Children’s Place Credit Card Review

If you have kids, you live the inevitable truth that they grow fast and that you’re going to spend a lot of money trying to keep up with that growth. Those clothes that you just dropped a lot of money on a month or two ago are now too small, so you might very well be headed to the Children’s Place to buy more.

If this sounds like you, consider the Children’s Place credit card. Combine the perks of the card with the in-store and online specials and you can save quite a bit. But is this card more valuable than other cashback cards? Let’s find out.

The Children’s Place Credit Card Perks

With the Children’s Place card, you will get 30 percent off your first purchase, 25 percent off on your kid’s birthdays for up to four kids, and 20 percent off when you first receive your card in the mail. Make sure to register your kids prior to their birthday or you won’t get the birthday discount.

You also get free standard shipping on all online orders. If you often shop online, that can save you quite a bit of money.

Here’s a summary of the card’s perks:

• 30% off your first purchase
• 25% off on your kids’ birthdays
• 20% off when you get your card
• 2 points per dollar earned
• $5 reward for every 100 points earned
• Free standard shipping
• No annual fee

Children’s Place Rewards

The Children’s Place credit card offers two points for every dollar spent through the My Place Rewards program. You can redeem 100 points for $5 in Children’s Place rewards.

That works out to a pretty good return of 10 percent back, though the My Place Rewards can only be used at the Children’s Place. The double points perk is valid on all in-store and online purchases, plus you can use it in conjunction with most coupon and promo codes.

If You Have Bad Credit

Another plus of the Children’s Place card is that you might be able to get it even if your credit is less than ideal. Some people have reported qualifying for the card with a credit score as low as 525.

This card also has no annual fee, making it easy to hang on to it long term if you need to build your credit history. Pay your bill off every month and your credit score will improve. Overall, this card might be a good choice for someone looking to improve their credit score.

What to Watch Out for With the Children’s Place Card

While all of those perks sound great, there are a number of issues with this card that you need to be aware of before you apply. In short, it has high interest rates, a low credit limit and limited flexibility in terms of spending and discounts.

High Interest Rates

According to the fine print, the interest rate is an obscene 27.49 percent and will move higher as interest rates continue to rise. The late payment fee will also cost you dearly at $38.

Let’s be clear—NEVER pay interest on this card. You will wipe out the value of any rewards or perks you receive. The only way to use this card is to pay it off before the due date.

Low Credit Limit

The Children’s Place credit card is a typical store credit card with a low credit limit and a high balance. Many people report receiving a $200 to $500 max limit.

While that’s not necessarily a probably, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t put too much on this card. If you carry a balance that’s more than 30 percent of your total credit limit, it that can hurt your credit score.

If you have a $500 limit, for example, having just $155 on the card will push you past a 30 percent credit utilization ratio. That can be bad, particular if you don’t pay off that balance immediately.

Other Limits of the Children’s Place Card

Like most store cards, you can only use this card at the Children’s Place. If you were hoping to build up Children’s Place rewards points by using it at other stores, you don’t want this card. Going with a general cashback or rewards card is a better idea.

Beware—you can’t combine some of the perks with store or site-wide sales. According to the terms and conditions, the 30 percent off the first purchase and the 20 percent coupon you get in your welcome kit cannot be used in conjunction with most other sales or promo codes. If you were hoping to use the card once to score a big win, that’s probably not going to work.

Should You Get the Children’s Place Credit Card?

Some of the card’s challenges aren’t exclusive to the Children’s Place credit card, but also apply to most store cards. The interest rate should scare you unless you’re sure you can pay the full balance ahead of the due date.

Also, like other cards of this type, unless you frequently shop at the Children’s Place, it will take up space in your wallet without providing much benefit. You can’t use it anywhere else and even if you could, you probably wouldn’t want to when there are so many other great rewards cards out there with much better perks, terms and conditions. Let’s take a look at a few of those options.

Alternatives to the Children’s Place Card for Good to Excellent Credit

If you have good credit, consider getting a cashback card instead of the Children’s Place card. It will earn very flexible rewards, and you can use it anywhere. While you won’t get quite the same return at the Children’s Place, it’s worth it for the added flexibility and usability.

A good option would be the Citi Double Cash^® Card. The best perk of the Citi Double Cash^® Card is that you’ll earn 2 percent cash back on every purchase: 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay for those purchases.

Another good card is the Discover it® Cash Back credit card. And while the Children’s Place may not fall into the 5% categories, the 1% cash back is guaranteed. Plus, Discover will match all the cash back you earn during your first year and that means you’ll get at least 2 percent cash back on your purchases the first year.

The Discover it® Cash Back card also has 5 percent back bonus categories that change every three months. They include a variety of places, including gas stations, restaurants, wholesale clubs, grocery stores and more. During your first year as a cardholder, you’ll get a whopping 10 percent back in those categories (up to the quarterly maximum, activation required).

An Alternative to the Children’s Place Card for Bad or No Credit

If you have bad or no credit, you’re options are a lot more limited. But you still have options! You should look into a secured card if you don’t qualify for a standard card.

The Discover it Secured card is great because you’ll be able to build up your credit score (assuming you pay it off on time every month!) and earn rewards. You’ll get 2 percent back at gas stations and restaurants and 1 percent back for everything else. Plus, Discover offers the cashback match on this card, too.

Comenity Bank

A quick note on the card issuer. The Children’s Place credit card used to issued by Citibank, but is now offered through Comenity Bank. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of Comenity. It doesn’t have a retail arm where you might open a checking account. In fact, it only offers co-branded cards.

It’s the issuing bank behind many retail credit cards like Children’s Place, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, Marathon, Lane Bryant, Pier 1 and more than 150 others.

Reviews for Comenity follow a similar pattern as other banks—passionate opinions on either side. Overall, though, there’s nothing to be concerned about with Comenity Bank. While they don’t offer super-premium cards like the big issuers (Chase, American Express, Citi, etc.), they do provide reliable products and have solid customer service.

How to Make a Children’s Place Credit Card Payment

If you want to pay your Children’s Place credit card bill, it’s easy to do thanks to Comenity Bank’s online payment center. Just login to your credit card account on this website and set up a payment. All of your account information is available online, including your current balance and pending charges.

Bottom Line

If you want to see your kids in the newest graphic tees and on-point with the latest toddler trends, you’re probably a big fan of the Children’s Place. If you have kids that wear clothes from the store, the credit card might make sense. It’s hard to do better than the 10 percent return in rewards that comes with the card.

However, you can get lower interest rates, better perks and the ability to use a credit card at just about any store with other cards. The added flexibility of a standard cashback card is really hard to beat. After all, how often do you actually shop at the Children’s Place?