LensCrafters Credit Card >>> 5-minute review with lots of pics
PFG's Rating:
Not recommended. It’s hard to see a reason to get this card. Even if, like with other store cards, you want to take advantage of the interest-free promo period to spread out payments, glasses are such a small expense it’s probably not worth the hassle of opening and maintaining another credit account.
Pros and Cons: LensCrafters Credit Card
Pros
Interest-free promotional financing for 6 months if you buy 1 set (frame + lenses) or for 12 months of if you buy 2 or more sets
No annual fee
Likely easier credit approval than most cards
Reliable credit card issuer and servicer – Synchrony Bank
Cons
Extremely high APR – 29.99%! Whoa!
Limited functionality – cannot use for purchases at any other store besides LensCrafters locations
No additional perks or special offers for card holders
No rewards
No signup bonus
- 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!
LensCrafters Credit Card Executive summary
This card essentially only provides one benefit: the ability to spread out your payments over 6 months (if you by 1 set) or 12 months (if you buy 2 or more sets).
While this kind of store-card promotional financing to spread out payemnts can sometimes be worth the trouble for very large purchases, glasses are a relatively small expenses, often covered by insurnace anyway, so the LensCrafters Credit Card really doesn’t have much of a point.
The drawbacks, on the other hand are numerous. The APR is sky high at nearly 30%. So if you forget to payoff your balance by 6 or 12 months, those glasses may become much more expensive.
While the LensCrafters Credit Card doesn’t have an annual fee, it doesn’t have any benefits you probably expect from a credit card either. There’s no rewards, cash back, or any other perks.
It’s hard for us to see any reason to get this card, unless your are truly and completely out of money, need a pair of glasses to live, and need to defer payment.
I recently visited this LensCrafter location and found the staff to be friendly, but not too knowledgeable about the credit card
Useful LensCrafter Credit Card tools
Where will my card be accepted?
- Navigate to LensCrafter’s location checker here
How much will my monthly minimum payments be?
- Go to Synchrony’s payment calculator
How can I prequalify to see if I have a good chance of approval before affecting my credit?
- Head over to Synchrony’s pre-qualification page
I’m ready to apply, where do I go?
- Navigate to the application page
LensCrafters Credit Card Pros
You can create an interest free loan, if you use this card properly
If you payoff the promotional balance within the applicable time period (6 months or 12 months), you will have effectively create a ‘free’ loan for yourself. However, don’t forget that you still have to make minimum monthly payments along the way.
You might be able to use this card to build credit
Store cards like the LensCrafters credit card, tend to have easier credit approval than most other credit cards. Since they still report to credit bureaus, though, if you have bad or no credit, you might be able to get a store card like this one, make all pyaments on time, and start building credit.
There is no annual fee
Unlike many credit cards today, this card has no annual fee.
You can pre-qualify with no credit impact
If you have poor or no credit and aren’t sure if you will be approved, you can pre-qualify online. Note that being pre-qualified does not necessarily guarantee you will be approved if you apply.
LensCrafters have designer frames available, like these
My recent LensCrafters in-store experience
I went to my local LensCrafters recently to checkout what the credit card application would be like.
The store was clean and the sales staff friendly, but they didn’t seem to know much about the LensCrafters credit card.
Far from pushing me to apply, the associate seemed surprised to learn that they offered a credit card and had to go in the back to look up basic information.
Unfortunately, the associate wasn’t able to providue much information, including no materials, and encouraged me to simply go to the LensCrafters website to learn more. They did confirm that I could apply for the card in-store if I wanted, though.
Overall, it was a little disappointing that they couldn’t answer basic questions about the card, but nice to see that they’re not pushing this poor offering on their customers hard.
My local LensCrafters
Drawbacks of the LensCrafters Credit Card
Sky high interest rate
If you forget to make your required minimum monthly payments, or you don’t payoff the full promotional balance within 6 or 12 months, you will pay a ~30% interest rate from the date of purchase. This is extremely high and will make your glasses purchases much more expensive.
Consider that you have to manage this account
Additionally, even if the above doesn’t happen to you, there is a cost in the sense that you have another credit account that you have to manage. You have to remember to make payments, track the expiration date, etc. Since the LensCrafters credit card only works at LensCrafters, it’s not worth it to manage to only be able to use at this one store.
I saw luxury frames like these in my recent visit to my local LensCrafters
I saw luxury frames like these in my recent visit to my local LensCrafters
Glasses/contacts are a small expense
While this card might let you spread out payments over time, glasses and contacts are small purchases, and using a store card to do this really only makes sense when you’re making larger purchases.
No rewards
The LensCrafters credit card does not offer and perks, rewards, special offers, or cash back. This is bottom-tier class. While all store cards have little to no rewards or cash back, most at least have some sort of extra store credit or rewards system for frequent shoppers. LensCrafters not offering that, particularly when their product is already a small item, makes this card just not worth the trouble for the consumer.
Extremely limited utility
It’s worth noting one more time, too, that his card only works at LensCrafters stores, you won’t be able to use it to pay anywhere else – a huge drawback.
Wide selection of frames available
Last word on the Lenscrafters credit card
Skip this card and pay for your frames, lenses, and/or contacts with a cash back card instead.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Get fast answers to the most common questions
How can I reach customer service for this card?
- You can call customer service at: 877-295-2080 or 1-866-893-7864
- You can email customer service at: [email protected]
- You can also chat with an agent by logging into your account (see below) and clicking on the chat icon
Where do I login to my account for this card?
Login to your Synchrony Car Care Credit Card at mysynchrony.com
Will the application or pre-qualification affect my credit score?
The pre-qualification will not, the application will
What are other fees on this card?
There is a late payment fee of up to $41 and a returned payment fee of up to $30
Where can you use this card?
Only at LensCrafters stores. This card is not accepted anywhere else
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.
Cathy Gresham
Editor & Author
Cathy Gresham is a finance whiz.
After earning her MBA from The Wharton School, she has worked in strategy at some of the world’s largest and most influential financial companies for 20+ years. Notably, she has worked for the biggest credit card issuers and networks and brings an insider’s perspective to how credit card products work behind the scenes.
Cathy is passionate about personal finance and investing, and loves helping people learn about these complex topics. Her wit and humor make learning about money fun, and she’s always happy to share her knowledge with others.
Cathy enjoys spending time with her family and friends when she’s not crunching numbers or developing investment strategies. She’s also an avid runner, and can often be found pounding the pavement on her morning jog.