The Home Depot Credit Card Isn't Much to Write Home About: Here's Why

The Home Depot has four different credit cards available. But spoiler alert: none of the four options pop up on our list of the eight best store credit cards. We’re about to dive in to the most easily accessible one for your everyday shopping needs: The Home Depot consumer credit card.

Like most store credit cards, you’ll only be able to use this card at Home Depot. While many store cards come with beefed up perks, the benefits of this particular store card are lackluster. On the bright side, there’s no annual fee and you can qualify with less-than-perfect credit. However, those with lower credit scores may not be able to benefit from the few offers that can save you money.

That said, under the right circumstances this card may be able to cut down your total at the home improvement store’s cash register. Let’s take a look and see if this card might be right for you.

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Home Depot Credit Card Overview

APR	Fees	Benefits	Credit Requirements	Introductory Offer
17.99% – 26.99% APR	No annual fee $40 late payment fee	Extended Rewards Window 6-month 0% financing for purchases of $299+. Opportunities for up to 24 month 0% financing throughout the year.	Fair credit or higher	Up to $100 off your first purchase

Overall, this card is light on rewards and benefits but does offer relative flexibility on negative credit report items as a lot of store credit cards do. Let’s delve into each criterion.

 

The APR isn’t great unless you’re making a larger purchase.

Most credit cards come with high APR, and this one is no exception. You’ll be offered an APR of 17.99%, 21.99%, 25.99%, or 26.99% depending on your creditworthiness. These rates aren’t atypical, but the industry standard isn’t great. Plus there’s no introductory APR offer.

However, if you’re making a purchase of $299 or more, you can get 0% APR for six months. As long as you pay your balance in full within that six month period, you won’t pay any interest.

If you don’t pay it off in full, though, all the interest you would have paid during that 6-month period will be applied to your account, plus the interest you incur moving forward. So if you aren’t 100% sure you can pay off the balance within six months, this isn’t much of a deal at all.

Throughout the year, you might also come across offers for 0% APR on purchases for 12-, 18-, or 24-month periods. These aren’t consistent, though. You’ll have to take advantage of them as they pop up.

Related: 31 Home Depot Sales Hacks

 

It gives you an extended return window.

One of the biggest perks of The Home Depot credit card is that it extends the store’s return policy from 90 days to an entire year. If you’re making a major purchase and you really want some time to make sure you’re happy with the product, this can be a major win.

 

This credit card comes with limited fees.

As we mentioned earlier, there’s no annual fee here, which is nice but also fairly typical for a store credit card.

The only fee is a $40 late payment fee, which is also typical for the industry.

 

You’ll need fair credit or better to qualify.

While there are reports of some applicants with credit scores as low as 600 getting approved for a Home Depot credit card, the retailer itself says your odds of approval go up significantly if your score is 640 or higher.

Variables that can affect approval outside of your credit score include your income, your debt-to-income ratio, and the severity of the negative items on your credit report.

Bear in mind that your creditworthiness also affects which APR you’re offered. While you may qualify with a score of 640, if your score is on the lower end, you can expect to be offered 26.99% APR rather than 17.99% APR.

You also could get approved with an extremely low credit limit if you have a lower credit score. The Home Depot is known to award credit lines as low as $300. If your limit is this low, it could prevent you from taking advantage of the limited benefits of the card, as most offers come with a minimum spend.

Related: Lowe’s vs Home Depot: Whose prices are cheaper?

 

Introductory offer gives you up to $100 off your first purchase.

Now through July 26, 2023, you can get a discount on your first purchase with your Home Depot credit card within the first 30 days of account opening.

The amount of the discount depends on how much you spend. Here are the tiers:

• Get $25 off. Purchase must be between $25 and $299.
• Get $50 off. Purchase must be between $300 and $999.
• Get $100 off. Purchase must be $1,000 or more.

 

Who is this card best for?

Pros	Cons
Current introductory offer can help you save money. No annual fee. Extended return window. 0% APR offers are available if your purchase is large enough. Can qualify with fair credit.	You won’t earn any rewards or bonus points by using this card. You can only use it at Home Depot. If you don’t pay off your ‘0% APR’ offer by the end of the term, all of that interest will catch up with you at once. Those with fair credit may be prone to lower credit limits, which could prevent you from taking advantage of the few benefits of this card.

You’ll get the most out of the card if you have a good enough credit score to get a substantial credit line. This will allow you to take advantage of the bigger offers with minimum spend requirements if you’re working on a project that requires some Home Depot spending.

If you have fair credit, you could use this card to build your credit if you make on-time payments in full every month. But store credit cards tend to have lower credit requirements, period. And this one doesn’t offer the most robust rewards system. You might want to consider other store credit cards.

 

 

Home Depot Credit Card FAQs

 

What bank issues The Home Depot credit card?

The Home Depot consumer credit card is issued by Citi.

 

How do I apply for The Home Depot credit card?

You can apply for The Home Depot consumer credit card with Citi here.

 

What credit score is needed for this card?

Generally speaking, you need a credit score of at least 640 to qualify for The Home Depot credit card. While you might be able to qualify with a score as low as 600, you’re rolling the dice, and getting denied for a credit card can negatively impact your credit score.

 

Where can I use it?

You can only use your Home Depot consumer credit card at Home Depot. You won’t be able to use it at any other stores.

 

How do I pay my Home Depot credit card?

You can use Citi’s Home Depot portal to sign into your account and pay your credit card bill.