earn as much back in rewards certificates as possible with the TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard®, you must spend money with T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods or Sierra Trading Post on a regular or semi-regular basis. Doing so will earn you five points for every dollar spent, while all other purchases garner you just one point per dollar spent.
Once you’ve built up 1,000 points or more, you can redeem them for rewards certificates in $10 or $20 increments, with 1,000 points equaling $10. These certificates can be spent online at TJXMaxx.com and SierraTradingPost.com or in-store with any of the above four brands.
Once you redeem your earned points for a $10 or $20 rewards certificate, your rewards will have an expiration date placed on it two years after the original issue date. But the points themselves don’t have any expiration dates at all, meaning you should only redeem them when you know you’re going to use the certificate.
Any rewards you redeem can only be used to cover the cost of purchases online or in-store as is listed above. In other words, they cannot be used to pay off your monthly credit statement or to purchase gift cards, e-gift cards or cash.
The 10% off your first purchase offer has a couple rules attached to it that will dictate how the discount can be used following the application process. If you applied for your card online, the 10% off coupon you receive will only be eligible for use on online purchases. However, if you applied through a mobile device, that coupon will be able to be used on any in-store purchase.
The TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® is backed by Synchrony Bank, one of the largest credit card backers in the U.S. Your credit account and its history can be managed through Synchrony’s online portal that can be accessed through TJMaxx.TJX.com.
What's the Catch?
TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® cardholders are, like many other retailer cardholders, going to receive a rather high purchase APR of 28.49% Variable . This makes it especially poignant and important that you don’t leave any open balance on your account, as any leftover total could quickly balloon into a much larger amount.
Though a $10 rewards certificate seems like a very enticing offer for prospective cardholders, you do need to spend a significant amount of change to receive that back. Earned points won't expire, so you don’t have to hit that 1,000-point level immediately, but it should occur often enough that it becomes worth it to remain a cardholder.
To put things in perspective, the 1,000 points needed to get $10 back requires $200 in purchases with T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods or Sierra Trading Post. That means you’re getting 5% back, which really isn’t anything that incredibly special compared to the rest of the retailer credit card market.
Just the Math Please
Rewards
For every dollar cardholders spend with T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods or Sierra Trading Post, they’ll receive five points, whereas all other Mastercard purchases earn just 1 point for the same dollar spent. These points will not expire, though the rewards certificates you can redeem them for do after two years.
Those rewards certificates can be redeemed in $10 or $20 denominations, with 1,000 points being equal to $10 in rewards. Once these have been given to you, you can use them in-store with any of the above four brands, or online through TJXMaxx.com and SierraTradingPost.com. However, these rewards cannot be used to pay off your monthly credit balance, or to purchase gift cards, e-gift cards or cash.
Rates and Fees
Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for Purchases
28.49% Variable . This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.
APR for Balance Transfers
N/A
APR for Cash Advances
29.99% Variable
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 charged any interest on purchases if you pay your entire balance by the due date of each month.
Annual Fee
$0
Transaction Fees
- Either $10 or 4% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
Penalty Fees
-
Late Payment: Up to $35
How It Stacks Up
TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® can be compared to other similar retailers credit options. So how does it compare to the Gap® Visa?
The Gap® card also offers the same five points for every dollar spent in its stores, though points become redeemable at 500 points instead of the 1,000 for TJX. So while those 500 points are worth $5 and the 1,000 points are worth $10 — the exact same value in different increments — the Gap® card allows you to get your rewards back in half the time.
The Gap® card also offers significantly more bonus benefits on top of their points system, including free shipping and 20% off your first purchase, a cardholder birthday gift and more. The closest the TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® comes is 10% off your first purchase, although this promotion is riddled with rules dictated by something as meaningless as through which medium you applied for your card.
You can become a Gap® Visa® Silver member if you rack up at least 5,000 points with them, introducing benefits like 20% more rewards each quarter and a “Choose Your Own Sale Day” coupon. There’s no such system with the TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard®, which significantly weakens its long-term potential as a beneficial card.
Bottom Line
At first blush, the TJX Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® looks like a great clothing retailer-specific credit card option, but upon closer examination, it lacks a lot of the benefits of its competition. There’s no “big spender” program for those who commit themselves to shopping with T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and Sierra Trading Post, and you must spend at least $200 before you see any sort of rewards certificate back.
The 28.49% Variable APR that all cardholders receive is a bit high even for retailer credit cards. Unless this is the only clothing-related retail credit card you can get approved for, it would be wise to find another choice with a better rewards program that outweighs the typically high interest rates of this credit card category.
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.
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