The Big O Tires and Service credit card has a singular goal for its cardholders. According to Big O Tires’ website, the card intends “to help deal with unexpected auto expenses so you can get back on the road quickly.” It’s an acknowledgement of the fact that car repairs are often necessary but unaffordable for some people. Issued by Comenity Capital Bank, the Big O Tires credit card has special financing options to make those repairs costs more manageable.
However, special financing has a downside. And don’t expect the card’s benefits to extend too far beyond financing assistance.
1. The card’s use is limited
If you want a credit card with more than one trick, the Big O Tires card isn’t for you.
The Big O Tires card is a closed-loop product, meaning it can only be used on Big O Tires purchases and service. All of the cards on our list of the best credit cards for car repairs are open-looped and thus have much broader acceptance.
2. It doesn’t earn rewards
Beyond the special financing offers and car service discounts, the Big O Tires card doesn’t have other perks that come standard in many other credit cards.
The Big O Tires card doesn’t earn rewards, offer a sign-up bonus or have an intro APR.
2. Special financing is available
Special financing, also known as deferred interest, is available to Big O Tires cardholders in two terms:
Special financing for six months on purchases of $199 or more.
Special financing for 12 months on purchases of $1,200 or more.
Deferred interest offers can certainly be a lifeline for people who lack the cash on hand to pay for expensive car repairs. However, there’s a major drawback: If you don’t pay off the entire purchase amount before the deferred interest period ends, you’ll owe all of interest that’s been accruing since the purchase date.
An alternative to special financing is a credit card with an introductory 0% APR. These cards don’t charge interest on purchases for a set period of time, but you won’t owe back interest if purchases aren’t paid off by the end of the promotional period.
The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, for example, offers 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% Variable APR.
3. Cardholders get some discounts
If you pay for certain services with your Big O Tires card, you’re eligible for the following promotions, which may be used more than once:
The Ready to Roadtrip package for $29.99. Vehicles will receive a standard oil change, fluid top off, alignment check and visual vehicle inspection. Certain oils such as full synthetic don’t qualify for this promotion.
5. The interest rate is high
As of April 2024, the purchase APR on the Big O Tires card is an exorbitant 29.99%. The amount of any purchases that aren’t paid off by the due date will be assessed this interest rate.
The Express credit card, issued by Comenity Bank, is expressly mediocre.
It can help you pay for a new wardrobe at the clothing retailer, but its usefulness is limited beyond that, especially given its high interest rate and narrow redemption options.
There’s no annual fee, and the card earns an eye-catching 20 to 25 points per $1 spent. But those figures aren’t as rewarding as they sound, and the card’s drawbacks easily outweigh these benefits.
Here are five things to know about the Express credit card.
1. It can be used only at Express
The Express credit card is a “closed-loop” product, meaning it can be used only to make purchases at Express, Express.com or Express Factory Outlets. For a more versatile card that you can use (and earn rewards with) anywhere, check out our list of best cash-back credit cards.
2. The interest rate is dizzying
The interest rate, or purchase APR, on the Express credit card topped 32% as of December 2023. That’s almost 10 percentage points higher than the average interest rate on all interest-accruing credit cards in August 2023, per the Federal Reserve.
An APR that high will make carrying a balance from month to month an expensive proposition. If possible, pay off the balance in full, or you could end up owing far above the sticker price for those new clothes.
If you need to finance an expensive wardrobe over time, consider a credit card with a 0% intro APR offer. The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, for example, offers 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% Variable APR.
3. The welcome offer is meager
If you’re approved for the Express credit card, you’ll get a 20% discount off the first Express purchase charged to the card. However, the discount must be used on the same day you apply and are approved for the card. This welcome offer may seem enticing when you’re at the cash register, moments away from taking home your Express haul, but it pales in comparison to bonuses on other credit cards, which can be worth a few hundred dollars.
For example, the $0-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has this welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply. It also earns, among other things, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases up to $6,000 spent per year, then 1%. Terms apply; see rates and fees.
This card would be a superior pick to the Express credit card if you have the credit score to qualify and are willing to shop online.
