5 Things to Know About the Big Lots Credit Card - NerdWallet

You're our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. While we don't cover every company or financial product on the market, we work hard to share a wide range of offers and objective editorial perspectives.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us for advertisements that appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and services - like free credit score access and monitoring. With the exception of mortgage, home equity and other home-lending products or services, partner compensation is one of several factors that may affect which products we highlight and where they appear on our site. Other factors include your credit profile, product availability and proprietary website methodologies.

However, these factors do not influence our editors' opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews. Here is a list of our partners.

5 Things to Know About the Big Lots Credit Card

The special financing terms are a big risk, and the rewards are a big disappointment.

Written by

Jaime Hanson

Jaime Hanson

Lead Writer

Expertise

Jaime Hanson is a former NerdWallet credit card writer. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and Yahoo Finance, among others. Before writing for NerdWallet, she spent six years as a freelance writer covering small-business finance, marketing and business organization. Previously, Jaime was a broadcast news producer for two nationally syndicated nightly programs.

Edited by

Erin Hurd

Expertise

Erin is a former writer and assigning editor on the NerdWallet Content team who now heads NerdWallet's travel business. She's a credit card and travel rewards expert at NerdWallet, based in Baltimore, Maryland. She has spent nearly two decades showing readers unique ways to maximize their investments and personal finances. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Erin worked on dozens of newsletters and magazines in the areas of investing, health, business and travel with Agora Publishing. Her love of travel led to a passion for credit card and loyalty rewards to subsidize trips, and she thrives on teaching others how to harness the power of credit card rewards. When she's not helping NerdWallet readers find the best travel value, Erin is planning her next adventure for her family of four using points and miles.

other

Updated May 8, 2026

Fact Checked

How is this page expert verified?

NerdWallet's content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure the information is as clear and complete as possible.

Editor's note

As of February 2025, all Big Lots credit card accounts were closed due to Big Lots' bankruptcy.

From furniture, mattresses, and home essentials to cosmetics, clothes and even groceries, Big Lots is a fan favorite among many for a wide variety of inexpensive goods. Like most retail stores these days, Big Lots offers its own store credit card with a few notable perks.

The Big Lots credit card, though, doesn't offer big value. Issued by Comenity Bank, the card offers little in the way of discounts, incentives or ongoing rewards. But if you’re planning a large purchase with the retailer, the card’s special financing offers may be tempting.

Here are the five biggest things you need to know about the Big Lots credit card.

1. It only works for Big Lots purchases

The Big Lots credit card is a closed-loop card, meaning it only works at Big Lots retail locations and online at BigLots.com. You won’t see a Visa or Mastercard logo on your physical card, and you can’t use the card for purchases with other retailers.

2. Cardholder rewards and discounts run small

If you’re not taking cautious advantage of a special financing offer (details below), there are no real advantages to opening a Big Lots credit card. Unlike the best store credit cards, which offer up to 5% back in rewards, the Big Lots credit card offers no ongoing rewards program at all.

The Big Lots website does advertise a “welcome coupon” and “special exclusives” for credit cardholders, but representatives for both Big Lots and Comenity Bank did not respond in time for publication regarding the details of those offers.

3. Special financing terms are a big risk

Since the Big Lots credit card offers little in the way of rewards, the card’s only real benefits are its special financing offers. As of February 2023, they offer:

As with most store credit cards, the words “special financing” are code for deferred interest, a tricky financing term that can end up costing huge sums for unsuspecting borrowers.

Unlike a true 0% APR offer in which interest is waived completely, the Big Lots credit card’s special financing terms put interest charges on hold for the duration of the promotional period. In the background, though, interest is still accumulating from the date of purchase.

If you have any balance remaining on the purchase when the promotional period ends—yes, even 1 cent—you’ll be charged retroactive interest on the full purchase amount for the entire promotional period.

4. Carrying a balance is a big expense

When making purchases that don’t qualify for special financing, you won’t want to carry a balance on your Big Lots credit card. The card charges an ongoing interest rate of 29.99% APR (as of February 2023), which is well above average, even among store credit cards.

By comparison, the average interest rate for credit cards that incurred interest in 2022 was 20.40%, according to data from the Federal Reserve.

5. The free rewards program is the bigger win

There’s no denying that when it comes to rewards and discounts, the Big Lots credit card is a big disappointment. Fortunately, there’s another Big Lots card for your wallet that really will offer big savings.

Big Lots’ free-to-join Big Rewards program offers huge value in the way of discounts, bonuses, and special perks. Some of the most notable include:

You don’t need to be a Big Lots credit cardholder to obtain rewards through the Big Rewards program, and being a credit cardholder doesn’t increase the value of your rewards.