Quick – who is the largest retailer to offer credit card services in both the United States and Canada combined? Believe it or not, it is Sears!
The Sears credit card has got to be one of the easiest cards to use of all the credit cards, as they have developed their own online banking system that allows up to four online payments per month for no additional cost, along with the ease of online banking itself.
Needless to say, you have to sign up and fill out your online profile on the Sears website if you have not done so already. This will allow you to login and manage your account, once you have filled in such things such as your date of birth, address, and other personal information.
Once you have done this, you will be able to set up your online banking, where you link your bank account with your credit card (so you can make payments online).
This is done in the typical fashion where you provide your account number, bank routing number, transfer number, bank name and so on. (Most of this information is shown on the bottom of your cheques if you are linking your chequing account to your credit card in this online system.)
In addition to the ease of online banking, you will also be eligible to receive exclusive sale prices and discount coupons available only to Sears cardholders. This can really make a big difference, as the sales that they offer to cardholders can be quite a discounted rate!
For this card, there is no annual fee, and for every one dollar you spend in Sears using the Sears credit card, you will earn 2 reward points. And for every dollar you spend elsewhere using your Sears credit card, you will receive 1 reward point. So you can see how quickly points can add up when you use this card to pay your other bills or to do your day to day shopping.
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These reward points can be used on purchases made in Sears itself (for additional discounted prices), on Sears travel packages, gift cards, and virtually everything Sears related.
The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that the Sears credit card can have quite a high rate of interest at nineteen point nine percent on purchases and balance transfers (not as high as the, however). So, to avoid these interest charges, try not to transfer any existing balances over from other credit cards, and always make sure you can pay your balance off in full.
But, if you use your Sears credit card with care, and really budget your purchases, you stand to really enjoy some fantastic benefits!
The thing with the Sears credit card is that there is not just one card to choose from – there are 4! There is the traditional sears card which can only be used for in-store purchases or for purchases at related (and other companies owned by sears) such as Kmart, Land’s End, The Great Indoors, and so on. This is the card that most people are the most familiar with.
The card that you can use anywhere that is the most popular is the Sears MasterCard credit card.
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The Sears card gives you monthly discounts and coupons, special offers for financing and access to your credit score. This card comes with a zero dollar liability on unauthorized purchases option (which is great because if your card ever gets lost or stolen, then you know that you won’t have to pay for unauthorized purchases!).
You can add extra users to the card for no additional cost, and you can return your purchases at sears without having to have your proof of purchase receipt with you. If you forget your card at home, they will also give you a short term pass so that you can complete your shopping with them at that time. Also, your personal identity is kept safe via the Citi Personal Identity Theft Solutions program.
The Sears Credit Card (the Sears MasterCard) also gives you monthly savings and coupons, access to your credit score and credit rating, special financing offers as above, along with the unauthorized use protection, the ability to add others to the card for no cost and the ability to return your purchases at sears without a receipt, and the ability to buy things in store should you forget your card.
Basically, it offers all the benefits of the Sears card, but you also get access to their Sears choice benefit plan where you can earn 1 point for every dollar that you spend on any or all products without any membership charge!
For the 3rd sears credit card option there is the sears commercial one card, which saves you time and money when you purchase Kenmore products, craftsman tools or machinery for your company.
As this card is mainly geared towards small business owners, this card features increased invoicing details, expense tracking and more. You also have no annual fee with this card, and you can buy things on your account via phone, fax or in person.
As for the fourth sears credit card option, there is the sears home improvement account, which was designed to help make large purchases easier on your budget for things such as air conditioning units, heating systems, kitchen renovations, cabinet refacing and installs, window replacements, siding upgrading, adding entry doors etc. This card also features some of the privacy options given with the other cards.
With the home improvement boom over the past years, and with the increasing costs of housing (which has made more people decide to stay in their existing homes and fix them up, rather than leaving and buying a new home), this particular option for the sears credit card has really gained popularity and traction, with many people opting for these kind of helpful solutions when it comes to financing their home improvements.
Just make sure that you examine all the fine print and the details of the offer, as these large purchases can really cost you if you don’t pay off your balance if it goes directly onto your Sears credit card.
So as you can see, with this kind of flexibility, it is no wonder that the sears credit card is carried by more people than any other department store credit card.
You may also interested in the Shell credit card.