Gap Visa Card Review

If you regularly shop at Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta, this card will graciously reward your brand loyalty. But because it’s a Visa card, you can use it at more places than the less flexible GapCard, and it will help you earn a few more rewards. 

If you’ve got the ability to get other credit cards, this one shouldn’t be your primary rewards card. But either way, if you’re still building up your credit and diligent about paying off card balances each month, consider adding this store card to your wallet to save money on your future purchases at stores owned by Gap Inc.

• Earn rewards on purchases at popular clothing chains: You’ll get a good amount of points each time you shop at Gap and any of the other stores owned by Gap Inc. (Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta), which is a competitive offer for a clothing-store credit card. All those points can add up for discounts on future purchases. More about all that in the Earning Points & Rewards section below. 
• 10% off each Gap and Gap Factory purchase: This is the best ongoing discount we know of offered by a store card right now, and a nice perk for those who already shop frequently at these stores. We like that the savings is automatic when you use your card, and you can combine it with rewards discounts, too. You can enjoy this benefit until April 30, 2020.
• Easy bonus points for extra tasks: Do a few simple things, like registering for electronic statements, and you can get up to 4,000 extra points in your rewards account, which is equal to $40 off a future purchase. More about that is also in the Earning Points & Rewards section below. 
• Access to more benefits and shopping offers: Cardholders may feel a little extra special because of perks like receipt-free returns, a birthday gift, and additional saving and earning opportunities. You just have to watch your email for news about upcoming offers.  

• High APR: Store cards are known for having high interest rates, and this card is no different. The high purchase APR makes it absolutely crucial you pay off your balance in full each month, so don’t shop till you drop. Just buy what you can afford.
• Low rewards rate on non-Gap purchases: You only get 1 point per dollar you spend at places outside the Gap Inc. stores, like at gas stations or grocery stores. The option to earn points this way is nice considering it’s a store card, but that’s not a high earning rate compared to general cash-back cards. 
• Restrictions on how you can redeem rewards: You'll have to wait until you've earned $5 worth of rewards to redeem points, and you can only use them for more purchases at Gap and its sister stores.

You’ll get 5 points for every $1 spent in stores or online at Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. That’s basically like getting 5% of your money back to use for discounts on future purchases. Plus, since this is a Visa card, you can also use it outside the store network and you’ll get 1 point per $1 spent when the card is used that way. 

That’s in line with what similar apparel-branded credit cards offer right now, although store card value really comes down to whether or not you like the brand. 

You can also get up to 4,000 extra points just by doing the following: 

• Signing up for paperless billing (500 points) 
• Adding an email address to your rewards account (500 points) 
• Making a purchase outside the Gap brand network within 30 days of opening your account (3,000 points).

If you earn 5,000 reward points in a calendar year with this card, your account will be upgraded to Gap Silver status, which means more points and shopping perks. Each quarter you’re a Gap Silver status holder, a 20%-point bonus will be added to your rewards balance. That means if you have 1,000 points in your account at the end of the first quarter, you’ll get 200 extra points just for having Gap Silver status.

Whether or not you have Silver status, there’s no limit to the number of reward points you can earn with the Gap Visa Card each year, and points only expire if you don’t make a purchase for 24 months.

There’s only one way to use reward points earned with the Gap Visa Card: to pay for more Gap purchases. For every 500 points you earn, you’ll get $5 in rewards to spend at Gap or its sister stores. 

You can redeem rewards in stores by presenting your rewards certificate, or redeem online or on the phone by sharing the reward code. Gap Visa Card rewards cannot be redeemed for statement credits or cash back, or be used to purchase gift cards. 

Open this card when you have a large purchase (like before school starts for the kids, or before the winter holidays) so you can maximize the 20% savings you’ll get on your first purchase. 

Once you have your card, connect your account to your email address, set up paperless billing, and make any non-Gap brand purchase within 30 days to rack up those 4,000 bonus points right away. Going forward, use this card for all purchases made within the Gap family of brands, and pay off the card balance each month. Strive to reach Silver status each year, which will give you the most shopping benefits and bonus points.

With this card or any rewards card, don’t fall into the temptation to spend more just to rack up rewards—especially if you can’t afford to pay off your balance in full each month. Any rewards you earn can quickly be wiped out by interest charges.

Right out the gate, you’ll get these benefits with the Gap Visa Card:

• A birthday gift each year you make at least one in-store or online purchase
• Receipt-free returns in stores

Once you reach Gap Silver status, you’ll also get: 

• Free basic alterations for Banana Republic purchases
• Free standard shipping for online purchases at the Gap Inc. family of stores
• A coupon good for one Choose Your Own Sale Day each year you hold Gap Silver status
• Invitations to special cardmember events
• Access to a Gap Silver customer service hotline

The Gap Visa Card is issued by Synchrony Bank, and that’s the bank you’ll work with if you have issues or questions about your account. Synchrony Bank fell behind all major credit card companies in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Synchrony ranked 10th out of 11 banks, scoring 780 points on a 1,000-point scale. For comparison, the national average is 806.  

To monitor your Gap Visa Card transactions and make payments, you can use the Synchrony mobile app. You can also manage the rewards you earn in your online Gap account or the Gap mobile app.

This is a pretty basic card when it comes to security features. Like many other cards these days, the Gap Visa card is protected by EMV chip card technology, and Synchrony has a zero-liability policy that means you won’t be responsible for unauthorized charges. However, unlike some other credit card companies, Synchrony doesn’t offer the ability to lock your card if it’s misplaced or stolen. Nor does it offer access to your credit scores or credit report monitoring—features that are also becoming common among credit cards. 

There are no unusual fees attached to this card, just standard ones for slip-ups like late payments and oddball transactions, like cash advances. You can use this Visa card abroad, but you’ll pay a 3% foreign transaction fee for that convenience. Overall, the most notable cost associated with the Gap Visa Card is the price you’ll pay for carrying a balance because the interest rate is high.