Macy’s vs Bloomingdale’s Credit Card: Which Store Card Is Better?

Research-based comparison: I haven’t personally held either card. This comparison is based on verified issuer data and research into real cardholder experiences. Verify all figures at the official issuer websites before applying.

The short answer is: the Macy’s Credit Card wins if you’ll keep shopping there, and the Bloomingdale’s Credit Card wins if you’re making one big first purchase above $500. In Year 1, the Macy’s card comes out ahead $96.00 to $64.50 for a light shopper and $114.00 to $78.00 for a regular one. For a single $1,500 purchase, Bloomingdale’s wins $250 to $100.

After the first year the gap widens: $75.00 versus $22.50 a year on $1,500 of spending. The rest of this article proves it with three scenarios. One thing to know up front: neither card works at the other store, so this is a choice about where you shop, not a pick between two cards you could use in the same place.

I’ve run the numbers, and the pattern is simple. Macy’s pays a smaller welcome discount but a better ongoing rate you can actually reach. Bloomingdale’s pays a bigger welcome discount but starts at a lower ongoing rate.

Macy’s vs Bloomingdale’s Credit Card at a Glance

The two cards match on fee, APR and issuer. Both come from Citi, and each works only at its own store. They differ on the welcome discount and on how fast the ongoing rate climbs. Neither Citi nor either retailer publishes a minimum score, so I won’t give you a number; the credit score guide for store cards explains what to expect.

How the Rewards Work

Macy’s Credit Card

The welcome offer is 30% off macys.com purchases on the day you’re approved, up to $100 in savings. The in-store discount varies, and the standard one is 20%. Welcome offers change, so check the current terms before applying.

Ongoing rewards run through Star Rewards, which is tiered by what you spent at Macy’s in the prior calendar year. New cardholders start at Silver and earn 2 points per $1. Gold ($500 to $1,199 of prior-year spend) earns 3 points, and Platinum ($1,200 or more) earns 5 points. Since 1,000 points equal $10 in Star Money, those tiers work out to 2%, 3% and 5%.

Here’s the math on the catch: because the tier is based on last year’s spend, you can’t earn better than 2% in your first year, however much you spend. Star Money also expires 30 days after it is issued, so it’s use-it-or-lose-it.

This is a closed-loop card. It works only at Macy’s stores, Macy’s Backstage and macys.com, and it does not work at Bloomingdale’s. If that term is new to you, the store card vs regular card guide explains it. Citi also considers you for the Macy’s American Express when you apply. If you’re approved for both, you choose one, and the Amex works wherever Amex is accepted. Full details are in the Macy’s Credit Card review.

Bloomingdale’s Credit Card

The welcome offer is 20% off Bloomingdale’s purchases today and tomorrow, with up to $250 in total savings over the two days. As with Macy’s, welcome offers change, so check the current terms before you apply.

Ongoing rewards are points: 3 points per $1 at the Loyallist starting tier, 4 at Top of the List, and 10 at Top of the List Unlocked. Every 5,000 points earns a $25 reward, which makes 3 points worth about 1.5%. The 4-point tier is about 2%, but its spend threshold isn’t confirmed, so I won’t state one. The 10-point tier is about 5% and is reported to need $15,000 or more in net purchases a year, which is out of reach for most shoppers. Points and rewards can expire.

The card works only at Bloomingdale’s, and it does not work at Macy’s. It’s a separate application and a separate Citi decision. Rewards can be used at Bloomingdale’s stores, bloomingdales.com and Bloomingdale’s The Outlet Store.

Citi also considers you for the Bloomingdale’s American Express. That card earns outside Bloomingdale’s too, at 3, 4 and 4 points per $1 by tier, with the top tier capped at 4 points at Bloomingdale’s. If you’re approved for both, you choose one. See the Bloomingdale’s Credit Card review for the full picture.

The Math: 3 Spending Scenarios

A few assumptions first, stated once. These are annual purchase scenarios, not monthly budgets, and I assume the same dollar amount at either store so the comparison is about the card, not the prices. The amounts are round numbers chosen for the math, not typical baskets. I don’t model the Amex twins or in-store discounts.

For the welcome value, Macy’s is 30% of the first purchase, capped at $100 (assuming a macys.com purchase). Bloomingdale’s is 20% of purchases over the approval day and the next day, capped at $250. Points are counted on all further purchases, but not on the first one, because whether points accrue on the discounted purchase isn’t confirmed.

Macy’s starts at Silver (2%) in Year 1, then moves to the tier set by the prior year’s spend. Bloomingdale’s is modeled at 1.5% every year, since the higher tiers need more spend than these scenarios use. Both cards cost $0 a year, so there is no annual fee to break even on. Both also charge 32.99% variable, so neither is for carrying a balance, and I’ve left interest out of the math.

Profile 1: Light shopper

A $300 first purchase on approval day, then $300 more during the year. That’s $600 a year.

Year 1 (with welcome offer):

• Macy’s: $96.00
• Bloomingdale’s: $64.50

Year 2+ (ongoing, same $600 a year):

• Macy’s: $18.00/year (Gold at 3%, because $600 of prior-year spend clears the $500 line)
• Bloomingdale’s: $9.00/year (1.5%)

Break-even: not applicable for the annual fee, since both cards are $0.

