5 Things to Know About the Good Sam Credit Card

If one were to rank store credit cards, Good Sam's would ride to the middle of the road. The RV and camping company's credit card earns solid rewards and has a decent sign-up bonus, but redemption options are limited and its special financing offers come with caveats. But because the card’s rewards are stackable with rewards earned from a Good Sam membership, the Good Sam card could make sense for the right person — that is, those who shop the Good Sam and Camping World brands for their outdoor living needs.

Here’s what you need to know about the Good Sam credit card, issued by Comenity Capital Bank.

» MORE: What is Comenity Bank, and are its credit cards right for you?

1. There are two versions of the card

The Good Sam credit card comes in an open-loop and closed-loop variety. The Good Sam Rewards Visa credit card is open-loop and can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. In contrast, the closed-loop Good Sam Rewards credit card can only be used at Camping World’s family of brands, which includes Camping World, Overton’s, Good Sam, The House and Good Sam campgrounds.

2. Rewards are solid — and double on store purchases with membership

Avid campers stand to benefit most from the Good Sam Visa. For a $0 annual fee, it earns:

• Unlimited 5% cash back at the Camping World and Good Sam family of brands.

• Unlimited 3% cash back at campgrounds and gas stations.

• Unlimited 1% cash back on everything else.

Cash back is earned in the form of points. If you spent $100 on gas for your RV, you’d earn 300 points for that transaction since gas purchases get 3% back with the Good Sam card.

A 5% rewards rate on Camping World and Good Sam brands is good, but cardholders can turn that into 10% when they also have a Good Sam membership. Good Sam memberships are available in one- and three-year terms, which cost $39 and $109 respectively. Better yet, you can get a one-year membership for free upon approval of the Good Sam Visa. (More on that later.)

» MORE: Best gas credit cards

3. Highest-value redemptions are for store discounts

Points earned with the Good Sam card may be redeemed either for a statement credit or a store discount. Store discount redemptions have the best point value.

For statement credit redemptions, 1 point is worth 0.67 cent. Cardholders must have at least 1,500 points for this redemption option.

For store discount redemptions, 1 point is worth 1 cent, which is the industry standard. Redemptions begin at 1,000 points and are capped at 50,000 points, or $500, for a single transaction. Cardholders may redeem store discounts in-store and online by logging into their account.

Points expire 12 months after they post to the account. That means you can't save up rewards to use toward a big camping purchase for longer than 1 year.

4. Special financing is available, but the terms are limiting 

Both versions of the Good Sam credit card allow cardholders to finance certain purchases, which is handy for those who lack cash on hand to pay for pricier items. However, this deferred financing offer comes with some important caveats:

• The financing lasts for just six months.

• Financing is only available on in-store purchases over $299 at Camping World and Good Sam family of brands. 

• Purchases that are financed aren’t eligible to earn rewards. 

• If you don’t pay off the entire purchase price before the six-month period ends, you’ll be charged all of the back interest that’s been accruing since the purchase date. 

Certainly, outdoor equipment like RVs and boats can be expensive. For better financing options, consider a 0% APR credit card. The best ones waive interest for a year or more and earn rewards. Better still, with a true 0% APR offer, you won’t be charged back interest if you haven’t paid off the whole purchase before the 0% period ends.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases (plus 5% on travel booked through Chase and 3% at restaurants and drugstores) and offers the following: 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 19.74%-28.49% Variable APR.

» LEARN: What is deferred interest? It’s not the same as 0% APR

5. There are two sign-up bonuses

Unlike many other credit cards with one sign-up bonus, the Good Sam Visa card has two bonuses for new cardholders. The first is 2,500 bonus points if the cardholder makes $500 in purchases outside of Camping World and the Good Sam family of brands within 90 days of account opening. Those 2,500 points could be redeemed for a $25 statement credit that can be used at Camping World and its affiliated stores.