My GM Rewards Mastercard review 2024
Published 4:27 p.m. UTC April 22, 2024
Editorial Note: Blueprint may earn a commission from affiliate partner links featured here on our site. This commission does not influence our editors' opinions or evaluations. Please view our full advertiser disclosure policy.
If you plan to buy a GM vehicle or currently have a GM loan, it could pay to use the My GM Rewards® Mastercard® * The information for the My GM Rewards® Mastercard® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . You’ll earn 7 points per $1 spent at GM and 4 points per $1 elsewhere, and you can redeem the points as credits toward your GM purchase or lease payments or for GM services, parts or subscriptions.
But if you’re not doing business with GM, you should give this card a pass. Our My GM Rewards Mastercard review walks you through the ins and outs of this credit card.
My GM Rewards Mastercard basics
- Annual fee: $0.
- Welcome bonus: 15,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Rewards: 7 points per $1 spent at GM and 4 points per $1 elsewhere.
- APR: 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 9 months, then a 20.24% to 29.99% variable APR on purchases.
- Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.
- Does the card offer preapproval? Yes.
- Other benefits: $100 annual statement credit when you spend $1,500 on fuel purchases at eligible gas stations per calendar year or earn electric vehicle owners can earn a $100 statement credit when using the card to pay six months of electric bills, $50 annual vehicle detailing allowance when using the card at a participating GM dealer and World Elite Mastercard benefits.
My GM Rewards Mastercard review
The My GM Rewards Mastercard offers several perks tailored to a specific group of people: anyone who’s paying off or planning to buy a GM, including a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac.
There are complex rules around earning and redeeming points for this card, so even if you plan to buy a GM soon, you’ll want to read the fine print and think through the math before applying for the card.
For example, you can earn 7 points per $1 spent at GM and 4 points per $1 elsewhere, but you’re not likely to spend much in this category if you have a brand-new vehicle or if your car is still under warranty. Plus, if you want to buy a Certified Pre-Owned GM, you can only redeem $1,000 worth of points toward your purchase.
Want to earn the $100 annual statement credit on this card? That’s a little complicated too. You’ll first need to verify and activate your account through mygmrewardscard.com. If you have a gas-powered car, you must spend at least $1,500 on fuel purchases at eligible gas stations per calendar year. If you drive an electric vehicle, you’ll have to pay your electric bill for six months within the calendar year before you’re eligible for the statement credit.
The My GM Rewards Mastercard comes with a welcome bonus, but it’s underwhelming. You’ll get 15,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. That might sound generous, but at a value of $0.01 per point, that’s just $150 when redeemed. In other words, the welcome bonus shouldn’t be your motivation for getting this card.
It is a better bonus than what you’d get with the Toyota Rewards Visa® Credit Card * The information for the Toyota Rewards Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. or the FordPass® Rewards Visa® Card * The information for the FordPass® Rewards Visa® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , but you can get a better welcome offer from many other rewards credit cards.
With that said, some people who own or plan to buy a GM can still enjoy some of the card’s features. On top of having no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, you also get a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 9 months, then a 20.24% to 29.99% variable APR on purchases. Ensure you can pay off your credit card balance before the intro offer expires since the rate adjusts to the regular APR afterward.
Pros
- Earn points for every purchase: Earn 7 points per $1 spent at GM and 4 points per $1 elsewhere.
- Introductory APR offer: You’ll get a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 9 months, then a 20.24% to 29.99% variable APR on purchases.
- Annual credits and allowances: Cardholders can cash in on up to $150 yearly in combined statement credits and allowances.
Cons
- Small welcome bonus: The welcome bonus has a low redemption value of roughly $150.
- Limited options for redeeming rewards: There’s a long list of restrictions on how to redeem rewards, and they don’t have much value other than paying for GM vehicles and services.
- No balance transfer offer:The introductory APR offer does not apply to balance transfers — in fact, balance transfers are not allowed on this card.
My GM Rewards Mastercard rewards
It’s rare for a credit card to offer seven points in any spending category. But as a general rule of thumb, the higher the point multiplier the more restrictive the spending category usually is.
In the case of the My GM Rewards Mastercard, you aren’t likely to earn big points unless you plan to make a major GM purchase or your GM vehicle is no longer under warranty and requires a lot of maintenance that you’ll have done at a dealership.
Here’s how the points break down:
- 7 points: Certified Service at authorized participating dealers, GM Genuine parts, AC Delco parts, GM accessories, SiriusXM subscriptions, GM Protection Plans and most OnStar Service plans.
- 4 points: Everyday spending, not including cash advances, ATM withdrawals, savings bond purchases, gambling, finance charges or fees.
The offer on SiriusXM isn’t a great deal for some GM owners, since new GMs come with a free SiriusXM trial that lasts anywhere from three months to three years. You can also get up to three months of free OnStar services with a new GM.
Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has around $25,087 in annual expenses that can be charged to a credit card. Here’s how our sample household’s rewards could break down during an average year of GM ownership when the vehicle is no longer under warranty:
SPENDING CATEGORY | SPENDING AMOUNT | POINTS PER DOLLAR | POINTS EARNED |
---|---|---|---|
Services and parts
| $794.00
| 7 | 5,558
|
SiriusXM basic subscription
| $168.00
| 7 | 1,176
|
OnStar basic plan
| $360.00
| 7 | 2,520
|
Other
| $23,765.00
| 4 | 95,060
|
TOTAL
| $25,087.00
| 104,314
|
Based on our calculations, a cardholder who pays the average, out-of-pocket costs for repairs and services on their GM vehicle could earn 104,314 points annually. But remember that points have varying value depending on how you redeem them.
