The Gap Credit Cards & Rewards Program — Everything You Need to Know

BY 

Erin Miller

- UPDATED: December 24, 2019

1. Credit Cards  / 
2. Strategies & Guides

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If you’ve been to a mall, you’ve surely seen a Gap. With recent branch additions like Gap Kids, Baby Gap, Gap outlets, and more — plus stores in over 70 countries — the brand has really taken over worldwide.

Gap provides an array of casual, modern basics and is always striving to bring the customer wardrobe staples that are both comfortable and stylish.

So what about their credit card? Can it help you save some hard-earned cash on your purchases?

In this review, we delve into the difference between the Gap credit cards, how the Gap rewards program works, the fees and drawbacks, and much more.

We also cover why you might want to consider an alternative rewards card, especially to avoid the high APRs of these 4 Gap credit cards.

Read on to find out if any of these Gap cards are the right ones for your wallet.

The Gap Credit Cards at a Glance

		GapCard	Gap Visa® Card	Gap Silver Credit Card	Gap Silver Visa® Card
Main Benefits	5️⃣ Earn 5 points per dollar spent across Gap family brands
	20% off first purchase
	Extra 10% off every day/every time you shop at Gap or Gap Factory stores.
	Special events, discounts, and promos
	Bonus point shopping days
	📃 Receipt-free returns
	20% bonus points each quarter
	🎉 Choose your own sale day
	Free 3-5 day shipping across Gap family brands
	1 point per dollar spent anywhere Visa is accepted
	Special Visa cardholder offers and promos
	💪 3,000 bonus points for new Visa cardmembers w/ qualifying purchase
Annual Fee		$0	$0	$0	$0
APR		28.24% (variable)	28.24% (variable)	28.24% (variable)	28.24% (variable)
Late Fee		Up to $39	Up to $39	Up to $39	Up to $39

All 4 cards above are rewards-based co-branded credit cards offered by Gap Inc and issued by Synchrony Bank.

As you can see in the table above, there are 2 main types of Gap credit cards:

• Basic Gap cards
• Gap Silver “status” cards

GapCard & Gap Visa®

These are the basic or base-level credit cards for Gap.

The GapCard

This is a basic store-branded credit card. Usually, this means it can only be utilized for the specific store it’s branded with: in this case, Gap.

However, the Gap credit cards differ slightly from other store-branded credit cards because Gap has a “Family of Brands” (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta), so your card can be used at these stores as well. 

The main benefits of the GapCard include:

5️⃣ Earn 5 points per dollar spent across Gap family brands
 20% off first purchase
 Extra 10% off every day at Gap/Gap Factory*
 Special events, discounts, & promos
 Bonus point shopping days
📃 Receipt-free returns

🎁Cardholders also receive a “Birthday Gift” if they have made one purchase with their GapCard within the last 12 months.

*It’s important to note that Gap’s terms and conditions state this offer is not valid at Gap Online or Gap Factory Online. And, a Gap Inc. credit card must be used as your payment type to receive the reward.

The Gap Visa® Card

This card is one step up from your basic GapCard. The Visa® distinction means this card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.

Gap Visa cardholders enjoy the same main benefits as GapCard cardholders (above), PLUS:

 1 point per dollar spent anywhere Visa is accepted
 Special Visa cardholder offers/promos
💪 3,000 bonus points for new Visa cardmembers w/ qualifying purchase**

*Gap’s fine print states new Visa cardholders will receive 3,000 bonus rewards points if they make a qualifying purchase outside their brands and it posts to the account within 30 days of it being originally opened. Additionally, the account must remain open and be in good standing to receive the bonus.

Gap does not specify what this “qualifying purchase” is. We assume it’s similar to a standard “sign-up bonus” for other popular rewards cards, where cardholders are required to meet a certain minimum spend amount within a specific period of time to achieve this one-time bonus.

We have not applied for a Gap Visa card ourselves, but you’d likely receive notification of this bonus offer with your approval.

Gap Silver & Gap Silver Visa®

These are Gap’s “status” or elite spending cards. Individuals cannot apply for these cards outright — current Gap or Gap Visa cardholders must achieve the following to earn Gap Silver status:

• Earn 5,000 reward points (excluding bonus points/returns) within a calendar year
• Make the minimum payment by the due date after reaching the 5,000 points
• Keep their account in good standing

The terms and conditions of this program state that upgrades to Gap Silver status will be processed within 90 to 120 days after the customer qualifies.

Something to note: the cardholder must re-qualify each calendar year to maintain their Gap Silver status.

Gap Silver Credit Card

All Gap SIlver cardholders receive benefits above and beyond those mentioned above for basic cardholders.

That means:

5️⃣ Earn 5 points per dollar spent across Gap family brands
 20% off first purchase
 Extra 10% off every day at Gap/Gap Factory*
 Special events, discounts, & promos
 Bonus point shopping days
📃 Receipt-free returns

🎁Cardholders also receive a “Birthday Gift” if they have made one purchase with their GapCard within the last 12 months.

