If Target is your go-to store for everything from clothing to milk and eggs, it can make sense to pick up a card that earns more rewards on your Target purchases. But while the Target™ Mastercard will get you a 5% discount on most purchases, it isn’t the most rewarding card to use always. Scroll down for more on that.
Here are our picks for the best credit cards to use at Target. All of these cards earn better than 2% cash back rewards (or the equivalent) at Target or Target.com.
Annual Fee: $0
Target™ Mastercard
Best card for most Target purchases
5% discount on most items at Target. Extra 30 days to return most items.
Annual Fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95/year thereafter)
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card
Highest rate of cash back, plus extended warranty
6% cash back on your first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with two retailers you choose. Eligible retailer choices include Target.
Annual Fee: $0
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Highest rate of cash back at Target.com with no annual fee
Earn up to 3% cash back (5.25% cash back with a $100k+ banking relationship) on a category you choose, on up to $2,500 in spending each quarter. Choose online shopping to earn 5.25% cash back at Target.com
Annual Fee: $0
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Best for high rate of cash back at Target.com with no strings attached
Earn up to 3% cash back for U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 spent per year.
When the Target Mastercard isn’t the best
If the Target Mastercard gives you a 5% instant discount and has no annual fee, why would you not want to use that everywhere?
Well, in most cases, for most things you’re likely to buy at Target, this card is the best for most people most of the time. But there are a few exceptions:
Sometimes extended warranty matters more. The Target card has no consumer insurance benefits like extended warranty or purchase protection. Sure, you don’t need an extended warranty on bananas—but if you’re buying expensive electronics at Target, trading off a few precent discount might be worth it to extend the manufacturer’s warranty for a year.
Always use another card when Target runs its annual 10% off sale on gift cards. The Target cards don’t get the 5% discount on purchases of gift cards, so there is no benefit to using them during this sale. If you use, for example, a 2% cash back card like the Citi Double Cash or the Wells Fargo Active Cash, you can get 2% cash back on top of the 10% gift card discount.
Target Circle™ Mastercard: An essential card for Target shoppers
If you’re a Target shopper, the Target Circle™ Mastercard should be your first choice for a credit card to use at Target. The card offers an instant 5% discount on most items you will buy. That makes it ideal for groceries, clothing, and household consumables.
Why use it at Target: The Target Circle Mastercard’s instant 5% discount on most things you buy at Target is hard to beat.
Use another card when you buy an expensive item that would benefit from an extended warranty. Also, since the Target Circle Card’s 5% discount does not stack with Target’s annual 10% off gift cards promotion, use another card for this purchase.
You should get the card if Target is your primary grocery store or your go-to for household consumables.
Downsides and drawbacks: The Target Circle card isn’t terribly useful for purchases outside of Target stores. Sure, you can use it, but you’d do much better with a card that earns 2% cash back—you’ll earn better rewards as cash back that you can spend anywhere, rather than as a Target gift card.
Learn more about the card in our overview of the Target Circle™ Mastercard.
Target Circle™ Mastercard at a glance
The Target Circle™ Mastercard is the best card to use for your everyday purchases of groceries and home supplies from Target.
Target™ Mastercard welcome offer
Welcome offer: Get $100 in Target Circle Rewards when you’re approved for a Target Circle Credit card.
This bonus is awarded as Target Circle Rewards.
Annual fee: $0
Rewards
- 5% discount every day at Target and Target.com
certain purchases, such as prescriptions, some gift cards, taxes, and alcohol purchases in some states are not eligible for a discount. - 2% on dining.
- 2% on gas.
- 1% on other purchases.
Rewards on non-Target purchases are earned as a Target gift card. The 5% discount on Target purchases is an at-purchase discount that will be reflected on your receipt when you use your card.
Benefits
Target benefits
- Free 2-day shipping on eligible items at Target.com. Items that do not qualify for free 2-days shipping receive free shipping.
- More return time. Get an extra 30 days for returns and exchanges at Target.
- Target Circle Card exclusives and offers. Offers vary by cardholder. Not every exclusive offer will be available to every cardholder.
