Thread: Maurices Credit Card Review: A Bad Idea?

Considering the Maurices credit card? Before you fill out that application, you probably will want to read this review first. There are some things about it which I really dislike...

Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping at Maurices! They have some fabulous looks and styles when you want something casual yet trendy. But if you get asked to apply for a Maurices credit card, I encourage you to study the application carefully. Here's why...

What I like about it:

• If you have poor credit this may be an option to go with. It sounds like you don’t need a high credit score to get approved.
• They typically offer a 15% discount off the first purchase made with the Maurices card.
• Payments can be made both online and in-store.
• Cardholders are sent advanced notice of upcoming sales/promotions.
• They are known to send out a $5 coupon on your birthday.

What I dislike about it:

• The interest rate is extremely high! At the time of this credit card review it is 24.99%. So if you have a balance this is not the way to go.
• You do not earn any rewards. This is unusual, as most store cards offer some sort of a rewards program, however with Maurices there are no points or rebates earned.
• It's not a Visa/MasterCard so you can only use it at Maurices stores.
• Your credit limit might not be very high. Sometimes as little as $200 or $300 according to reviews I've read elsewhere . In theory, it's possible that wouldn't be the best for your credit score, because you don’t want to use more than 30% of your limit at any given time, because a high debt to credit ratio might impact your score. So if you were given a low limit like $200, using 30% of that only equals $60… that won’t buy you much

Why I think you should avoid it:
Maurices is a good company but without a rewards program, I don't understand why someone would get their card. Sure, the 15% discount at the time of your Maurices credit card application is nice, but wouldn't you rather have on-going rewards? There are even student credit cards with rewards so there's really no excuse for a store card to not offer rewards!


Maurices Store History: They are based out of Duluth, Minnesota and have been around a very long time (since 1931). In 2005 they were acquired by Ascena Group, which also owns Dress Barn. In 2011, Forbes Magazine rated Maurices as one of the 10 best employers in retail. So if you're looking for a job in retail, they're definitely worth checking out! Today they have over 750 stores in 44 states.

I totally agree with CreditCardGirl. Most store card deals sound good initially, however, as the article mentions, the APR are ridiculously high. I have a Macy's store card that I quit using last year. They used to charge me 24% APR just for the privilege of owing them money. Unless you are trying to either establish credit or recovering from bad credit, don't waste your time with store credit cards.

I'm from New York but I hate my mall so I shop in New Jersey. I've heard of Dillards but never Maurices. What kind of store is this, a department store like Kohls, Sears, Bloomingdales? Or is it a clothing store like Gap, Hugo Boss, Armani Exchange, J Crew, Club Monaco, Lucky Brand Jeans etc? Where is this store primarily located?