Petco Credit Card: I’d Skip It [3 Reasons Why Inside]
The rewards program here is hard to understand and clunky to actually use. I’m skipping it personally.
Fact checked by Cody Beecham
Do you have a pet and shop at Petco all the time like me? I spend so much there I decided to look into their credit card to see if it was worth it.
After checking out the details, I was super disappointed. Read on to find out why.
Petco Credit Card executive summary
- You can get most of the rewards of this credit card by just being a Vital Care Core free version member (previously known as ‘Pals Rewards’).
- The points/rewards are hard to redeem and have lots of restrictions.
- The rewards rate for the card essentially doubles the normal rewards rate of ~3% store credit for being a Vital Care member to ~6% store credit (of purchase price). The rewards rate for using the MasterCard version of the card outside of PetCo is extremely low (~1%).
- There are actually two versions of this card – the ‘Petco Pay MasterCard’ version can be used in other stores, while the regular ‘Petco Pay’ version is only accepted at Petco (including online).
PFG's Rating:
Not recommended. The extra work of having an additional credit card is not probably not worth the extra ~3% in store credit for most people. The rewards are difficult to understand and to redeem. As usual, I’m just going to keep using my flat rate, 2% cash back, general purpose card instead.
Pros and Cons: Petco Credit Card
Pros
6% store credit at Petco
$25 in store credit to be used within 90 days of account opening
No annual fee
Reputable credit card issuer – Comenity bank (now called Bread financial)
Cons
Very high APR – 29%
You must trigger points to be converted to rewards (store credit)
The non-MasterCard version cannot be used at other stores
Advertises a donation to charity, but the donation rate is a paltry 0.0025% of purchases and is capped at $1M
The rewards rate for purchases outside of Petco on the MasterCard version is only ~1% Petco store credit
Points are forfeited if you’re not making a purchase at Petco at least once every 90 days
Points expire 365 days after being issued
Low sign-up bonus
- ~6% store credit.
- Redemption is difficult. You must trigger converting your points into store credit rewards in your account.
- All your points appear to be forfeited if you don’t constantly make a purchase at Petco every 90 days to ‘keep your points balance current.’
- Points also expire 365 days after they are originally issued.
- ~29% APR.
- Make sure you pay in full every month.
- 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 600 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.
Thinking of getting a cash back credit card instead?
Check out our credit card comparison tool to quickly and easily compare cash back rates, rewards, fees, and more!
The Petco credit card is a not-so-great option for frequent Petco shoppers. There are actually two types of cards, one that you can use only at Petco and one that you can use anywhere (Mastercard).
Both cards get you two ‘Pals Points’ per dollar spent, which are points you can use for store credit on future Petco purchases.
But, if you do not shop at Petco enough, these rewards probably aren’t worth it.
Even with the Petco Pay Mastercard, which you can use outside of Petco stores, you will only earn Pals points. And, it is at a lower rate of 1% Petco store credit.
Pros and Cons of the Petco Credit Card
Pros
- 6% store credit rate on purchases made at Petco (and grocery stores for the Mastercard version)
Cons
- High APR
- No cash back option
- Low rewards rate for purchases outside of Petco
- Rewards only redeemable at Petco
Types of Petco Credit Cards
There are two types of Petco credit cards:
First is the Petco Pay credit card, which you can only use in Petco stores and online at Petco.com.
The other is more flexible, as it is a Mastercard. The Petco Pay Mastercard credit card lets you shop at Petco stores, online at Petco.com, and wherever Mastercard is accepted.
The Mastercard will still earn you Petco Pals Points when you shop outside Petco, but only at a 1% Petco store credit rate.
Benefits of the Petco Credit Card
Before applying for the Petco credit card, you should read through the following benefits to determine if the card is worth it for you or if you should consider a different card.
Petco Pals Rewards
The main benefit of using the Petco credit card is that you can earn points to save money at Petco through the Pals Rewards program.
You will get the most Pals points on purchases made at Petco. For every $1 you spend at a Petco store or online at Petco.com, you earn two Pals Points, which equates to a ~6% store credit given that you get a $5 store credit for every 167 Pals points.
Focus on: what is the true rewards rate of the Petco credit card? And is is worth it?
The way Petco explains its points system is one of the more confusing ones we’ve come across. So here’s the answer, calculated for you:
You earn 2 points for every dollar spent at Petco and points can be redeemed for $5 in store credit for every 167 points. So that means for every ~$83 you spend at Petco, you get a $5 store credit, or about ~6% of your purchases.
If you frequently shop at Petco, earning a 6% store credit might be worth it compared to a generic 1.5-2.0% cash back card. But remember the extra 4% on a $1K of purchases at Petco is only $40. So, you will likely need to spend several thousand dollars per year at Petco to make the headache of managing this card worth the trouble, especially since they make point redemption more difficult than most cards.
