Express Oil Change Credit Card | 5 minute review – only apply if desperate
PFG's Rating:
Recommended in limited cases. Use the Express Oil Change Credit Card very cautiously. Requires special attention to on-time payments to avoid very high APR and/or fees. If you must pay for a large auto repair or maintenance bill right now, this is a way to do that, but recommend trying to find another way.
Pros and Cons: Express Oil Change Credit Card
Pros
You can use to create a small 0% interest loan for yourself to pay automotive related bills (assuming you make all payments on time)
No annual fee
Likely easier credit approval than most cards
Reliable credit card issuer and servicer – Synchrony Bank
Can be used anywhere the Synchrony Car Care Card is accepted
Cons
Extremely high APR – 29.99%!
Limited functionality – cannot use for purchases at any other store besides Synchrony Car Care Card locations
No additional perks or special offers for card holders
No rewards
- This card does not offer rewards
- 29.99% APR – very high! But unfortuantely typical for store co-brand cards
- No annual fee – $0 annual fee.
- Applications are subject to credit approval
- While they will take into account your total application, we recommend a credit score of at least 560 to be likely for approval
- Be 18 years old (or the age of majority in your state or territory)
- Have a government issued photo ID and tax identification number (for example a social security number)
- Be willing to provide a non-PO Box mailing address
- None – just the promotional financing
Interested in other credit cards?
Check out our credit card hub!
Express Oil Change Credit Card – executive summary
There’s a very narrow window where getting this credit card is a good idea. The window is if you need to get an emergency car repair or service and have no other way to pay. Alternatively, if you need to make a large purchase and know you can pay back the full amount during the promotional period, you could use this card to spread out payments.
Ultimately, though, unless you’re in one of the two above situations, we don’t think adding a credit account with a 30% interest rate is worth the trouble for tire or oil change service.
If you forget to make timely payments, including required minimum monthly payments during the promotional period, you might find the 30% interest rate kicking in and that tire or oil change ends up much more expensive!
Quick note: Most express oil change tire locations are co-located with Tire Engineers locations and they are the same company, so this can also be thought of as the Tire Engineers Credit Card. In fact, it’s co-branded as both, so we’ll use the terms interchangeably.
Ok lets get into the details ⏩
What are the benefits and rewards?
There’s really only one benefit – the promotional financing. You can get:
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6 months 0% interest on purchases from $199-$749.99
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12 months 0% interest on purchases over $750
We can’t stress enough that this doesn’t mean NO payments during those 6 to 12 months. You will still have required monthly minimum payments along the way. The amount of those will depend on how big of a purchase or service you put on the card.
Ultimately, this is not a strong offer for the vast majority of people who have other means of paying. For example, you could put this on a cash back or travel rewards credit card and get a little bit of your money back.
Another ‘potential perk’ you can create for yourself is that getting this card and making all payments on time might help you build credit. Since Synchrony Bank reports to the credit agencies, like Experian and Transunion, making consistent on time payment will likely help your credit score. This probably isn’t even worth considering unless you have really bad credit. If you do have bad credit, this card might be easier to be approved for than many other cards.
Drawbacks and why you might want to avoid
The biggest drawback is the nearly ~30% APR. If you fail to make all your payments on time and/or if you don’t pay back the full promotional balance before the end of the promotional period, that interest rate will kick in. That means you will have to make much more than just the minimum monthly payments in order to avoid paying any interest at all.
Remember that the rate kicks in from the date of purchase! Not from when the bill was actually due. So it might be more than you expect.
There’s a ‘hidden cost’ here too of having an extra credit account to manage and remember to pay, likely for what’s ultimately a small expense.
The card also has pretty standard fees:
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$41 late payment fee
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$30 returned payment fee
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$2 minimum interest charge
Who should get the Express Oil Change Credit Card?
We really only see two types of people who should consider getting the Express Oil Change Credit Card / Tire Engineers Credit Card:
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No other way to pay for car service / oil change / new tires – but really need one of those services
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Know you can make all payments and just want to spread out a large purchase over time (including remembering to login and actually maker the payments)
Everyone else should probably just make their payment at Express Oil Change Tire Engineers with another form of payment. We think the hassle of remembering to make payments on another account means that even just paying with cash would be better.
Last word on the Express Oil Change Credit Card / Tire Engineers Credit Card
Most people should probably pay for car services and purchases with a points or rewards card instead.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Get fast answers to the most common questions
Where can I use the Express Oil Change Tire Engineers Credit Card?
At Express Oil Change Tire Engineers locations and anywhere the Synchrony Car Care Card is accepted
I'm looking for my Express Oil Change login? Or Synchrony Car Care Card login?
Try navigating here
Can I trust Synchrony Bank?
Likely yes! They are large, reliable, public financial institution. You may or may not know that they are the bank behind hundreds of co-brand store credit cards. Issuing and servicing cards like this is what they do.
Can I use the promotional financing for gas?
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No. Promo financing does not apply to gas purchases. However, this card does work at thousands of participating gas stations across the country.
Do you have reviews of similar cards?
Check out all of the co-brands of the Synchrony Car Care Credit Card here
We have reviews of several of the co-brand cards participating in the Synchrony Car Care Card program:
Can I use the Express Oil Change Credit Card abroad?
Only works in the United States including Puerto Rico
Editor's Note:
At Personal Finance Guru, we want to help you maximize your lifestyle through personal finance. You can trust the integrity of our independent financial advice. Our opinions our own and have not been provided, review, approved, or endorsed by any advertiser or financial product provider. To support and grow the site, however, we may receive compensation from the issuers of some products.
Meet the Author:
Cody Beecham
Founder/Owner/Editor/Author
Cody is the founder and owner of Personal Finance Guru. His day job is as a management consultant at one of the Top 3 firms (think Mckinsey, Bain), where he advises Fortune 500 C-suite clients on their most important and pressing business problems. He completed his business education at Harvard Business School.
After seeing the lack of personal finance education for regular people, Cody started the website with the mission to provide everyone access to information that will help them achieve their financial goals.
Cody approaches personal finance from a maximalist perspective, shunning typical advice around simply not buying a cup of coffee instead of more effective methods like investing in yourself to quickly grow your income.
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Cody approaches life with the same gusto that he brings to personal finance. He loves to travel and experience new cultures, and he is an avid reader and learner. He also enjoys playing sports (especially tennis) and spending time with his family and friends.