4. Cardholders get perks within the Express loyalty program
Express’ loyalty program, Express Insider, has three tiers: Insider, Influencer and A-List. If you have the Express credit card, you’re automatically enrolled in the program and elevated to the Influencer level.
Influencers get 20 points for every dollar spent at Express and Express Factory Outlets, a $20 birthday gift, and free U.S. standard shipping and returns.
To make it to A-List status, you’ll need to earn 10,000 points, the equivalent of spending $500. A-Listers also get free shipping and returns, but they earn 25 points per $1 spent and get a $40 birthday gift.
Unredeemed points expire after 12 months from the date they were earned.
5. Reward redemption is automatic, but point values are poor
Redeeming rewards earned with the Express credit card is effortless, but that’s because there’s only one option: Points earned with the Express card are redeemable for Express Cash certificates, which can be used toward future Express purchases.
Cardholders will automatically receive $5 in Express Cash once they accumulate 1,250 points, sent to their Insider account. That means that 1 point is worth a measly 0.04 cent, far less than the standard 1 cent per point.
Express Cash certificates are valid for a minimum of 60 days after their issue date, but even still, “banking” them up for a big purchase might be difficult if you don’t visit the retailer that often.
When the Canada-based BMO bank acquired Bank of the West, headquartered in the U.S., in 2021, American consumers gained access to BMO’s credit card portfolio, which includes personal and business cards.
As of this writing, BMO offers two cash-back cards, a travel card, a 0% APR/balance transfer card and a secured card. However, a BMO representative confirmed that the card offerings and current card benefits may change in early 2024.
Here’s what you need to know about these cards before deciding whether to apply for one.
🤓Nerdy Tip
While BMO offers business credit cards, this article covers only its personal credit card offerings.
For a break on interest: BMO Platinum Credit Card
If you need an extra-long reprieve from interest, your best option among the BMO cards is the Platinum Credit Card. For a $0 annual fee, cardholders get 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (as of this writing). There are two important caveats to these offers, though: You may lose the 0% APR benefit if you make a late payment, and the balance transfer must be completed within 90 days of account opening in order to get the 0% APR offer.
The balance transfer fee for all of BMO’s personal credit cards is $10 or 4% of the amount of the balance transfer, whichever amount is greater. BMO only allows balance transfers of credit card debt. And as is standard with most issuers, it doesn’t permit transfers between BMO accounts.
As balance transfer offers go, this is a decent one, but it’s possible to find credit cards with longer interest-free promotions. The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, for instance, offers 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% Variable APR .
🤓Nerdy Tip
All of BMO’s publicly available personal credit cards offer cell phone protection plans. Cardholders are eligible for up to $400 in coverage except for Premium Rewards cardholders, who get up to $600 worth of coverage. To qualify for cell phone insurance, you must pay your cell phone bill with a qualifying BMO credit card. A $50 deductible is required for each claim.
For building credit: BMO Boost Secured Credit Card
BMO’s lone secured card requires a $25 annual fee and a minimum $300 security deposit. Those numbers are on the higher end compared with other secured cards. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card, for example, has a $0 annual fee and a $200 minimum security deposit — and it earns rewards, which the Boost Secured card does not.
However, the Boost Secured does offer two benefits rarely found in other cards for people with bad or limited credit: cell phone insurance and rental car insurance.
For travelers: BMO Premium Rewards Credit Card
The only travel card in BMO’s credit card portfolio, the Premium Rewards card, offers some solid perks for a $79 annual fee, which is waived the first year. Some highlights:
15% bonus points on your account anniversary (15% of total purchases made in the previous year).
A sign-up bonus of 35,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 within 3 months of opening your account (as of this writing).
Access to over 850 airport VIP lounges worldwide with Priority Pass Select, plus two complimentary visits to participating lounges.
No foreign transaction fees.
Lost or damaged luggage insurance.
By comparison, the venerable Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card awards a 10% points bonus on each account anniversary and doesn’t come with lounge access, and its annual fee is slightly higher than the Premium Rewards card. However, unlike the BMO Premium Rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card features travel partners to which you can transfer your points, often for outsize value.