Rates and fees
Annual fee: $0
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card: Highest rate of cash back rewards at Target
For absolute maximum cash back at Target, use the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card. The card lets you earn 6% cash back rewards on two retailers you choose, on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter.
The list of eligible merchants you can select from includes Target, plus you can get 6% cash back at another retailer of your choice
Not only does the card earn the highest cash back available at Target, but the card’s extended warranty and purchase protection benefits make it a great choice to use for expensive purchases of electronics and small household appliances.
Finally, when Target runs its 10% off Target gift cards promotion, you should be able to earn 6% on Target gift card purchases, giving you an effective discount of 15.4% on the promotional Target gift cards when you consider the value of the cash back you’ll earn.
Why use it at Target: You want absolute maximum cash back rewards and robust consumer insurance benefits like extended warranty, return protection, and purchase protection.
Use another card when you spend over $1,500 during a quarter at your two chosen retailers—you can do better than the 1.5% rewards you’ll get on purchases over the maximum.
You should get the card if you spend close to or more than $1,500 in purchases at two of the retailers on the Shopper Cash Rewards card’s list of eligible retailers.
Downsides and drawbacks: The card has an annual fee, so you’ll need to run the numbers to see if the card makes sense for you. Remember that you can get a 5% discount with the Target Circle card and a 2% cash back at pretty much anywhere with any number of no-annual-fee 2% cash back cards.
Learn more about the Shopper Cash Rewards card from our review of the card.
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card at a glance
The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card offers the highest rate of cash back at Target of any card—up to 6% cash back.
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card welcome offer
Welcome offer: Earn a $250 bonus after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
The bonus is awarded as additional cash rewards
Maximum cash back rewards value applies only if you redeem rewards as a statement credit or a direct deposit into a U.S. Bank account.
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95/year thereafter)
Rewards
- 6% on your first $1,500 in combined eligible purchase each quarter with two retailers you choose.
- 3% on your first $1,500 in eligible purchases each quarter on your choice of one everyday category.
Eligible everyday categories include wholesale clubs, gas and EV charging stations, and bills and utilities. - 1.5% on all other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as cash rewards. Maximum Cash Rewards value applies to Cash Rewards redeemed for a statement credit or deposit into an eligible U.S. Bank Account.
Eligible 6% retailers
With the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card, you can choose two retailers to earn 6% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter. Here’s the list of eligible retailers.
- Ace Hardware®
- Apple®
- Amazon.com®
- Anthropologie®
- Bed, Bath, & Beyond®
- Best Buy®
- Chewy.com®
- Crate and Barrel™
- Disney®
- Home Depot®
- Ikea®
- Kohl’s®
- Lowe’s®
- Lululemon®
- Macy’s™
- Menards®
- Nordstrom™
- Pottery Barn®
- QVC®
- Restoration Hardware™
- Target®
- Walmart®
- Wayfair.com
- Williams Sonoma®
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
- Purchase security.
- Return protection.
- Extended warranty protection.
Travel insurance benefits
- Travel and emergency assistance services.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Free Shipt membership until 12/31/24 with enrollment. After free membership expires, you are automatically enrolled in an annual Shipt membership at then-current prices until you cancel.
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95/year thereafter)
- Foreign transaction fee: 3% of each foreign transaction
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card: 3% or more online
Bank of America’s Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card can really pay off if you have $100,000 or more in assets with Bank of America and Merrill. If you do, you can get up to 5.25% cash back at Target.com if you select online shopping as your choice category.
But even as a standalone card, the card is a reasonable choice to use for Target.com purchases when you want an extended warranty. Without a BofA banking relationship, it can still get you 3% rewards for your online shopping, which is pretty decent.
Why use it at Target: You want greater rewards at Target.com, don’t want to pay an annual fee, and value an extended warranty benefit.
Use another card when you’re buying grocery and consumable items in-store.
You should get the card if you either have $100,000 of assets with Bank of America or you are fine with a card that can earn you up to 3% cash back online.
