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5 Things to Know About the Nordstrom Credit Card
It'll be hard to profit from this credit card unless you’re a regular Nordstrom customer who drops a lot of money there.
Jae Bratton has been writing about credit cards for NerdWallet since 2022. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press and the journal Studies in Popular Culture, among other outlets. Before joining NerdWallet, Jae taught English and journalism for 13 years.
Kenley Young directs daily credit cards coverage for NerdWallet. Previously, he was a homepage editor and digital content producer for Fox Sports, and before that a front page editor for Yahoo. He has decades of experience in digital and print media, including stints as a copy desk chief, a wire editor and a metro editor for the McClatchy newspaper chain.
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Nordstrom promises an almost unlimited variety of high-end goods in its department stores, but don’t expect that same amount of choice and quality from the Nordstrom credit card.
Reward points are inflexible and difficult to use, and the card's highest rewards rate is available only to cardholders who spend at least $5,000 at Nordstrom stores annually.
The card, issued by TD Bank, is aimed primarily at Nordstrom super-loyalists who have the deep pockets to match the brand's high prices. Most everyone else will find more value in a general rewards credit card that offers value no matter where you shop and lets you redeem those rewards however you like.
Here are five things to know about the Nordstrom credit card.
"There's no point to most store cards unless you are already shopping at that particular store all the time. Most store cards give you rewards that you can't use unless you come back to the store. You never want to have to come up with a reason to spend money just to cash in your rewards. The only dedicated store credit card I have is the Lowe's card, because it gives an automatic 5% discount at checkout, rather than 5% worth of points that I might not be able to use for months."
"There's no point to most store cards unless you are already shopping at that particular store all the time. Most store cards give you rewards that you can't use unless you come back to the store. You never want to have to come up with a reason to spend money just to cash in your rewards. The only dedicated store credit card I have is the Lowe's card, because it gives an automatic 5% discount at checkout, rather than 5% worth of points that I might not be able to use for months."
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
Melissa Lambarena
writer, credit cards
"The most important things to consider when getting a store credit card are whether you shop frequently at the store to extract enough value from the card and the terms of redemptions. Some general-purpose rewards credit cards can offer more value upfront and over the long term, in addition to flexibility on redemption options. Some store credit cards come with redemptions that easily expire or require you to spend more, so if you don’t shop often enough at that store it won’t be a good fit. I use the Amazon Prime card because I earn 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods for budgeted purchases. The rewards are also easy to redeem."
"The most important things to consider when getting a store credit card are whether you shop frequently at the store to extract enough value from the card and the terms of redemptions. Some general-purpose rewards credit cards can offer more value upfront and over the long term, in addition to flexibility on redemption options. Some store credit cards come with redemptions that easily expire or require you to spend more, so if you don’t shop often enough at that store it won’t be a good fit. I use the Amazon Prime card because I earn 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods for budgeted purchases. The rewards are also easy to redeem."
Melissa Lambarena
writer, credit cards
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
"No! Don't (generally) get a store card! There are better options, and trading a hard credit pull for a slight discount at the register when you sign up generally won't provide better value than a big sign-up bonus from another card. Store cards are also often 'closed-loop,' so you can only use the card in one place, and the rewards you earn are often ripe with limitations and expiration dates."
"No! Don't (generally) get a store card! There are better options, and trading a hard credit pull for a slight discount at the register when you sign up generally won't provide better value than a big sign-up bonus from another card. Store cards are also often 'closed-loop,' so you can only use the card in one place, and the rewards you earn are often ripe with limitations and expiration dates."
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
"There's no point to most store cards unless you are already shopping at that particular store all the time. Most store cards give you rewards that you can't use unless you come back to the store. You never want to have to come up with a reason to spend money just to cash in your rewards. The only dedicated store credit card I have is the Lowe's card, because it gives an automatic 5% discount at checkout, rather than 5% worth of points that I might not be able to use for months."
"There's no point to most store cards unless you are already shopping at that particular store all the time. Most store cards give you rewards that you can't use unless you come back to the store. You never want to have to come up with a reason to spend money just to cash in your rewards. The only dedicated store credit card I have is the Lowe's card, because it gives an automatic 5% discount at checkout, rather than 5% worth of points that I might not be able to use for months."