Here’s what one point is worth for each redemption option:
- $0.01: GM purchases, including new and certified pre-owned vehicles and GM Certified Services.
- $0.0025: Statement credit for non-GM purchases.
You can redeem your points by visiting a participating dealership and using them at the point of transaction, by using your card to make eligible purchases or by logging in to mygmrewardscard.com to redeem them for a statement credit, up to $250 per year.
My GM Rewards Mastercard APR
Cardholders get a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 9 months, then a 20.24% to 29.99% variable APR on purchases, which is a shorter introductory period than many 0% APR credit cards offer.
After the intro APR period, the rate adjusts to the regular APR, with the lowest rate available to applicants with the best credit. But even if you qualify for the starting rate, your APR will barely be lower than the average credit card APR, which the Federal Reserve reported was 21.59% in February 2024.
My GM Rewards Mastercard perks
This credit card comes with a few extra perks that vehicle owners can cash in on each year:
- Annual statement credit: Earn a $100 credit by spending $1,500 on fuel per calendar year or, for GM electric vehicle owners, using your card to pay for six months of your electric bills within the calendar year.
- Vehicle Detailing Allowance: Get $50 each calendar year toward vehicle detailing at a participating GM dealer.
Cardholders also get World Elite Mastercard benefits, which include discounts on certain streaming, food delivery and ridesharing services and complimentary identity theft monitoring services.
How the My GM Rewards Mastercard compares to other rewards cards
When it comes to credit cards issued by car manufacturers, there aren’t many options to choose from. While earning points on a major purchase like a car might entice you, the rewards you get from these cards don’t come close to the value you could earn on non-car branded credit cards.
If you want to earn points to help you pay off your car loan, you may want to consider getting a cash-back card and then using the rewards you earn to pay extra towards your car loan payments. Here are some alternatives to consider:
My GM Rewards Mastercard vs. FordPass® Rewards Visa® Card * The information for the FordPass® Rewards Visa® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you’re shopping for a new car but you’re not set on a GM, you might consider using a FordPass Rewards Visa Card. This card has many features in common with the My GM Rewards Mastercard.
For example, for no annual fee you earn up to 10 points per dollar on spending, with the highest rewards for Ford dealership purchases and services. The Ford card offers 11,000 FordPass Rewards Points the first purchase, and $100 statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first three billing cycles. Plus, you’ll get a $200 annual statement credit each year when you spend $6,000 on the card.
However, just like the My GM Rewards Mastercard, it doesn’t compete with other rewards cards. For example, the FordPass Rewards card has a high APR range even when compared to the GM card, and points can’t be redeemed for non-Ford purchases.
My GM Rewards Mastercard vs. Toyota Rewards Visa® Credit Card * The information for the Toyota Rewards Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Toyota is another auto manufacturer that offers its own rewards credit card. The Toyota Rewards Visa offers 5 points per $1 spent at participating Toyota Dealerships, 2 points per $1 spent on gas, dining and entertainment and 1 point per $1 spent everywhere else Visa is accepted. Plus, you can earn 5,000 points after spending $500 on purchases outside of Toyota Dealerships in the first 90 days of account opening.
One area where this card stands out from the My GM Rewards Mastercard is redemption options for points. In addition to using them for Toyota purchases, you can redeem points for statement credits or gift cards, and they have a value of $0.01 when redeemed for statement credits versus the $0.0025 you get for GM points.
My GM Rewards Mastercard vs. Citi Custom Cash® Card
We don’t recommend using a credit card to buy a car, but it can pay to use an introductory APR rewards card for big purchases like vehicle repairs and servicing. The Citi Custom Cash® Card, for example, gives you a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and from the date of the first transfer for balance transfers within the first four months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. There is a balance transfer fee of 5% of each balance transfer with a $5 minimum. Plus, you can get $200 cash back, in the form of 20,000 ThankYou® points, after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. This is a bigger welcome offer than what you get with the My GM Rewards Mastercard.
You’ll earn cash back on every purchase. The Citi Custom Cash earns 5% cash back on purchases in a top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent each month and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Plus, an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/25. You can redeem your rewards for a statement credit, as well as gift cards, travel and more.
My GM Rewards Mastercard is right for you if:
- You currently have GM financing on your vehicle.
- You plan to buy or service your GM at an authorized GM dealership.
- You can pay off your credit card balance before the intro APR expires.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Yes, the My GM Rewards credit card is a Mastercard and it comes with World Elite Mastercard benefits.
To log in to your GM credit card account, visit Marcus.com, click “Log in” on the navigation menu and enter your email address and password when prompted. You can also go directly to Marcus.com/us/en/login to log in.
You can use your My GM Rewards card for any purchase that allows credit card transactions and accepts Mastercard. Once you earn points with the card, you can redeem them toward the purchase of a GM vehicle, GM Certified services or as statement credits.
It’s recommended to have good to excellent credit to qualify for the My GM Rewards Mastercard. GM offers preapproval, which allows you to see if you qualify and the terms you might qualify for.
GM doesn’t disclose the credit limit for the My GM Rewards card. If you open an account and want to increase your limit, you can request an increase after 90 days.
*The information for the FordPass® Rewards Visa® Card, My GM Rewards® Mastercard® and Toyota Rewards Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.