The Premium Rewards card also earns the following rewards in BMO’s proprietary currency, Flex Rewards:
3 Flex Rewards points per $1 spent on eligible dining, hotels and airfare (on up to $2,500 in combined spending each quarter), and 1x on all purchases after that.
1 Flex Rewards point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
Flex Rewards points may be redeemed for flights, hotels, merchandise, gift cards and statement credits, among other options. Point values vary depending on the redemption; cardholders can check the redemption value at www.bmoflexrewards.com.
Flex Rewards points don’t expire, assuming your account remains in good standing with BMO.
For cash back: BMO Cash Back Credit Card and the BMO Platinum Rewards Credit Card
Two BMO cards would be good picks as cash-back cards. One earns direct cash back as a percentage of each purchase; the other earns BMO’s proprietary currency, Flex Rewards, which can be redeemed for cash back in the form of statement credit.
BMO Cash Back Credit Card
For straightforward cash-back rewards, the aptly named BMO Cash Back Credit Card is probably the better choice. It has the higher rewards rates, and the rewards categories represent a range of everyday spending. The $0-annual-fee Cash Back card earns:
5% cash back on eligible streaming, cable TV and satellite services.
3% cash back on eligible gas and grocery purchases, up to $2,500 in combined quarterly spending (1% after that).
1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
The only redemption option is a statement credit. Rewards never expire as long as the account is open and in good standing.
As of this writing, the card also comes with the following sign-up bonus: Get a $200 cash-back bonus when you spend $2,000 within 3 months of opening your account.
BMO Platinum Rewards Credit Card
The Platinum Rewards card, like its Cash Back sibling, earns rewards on gas and groceries, but the rewards rates on the Platinum Rewards card are a hair lower. It earns:
2 Flex Rewards points per $1 spent on eligible gas and groceries, up to $2,500 in combined spending each calendar quarter (1x on all purchases after that).
1 Flex Rewards point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
Redemption options for the Platinum Rewards card are the same as the Premium Rewards card because both cards earn Flex Rewards.
In favor of the Platinum Rewards card, its annual fee is also $0, and it has a good welcome offer: Get 25,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 within 3 months of opening your account. It also gives cardholders a points bonus every account anniversary equal to 10% of the total points earned in the past year. The Cash Back card doesn’t award an annual bonus.
These are both decent options for cash back. But if you’d prefer a simple, high flat rate back on everything, without the need to keep track of bonus categories, you could consider a product like the Citi Double Cash® Card. It earns 2% cash back on every purchase: 1% back when you buy, 1% back when you pay it back.
The card has a $0 annual fee, and it also offers a 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months, and then the ongoing APR of 19.24%-29.24% Variable APR.
Who doesn’t want to be rewarded?
Create a NerdWallet account for personalized recommendations, and find the card that rewards you the most for your spending.
During the current high-interest environment, 0% APR offers can be useful for cashing out and parking the cash in a high-yield savings account or CD. Below we list all 0% APR cards we’ve found. Bear in mind a number of caveats
Whether you have a big purchase on the horizon or want to take some time to pay down an amount over a period of time, a 0% intro APR credit card could be a good option for you. APR stands for annual percentage rate. This rate represents the yearly interest of a credit card (or [â¦]
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Want a credit card that offers up to 21 months of 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers? The Wells Fargo Reflect delivers â but cardholders shouldn’t expect many other benefits and perks.
Wells Fargo is a Big Four bank that made big headlines back in 2016 and 2017 over a scandal where employees created millions of fake accounts to hit their sales targets. Theyâve come a long way since then, working on earning trust back with strong customer service and new mobile services, but ultimately itâs up [â¦]
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Wells Fargo has launched a new credit card called ‘Reflect‘. This is the low APR card that was previously announced. The card has the following benefits: No annual fee 0% introductory APR for 18 months and intro APR extension of up to 3 months with on time payments Unfortunately there is a balance transfer fee […]