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
Melissa Lambarena
writer, credit cards
"The most important things to consider when getting a store credit card are whether you shop frequently at the store to extract enough value from the card and the terms of redemptions. Some general-purpose rewards credit cards can offer more value upfront and over the long term, in addition to flexibility on redemption options. Some store credit cards come with redemptions that easily expire or require you to spend more, so if you don’t shop often enough at that store it won’t be a good fit. I use the Amazon Prime card because I earn 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods for budgeted purchases. The rewards are also easy to redeem."
"The most important things to consider when getting a store credit card are whether you shop frequently at the store to extract enough value from the card and the terms of redemptions. Some general-purpose rewards credit cards can offer more value upfront and over the long term, in addition to flexibility on redemption options. Some store credit cards come with redemptions that easily expire or require you to spend more, so if you don’t shop often enough at that store it won’t be a good fit. I use the Amazon Prime card because I earn 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods for budgeted purchases. The rewards are also easy to redeem."
Melissa Lambarena
writer, credit cards
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
"No! Don't (generally) get a store card! There are better options, and trading a hard credit pull for a slight discount at the register when you sign up generally won't provide better value than a big sign-up bonus from another card. Store cards are also often 'closed-loop,' so you can only use the card in one place, and the rewards you earn are often ripe with limitations and expiration dates."
"No! Don't (generally) get a store card! There are better options, and trading a hard credit pull for a slight discount at the register when you sign up generally won't provide better value than a big sign-up bonus from another card. Store cards are also often 'closed-loop,' so you can only use the card in one place, and the rewards you earn are often ripe with limitations and expiration dates."
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
"There's no point to most store cards unless you are already shopping at that particular store all the time. Most store cards give you rewards that you can't use unless you come back to the store. You never want to have to come up with a reason to spend money just to cash in your rewards. The only dedicated store credit card I have is the Lowe's card, because it gives an automatic 5% discount at checkout, rather than 5% worth of points that I might not be able to use for months."
"There's no point to most store cards unless you are already shopping at that particular store all the time. Most store cards give you rewards that you can't use unless you come back to the store. You never want to have to come up with a reason to spend money just to cash in your rewards. The only dedicated store credit card I have is the Lowe's card, because it gives an automatic 5% discount at checkout, rather than 5% worth of points that I might not be able to use for months."
Paul Soucy
content director, credit cards and travel rewards
Melissa Lambarena
writer, credit cards
"The most important things to consider when getting a store credit card are whether you shop frequently at the store to extract enough value from the card and the terms of redemptions. Some general-purpose rewards credit cards can offer more value upfront and over the long term, in addition to flexibility on redemption options. Some store credit cards come with redemptions that easily expire or require you to spend more, so if you don’t shop often enough at that store it won’t be a good fit. I use the Amazon Prime card because I earn 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods for budgeted purchases. The rewards are also easy to redeem."
"The most important things to consider when getting a store credit card are whether you shop frequently at the store to extract enough value from the card and the terms of redemptions. Some general-purpose rewards credit cards can offer more value upfront and over the long term, in addition to flexibility on redemption options. Some store credit cards come with redemptions that easily expire or require you to spend more, so if you don’t shop often enough at that store it won’t be a good fit. I use the Amazon Prime card because I earn 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods for budgeted purchases. The rewards are also easy to redeem."
Melissa Lambarena
writer, credit cards
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
"No! Don't (generally) get a store card! There are better options, and trading a hard credit pull for a slight discount at the register when you sign up generally won't provide better value than a big sign-up bonus from another card. Store cards are also often 'closed-loop,' so you can only use the card in one place, and the rewards you earn are often ripe with limitations and expiration dates."
"No! Don't (generally) get a store card! There are better options, and trading a hard credit pull for a slight discount at the register when you sign up generally won't provide better value than a big sign-up bonus from another card. Store cards are also often 'closed-loop,' so you can only use the card in one place, and the rewards you earn are often ripe with limitations and expiration dates."
Craig Joseph
writer, travel rewards
1. You could get one of 3 Nordstrom credit cards, depending on your credit history
Applicants for a Nordstrom credit card may be considered for one of the following "open-loop" credit cards, meaning they can be used anywhere Visa is accepted:
The Nordstrom Visa Platinum credit card.