Downsides and drawbacks: There’s little downside to having this card—even without a banking relationship, it will get you 3% cash back in the category you select on up to $2,500 spent each quarter.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card at a glance
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card offers up to 3% cash back rewards in a category you choose—and up to 5.25% cash back if you’re a Preferred Rewards member with Platinum or higher status.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card welcome offer
Welcome offer: Earn 6% cash back for the first year from account opening in your choice category. Plus, get a $200 online cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening.
This bonus is earned as cash back rewards.
Annual fee: $0
Rewards
- 3% in the category of your choice.
- 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs.
- 1% on all other purchases.
You’ll earn 3% and 2% rewards on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each calendar quarter in the 3% and 2% bonus categories. Earn 1% cash back on these purchases thereafter.
Rewards are earned as cash back. If you have Bank of America Preferred Rewards, you’ll receive additional rewards based on your rewards multiplier of up to 1.75. Your rewards multiplier is based on your relationship with Bank of America and Merrill.
3% choice categories
Choose one of the following categories to earn 3% cash back:
- Gas and EV charging stations.
- Online shopping, including cable, internet, phone plans, and streaming.
- Dining.
- Travel.
- Drug stores and pharmacies.
- Home improvement and furnishings.
You can change your choice category once each calendar month. You’ll earn 3% and 2% rewards on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each calendar quarter in the 3% and 2% bonus categories. Earn 1% cash back on these purchases thereafter.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
- Extended Warranty Protection.
Travel insurance benefits
- Travel and Emergency Assistance Services.
- Roadside Dispatch.
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Foreign transaction fee: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Cash back for U.S. online retail
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers 3% cash back on the first $6,000 you spend on U.S. online retail purchases each year, then 1%. That means you can earn plenty of cash back at Target.com
Since the card doesn’t offer an extended warranty benefit, you’re likely to get value out of this card if you are an occasional Target shopper who shops primarily online.
Why use it at Target: You want greater rewards at Target.com, but want a card that is also usable for other regular purchases.
Use another card when buying items in-store or when you want an extended warranty benefit.
You should get the card if you like the idea of having a card that can earn you bonus rewards on a modest amount of U.S. online retail purchases, U.S. gas station purchases, and U.S. supermarket purchases. And if you subscribe to Disney+ as a standalone service, you can probably get some value out of the card’s Disney+ credit (enrollment required, terms apply.)
Downsides and drawbacks: The card’s caps on its bonus rewards might prove stifling for someone who spends a lot in the card’s bonus categories.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express at a glance
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a great choice if you want a card with no annual fee for everyday purchases.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express welcome offer
Welcome offer: Earn $200 Back after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You will receive the $200 back in the form of a statement credit.
This bonus is awarded as a statement credit.
You may be able to get a better offer—occasionally Amex will show a $300 offer once you link to the website—but we know of no way to link directly to this offer.
Annual fee: $0
Annual fee: $0
Rewards
- 3% on groceries at U.S. supermarkets
on up to $6,000 per year of purchases, then 1%. - 3% on U.S. online retail purchases
on up to $6,000 per year of purchases, then 1%. - 3% on gas at U.S. gas stations
on up to $6,000 per year of purchases, then 1%. - 1% on other purchases.
Rewards are earned as cash back.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
- Amex Purchase Protection. Covers eligible purchases against theft or accidental damage up to $1,000 per covered purchase and up to $50,000 per account per calendar year. Exclusions and terms apply.
Travel insurance benefits
- Car rental loss and damage insurance.
- Global assist hotline.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Disney Streaming Credit. Receive a $7 monthly statement credit when you charge an eligible U.S. monthly subscription service to your card. Enrollment required.
- Amex Offers. Receive statement credits or extra rewards with targeted offers from select merchants. Enrollment required.
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
Bottom line: Target Circle card for most purchases, but don’t forget about extended warranty benefits
Most frequent Target shoppers will want to pick up the Target Circle Card for its 5% discount on most things at Target, but be aware that there are some times when you might want to use another card, like when you want extended warranty protection, or when you’re buying Target Gift Cards.