Takeaway: Macy’s wins by $31.50 in Year 1 and $9 a year after.

Profile 2: Regular loyalist

A $300 first purchase, then $1,200 more during the year. That’s $1,500 a year.

Year 1 (with welcome offer):

• Macy’s: $114.00
• Bloomingdale’s: $78.00

Year 2+ (ongoing, same $1,500 a year):

• Macy’s: $75.00/year (Platinum at 5%)
• Bloomingdale’s: $22.50/year (1.5%)

Break-even: not applicable for the annual fee, since both cards are $0.

Takeaway: Macy’s wins by $36 in Year 1 and $52.50 a year after. The gap grows because Macy’s tiers are reachable at this spend and Bloomingdale’s 10-point tier is not.

Profile 3: One big purchase, then done

A $1,500 purchase on approval day (the two-day window at Bloomingdale’s), and nothing after.

Year 1 (with welcome offer):

• Macy’s: $100
• Bloomingdale’s: $250

Year 2+: $0 for both, since there’s no further spend and so no ongoing value.

Break-even: Macy’s 30% reaches its $100 cap at about $333. Bloomingdale’s 20% equals $100 at a $500 purchase, so above $500 its discount is the larger one, until it hits its own $250 cap at $1,250.

Takeaway: Bloomingdale’s wins by $150. The bigger the one-time purchase above $500, the more the 20% up to $250 offer beats the 30% up to $100 offer.

Where Each Card Wins

The pattern is first-purchase size and repeat visits. A big one-time purchase favors Bloomingdale’s, and anything that repeats favors Macy’s. Whichever you pick, are store credit cards worth it is worth a read first, since a store card only makes sense if you’d shop there anyway.

How to read these results

Three things are worth keeping in mind before you act on the tables above.

First, the welcome discount is a one-time event, and the ongoing rate is the part you live with. In Profile 2, Macy’s welcome value is $90 against $60, a $30 gap. By Year 2 the ongoing gap is $52.50 a year, and it repeats every year you keep shopping. That is why Macy’s wins the repeat profiles by more as time goes on.

Second, Macy’s tiers depend on you actually reaching them. Gold needs $500 in prior-year Macy’s spend and Platinum needs $1,200. If you only shop there once or twice a year for small amounts, you stay near 2%, and the difference between the two cards shrinks to a few dollars. At that point the welcome discount is most of the story, which is why the first-purchase size matters so much.

Third, none of this changes the basic rule of store cards. A discount only saves money on something you were going to buy anyway. If the card tempts you into a $1,500 purchase you wouldn’t otherwise make, a $250 discount still leaves you $1,250 poorer, and a 32.99% variable rate punishes any balance you carry.

Who Should Choose Macy’s Credit Card

✅ A shopper who buys at Macy’s several times a year and will reach the Gold or Platinum tier

✅ Someone making a first purchase under $500, where 30% beats 20%

✅ A buyer who shops mostly on macys.com and wants the discount applied online

✅ A shopper who will spend the Star Money inside its 30-day window

If this sounds like you, the Macy’s Credit Card is the right call.

Who Should Choose Bloomingdale’s Credit Card

✅ Someone planning one large purchase above $500 (a coat, a furniture or gift order) who wants the 20% up to $250

✅ A shopper who buys at Bloomingdale’s mainly for the brands Macy’s doesn’t carry

✅ A buyer comfortable with a one-time card and no plan to chase tiers

✅ A shopper with unusually high yearly Bloomingdale’s spend who could reach the reported 10-point tier

If this sounds like you, the Bloomingdale’s Credit Card is the right call.

The Bottom Line

Here’s what I’d actually tell a friend who asked me this: if you’ll shop at the store more than once, get the Macy’s Credit Card. If you have one big Bloomingdale’s purchase above $500 coming up and no plans to return, get the Bloomingdale’s Credit Card. Those are the only two cases where the math splits.

When you’re approved matters too, so plan the purchase before you apply rather than after. Put the big purchase in your cart first, so you can see the final price and use the discount while the window is open. Macy’s is approval day only, and Bloomingdale’s is the approval day plus the next. That also keeps you from applying on impulse at the register, which is the one moment store cards are designed to catch you.

Both cards also share one weakness: they only pay you back inside one store. If you’d rather earn on all your spending, a regular rewards card does the everyday work, and a store card is a short-term add-on for a specific purchase. Neither of these is a card to build your wallet around.

Remember that both welcome offers can change, and that both cards charge 32.99% variable, so pay the balance in full every month. They’re also separate applications, and each one is a hard inquiry; the guide on whether store cards hurt your credit covers what that costs you.

If you’re still weighing store cards, see our picks for clothing cards and store credit cards. For another department-store matchup, there’s Kohl’s vs Macy’s, along with the Kohl’s Card review. And when you’re ready for the details on each card, read the Macy’s Credit Card review and the Bloomingdale’s Credit Card review.