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Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card Review 2024

Is the Sportsman’s Warehouse credit card worth investing in? Find out here.
Deepti Nickam
Author: 
Deepti Nickam
Kacper Kozicki
Editor: 
Kacper Kozicki
Lauren Bedford
Fact Checker: 
Lauren Bedford
12 mins
November 29th, 2023
Advertiser Disclosure
Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa®8.8Visitsportsmans.com
$0
19.99% or 28.99%
N/A
Good to excellent (690+)

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys the great outdoors, the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® may be a perfect match.

You can earn unlimited points at Sportsman’s Warehouse, gas stations, campgrounds, and home improvement stores. And you can then redeem those points for Sportsman’s Warehouse gift cards.

Sound like something right up your alley? Well, there may be some drawbacks you should consider.

So, read on for more information before you apply for this card—

This article will show you:
  • How the Sportsman’s Warehouse credit card works.

  • Its fees, rewards, and benefits.

  • The pros and cons you should note.

Read more:

Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card at a Glance

Full name: Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa®

Best for: Earning rewards for shopping at Sportsman’s Warehouse stores

Issuer: Comenity Capital Bank

Credit score needed: Good to excellent (690+)

What is the Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card?

This is a no-annual-fee credit card from the biggest outdoor store in the western US and Alaska: Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Issued by the Comenity Bank, this card is an ideal pick for nature lovers and outdoorsy folks.

You get bonus points for every purchase at gas stations, campgrounds, and home improvement stores.

These points can then be cashed in for outdoor gear and trendy clothes from Sportman’s Warehouse.

How Does the Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card Work?

As a new cardholder of this Explorewards Visa, you can score 5,000 points (worth $50) by spending $500 outside of Sportsman’s Warehouse within 120 days of opening your account.

That’s an extra month compared to other credit cards’ signup bonus qualification period.

Once you’re in, you’ll get access to exclusive sales and special offers available only to cardholders.

Now let’s talk about the long-term benefits. The Explorewards Visa® is designed with outdoor enthusiasts in mind, offering rewards in specific categories:

  • Earn 5x points on Sportsman’s Warehouse purchases.

  • Get 2x points when you fuel up at gas stations.

  • Score 2x points when you stay at campgrounds.

  • Enjoy 2x points on your purchases at home improvement stores.

  • Earn 1x points on everything else.

Your Explorewards points will be credited to your account once a month, within five business days of your credit card billing statement being generated—so you’ll see those rewards piling up regularly.

How Can You Redeem Your Points

The card offers unlimited earnings in all categories, and you get to choose when to redeem your points.

Each point is worth $0.01, and as long as your account stays active every 12 months, these points won’t expire.

But there is one drawback to the Explorewards Visa—

Remember

You can only redeem points for Sportsman’s Warehouse gift cards, which is a bummer for cashback enthusiasts.

The good news is that there’s no minimum amount of points required for redemption, and there’s no maximum limit on how many points you can redeem at once. (You can redeem a point for a gift card worth just one cent.)

There’s also no restriction on the number of gift cards you can apply to a single purchase.

So, if you’re getting close to the one-year mark of inactivity but don’t need any outdoor gear, redeem whatever points you have because gift cards never expire.

You can start redeeming your points once you have at least one available point.

Here’s how:

  • Sign in to your Sportsmans.com account and click on the “My Account” link.

  • From the drop-down menu, select “Loyalty.”

  • On this page, you’ll see the number of points and their dollar value available for redemption.

  • Click on the “Redeem” button, and you’ll get a gift card, for the value of your points, to the email address.

Want more flexible redemption options? Check out our list of the best cashback credit cards.

Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card: Overall Card Review

Here’s our quick credit card review and overall rating:

APR

19.99% or 28.99%

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

5,000 points after spending $500 outside of Sportsman’s Warehouse within 120 days

Rewards

1–5x points

Overall credit card rating

4.4/5

Learn more

Key Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card Fees & Rates

Here are all the key fees you should consider before getting your hands on this card:

FEE

DETAIL

Annual fee

$0

APR

19.99% or 28.99% (variable depending on creditworthiness)

Balance transfer fee

Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater

Balance transfer APR

26.99%

Cash advance fee

Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater

Cash advance APR

29.99% (variable)

Foreign transaction fee

3% of each transaction in US dollars

Late fee

Up to $41

Returned payment fee

Up to $41

Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card: Pros and Cons

Here’s a quick glance at all the pros and cons of getting this credit card:

  • No annual fee.
  • Generous rewards program.
  • Rewards don’t expire.
  • Exclusive discounts.