The Nordstrom Visa Signature credit card.
The primary difference between these two cards is that they come with slightly different side perks, courtesy of the Visa payment network.
If, however, your credit scores don't qualify you for either of those cards, you could instead receive the baseline Nordstrom credit card, which is a "closed-loop" store card that can be used only at Nordstrom.
None of the three credit cards charges an annual fee, and all of them earn rewards in Nordstrom's customer loyalty program the Nordy Club. The Nordstrom Visa Platinum and Nordstrom Visa Signature earn 2 points per $1 on groceries, gas, dining and streaming services, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. However, the Nordstrom store credit card only earns 2 points per $1 spent at Nordstrom.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Confusingly, there's also a separate Nordstrom debit card. It, too, earns rewards, but — as its name suggests — it is not a credit card.
2. You can boost your rewards rate, but you'll have to spend for it
Nordy Club membership is organized into four tiers: Member, Influencer, Ambassador and Icon. If you have one of the three Nordstrom credit cards, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the Nordy Club and immediately elevated to the Influencer level, which again earns you 2 points per $1 spent on purchases at Nordstrom locations.
That's underwhelming, especially considering that any number of $0-annual-fee, general-purpose credit cards on the market earn 2x back on all purchases, no matter where you make them.
It's possible to increase your rewards rate to 3 points per $1 spent with Nordstrom, but only by reaching Ambassador status. You must spend at least $5,000 to become an Ambassador, and spend that same amount every year in order to maintain Ambassador status. To achieve and keep Icon status, you must spend $15,000 with a Nordstrom card every year.
All spending, not just spending at Nordstrom, counts toward status.
Membership level
Minimum annual spend required at Nordstrom locations
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
If you don’t want to deal with tracking such spending tiers, consider a credit card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. It earns 2% cash back on all qualifying purchases. As a new cardholder, you’re also eligible for a sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. There's an introductory offer, too: Get a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR.
3. Reward redemption options are extremely limited
While the Visa versions of the Nordstrom credit card can be used virtually anywhere, the points earned on those purchases can be redeemed for just one thing: Nordstrom Notes, which you can use toward purchases within the brand.
Per Nordy Club terms, you can redeem in two basic denominations: one $10 Nordstrom Note for 1,000 points, or one $20 Nordstrom Note for 2,000 points, depending on your membership tier (see above).
On the plus side, that means points are worth a penny each, which is in line with the industry standard. But on the minus side, those denominations are pretty limiting, especially if you're just a hair shy of either of those minimum redemption thresholds.
More concerning is the fact that points expire after 12 consecutive months of inactivity in your Nordy Club account. To avoid losing them, you have to use your Nordstrom credit card to make qualifying purchases or redemptions, or return items that earned points or Nordstrom Notes.
With an option like the aforementioned Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, rewards don’t expire as long as the account is open and active.
🤓Nerdy Tip
For more flexibility in redeeming points, download the Nordstrom app. Nordstrom says the app may allow you to get a $5 Nordstrom Note if you have 500 points, or a $15 Nordstrom note in exchange for 1,500 points.
4. Cardholders get extra perks within Nordstrom’s loyalty program
Having a Nordstrom credit card isn’t required to join the Nordy Club, but if you’re approved for one, you’ll unlock the following benefits:
Early access to sales.
Up to $300 in Nordstrom Notes that can be spent on alterations of items that were purchased from Nordstrom with a Nordstrom credit card.
Up to four personal double points days in which cardholders earn double points on all qualifying purchases on a day of their choosing.
An automatic 5% discount on purchases at Nordstrom Rack, on NordstromRack.com, and the Nordstrom Rack app, regardless of purchase amount.
Also, all three versions of the Nordstrom credit card typically offer a modest sign-up bonus for new cardholders in the form of store credit that can be put toward a future purchase.
Regardless of which version of the Nordstrom credit card you carry, the ongoing APR will be very high. As of June 2025, it was approaching 33%, which is far above average for credit cards that assess interest.
So it’s important to pay off the entire balance on time every month to avoid interest charges and late fees.
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
