Update 6/11/22: Card will be discontinued on July 31st, 2022.
We’re bringing back an old weekly series we used to run called ‘Weird Card Wednesday‘. The concept is simple, every Wednesday we will look at a new weird credit card and do a full review of that card. If you’d like to suggest a card for a future post, please do so in the comments. Obviously not all of these cards will be particularly useful, but the idea is to cover cards other blogs aren’t covering that might be interesting for whatever reason. This week we will be looking at the Farmers Rewards Visa.
Card Basics
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 3X points for $1 spent on Farmers products
- 3X points for $1 spent on Fuel / Gas
- 3X points for $1 spent on Home Improvement
- 1X points for $1 spent everywhere else Visa is accepted
- No sign up bonus. There is mention of a 3,000 point bonus after $500 in spend here, but I don’t think that is offered any longer.
- No annual fee
- 0% introductory purchase APR for the first 12 months
- Card is issued by Comenity Bank, shopping cart trick is not possible
How Much Are Points Worth?
Whenever a card offers points instead of cash back the most important thing to know is how much are the points worth and what can they be redeemed for. The second question is easy to answer as they list the redemption options as follows:
- statement credit, travel, gift cards, merchandise and more
Basically points can be redeemed for statement credit travel and gift cards for a rate of 2,500 points = $25. That means points are worth 1¢ each and this is basically a 3%/1% cash back card.
Our Verdict
Whenever a card does not offer a sign up bonus, it’s very difficult to make a case for signing up for it. Even if you spend a lot of money in the 3% categories there is a few things to remember:
- Other cards offer up to 5% cash back on gas
- Other cards offer up to 5% on home improvement
- Lots of cards earn 2%+ cash back on all purchases
Even if you spent $10,000 in 3% categories you’d only be earning an additional $100 over a 2% card and there are many credit cards that offer a cash bonus of more than $100. As mentioned if you have any suggestions for other cards to cover for Weird Wednesday, let me know in the comments below.
This card will end on July 31st.
I just got this card in February and I did get the 3000 pt bonus when I spent over $500. So there is a sign up bonus! I love it for home improvements, the rewards add up quickly.
I have this card and have used it to pay for many disaster related improvements… I also have Farmers insurance… this card is a winner for me… Jesus Walks with Me!!
Maybe you can use it to buy a tractor? I don’t know……
I think this card gave free 1000 points annually. It does not hurt to have it, I think. I am a farmers client anyway.
Oh really? Is that mentioned in the fine print anywhere?
Thanks for the “weird wednesdays” feature; I’ve never seen a card I’d want to apply for here, but it’s a great look at what’s really out there.
Home Improvement is a nice category, and poorly-covered by other cards (as the page lined to above shows). I buy Home Depot gift cards at gyft.com and use the PayPal/Ink Plus “trick” to get 5 UR per dollar there (yes, that still works).
Thanks Will! Looking forward to this series. Will keep any eye out for any weird credit cards worth a review.