There is already a lot of love for Amazon, Costco, Target, Verizon, and Walmart, but have you found any other store or company-branded credit cards to be worthwhile for their perks or benefits?

For me, the FordPass Rewards Visa looks pretty interesting with an automatic $200 annual statement credit after $6,000 in spend (pretty much 3.33% cash back, up to $6,000)

So I did a little black Friday shopping, and one place I went by to buy a few things was Nordstrom. Like at most department stores, I was asked if I'd like to apply for their credit card for some nominal discount. Out of curiosity I looked up what the earning rate is on the card, and it's 2x at Nordstrom, 1x everywhere else with a 32% APR which is absolutely terrible. (Note: You should never carry a balance on a credit card, but I know it's a tactic to lure in people who overspend with an upfront discount and then they overspend and pay a high APR). There are plenty of 2x flat cards you can get which give you 2x or 2% cash back on everything, such as the Wells Fargo active cash, Citi Double Cash, Amex Blue Business Plus, and if you're into traveling, the Capital One Venture X. None of these cards have 32% APR either. You can also get the US Bank Cash+ which gives you 5% back in two select categories of your choice up to $2,000 every quarter, and one of those categories happens to be department stores.

Let's look at some other store cards

Old Navy's credit card gives you a 30% discount on your first purchase, as well as 5% back at Old Navy and their associated stores, like Gap and Banana Republic, and 1% everywhere else with a 34% APR. That's a lot better than the Nordstrom card, but realistically how much are you spending at Old Navy to justify getting a card? Let's say you spend $500 and open the card, you get a 30% discount which would be $150 off. You could open the Wells Fargo Active Cash, spend that same amount and get a $200 statement credit, have a 2x catch all card everywhere, and while I don't suggest carrying a balance, a 12 month 0% APR period.

Bloomingdale's has a tiered points system where you start out at 3x points which can increase if you spend a lot, but the points are only worth .5c each which means your effective cash back value is only 1.5%, redeemable only at Bloomingdale's with a 32%APR if you carry a balance. Not worth it.

Let's move away from department stores

The Best Buy credit card gives you 5% back in store, yet has different versions, and you only find out which you get approved for when you apply, including one with a $59 annual fee, and one that only works at Best Buy. Again, US Bank Cash+ can get you 5% cash back here with no annual fees.

The Gamestop credit card only works at Gamestop with no rewards... need I say more?

The only exception I see is cards from big chain retailers with a wide variety of every day products you shop at often, like Costco, Sams Club, Target, Amazon, as well as Hotel and Airline cards for status if you're into that.

The Amazon Prime card is actually one of the best store credit cards out there, just recently they had a $200 gift card promo if you get the card, and the card gives you 5% cash back on all Amazon and Whole Foods purchases if you have a prime account, as well as elevated categories on gas and dining. While other store cards we looked at might give you 5% cash back, you're certainly shopping at Amazon a lot more than Old Navy.

The Costco card is another good one, it gives you 2x at Costco, 4x on gas as well as some other categories.

The Target Red card is a flat 5% back, and you can even get a debit version as well.

The Apple card is worth mentioning as well, it's much more broad than just for buying a new iphone, you can get 3% cash back at Apple and select stores like booking.com, Panera etc, and 2% cash back everywhere else when you use Apple Pay.

I personally use the US Bank Altitude Reserve card which gives me 3x points every time I use Apple Pay, and the points are worth 1.5c each when redeemed for travel (as opposed to 1c each with most other cards). Given apple pay is so widely accepted now, you could easily match or exceed a lot of these department store cards.

So while it might be tempting to sign up for that department store card while checking out, in my opinion, you can do a lot better.