*It’s important to note that Gap’s terms and conditions state this offer is not valid at Gap Online or Gap Factory Online. And a Gap Inc. credit card must be used as your payment type to qualify.

PLUS:

 20% bonus points each quarter
 Free 3-5 business day shipping across Gap family brands
🎉 Choose your own sale day

AND:

 Free basic alterations on Banana Republic purchases
 A dedicated Gap Silver cardholder hotline

As with the basic GapCard, the Gap Silver Card can only be utilized at Gap and the Gap Family of stores (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta).

Hot Tip: Gap’s fine print tells us that for Silver members to receive the 3-5 business day shipping, they must enter the code MYCARD at checkout. 

Gap Silver Visa® Card

This is the upgraded version of the Gap Visa®. So just like that card, it can be used for purchases anywhere Visa is accepted. 

In addition to the perks above, the Gap Silver Visa® includes:

 1 point per dollar spent anywhere Visa is accepted
 Special Visa cardholder offers/promos
💪 3,000 bonus points for new Visa cardmembers w/ qualifying purchase**

**To become a Gap Silver Visa cardholder, you would have initially been a Gap Visa cardholder who was upgraded due to elite points earning. Therefore, it’s likely you would have received this new Visa cardmember offer upon initial approval for your Gap Visa card. The fine print reports that each account is only eligible for 1 offer, so it’s extremely unlikely you would be given the opportunity for this new cardmember bonus again.

Additional Visa Card Benefits

In addition to all of the perks already mentioned above, being a Visa cardholder entitles the rewards member to a few additional benefits standard to all Visa credit cards:

🔐 Chip and signature technology
🚫 Zero fraud liability
📞 Cardholder inquiry service
 Lost or stolen card reporting
 Emergency card replacement and cash disbursement
 Auto rental collision damage waiver
 Roadside dispatch® (a pay per use system)

Gap Rewards: In Depth

Earning Points

In general, the Gap Rewards program is pretty simple.

Regardless of which of these 4 cards you have, cardholders earn 5 points for every $1 spent across the Gap Family of brands. Points can be earned in-store, online, or on purchases made by phone.

The Gap family of brands includes:

• Gap
• Gap Body
• babyGap
• Gap Kids
• Gap Maternity
• Gap Outlet
• Gap Factory Store
• Banana Republic
• Banana Republic Factory
• Old Navy
• Old Navy Outlet
• Athleta

As we mentioned in the sections above, if you’re a Gap Visa® or Gap Silver Visa® cardholder, you will also earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases (anywhere Visa is accepted).

Also previously mentioned, if you’re a Gap Silver or Gap Silver Visa® cardholder, you’ll earn 20% bonus points each quarter. These points will be applied to your account once the quarter is complete.

You may also earn a one-time bonus of 500 points each for the following:

• Connect with EMAIL by submitting a valid account number and email address
• Connect with EBILL by signing up for paperless statements via the online portal

How Rewards Are Issued

Once a Rewards member earns 500 points, a $5 Reward will be issued. 

These Rewards can be used at any of the Gap Family stores and are generally issued to the member’s account at the end of each billing cycle.

There is no limit to the number of points a member can earn. However, the program fine print states the max reward that will be issued in any one billing cycle is $250.

Additional terms state that points that are less than the number required for the lowest reward denomination (<500) will be applied toward the rewards for the next billing cycle.

Let’s take a look at a simple example from the reward program’s terms and conditions:

“If you earn 2,700 Points on your Gap Account, you will receive a $25 Reward and 200 Points will carry forward in your Rewards balance for your next billing cycle; if you earn 5,000 Points on your Banana Republic Account, you will receive a $50 Reward; and if you earn 1,500 Points on your Old Navy Account, you will receive a $15 Reward.”

Using Your Rewards

Each reward issued will have a clearly printed expiration date, so be sure to check for that and make your purchases within the valid reward window.

The program’s terms state members may redeem up to 3 rewards in a single transaction in store, but up to 5 rewards if shopping online or purchasing over the phone.

What about stacking? It’s a go (kind of)! Rewards may be combined with 1 other promotional offer, AND they can be applied toward sale items at any store location.

A few important stipulations to note:

• When redeeming a reward, the purchase amount is required to be greater than the reward amount. (i.e., you can’t use $15 in rewards for a $12 purchase)
• The residual amount owed on your purchase after redeeming your rewards certificates MUST be paid with a Gap Inc. credit card.
• Rewards may only be utilized by the rewards member who earned them — you may not give them to another individual.

Managing Your Rewards

You can find more information on viewing/managing your rewards account in the Login & Online (Or App-Based) Account Management section below.

Fees & Drawbacks of the Gap Cards

Every credit card will come with its own fees and drawbacks. Check out this table where we break down some of the basics.

Fees

So how do you go about avoiding unnecessary fees or penalties?

Be a responsible cardholder. Plain and simple. 

Being a responsible cardholder means you should aim to pay off your balance in full on time each month. If you can’t, you should attempt to pay as much as you possibly can on time each month, and at the very least make the minimum payment.

