Does the REI Co-op Mastercard stack with the member reward?

Yes. The card's 5% and the co-op member reward are separate. On eligible full-price purchases a member typically gets an estimated 10% member reward, paid each March, on top of the card's 5%. REI doesn't guarantee the rate, and it excludes sale, clearance, outlet and used gear and gift cards.

Is the 1.5% outside REI worth it?

Only if you spend the rewards at REI. A no-fee 2% cash back card pays more on everyday spending, and its rewards are cash.

Does REI count as a travel or entertainment purchase?

No. REI codes as a sporting goods store, so travel and entertainment bonuses don't apply and most general cards pay their base rate.

Best Credit Card for REI (2026)

Updated October 23, 2026

Short answer

If you're an REI member and shop there a few times a year, the REI Co-op Mastercard returns 5% at REI and REI.com with no annual fee, and it stacks with the member reward on full-price gear. No general card comes close, because REI codes as a sporting goods store and few cards have a bonus for it. The catch is that the 5% comes back as REI rewards, not cash.

REI's own card

REI Co-op Mastercard

5% back in REI rewards

REI stores and REI.com, plus anywhere Mastercard is accepted · No annual fee

Only REI Co-op members can apply (membership is a one-time $30). 1.5% on everything else, also paid as REI rewards. The 5% covers gift cards, classes and Cooperative Action Fund donations too. Rewards land in your REI rewards balance a day or two after a purchase posts and can't be taken as cash or check. No foreign transaction fees. Issued by Capital One.

Issuer terms →

General cards ranked by what they return at REI

Scored on how REI purchases code, not the category you might expect. If you already hold one of these, its fee is already paid, so use the highest return. If you're choosing a new card, the last column says how much REI spend it takes to beat a no-fee 2% card.

Card	Return	How	Worth opening for REI?
Robinhood Gold Visa	3%	3x at 1¢ a point	Beats 2% above $5,000/yr here
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	3%	2x at 1.5¢ a point	Beats 2% above $9,500/yr here
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	3%	2x at 1.5¢ a point	Not on REI spend alone
Bilt Palladium Card	3%	2x at 1.5¢ a point	Not on REI spend alone
Citi Strata Elite	2.25%	1.5x at 1.5¢ a point	Not on REI spend alone
Bread Cashback American Express	2%	2% cash back	No annual fee
Citi Double Cash	2%	2% cash back	No annual fee
Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature	2%	2% cash back	No annual fee

Live from 128 cards in the catalog. Store cards, business cards, invite-only cards and cards closed to new applicants are left out. Points are valued at CardSavvy's default point values.

Check the cards you already have →

How REI purchases code

REI codes as a sporting goods store. Few cards have a bonus for it, so most pay their base rate; the REI Co-op Mastercard earns 5% here.

Merchant category code: Typically 5941 (Sporting Goods Stores).

Checked October 23, 2026 against Capital One's REI Co-op Mastercard terms.

Rewards you can only spend at REI

The REI Co-op Mastercard's 5% is the best rate at REI, but it isn't cash. Every reward, including the 1.5% you earn elsewhere, lands in your REI rewards balance, so its value depends on your next REI purchase.

On $1,000 a year at REI, the card returns $50 in REI rewards. A no-fee 2% card returns $20 in cash. If you buy from REI every year anyway, the $50 is worth $50. If your REI spending is a one-time tent, the $50 may never get spent and the $20 in cash wins.

How it stacks with membership

REI's member reward is separate from the card, and since the card requires membership, every cardholder gets both. On full-price gear it comes on top of the card's 5%, which is why the card makes the most sense for people who are already members. The card's 5% also applies to sale items; the member reward doesn't, so a clearance haul earns the 5% alone.

Why general cards come up short

REI typically codes as a sporting goods store (MCC 5941). