Author: Cathy Gresham

The card essentially gives you a short interest-free loan – assuming you still make your minimum monthly payments on time (the amount will vary with the balance you put on the card) and pay the full balance within the promotional period.

You can get 6 months of promotional financing (meaning you pay no interest and only have to make the minimum monthly payments) for purchases on the card is between $199 – $749.99 and 12 months of promotional financing for purchases over $750.

While the headline rate of 5% rewards sounds like it’s substantially above the competition and may be worth it, we don’t think it is. You will need to spend thousands of dollars annually at Gap brand stores to make this worth it. If not, you are probably better off passing on the Athleta credit card. Consider getting a general purpose unlimited cash back card instead.

If you’re a ‘big time’ rue21 shopper and plan to keep being one, the effective 10% back store credit makes this card worth it. If you’re not a frequent rue21 shopper than the ~27% APR should probably make you run!

Excellent overall card with some of the highest cashback rewards rate available today. Deserves consideration as a possible anchor card in your wallet. Light on special features/perks, but has no annual fee. Watch out for the super-high interest rate APR and payoff the balance on this card every month.

Quickly learn the basic components of a credit card, like the cardholder name, payment network, expiration date, and security code. Also understand who’s liable for charges among authorized users and joint cardholders.