If you expect to buy or lease a new vehicle within Dodge’s family of brands and want to lower the sticker price, the Dodge credit card fits the bill. Officially known as the Dodge DrivePlus Mastercard, the Dodge credit card has powerful sign-up bonuses that can be applied toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle.
The card may be worth keeping even after the new car smell wears off: Dealership purchases earn an excellent 5% cash back, and rewards can be redeemed for service and parts.
Here’s what you need to know about the Dodge credit card, issued by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO).
The Dodge credit card’s three-tiered rewards structure is car-centric. The card earns:
- Unlimited 5% cash back on dealership purchases, including service, parts, accessories and car down payments.
- Unlimited 2% cash back on gas and travel purchases, including EV stations, airfare, car rentals and lodging.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on everything else.
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2. Redemption options are varied
Cash back rewards from the Dodge credit card are earned as points, which can be redeemed for statement credits, parts, service and more. Points earned with the card can be redeemed for the following items:
- Parts and service at U.S. Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) dealerships, which include Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat. (These redemptions must be done in person at a participating dealership.)
- Credit toward the purchase or lease of a new or used Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram or Fiat vehicle at participating dealerships.
- Merchandise (e.g., jewelry and electronics).
- Gift cards and certificates.
- Airline, hotel and car rentals that are booked within FNBO’s redemption portal.
- Cash back in the form of a statement credit, deposit to a checking or savings account or a check sent in the mail. Cash back may be redeemed for $25, $50, $100, $250 or $1,000.
One point is worth 1 cent when redeemed for cash; parts and service; and credit toward the lease or purchase of a new vehicle. Point values may vary for other redemption options. Points expire seven years after they are earned.
3. You can get a small sign-up bonus
For a $0-annual-fee card, the Dodge card packs huge value, primarily through its sign-up bonuses. Cardholders can get a $100 statement credit after spending $100 at FCA dealerships. A $100 welcome offer is decent, especially when the spending requirement is so low.
Other cash back credit cards have more valuable bonuses for new cardholders. The Chase Freedom Flex®, for example, has this offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
However, the true highlight of the Dodge card is its second sign-up bonus. It happens to be one of the biggest ones among cards with no annual fee (as of November 2023).
4. Plus, you can earn a bigger bonus if you spend enough
It’s rare to find a card with two bonus offers; it’s even rarer for those bonuses to be worth more than $1,000. But that’s exactly what awaits Dodge cardholders if they meet the spending requirements.
In addition to the welcome offer mentioned earlier, cardholders can get a $1,000 certificate toward the purchase price or lease of a new Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram or Fiat. To get the certificate, cardholders must spend $7,500 within the first year of account opening. Certificates expire 12 months after they are issued.
If you want to use the $1,000 bonus to defray the cost of a new vehicle, try to plan the best time to get the Dodge credit card. You’ll want to get it before your target purchase date to give yourself enough time to hit the sizable spend requirement. But considering the certificate’s shelf life, you won’t want to get the Dodge card too early and risk wasting the $1,000 credit before it expires.
Before applying for the card, check the DrivePlus website or ask your local dealership to see if the bonus certificate can be used toward the vehicle you want, since not all are eligible.
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🤓 Nerdy Tip
The credit cards within the DrivePlus Mastercard family — the Dodge credit card, Mopar credit card, Ram credit card, Fiat credit card and Chrysler credit card — have the same rewards structure and benefits. Only the Jeep credit card is different. 5. Select purchases won’t be charged interest for six months
Purchases of $499 or more at an FCA dealership qualify for 0% annual percentage rate (APR) for the first six billing cycles after the transaction date. The transaction can include multiple items that together total $499 or more.
A unique feature among credit cards, the Dodge card’s 0% APR offer is available every time a qualifying purchase is made. Introductory APR periods on other cards can usually be used just once.
Remember that issuers may revoke a 0% APR offer as a penalty if you have any missed or late payments, so try to stay on top of payments if you want to keep that benefit.
