Petco Pay Mastercard Credit Card

Rewards by category

Our take

The Petco Pay Mastercard Credit Card earns Petco Perks points, the loyalty program that replaced Pals Rewards, and it is a weaker rewards card than it used to be. At Petco stores and petco.com it adds 10 points per dollar on top of the base points every Perks member earns, and since 1,000 points redeem for $1, that extra is worth 1%. Grocery stores earn 20 points per $3, about 0.67%, and everything else earns 10 points per $3, about 0.33%. There is no annual fee.

The catch is that the base Perks points are not the card's to give: any member collects them at Petco with any payment method, so the card's real contribution is that extra 1%. Points redeem only toward Petco purchases and expire 365 days after they are issued. A no-annual-fee 2% cash-back card earns more at Petco and everywhere else, which is why SwipeCaddy ranks this card below the flat-rate pack even at the store it is named for. Foreign purchases add a 3% fee.

Its real draws are one-time perks and financing rather than ongoing rewards. New cardholders get 20% off a first Petco purchase made the same day the account opens (one transaction, up to $1,000), plus 25,000 bonus points — $25 in Petco credit — after spending $500 outside Petco in the first 90 days, and Petco offers special financing on larger purchases. Applicants can also be approved for the store-only Petco Pay card instead of the Mastercard version.

The math

Run $600 a month of groceries through this card and you're earning about $48 a year at our conservative valuations. There's no annual fee to earn back — everything above the 3.333x base rate is pure upside.

Store bonuses

• Petco10x

Key benefits

• 20% off your first purchase when you use the card at Petco the same day you open the account (one transaction, up to $1,000)
• Points expire 365 days after they are issued
• Donation to Petco Love with every purchase

Common questions

Does Petco Pay Mastercard Credit Card have an annual fee?

No — Petco Pay Mastercard Credit Card has no annual fee.

What does Petco Pay Mastercard Credit Card earn on groceries?

6.667x on groceries (enrollment required).

What rewards does Petco Pay Mastercard Credit Card earn on everything else?

3.333x on all other purchases, in Petco Perks.

Can I redeem Petco Pay Mastercard points anywhere besides Petco?

No. Rewards accrue as Petco Perks points that redeem only toward eligible future Petco purchases, at $1 per 1,000 points, and they expire 365 days after they are issued. If you want rewards you can spend anywhere, a general cash-back card is the better tool — and it still earns you base Perks points at Petco as long as you give your member number at checkout.

Do Petco purchases on a promotional credit plan earn points?

No — purchases placed on promotional credit plans earn no points, so financing a big purchase gives up the extra 1% the card would otherwise add at Petco. That is a small loss next to the bigger question of whether the financing itself is worth it. Earning any points also requires free Petco Perks membership.

Related reading

• How we value points and miles (and why our numbers are lower than everyone else's)SwipeCaddy ranks cards by reward rate × a conservative cash value per point: 1¢ for cash back and transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), 1.1–1.3¢ for airline miles, 0.4–1.4¢ for hotel points, and 0.8–0.9¢ for store currencies. Optimistic transfer values are recorded for context but never ranked, because most people never achieve them.