Making payments in this manner will ensure you either don’t carry a balance or you carry the smallest balance possible to keep extra fees/penalties to a minimum.

This way, you’ll avoid or minimize the MONSTER purchase APR. At 28.24% variable, a hefty credit card balance will get you into trouble pretty quickly! (If low APR is important to you, check out our article on the best 0% APR credit cards)

Additional Drawbacks

Obviously, one huge drawback of the basic GapCard and the Gap Silver card is that both can only be utilized at Gap (and the Gap Family of stores).

Similarly, the points (and therefore the rewards) you earn can only be utilized for redemption at Gap and the Gap Family of stores.

If you’re an avid Gap shopper, this isn’t a drawback because you won’t mind having rewards you can only use in one place. However, if you’re interested in diversifying how you spend your rewards (i.e., cash-back to spend on whatever you want or travel rewards with a multitude of redemption options), you won’t find that availability here.

Alternative Rewards Credit Cards (Recommended)

If any of Gap’s credit cards are of interest to you, then you’re likely interested in earning cash-back.

And if this is the case, there are some alternative cards that could be more suited to you and your spending habits.

A great example of this is the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card, which earns 1.5% cash-back across all purchases.

Credit Card	Benefits & Info
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	Earn $150 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months. Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases & balance transfers, then a variable APR of 16.49%-25.24%. 3% intro balance transfer fee when you transfer a balance during the first 60 days with a minimum of $5. Annual Fee: $0

This card also has a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months, which means you could transfer any existing balances that you have across other cards and potentially save a lot of money in interest payments. Don’t forget: Gap credit cards have incredibly high APRs!

Another card to strongly consider is the American Express Cash Magnet™ — more details can be found below:

Rewards Card	Benefits & Info
American Express Cash Magnet® Card	Earn a $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on the card within your first 3 months. Unlimited 1.5% Cash Back, received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise Annual Fee: $0 For rates and fees of the American Express Cash Magnet card, click here

Applying for Gap Cards

Individuals wanting to apply for a Gap credit card can do so in 2 ways:

• Online
• In-store

HOT TIP: You won’t choose an application for the GapCard or the Gap Visa Card; 1 application is submitted for both cards. Applicants are approved for either the GapCard or the Gap Visa depending on their creditworthiness (this is at the creditor’s discretion). 

Neither Synchrony Bank nor Gap Inc. has verified the minimum credit score needed for approval on their cards.

The general consensus from most credit card review sites is that individuals with a fair credit score are likely to be approved for the GapCard. In order to be approved for the Gap Visa, you’re looking at a good credit score requirement. However, these rules aren’t set in stone.

*Remember, the Gap Silver cards cannot be applied for directly — this upgrade in status must be achieved by earning 5,000 reward points in a calendar year.

Some applicants may be approved instantly for the Gap credit cards. However, other applications may require a review period (usually about 7-10 days).

Login & Online (or App-Based) Account Management

Online Management

Synchrony Bank provides a platform for Gap cardholders to manage their account online.

If it is your first time utilizing the platform, you will need to register for an account. If you’ve already registered, log in with your username and password.

Within the platform, users have the following options:

• View account activity
• View billing statements
• Make a payment
• Set up paperless statements (earn bonus points!)
• Set up alerts
• …and more

Hot Tip: Gap cardholders cannot pay their bill in store. The only options for payment are online, by phone, or by mail. 

App Management

As an alternative option, Gap has rolled out a mobile app (Apple, Android) with a tab/platform for account management.

It has pretty great ratings in the iTunes app store: 4.8 stars from over 38.4K ratings.

Via the “Wallet” tab, users can manage all aspects of their account, including:

• Managing your Gap Inc. credit card
  • Viewing statements
  • Setting up alerts
  • Paying bills
  • …and more
• Managing points and rewards
  • Tracking progress
  • Linking cards
  • …and more

Unfortunately, at this time the Android app does not appear to have the option of managing your Gap card.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, if you’re an avid Gap shopper or enjoy shopping across the Gap family of stores, this card will likely earn a prized place in your wallet. This is especially true if you earn enough points to achieve Gap Silver status and get the added perks along with it.

However, if you don’t qualify for the Visa, you’re stuck with a card that can only be used at Gap and its brands (Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta). Similarly, no matter which card you have, your rewards will be static — they can only be used within the Gap family and must be used by their expiration date.

Be sure to pay off your card on time to avoid the hefty APR, and try not to use it for cash advances or foreign transactions, as you’ll get slapped with some pretty big fees (many other cards have $0 foreign transaction fees).

If you’re looking for a credit card that is more flexible with its earnings strategy (including bonus points in major lifestyle categories like dining, travel, gas, etc.), this isn’t the card for you. It’s also not for you if you’d prefer rewards that you can utilize wherever you want.

Lastly, if you’re looking for a more versatile card related to travel rewards, these aren’t the cards for you…you’ve got better options out there!