Banter Credit Card Review: 5 Critical Facts You Need To Know

Banter Credit Card executive summary

• The main benefit is the promotional financing which lets you spread out payment interest-free (if you meet all payback conditions) over 6 months (for purchases $300+) or 12 months (for purchases $500+).
• Most purchases from Banter by Piercing Pagoda will be small enough that it’s not worth it to open and manage another credit card account. Especially when you can put your purchase on a great card like the Fidelity Rewards 2% card or the M1 Owner’s Reward card (which is offering a staggering 10% cash back at some popular retailers!)
• There is no annual fee.

The only major benefit to the card is the deferred interest that you get on purchases over $149. 

Otherwise, you are not earning any rewards or cash back on your purchases. And the interest rate is very high, so paying off the card every month, or within six months on deferred interest plans, is important.

5 additional details on the perks and drawbacks of the Banter Credit Card 

Next, we get into the specifics … we read the fine print so you don’t have to. 

All the benefits you will get with your Banter credit card are listed below, and there are details on how you can take advantage of each one.

1. How does promotional financing work, precisely? 

The main benefit of the Banter credit card is the option to finance large purchases over 6 or 12 months. 

If you make a single purchase totaling $300 or more with your Banter credit card, you will be eligible for a 6-month plan to pay for it.

Or, if you make one purchase with your card that is $500 or more, you will get a 12-month financing plan to pay for it. 

With both options, you will not have to pay any money down when you make the purchase. 

You will not have to pay any interest on these purchases if you fully pay off the balance in the 6- or 12-month period. 

However, during that 6 or 12-month promotional period, you still have to make minimum payments each month. The minimum payment amount is determined by how large the purchase was. 

If you only make the minimum payments during the 6 or 12 months, you will not have paid the entire payment cost and will incur interest charges from the purchase date! So make sure that you are either making bigger payments along the way to fully pay off the balance by the end of the term or that you’re ready to make one final big payment before the 6 or 12 months is up. 

Otherwise, you will likely end up paying a lot of interest, making your jewelry purchase much more expensive. 

And the interest is not just on the remaining balance of the purchase. It will be on the entire purchase balance dating back to the purchase date. 

You also need to note that some purchases may be split into smaller ones if they ship separately. In this case, they may not be eligible for financing. So watch out for this carefully during checkout. 

What would a $600 purchase look like? (financing example)

If you make a $600 purchase, you will have 12 months to pay for it using this card. There are minimum payments you must make, throughout the 12 months, then by day 365, you must have, in total, paid all $600 back. 

But, if there is still a balance left after 12 months or 366 days, you will have to pay interest from the past year. For example, if your APR is 30%, you will now have another $180 to pay in interest … on top of still needing to pay however much of the original $600 you haven’t paid yet. 

And, the longer you leave a balance, the higher your interest will build up. So, if you only want to pay the balance of the purchase, which is $600 in this example, you need to pay it back in 12 months. 

2. We think the ‘cardholder exclusives’ advertised likely just means they send you a lot of marketing materials 

Occasionally Banter credit card holders will be sent exclusive offers to save additional money or get discounted items. To get these offers, you will have to use your credit card when you make the purchase.

There is no way to know when these offers will come or what they will be, but you should keep an eye out for them in your email. 

3. You get a very small, $25 per year, ‘birthday reward.’ Here’s all the fine print on that

One small benefit of the Banter credit card is the birthday reward you get every year you are a cardholder. The birthday reward is $25 off a Banter purchase, but you must use your credit card to redeem it. 

You will get a birthday reward during your birthday month.

To get the birthday reward, you must open the Banter credit card at least two months before your birthday. If you open a card the month before or the month of your birthday, you will not get the birthday reward until the following year.

Then, you have to make at least one purchase using the credit card in the twelve months before your birthday. If you do not purchase by your birthday month, you will not get the birthday reward. 

Furthermore, you will not receive a birthday reward if your account is in default. You also need to have a valid email address, which is where the birthday reward will be sent.

So, the downside to this benefit is that it is not guaranteed, and you need to make sure you make a purchase and open your credit card at the right time to get the reward. 

We think these are a lot of conditions just for a $25 store credit. This is such a small benefit, that it shouldn’t factor into your decision of whether or not to get the card. Remember, managing another credit card takes time and brain power, make sure it’s worth it. 

4. What about the card opening anniversary reward?

Every year in the month you open your Banter credit card account, you will get a $50 off reward to use on your next Banter purchase. 

You need to make a minimum purchase amount to redeem the reward. And you will have to have a valid email address which is where Banter will send your coupon to.

This reward continues every year you have your Banter credit card open, so you will continue to receive another $50 reward during your anniversary month annually. 

This reward starts one year after you open your Banter credit card, so you will have to wait 12 months to earn your first one.

How do we think about financing jewelry purchases? 

Jewelry is an inherently discretionary purchase. For that reason, we’re inclined today that in most cases, if you can’t pay cash upfront and need to finance the purchase, you can’t afford it.  

But there are exceptions, of course. 

Purchasing an engagement ring is a once-in-a-lifetime exception (hopefully) and there can be other special occasions that warrant spending a bit extra. 

In those cases, you may want to spread out payment and in limited circumstances may be willing to pay a low-interest rate to do so. In these cases, remember that you will want to find a financial product that charges an interest rate at or below what you can earn by investing your money. An easy benchmark here is that investing in the S&P500 historically has returned on average 7-8%. So try to find a program that will charge you less interest than that (hint: no credit card will do this). 

Where do I log in to my Banter Credit Card account?

To manage your credit card, make a payment, or see your balance, you must log in to your Banter credit card account.

If you are a new Banter card holder, you must create an account. To create your Banter credit card account, you need your card account number, zip code, and social security number.

Where can I use my Banter Credit Card?

You have two options for where to use your Banter credit card. 

First, you can shop in-person at a Banter store. If you want to shop in a store, you can use the store locator to find the store closest to you.

If you go to a Banter store, you can get an ear or body piercing, but piercings are only available at certain stores. 

Second, you can also use your Banter credit card online at Banter.com.

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