While the American Eagle Visa Credit Card might seem like a great card for American Eagle clothing shoppers, it's not all that it seems. Once you strip away what you can get just by being a member of the AEO Connected program—which is American Eagle's customer loyalty rewards program—you're left with a card that gives shoppers a moderately good rewards rate compared to other co-branded clothing store credit cards. None of the other benefits this card offers make it a must-have, and the rewards earned can only be used toward AEO and Aerie purchases. Most shoppers will be better off signing up for a cash-back card instead of the American Eagle Visa Credit Card.
Note: We are reviewing the American Eagle Visa Credit Card, which can be used anywhere Visa is accepted, and not the AEO Connected™ Credit Card, which is a store card that can only be used in AEO and Aerie stores.
Review: Our Thoughts on the American Eagle Visa Credit Card
The American Eagle Visa Credit Card offers decent rewards for clothing shoppers who spend at least $350 per year at American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) and Aerie stores. Otherwise, you can get comparable rewards with a good cash-back card, like the Citi® Double Cash Credit Card. Co-branded store cards like the American Eagle Visa Credit Card should offer excellent rewards for shopping at stores they're co-branded with, to make up for the fact that their rewards have limited uses. The American Eagle Visa Credit Card's 3% rewards rate—once users spend $350 annually at AEO and Aerie stores—is better than a lot of cash-back cards, but it isn't good enough to make it a must-have card.
| Good For... | Bad For... |
|---|---|
| People who spend at least $350 per year on AEO or Aerie purchases | Earning rewards toward non-AEO or non-Aerie purchases |
| Earning rewards toward AEO or Aerie purchases | Carrying a balance |
The American Eagle Visa Credit Card isn't as good as it might initially seem when you consider that many of its benefits can be received by simply joining the AEO Connected rewards program, which does not require approval. After disregarding the benefits available to AEO Connected members, the most significant benefit you're left with is a 2% rewards rate—or 3% for cardholders who spend $350 at AEO and Aerie stores annually. This is only moderately good, considering some store-branded loyalty cards—such as the Gap Credit Card—can give users up to a 5% rewards rate for store-specific spending.
The American Eagle Visa Credit Card comes with a high annual percentage rate (APR) of 25.24%. Carrying a balance on your credit card is never a good idea, but with such a high APR, it can be particularly costly. Cardholders should not plan on carrying a balance from month-to-month with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card, or else they will incur hefty interest charges.
Bottom Line: We recommend this card to those who spend more than $350 annually at AEO and Aerie stores. Otherwise, you're probably better off getting a generic cash-back credit card.
Benefits and Features
The American Eagle Visa Credit Card lets fashion lovers earn points with every purchase. Cardholders earn 5 points for every dollar spent at AEO and Aerie stores, either online or in store, on top of the 10 points earned for being members of the AEO Connected program for a total of 15 points. American Eagle Visa Credit Card cardholders earn 5 points for every dollar spent everywhere else. Points earned do not expire as long as long your account is active. Cardholders can keep their accounts active by making a purchase within a 375-day rolling time period.
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| Annual Fee | No Annual Fee |
| Purchase APR | 25.24% |
| Card Details |
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When you sign up for the American Eagle Visa Credit Card, you are automatically enrolled in the AEO Connected program. This is an American Eagle Outfitters rewards program that grants users rewards points and benefits. Membership in AEO Connected is free and is open to U.S. and Canada residents over the age of 15. By contrast, American Eagle Visa Credit Card cardholders need to be approved and must be at least 18 years old.
There are two status levels of the AEO Connected program: Full Access and Extra Access. The status level of a member dictates what types of rewards they are eligible to receive, with more benefits available for Extra Access members. By enrolling in the AEO Connected program, you get Full Access status. American Eagle Visa Credit Card cardholders can achieve Extra Access status by spending $350 on purchases with their cards at AEO and Aerie—either online or in-store—in a calendar year. Extra Access status can also be earned by AEO Connected members without the American Eagle Visa Credit Card. Members start to receive Extra Access benefits typically within 15 days of the purchase that put them over the $350 spending amount. Once Extra Access status is achieved, AEO Connected members can maintain it by making at least $350 in purchases within each calendar year.