So, to save an extra $200, which we think would be the absolute minimum to make managing this card worth it, you would need to spend $5K every year at Petco!
If you have a Petco credit card, you can only earn rewards at Petco stores and online, but if you have a Petco Mastercard, there are some other ways to earn Petco rewards.
You can earn Pals points on grocery store purchases when you use the Petco card at checkout. For every $3 you spend at a grocery store, you earn two Pals points – so again, that earning Petco store credit at a 6% of purchases rate.
Finally, any purchases made using your Petco card outside of Petco and grocery stores will earn 1 Pals point per $3 spent, effectively a rate of ~1%.
Savings When You Open the Card
As an additional benefit to opening and using the Petco credit card, you will receive $25 in Pals Rewards during the first 90 days that your card is open. This offer is one-time only, and you must be enrolled in the Pals Rewards program and be a credit card holder to get this benefit.
No Annual Fee & Financing Options
There is no annual fee for the Petco credit card, which means you can still earn rewards to use in-store even if you do not shop there too often. You will not have to worry about earning your annual fee back to make holding the card worth it.
Furthermore, you can set up financing plans on large purchases or months you spend a lot with you make with your Petco credit card. If you spend $500 outside of Petco in the first 90 days when your card is open, you can set up a Credit Plan to pay off your credit card.
With a Credit Plan, you have to make minimum payments, and your purchases are not eligible to earn rewards. You can learn more about the Credit Plans and what purchase locations are excluded from the deal to determine if this benefit would help you.
One-Year Expiration on Rewards
When you are a Petco credit card holder, you have one year to use your Pals Rewards from the time you earn them, as opposed to regular Pals Rewards members, who only have 90 days.
If you are a frequent shopper at Petco, which you likely are if you have a PetCo credit card, you will have plenty of time to use your rewards.
Personalize Your Card
Petco also lets you personalize your credit card, meaning you can get a picture of your pet on the card
There is not any financial benefit to doing this, but it is a fun way to keep your pet with you wherever you go.
Petco Credit Card Login
To manage your account you can log in to your Petco credit card account here. You can make a payment, see your balance, and more in the account.
Where to Use the Petco Credit Card
Both the Petco credit card and the Petco Mastercard can be used at Petco stores and online at Petco.com.
You can find your local Petco stores using the store finder.
If you have the Petco Mastercard, you have some more options for where you can use your Petco card.
You can use the Petco credit card Mastercard wherever Mastercard is accepted. You will only earn one Pals point per dollar if you use your card anywhere other than a Petco store, Petco.com, or a grocery store.
The connection with Comenity Bank
The Petco credit card is issued by Comenity Bank, which issues MasterCard credit cards. Comenity technically represents Comenity Bank or any of its affiliates, but Comenity bank is the subsidiary of Bread Financial, which has recently rebranded to Bread Savings. This is significant because they host well over 100 different Credit Card brands which have notoriously high-interest rates.
My recent experience at Petco
I actually shop at Petco all the time for my dog. We buy toys and food and even use their grooming services from time to time.
So I was super intrigued to check this card out.
While I’m perfectly happy with the in-store and online Petco shopping experience and value, this card left me pretty disappointed and I decided not to add it to my wallet.
The rewards programs is confusing and hard to use (you have to manually convert your points to rewards in your account). Also, while the 6% store credit rate sounds high, the difference between that and my normal 2% flat rate cashback on everything card, isn’t enough to justify the trouble of managing another card in my wallet, given how much I spend at Petco each year.
I also didn’t like when I read through the terms and conditions and found out that the amount they donate to Animal Charity is less than 0.01% of your purchases and they cap their total corporate donation at a meager $1M. This felt a bit misleading to me and I didn’t love it.
So, like most store credit card offerings, I skipped it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can I reach customer service for this card?
- You can call customer service at:
- 1-877-751-1607 for the Petco Pay card
- 1-855-266-0558 for the Petco Pay MasterCard
- By Mail: Comenity Capital Bank, PO Box 183003, Columbus, OH 43218-3003
*When writing, include your name, address, phone number and Account number.
Where do I login to my Petco credit card account?
Login to your Petco Credit Card here.
Where do I make my Petco credit card payment?
Login to your Petco member account here.
Last call on the Petco Credit Card
Unless you’re spending over $5K per year at Petco, the rewards rate and difficult redemption of this card probably isn’t worth the trouble.
Save yourself the hassle and get yourself a general-purpose cash-back credit card instead.
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, reviewed, 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.
Author bio:
John Wayman
Author
John has always been fascinated by money, wealth, and investing. He got a front row seat into how Ultra High Net Worth individuals, families, and entities manage their money while working for years in Goldman Sachs’ Private Bank.
He learned a great deal about personal finance and wealth management from some of the most experienced professionals in the industry.
Now he enjoys helping all kinds of people grow their wealth and achieve their financial goals.
When he’s not advising clients, Cody enjoys playing golf and spending time with family and friends.