Fingerhut Credit Account Review

Item: Fingerhut Advantage Credit Account
Rating: 1.8
Author: Holly D. Johnson

Disclosure: We are committed to recommending the best products for our readers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to products, but this never affects our reviews or recommendations .

by Holly D. Johnson

Verified by Jeremy Zafiros

Updated December 17, 2019

The Fingerhut Credit Account, issued by WebBank, is a barebones store credit card. It doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus (not even a discount on a first purchase). It won’t help you save money on future Fingerhut purchases. There’s no cash back or points or coupons to earn and redeem. It’s a basic store credit card consumers can use to finance their Fingerhut purchases and along the way build (or rebuild) their credit histories.

overall rating

1.8

Next Steps

Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Poor - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	29.99% fixed
Annual Fee	$0
Rewards Earning Rate	This card does not offer a rewards program.

Ratings Breakdown

for Interest

1.9

for Fees

1.8

for Rewards

4.7

for Credit

3.7

To see how we calculate these scores, check out our full methodology.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pros Explained
Cons Explained
How to Get the Most Out of This Card
Customer Experience
Security Features
Fingerhut Credit Card Fees

Who Is This Credit Card Best For?

Diligently searches for the best products and delights in a good bargain See more cards

Deal Seeker
Looks for good quality at a fair price while buying for the household See more cards

Family Shopper
Loves being the first to try something new See more cards

Trendsetter
Frequently shops with a particular merchant and wants to be rewarded for their loyalty See more cards

Brand Loyalist

If your credit history is brief, but your Fingerhut shopping need is pressing, you may be a good match for the Fingerhut Credit Account. You won’t need a stellar credit score to qualify for this card, so it’s an option if you want to build your credit history, too. But only if you’re a Fingerhut regular, because you can’t use this card anywhere else. If that’s you, this card can help you stock up on Fingerhut merchandise, and get you on your way to a better credit score—and to better credit cards.

Pros

Easy qualification
Can help build credit

Cons

No rewards or discounts
Limited utility as a credit card

Pros Explained

Easy qualification: Because the Fingerhut Credit Card is a store credit card, it may be easier to qualify for than a traditional credit card.
Can help build credit: The Fingerhut Credit Card reports your payments to all three credit bureaus, which can help you build your credit score over time.

Cons Explained

No rewards or discounts: While many store credit cards offer the ability to earn coupons or discounts on future purchases with every dollar you spend, this credit card doesn’t offer any such program.
Limited utility as a credit card: Another downside of this card is the fact that it’s only a store credit card—it’s not a traditional credit card co-branded with Visa or Mastercard. This means you can only use your Fingerhut Credit Card for Fingerhut purchases.

How to Get the Most Out of This Card

Since the Fingerhut Credit Card comes with a high interest rate, your best bet is to use it for small purchases you can pay off before interest begins to accrue, or shortly thereafter. After a few months of regular use—and regular, on-time payments—your credit score will begin to tick up and you can begin to search for a traditional credit card with better terms.

While this card does not provide you with an updated credit score to review, many banks and credit unions do. If yours doesn’t, consider switching to one that does, or look for a free credit score offered by a large credit card issuer (such as Discover’s Credit Scorecard or Chase’s Credit Journey). Most are free, and you don’t have to have an account to sign up.

Customer Experience

Fingerhut provides online account access via its website, and WebBank, the card’s issuer, has an 800 customer service number, but that’s about it.

Don’t expect white glove customer service with this card. For example, if you’ve been a victim of fraudulent charges on your account, the card’s Terms and Conditions advise you to contact customer service by regular mail. Likewise, if you ever decide to close the account, the Terms and Conditions direct you to do so by mail—and to include the physical card, if provided, cut in half.

Security Features

WebBank offers basic security features for its credit cards including account monitoring, online encryption, and a secure messaging portal.

Fingerhut Credit Card Fees

The fees for this card are in line with similar cards. However, you should beware of the high APR charged on purchases if you plan to carry a balance.

Next Steps

For Fingerhut Advantage Credit Account

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Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Poor - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	29.99% fixed
Annual Fee	$0
Rewards Earning Rate	This card does not offer a rewards program.