Pros—why we like it

No annual fee

You don’t have to worry about an annual fee when using the Sportsman’s Warehouse Visa card.

Generous rewards program

This card comes with a good rewards program that’s tailored for outdoorsy adventurers:

  • 5x points on Sportsman’s Warehouse purchases.

  • 2x points on gas stations.

  • 2x points at campgrounds.

  • 2x points at home improvement stores.

  • 1x points for all other purchases.

Rewards don’t expire

Technically, your points will expire one year from the date you earned them if no additional purchases are made.

But as long as you earn at least one point per year, all your previous points won’t expire.

To keep track of when your points may expire, refer to your receipt or your monthly Explorewards email statement.

Exclusive discounts

You’ll bag exclusive discounts when using this Sportsman’s Warehouse card.

For instance, if you use your card on the same day as your account opening, you can get a 15% discount on your first purchase at Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Cons—what to consider

Limited redemption options

This credit card only lets you redeem your points for Sportsman’s Warehouse gift cards.

Unless you’re already an avid shopper at this store, you won’t really benefit from the rewards program.

Read more:

No intro APR

Unlike other top Visa cards, the Explorewards credit card doesn’t have an intro APR offer.

That means you can’t leverage the card to pay off your credit card balance at 0% APR. Instead, you’ll have to deal with a high balance transfer APR of 26.99% from the get-go.

Check out better alternatives from our list of the best credit cards for balance transfers.

Foreign transaction fee

This card comes with a hefty foreign transaction fee of 3% on all transactions outside of the US.

This fee can be a huge pain if you’re an avid international traveler.

For example, if you spend $2,000 on a week’s vacation abroad, you’d pay a foreign transaction fee of $60.

If you’re a jetsetter, you’re better off with a top travel rewards credit card that offers 0% foreign transaction fees.

Alternatives: How Does the Sportsman’s Warehouse Card Compare to Other Rewards Credit Cards?

Here’s how the Sportsman’s Warehouse card compares to similar credit cards:

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Sportsman’s Warehouse Card Reviews

Here are some Sportsman’s Warehouse credit card reviews from cardholders on the internet:

Sportsman’s Warehouse credit card is a chain rewards card, great to use if you’re a frequent shopper to this venue. You get 3% spent at the store on their products, but then 1% on outside purchases, so you can still rack up the points to buy what you want later on.

Sportsman’s Warehouse credit card is similar to Cabela’s credit card. This card offers a reward points system of 1% of your purchases being one point, and 3% back from Sportsman’s Warehouse. While this doesn’t seem shabby, Cabela’s offers a bigger initial money bonus on approval.

Horrible and extremely slow customer service. They have no phone app and you cannot set up recurring automatic payments. I have been trying to dispute a duplicate charge for over three months.

Want more options? Check out these credit cards for good to excellent credit:

Is the Sportsman’s Warehouse Visa Card Good for Me?

The Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® credit card is a strong retail card tailored for folks who are into hunting, fishing, camping, boating, and other outdoor activities.

Remember

You can only redeem your points for a Sportsman’s Warehouse gift card.

A store credit card can be a good option for anyone who regularly shops at a specific retailer and is looking to maximize their rewards. Many store credit cards can be obtained even with low credit scores, making them more accessible.
Dr. Enoch Omololu, Founder of Savvy New Canadians

So the answer’s pretty simple—get this credit card if you’re already an avid shopper at Sportsman’s Warehouse stores.

There are tons of other cashback credit cards like the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express or the Capital One Venture X Rewards card you can consider for flexible redemption options.

FAQ

How do I apply for the Explorewards Visa?
How do I pay my Sportsman Warehouse credit card?
What credit score is needed for a sportsman’s warehouse?
What’s the starting credit limit for the Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card?
Does the Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card do a hard pull?
How can I add a Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card authorized user?
Can I use my Sportsman’s Warehouse Credit Card anywhere?

Sources

See all

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Contributors

Deepti Nickam
Deepti is a content writing and marketing professional with 5+ years of experience in the B2B and B2C sectors. She has written about several subjects, including finance, project management, human resources, and more.
Kacper Kozicki
Kacper is an editor, writer, and multilingual translator with expertise in producing tailored content for global online brands.
Lauren Bedford
Fact Checker
Lauren Bedford
Lauren is a published content writer and journalist. In the last five years, she has written about a range of subjects, including business, technology, and finance. She was born in June 1994 in the UK, but relocated to Barcelona five years ago. Initially covering topics like business and technology, Lauren is now dedicated to her position as a personal finance journalist and is always keen to keep learning and evolve as a finance writer.
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