Always dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Barbara King Credit Cards WriterAlways dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Written By Barbara King Credit Cards WriterAlways dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Barbara King Credit Cards WriterAlways dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Credit Cards Writer Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
| Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards
Updated: May 31, 2024, 11:30am
Have a question we may not have answered?Ask our editors here
Have a question for Barbara King or our other editors?
Ask here for a chance to be featured in a story.
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policyand Terms of Serviceapply.
Send a note to Barbara King, Clint Proctor and our other editors. We read every email.
By submitting this form, you agree to allow us to collect, store, and potentially publish your provided information, including name and question, in the article or any related content. You confirm that the submitted content is original, accurate, and non-infringing on any third-party rights. We may contact you via the email address provided for follow-up questions or to notify you if your question is selected for publication. See our Terms of Useand our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for submitting your question.Keep reading Forbes Advisor for the chance to see the answer to your question in one of our upcoming stories. Our editors also may be in touch with follow-up questions.
Continue readingEditorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
While the Firestone Credit Card * might seem like a good way to finance emergency car repairs and save on tire changes and car maintenance, it falls short when it comes to rewards and benefits. Its most appealing feature is the six-month deferred interest financing promotion which is effectively a 0% interest loan if paid off within the six month period. But given the limited rewards program, we’d only recommend this card to loyal Firestone customers who need financing and who anticipate frequent expensive car repair and maintenance expenses.
Firestone Credit Card *Our ratings take into account the card’s rewards, fees, rates along with the card’s category. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Welcome Bonus Annual Fee Regular APR 29.99% Fixed Credit ScoreCredit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
5% off your first purchase when you open an accountThe Firestone Credit Card * is designed for loyal Firestone customers who want to finance expensive car repairs and who can benefit from exclusive deals on in-store Firestone purchases and a Firestone-centric rewards program. From that perspective, it does what it sets out to do, but that’s as far as it goes in terms of value.
Firestone offers two versions of their branded credit card—a store card which can only be used at Firestone stores and a Mastercard which can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted. There is a single application for both cards. The issuer, Credit First National Association Bank (CFNA), based on an assessment of the applicant’s credit history, decides which card to issue should the applicant be approved.
The main incentives of the card are the six-month deferred interest financing offer for participating retailer purchases of $149 or more and exclusive monthly deals and coupons. Unfortunately, even the financing offer isn’t as good as it seems. The interest is merely deferred, meaning that it will be added to your balance retroactively if you don’t pay off the purchase in full within the six-month period. This is different from how traditional 0% intro APR cards work.
The Firestone Credit Card * ’s rewards program is limited in that rewards can only be redeemed as a statement credit after making a purchase at a Firestone store or participating locations. So unless you have a lot of high-dollar car repairs coming up, you’re better off choosing an alternative card with a lower APR and a better, broader rewards program.
Why you can trust Forbes Advisor
Our credit card editors are committed to bringing you unbiased ratings and information. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and companies, so all are measured equally. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and the credit card methodology for the ratings below.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Citi Double Cash® Card On Citi's Website Welcome Bonus Earn $200 cash back Annual Fee Credit Score Excellent, Good, Fair Regular APR 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Firestone’s rewards program is called myCFNA Rewards. Cardholders of both the Firestone store card and Mastercard earn points on purchases at Firestone stores and participating retailers. The number of points earned per dollar is determined by a tiered schedule based on annual Firestone credit card spending.
Tier 1 and 2 customers earn 3 points per dollar spent at Firestone stores and partner retailers, while Tier 3 customers earn 4 points per dollar.
Firestone Mastercard cardholders earn an additional 2 points per dollar at gas stations and other automotive retailers and 1 point per dollar everywhere else.
Tier 2 and 3 cardholders can earn additional points on their birthday and through special Double Points events.
Each myCFNA point is worth 1 cent. When a total of 1,000 points is earned, the points are automatically redeemed for a $10 myCFNA reward which is applied as a statement credit to the next purchase at a Firestone store or participating retailer. Rewards expire six months after they are issued.
Tier 2 and 3 customers can bank their points and redeem for an award whenever they want to use it, thereby avoiding the automatic redemption and reward expiry.
Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage earners brings in $118,438 annually and we base our sample household spending on that number.
The average U.S. household has two vehicles, each driven approximately 13,476 miles per year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates that maintenance and repair costs are about 9.83 cents per mile. That works out to an average of $2,649 in car maintenance and repair costs for the average family.
The first $2,500 of this spending would earn 3 points per dollar while the remaining $149 would qualify for Tier 3 on the Firestone card which is 4 points per dollar, earning a total of 7,996 myCFNA points annually.
Based on Forbes Advisor’s estimates, our sample household spends $3,562 at gas stations which translates to 7,124 points at an earning rate of 2 points per dollar.
Forbes Advisor estimates that an additional $33,126 can reasonably be charged to a credit card in non-bonused categories which would earn 33,126 points. The total myCFNA points earned by our sample household would be 48,246 which is equivalent to $482.46 in rewards that can be used at Firestone stores or participating retailers.
The main draw of the Firestone Credit Card * is its six-month deferred interest financing offer and automotive discounts or repairs, but depending on your location and where you get your car serviced, there are other auto-specific cards available. The Discount Tire Credit Card * also offers a $0 annual fee, $0 liability on fraud transactions and exclusive deals for users. But while the Firestone financing offer is limited to six months, Discount Tire’s introductory financing can last up to 12 months depending on the total purchase amount.
This financing period might make it a better option if you’re looking for a card specifically targeted at car repairs and maintenance and need a longer repayment period. However, the Discount Tire Credit Card * does not have a rewards program and is strictly a store card so can only be used at Discount Tire locations plus approximately 200,000 gas stations nationwide. So unless you are in need of a longer financing period, the more widely accepted Firestone Credit Card * would be more beneficial.
The Goodyear Credit Card * has a $0 annual fee and a promotional financing offer for six months (although this starts at purchases of $250 which is higher than Firestone). However, the Goodyear Credit Card * is limited in use to Goodyear stores nationwide and at Exxon or Mobil gas stations.
Unlike the Firestone Credit Card * the Goodyear Credit Card * lacks a rewards program. The Firestone Credit Card * also outshines Goodyear with its introductory 5% discount and its deferred interest offer. If you are looking for an auto repair specific credit card and Firestone locations are convenient for you, the Firestone Credit Card * is a better choice.
In general, most people are better off choosing a straight cash-back card instead of a single purpose card if their credit score is in the good range and they can qualify. The no annual fee Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases and offers eligible new cardmembers a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Rewards do not expire.
Cardholders also get a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, then a 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR applies. Balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% (min. $5) then a fee of up to 5% (min. $5) applies. So even if you had a large car repair bill coming up, you could finance it for a longer period of time compared to the Firestone Mastercard. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a better choice for most people when considering both risk management and rewards.
The Firestone Credit Card * could be appealing for someone who anticipates expensive car maintenance or repair and can make full use of the financing offer by paying off eligible purchases during their promotional period. For anyone else, a general cash-back credit card such as the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card would make more sense, considering the Firestone rewards program has limited earning capacity and rewards can only be redeemed within Firestone stores and participating retailers. Still, Firestone is probably the best choice among the other auto repair specific credit cards we compared it with, particularly if you can get approved for the Mastercard version which can be used everywhere.
No single credit card is the best option for every family, every purchase or every budget. We've picked the best credit cards in a way designed to be the most helpful to the widest variety of readers.
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards .
Forbes Advisor Contributor Elle Juliette contributed to this article.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Firestone Credit Card, Discount Tire Credit Card, Goodyear Credit Card . The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Was this article helpful?