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Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Good - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	15.24% - 24.24% variable
Annual Fee	$0
Rewards Earning Rate	5% Earnings on your first $5,000 in purchases every year, then 2% unlimited Earnings on purchases after that.

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overall rating

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Recommended Credit Score Our recommended ranges are based off of the FICO® Score 8 credit-scoring model. Credit score is one of the many factors lenders review in considering your application.

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Poor - Excellent

Regular APR (%) 22.99% variable

Annual Fee $0

Rewards Earning Rate Earn 1 point on all purchases

Full Review

Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Good - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	15.74% - 23.74% variable
Annual Fee	$0
Rewards Earning Rate	Earn 3% back on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drug stores, and 1% back on all other purchases.

PayPal Cashback Mastercard®

overall rating

3.7

Full Review

Recommended Credit Score Our recommended ranges are based off of the FICO® Score 8 credit-scoring model. Credit score is one of the many factors lenders review in considering your application.

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Good - Excellent

Regular APR (%) 21.49% - 28.49% variable

Annual Fee $0

Rewards Earning Rate Get 2% cash back every day on every purchase.

Capital One® Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard

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Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Good - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	17.99% - 26.99% variable
Annual Fee	$0
Rewards Earning Rate	Earn 5% at Walmart.com, the Walmart app, and on Walmart grocery pickup and delivery. Earn 2% back on purchases at Walmart stores, Walmart & Murphy USA Fuel Stations, and on dining and travel purchases. Earn 1% back on all other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Fair - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	16.74% - 25.74% variable
Annual Fee	$0
Rewards Earning Rate	Earn 2% back in CLUB Points on purchases at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s and 1% back in CLUB Points on purchases anywhere else Mastercard® credit cards are accepted.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

Full Review

Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Good - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	15.74% - 23.74% variable
Annual Fee	$0, Prime Membership Required
Rewards Earning Rate	Earn 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods market with an eligible prime membership, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% back on all other purchases.

Amazon Business Prime American Express Card

Full Review

Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Good - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	14.24% - 22.24% variable
Annual Fee	$0, Prime Membership Required
Rewards Earning Rate	Get unlimited 5% back on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership. 2% at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers. 1% on other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Not Specified

Regular APR (%)	21.99% variable
Annual Fee	$0
Rewards Earning Rate	5% back in rewards on IKEA® purchases, 3% back in rewards on dining, grocery and utility purchases, 1% back in rewards on all other purchases.

Full Review

Recommended Credit Score

350 579

580 669

670 739

740 799

800 850

Good - Excellent

Regular APR (%)	25.24% variable
Annual Fee	Up to $59
Rewards Earning Rate	Earn 5% back in rewards at Best Buy; 6% back in rewards for Elite Plus members, 2% back in rewards on dining purchases, and 1% back in rewards on other everyday purchases.

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Our Methodology

At The Balance, we are dedicated to giving you unbiased, comprehensive credit card reviews. To do this, we collect data on hundreds of cards and score more than 55 features that affect your finances.

Our Reviews Are Always Impartial: No one can influence which cards we review, the way we present them to you, or the ratings they receive. The scores and reviews come directly from the data we collect and our editorial expertise, and we focus on three areas:
How Much Does It Cost? With credit card debt at an all-time high, we believe you should know the cost of carrying a balance. Because of that, we give regular purchase APRs significant weight in overall scores, and cards receive low marks if they have an array of pricey fees.
What Are the Rewards Worth? Cards accumulate rewards in different currencies—points, miles, cash back—and their values vary widely. To simplify the problem, we built a system that fairly compares rewards and gives them a dollar value. We do this by looking at the ways you can earn and use rewards, which includes evaluating Americans’ typical spending habits and analyzing common travel patterns.
Does It Make Your Life Easier? Our scoring system favors cards that accept a wide range of credit profiles and offer simple solutions for things like checking your credit score or contacting customer service. Finally, we give preference to credit cards that have several tools for dealing with fraudulent charges.
For every review on The Balance, we hold the credit cards to these standards, and we set the bar high. While we recognize the appeal of splashy features like six-digit sign-up bonuses, our approach ensures that credit cards with the best combination of value, affordability, and accessibility receive the highest scores. See our full methodology for more details.