The Target™ Mastercard is Target’s store credit card and an essential card for Target shoppers. The card offers a generous discount at Target and Target.com, plus free two day shipping and more return time at Target.
Target Mastercard at a glance
The Target Circle™ Mastercard is an essential card for Target shoppers thanks to its 5% discount on almost everything you buy at the store.
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
Target Mastercard review
Cards and Points Rating: 4.0/5.0
Read more about our star ratings.
The Target™ Mastercard’s value proposition for Target shoppers is simple: An instant 5% discount on most purchases you make at Target.
This makes the card an ideal choice for most of the shopping you would do at Target. Groceries? Use the card. Clothing? Use the card. Household consumables? UIse the card.
The only Target purchases we would think twice about using the card for would be purchases of expensive items like electronics where a credit card extended warranty might be useful. In that case, it’s probably best to use a card with an extended warranty benefit.
Outside of Target, we wouldn’t use the card anywhere. The card’s rewards are earned as a Target gift card and max out at 2% at other places, making a 2% cash back card a better option for literally every non-Target purchase.
Likes
- 5% discount at Target and Target.com
- No annual fee
- Extended return period when using the card for Target purchases
Dislikes
- Earns a Target gift card rather than cash back for non-Target purchases
- No extended warranty or purchase protection
How to maximize the Target™ Mastercard
Getting the most out of the Target™ Mastercard is simple: Use the card as your default card at Target and nowhere else.
Using the card only at Target means you’ll get a 5% discount on your purchases. Some purchases like alcohol or purchases from the CVS-operated pharmacy won’t get a discount, but most of the stuff you are likely to buy at Target will get this discount.
Don’t use the card outside of Target. Since you’ll earn at most 2% rewards as a Target gift card, using any 2% cash back card gives you better rewards in literally every case.
Switch to another card when extended warranty and purchase protection matter. Think purchases of electronics or other things where trading off a few dollars’ discount for an extra year of extended warranty from your credit card makes sense.
Use another card for Target’s annual 10% discount on Target gift cards sale. Most people forget that the 5% discount from the Target card does not apply to gift cards. If you use another card during this (semi-)annual sale, you’ll receive rewards from that card, plus the 10% discount from the promotion.
Quick take: This is the card we use at Target
Aaron Hurd
Executive Editor of Cards and Points
Getting an instant 5% discount at Target with no annual fee makes the Target™ Mastercard one of the best cards to use at Target, and is my household’s choice for our day-to-day Target shopping. That is, when we’re not spending down the gift cards we purchased at 10% off during Target’s annual sale.
And that’s probably the biggest downside of this card for us—you don’t get the 5% discount on Target gift cards, so literally any other rewards card is a better deal to use for this promotion. Ideally, something like the Chase Freedom Flex®, Discover It® Cash Back would have Target as its 5% category when that promotion rolls around, but barring that, the Citi Double Cash is a good choice for stacking 2% rewards.
The bottom line is that, if you are a Target shopper, this card should be in your wallet.