Rewards
Every time AEO Connected members accumulate 2,500 points, they'll earn a reward worth $10 off for Full Access members and $15 off for Extra Access members. This means rewards points are worth either $0.004 or $0.006 depending on your membership status at the time your reward certificate is issued. Reward certificates are automatically issued by email, text or the AEO|Aerie mobile app when members earn 2,500 or more points. Certificates can be applied toward most AEO and Aerie purchases, and they expire no sooner than 45 days after the date they are issued.
Additional Benefits
Members of the AEO Connected program can receive a free pair of jeans after buying five pairs and can receive a free bra after purchasing five bras. This benefit is available for all AEO Connected members, and it's not unique to American Eagle Visa Credit Card cardholders. AEO Connected members who accumulate five jeans or bra credits are issued a coupon that can be redeemed for the merchandise. Clearance items do not earn credits.
American Eagle Visa Credit Card cardholders receive 20% off the first purchase made with the card either in-store or online through AEO and Aerie. This benefit is only available for a limited time. They also receive an invitation to six cardholder events each year as well as personal shopping day coupons. These coupons are emailed to you throughout the year, and they can be used to get discounts on specific items on a specific day.
Extra Access members and American Eagle Visa Credit Card cardholders receive free shipping on purchases made at AE.com, Aerie.com and the AEO|Aerie app. You'll also get a 20% off birthday coupon that can be used for a single total purchase. Full Access members receive a 15% off birthday coupon. Because these benefits can be received without the American Eagle Visa Credit Card, they aren't reasons to apply for the American Eagle Visa Credit Card.
How the American Eagle Visa Credit Card Compares to Other Cards
When considering signing up for a credit card, it's important to get a sense of how that card compares to other available options. Here's how the American Eagle Visa Credit Card compares to two popular cash-back cards.
American Eagle Visa Credit Card vs Citi® Double Cash Credit Card
Though the American Eagle Visa Credit Card offers an equal or better rewards rate, the Citi® Double Cash Credit Card is the better card for users who won't spend $350 or more per year at American Eagle stores. For AEO and Aerie spending under $350, you can get the same amount of rewards with the Citi® Double Cash Credit Card as with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card. This is after subtracting the rewards you can get just by being part of the AEO Connected program. The Citi® Double Cash Credit Card gives users 1% cash back when they make a purchase and 1% cash back when they pay off purchases, effectively earning 2%. If you do spend more than $350 per year at AEO or Aerie stores, you will earn 50% more rewards with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card than the Citi® Double Cash Credit Card.
One of the biggest differences between these two cards is that it's easier to utilize the rewards with the Citi® Double Cash Credit Card than with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card. Cash-back rewards earned with the Citi® Double Cash Credit Card can be applied to your statements, effectively earning you a discounted rate on all purchases. In contrast, rewards certificates earned with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card can only be used at AEO and Aerie stores and could expire within 45 days. For this reason, the American Eagle Visa Credit Card is only better for true American Eagle fans who are able to achieve Extra Access status and fully utilize the rewards. The Citi® Double Cash Credit Card is a better choice for most others.
American Eagle Visa Credit Card vs Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Dedicated clothing shoppers who will exceed $350 in spending at AEO and Aerie stores and fully utilize its rewards will get better value from the American Eagle Visa Credit Card than the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express on everything except supermarket spending. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express earns 3% cash back on up to $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets. After that, cardholders earn 1% cash back at supermarkets. They'll also earn 2% back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores and 1% on all other purchases. With the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, cardholders would earn 1% cash back on AEO spending. If you used each card to spend $500 per year at American Eagle stores, you would earn 130% more rewards with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card than with the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express for the first year and 200% more in rewards for each subsequent year.
For short-term benefits, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers way better value than the American Eagle Visa Credit Card. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express comes with a $200 bonus if you make at least $1,000 in purchases within the first three months of your account opening, which is an excellent bonus for a card with no annual fees. In contrast, the American Eagle Visa Credit Card offers no introductory spending bonus. It does offer 20% off your first AEO or Aerie purchase, but you would have to make a $1,000 one-time purchase to achieve the same value, which is more difficult than getting the bonus with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card.
As with the Citi® Double Cash Credit Card, a big consideration is whether the cards are easy to use. Cash-back cards—like the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express—let you apply your rewards to your credit card statements. The reward certificates earned with the American Eagle Visa Credit Card can only be used at AEO and Aerie stores, and they will expire within at least 45 days. If you want to be able to apply your rewards to any purchases and don't want to worry about using them before they expire, then the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is the better card for you.
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