Should you apply for The Limited credit card? Read this review first or you could be in for a big surprise with this credit card!

retail store card solicitation
Company Background
The first “The Limited” was opened in Ohio in 1963. Their store aimed to provide upscale casual clothing geared towards a younger female demographic… outfits which are perfect for both a day at the office or a night on the town. The Limited grew exponentially and over the past few decades the company founded or acquired other retailers like New York & Co, Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Lane Bryant, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Eventually, some of those were spun off to be separate publicly traded companies themselves.

Still headquartered in Columbus Ohio, The Limited has approximately 200 stores across the country and one of their flagship locations is at Easton Town Center (the high end Columbus-based mall which Arnold Schwarzenegger is reportedly a co-owner of). Arnold is said to be close with the founding family behind The Limited, which explains why he would build this expensive mall so far away from him.

The Limited Credit Card Review
They actually have two different (yet very similar) credit cards: The Classic Card and The Couture Card. You can only apply The Classic Card, but once you spend $800, your account will automatically be upgraded to The Couture Card.

To be honest, there’s not that a big difference between them; the biggest difference I see is that the Couture offers free shipping for orders placed through their website. That isn’t bad to have, but at the same time it seems their site often has free shipping promos anyway (i.e. free shipping on orders of $100 or more) so this feature in itself is hardly anything to get excited about.
Annual Fee? Neither of The Limited credit cards carries an annual fee.

Interest Rate? You need to be warned that the APRs offered on these cards can be outrageous! Of course these things always change, but at the time of this review the APR is a sky high 24.99%! This is extraordinarily high and makes it impossible to affordably carry a balance, and the costs would probably offset the value of your rewards.

Major Credit Card? No. Their credit card can only be used at The Limited stores and their website.

Rewards? Like most credit cards, you receive 1 point per $1 spent. Accumulated points can be redeemed for a coupon which you can use for a future purchase at the store. The Classic Card gives a $15 coupon for every 300 points (that equals out to be a 5% rebate) and The Couture Card gives the $15 coupon after accumulating 250 points (that’s like a 6% rebate). These rewards aren’t bad at all for a store charge card.

Conclusion? While the rewards aren’t bad, the interest rate is out of control. Since The Limited credit card is only good at their store, it’s not a very useful card to hassle with, especially when you consider the other drawbacks. Therefore I can’t say that I recommend The Limited credit card unless you spend thousands per year at their stores.
A Better Way To Save 5% At The Limited (sponsored offer)
Are you a Discover cardmember? If so, you can save 5% on all your purchases at TheLimited.com through the ShopDiscover program which is available exclusive to Discover cardholders:

S C R E E N S H O T :
5% rewards at The Limited
What an excellent way to save 5% at TheLimited.com! This shopping portal is only accessible to Discover cardholders. Not yet a member? Then I definitely recommend you check out the no annual fee Discover More card. It gives a full 5% cash back bonus in rotating categories including apparel and department stores!



Last updated Jan. 2011