The Case for Having a Banana Republic Credit Card

Banana Republic is one of the most famous retailers in the country. Featuring casual wear, work wear and casual evening wear for men and women, it’s a company that offers stylish, classic apparel. The items at Banana Republic are priced well so that most anyone can afford to shop there for their office apparel and casual wear needs, and the items are well-made and designed to last. The motto at the Banana Republic credit card center is that rewards are always in style, and that’s what the credit cards offer by Banana Republic offer to their customers.

How to Apply for a Banana Republic Credit Card

The way in which one applies for a Banana Republic credit card is fairly simple. It’s not a difficult process, and anyone can do it. Before you apply, however, it’s important for you to remember two things. The first thing to remember is that no one with bad credit will be approved for a Banana Republic credit card. Additionally, anyone that applies will see their credit score drop 3 to 5 points from the inquiry. If you have no intention of using the card and you don’t want to see an impact on your credit score, it’s best not to apply. However, if you do want to apply, you can easily do it online or in store.

To apply online you’ll simply visit the Banana Republic website and choose the link that offers the credit card. You will need to provide some very personal information, so please make sure that the computer you are using is secure. The information required to apply for a Banana Republic credit card includes:

Your name

Address

Phone number

Social Security Number

Employment Information

Income

Housing costs

Email address

You might also be asked to include other information when you apply either in-store or online, but perhaps you will not be asked.

Once you input this information it is imperative you go through your information to ensure that it was all entered correctly. Not doing this could result in a declined application – and you certainly don’t want to have to reapply with the correct information. Once you go through this information to ensure that it is correct, you will then read the customer terms and conditions put in place by Banana Republic. These terms and conditions are imperative reading material. Consider this the “fine print,” that dictates interest rates, payment obligations and all other need-to-know information. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, do not go any further with your application. If you do agree to the terms and conditions, check the box that suggests you agree and submit your application.

Once your application is submitted it will take approximately 60 seconds for a decision to appear on your computer screen. You will be approved and given some information about your new card, you will be informed that a decision requires more time before it can be made and that you will receive further correspondence from the store via the mail or you will be declined. If you are declined for the card, you will receive a letter in the mail within 30 business days detailing the reason behind Banana Republic’s choice.

If you choose to apply for your credit card in the store, you can do so by filling out one of the applications available at the register. You can fill it out in the store and wait for a decision – this takes just a few minutes – or you can take the application home and fill it out, return it to the store or just mail it to the company on your own.

Once you are approved for a Banana Republic credit card, you can begin to enjoy the many perks and rewards that come along with the card.

Banana Republic Card Benefits

There are many benefits to having a Banana Republic credit card. The first is that you can earn reward points that are good toward gift cards to the store. For every $200 you spend in a Banana Republic store, you get to earn a $10 gift card. If you have the Banana Republic Visa card – which is a card we will talk about later – you will earn 1 point for every $1 you spend anywhere other than Banana Republic, and you will get a $10 gift card for every 1000 points in your account.

Other benefits include online access to your account 24 hours per day 7 days of the week. You will also save 15 percent on your very first purchase with your new Banana Republic card. Cardholders also receive special offers, promotions and saving throughout the year. For example, a credit card holder will be notified about sales in the store before anyone else, and those cardholders sometimes get to shop those sales ahead of time so they get things before they are sold out. Every Tuesday you will receive 10 percent off your purchase at Banana Republic, Old Navy or Gap if you use your Banana Republic card. It’s a big savings that adds up significantly for cardholders.

Upgrade to the Banana Republic Luxe Visa

This card is even better than the traditional Banana Republic card. You cannot apply for this card, however. You have to be invited to upgrade to this spectacular Banana Republic Luxe Visa. This card is issued to those who spend $800 per year on their Banana Republic card at either Banana Republic, Gap or Old Navy. The card features all the benefits and rewards that the traditional card features, with the addition of some even better rewards.

One such reward is the personal sales day. You get to choose your own sales day – it doesn’t have to be Tuesday like the other card – and you get to increase your savings on that weekly sales day to 15 percent instead of just 10 percent. Additionally, you will receive free shipping on every order you make, whether it’s $5 or $500. Finally, you will also receive free alterations (basic only) with this card. There will be times throughout the year when the card offers triple points on all purchases, and there is a personal hotline for all luxe cardholders.

Banana Republic Credit Card Reviews

There seems to be a bit of a love it or hate it attitude about the Banana Republic credit cards. There are very few reviews from customers that are ambivalent, but many that are completely unhappy and just as many that are thrilled with the card.  We’ll give you the bad news first so that you can see what it is customers like and dislike most about the card, and make the decision whether or not to apply on your own accord.

What people dislike most about the card is the apparent lack of customer service. Many users have many stories to tell about negligent customer service and rude customer service representatives. There are so many reviews about the service provided when calling the hotline and many of them are negative. It seems that many people have been hung up on and even more people find it impossible to find a resolution to their particular conflict with the card.

As far as additional dislikes about the card, there are a number of customers with Banana Republic cards that are unhappy with the entire process of how their money is used. Many customers complain that they are making their payments in advance and on time, and while the payment is credited to their account and applied to their available balance on the card, it’s not actually showing up on their account for several weeks. This is something that reviewers believe happens so that the card company can charge you additional interest on a higher outstanding balance. Of course, it’s legal for the company to hold the payment for as many as 15 business days, so there is nothing many people can do about this.

Another of the most common complaints of this particular credit card is the fact that many people are issued refunds when they return an item, but complain that they are charged interest on that item even after their refund is issued. It’s a law that this is allowed to happen, and most people hate this. It has caused several hundred customers to cancel their cards and get rid of them.

What users love about the card is the fact that they can easily access their account information at any time. The online system is one that’s superior to others in the opinions of many people who hold this card. Payments post immediately, people love that, and it makes for a great card.

The rewards are another one of the best benefits of having the Banana Republic credit card. Many people who hold the card are in agreement that the rewards are easy to acquire, easy to understand and very easy to use when you have enough. Customers say that the rewards are frequent, and that the promotions and specials that are available for cardholders are always amazing. It’s been rated one of the best store credit cards to have by most users. Additionally, if you upgrade to the Banana Republic Visa, you can use the card anywhere that accepts Visa, which makes it that much simpler to acquire points and receive rewards and benefits.

This is a card that has far more positive reviews than negative reviews, which isn’t always the case with many store credit cards. If you’re looking for a store card to use, this one is usable at Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy. That means you can quickly spend $800 and earn a Visa card that you can use at any location around the world that accepts Visa as a form of payment.

(Photo by Cate Gillon/Getty Images)