A 5% discount on Academy Credit Card best values is worth the price and amazingly simple for a store card. But most will still be better off with a plain cash-back card.
Academy Sports + Outdoors consumers can receive 5% off every day on daily purchases with the Academy credit card. Cardholders will receive a straightforward 5% off at checkout for in-store and online purchases of fitness equipment, outdoor gear, and apparel.
Cardholders will also receive free shipping on online purchases of $15 or higher (minus tax). But the Academy card, issued by Comenity Bank, is not much better than most store cards in that it has the same disadvantages of being expensive and having an extremely high annual percentage rate, or APR.
For these reasons, most consumers will be better off with a general cash-back credit card that rewards and encourages them wherever they shop.
How does the Academy Credit Card Work?
Whereas store cards tend to feature a complicated rewards scheme that will eventually lapse, the Academy card boasts a no-nonsense 5% discount at checkout on both in-store and online orders. That’s frightfully easy for a store card.
Gift cards, hunting and fishing permits, and in-store services aren’t subject to the 5% discount. Also, you won’t receive 5% off if you pay with multiple forms of payment for an online order.
As with most store charge cards, the Academy card is “closed-loop.” That is, you can use it to buy only at Academy, so you won’t have any means of looking for deals at other stores.
While a plain old 5% discount on everything purchased at the Academy is great, most people will probably do better with the option to shop wherever they want with an overall cashback charge card.
For example, the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card offers (among others) 5% cash back on the first $2,000 in combined eligible net purchases in two categories you choose each quarter, such as sporting goods stores.
While this card requires constant management and selecting your bonus categories every quarter, it will offer you far more flexibility than the Academy store card.
What are the Benefits of the Academy Credit Card?
New Academy cardmembers will receive a one-time $15 discount on their first purchase at Academy, but the discount cannot be used on top of the standard 5% discount. If you apply by phone or online, your first purchase must be made in the same shopping trip as your approval for the card to receive the $15 discount.
This promotion is far less desirable than offers on other credit cards with no annual fee. Chase Freedom Flex offers new cardmembers the following sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
It would take $4,000 in spending with Academy cards to receive a discount of this sign-up bonus level. Academy is a leading global sporting goods retailer. Whether cardholders are purchasing new fishing equipment or hiking footwear, they will get free shipping on every online order of $15+.
Academy also offers free returns on web purchases. Just initiate the return online through the Academy website, and the company will send a prepaid FedEx shipping label. Or just bring your return to a store if there is one nearby.
Bottom Line
If you plan on paying for your purchase with Academy via financing, look elsewhere. Through August 2023, the purchase APR for the Academy sports card is a staggering 31.99%. If you plan on keeping a balance, you’d do well with a card that has a 0% introductory APR deal.
The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card, for example, offers a 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles both on purchases and on any balance transfers made within the first 60 days.
A variable APR of 18.24%-28.24% will apply once the intro APR offer period ends. Additionally, cardholders are entitled to the following sign-up reward: $200 online cash rewards bonus when you spend a minimum of $1,000 in the first 90 days of opening your account.
