| Last updated on November 14th, 2023
Sportsman's Warehouse Explorewards Visa®
Sportsman's Warehouse Explorewards Visa®
Sportsman's Warehouse Explorewards Visa®
- 20.49% or 29.49% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate Regular Purchase APR
- 26.99% Balance Transfer APR
- 30.49% variable based on the Prime Rate Cash Advance APR
At a Glance
If you’re the type that loves to get your hands dirty and rough it in the great outdoors, the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® would be a great fit. Earn unlimited points at Sportsman’s Warehouse, gas stations, campgrounds, and home improvement stores; then redeem them for Sportsman’s Warehouse gift cards.
- Best Benefits
- Rates & Fees
- Why Should You Apply?
- 5X points per dollar spent at Sportsma's Warehouse
- 2X points per dollar spent at gas/fuel stations
- 2X points per dollar spent at campgrounds
- 2X points per dollar spent at home improvement stores
- 1X points per dollar spent everywhere else
- Unlimited earning
- Rewards do't expire
- No annual fee
- Regular Purchase APR: 20.49% or 29.49% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer APR: 26.99%
- Balance Transfer Transaction Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
- Cash Advance APR: 30.49% variable based on the Prime Rate
- Cash Advance Transaction Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
- Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
- Late Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $41
- Return Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $41
- You live in the Western U.S. or Alaska
- You want rewards for home improvement or camping
- You will spend $500 within the first 4 months of opening the card
- You want a card with no annual fee
Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® Review
No matter what you love about the great outdoors, you will surely find significant savings with the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa®. Sportsman’s Warehouse is the largest outdoor specialty store in the Western U.S. and Alaska, and this no annual fee credit card from Comenity Bank lets die-hard customers maximize rewards they can redeem for top-quality gear and clothing from Sportsman’s Warehouse via e-gift cards.
Special Bonuses
The Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards starts with a fairly straightforward bonus offer: New accounts enjoy 15% off their Sportsman’s Warehouse purchase when they open and use their new Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa or Credit Card to make a purchase on the same day they open it. This bonus is fairly straightforward and provides easy value for those looking to make purchases today.
The second welcome offers more traditional and requires minimum spending within the first four months of account ownership. New accounts with the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa earn 5,000 bonus points redeemable for a $50 gift card after spending $500 outside Sportsman’s Warehouse within 120 days of account opening. Again, this is a fairly easy-to-achieve goal and one that’s one more month than most other credit cards allow to qualify for a signup bonus. Afterward, cardholders will have the opportunity to partake in cardholder-exclusive sales and special offers.
Maximizing Rewards with Sportsman’s Warehouse
In terms of long-term earning potential, the Explorewards Visa® has well-designed categories that are specific to outdoor-related activities:
- 5X points on Sportsman’s Warehouse purchases,
- 2X points on gas stations, campgrounds, and home improvement stores, and
- 1X points for all other purchases
Even if you already have a set lineup of credit cards, the specificity of its rewards means it runs little risk of overlapping with your current rewards cards (and avoids the conflict of choosing which card to use for what).
Store Card Option
Like other retail credit cards from Bread Financial (Comenity), the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards application is also an application for the store card version of the product, the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Credit Card. The biggest differences between the two cards are as follows:
- The Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Credit Card is closed-loop, meaning you can only use it for purchases at Sportsman’s Warehouse locations or online
- Store cards have lower credit requirements because of their reduced acceptability.
- Closed-loop store cards also won’t earn rewards outside of Sportsman’s Warehouse (2X and 1X bonus categories)
RV and Campground Credit Card Comparison
There are several co-branded credit cards geared towards the outdoor aficionado. These options include the Bass Pro Shops® CLUB Card and its sister card, the Cabela’s CLUB® Card from Capital One, and the Good Sam Rewards Visa® from Comenity. Here’s how the card compares with these options:
 Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® |
 Good Sam Rewards Visa® |
 Bass Pro Shops® CLUB Card |
|
| Annual fee | None | None | |
| Rewards | 5X points per dollar spent at Sportsman’s Warehouse, 2X on gas, home improvement stores, and campgrounds, 1X on all else | Earn 5X points per $1 at Good Sam, Camping World, and Gander Outdoor, 3X on private campgrounds and gas stations, and 1X on everything else | Earn 2% back in CLUB Points on all Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s purchases, and 1% back on everything else |
| Additional perks | Exclusive member deals and offers | Double points on purchases outside of Good Sam brands for the first 90 days (up to $1,000) | Special APR for all Bass Pro Shops purchases |
Another option is the Credit One Bank Wander Card, although that card has a variable annual fee depending on your creditworthiness. The card earns3X points on eligible recreational & amusement park purchases (including national parks & sporting events), 2X points on eligible restaurant & lodging purchases (including campgrounds), and 1X on everything else, and comes with an $80 statement credit for the purchase of a qualifying National Park Pass.
Redeeming Points
The card features unlimited earning in all categories and cardholders can choose when they redeem their points. Each point has a value of $0.01 and won’t expire as long the account has activity every 12 months. There is one drawback of the Explorewards Visa® — but it’s tiny. Points can only be redeemed for Sportsman’s Warehouse gift cards, leaving those who love cash back with no luck. However, it’s easy to overlook the limited redemption options as there are virtually no other point redemption restrictions beyond that.
No minimum amount of points is required for redemption, nor is there a maximum number of points that can be redeemed once (you could redeem for a 1-cent gift card if you felt inclined to do so). Even better is that there is no limit on how many gift cards (or their worth), that could be applied to a single purchase. If you’re drawing close to the 1-year mark of inactivity but don’t need outdoor gear, feel free to redeem however many (or few) points you have since eGift Cards never expire.
Other Card Features
Other notable card features of the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa include instant credit line access upon approval, exclusive deals and member offers, and Visa purchase and security benefits such as:
| Zero Fraud Liability | Cardholder Inquiry Services | Emergency Card Replacement |
| Roadside Dispatch and Auto Collision Damage Waiver | Lost/Stolen Card Reporting | ID Navigator from Norton |
Comenity Bank Ratings
How does Comenity rate as a credit card issuer? Here is a selection of reviews and ratings for the bank and its parent, Bread Financial:
| BestCards | Better Business Bureau | TrustPilot |
|
2.5/5 |
N/A |
1/5 |
Should You Apply for the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa?
Overall, the Sportsman’s Warehouse Explorewards Visa® credit card is a strong retail card geared towards hunting, fishing, camping, boating, and other outdoor activities. In terms of redemption, this card is very similar to the Bass Pro Shops® CLUB Card / Cabela’s CLUB® Card but features a stronger signup bonus and many more opportunities to earn bonus points outside of store purchases.
If having an in-store shopping experience is important, you may be better off choosing the Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s credit card. These competing outdoor brands have double the brick-and-mortar locations of Sportsman’s Warehouse (95 compared to Bass Pro Shops’ 171) and include locations in Canada. If you’re located in the Western United States or primarily shop for outdoor gear online, the Explorewards Visa® is the more lucrative option between the two.
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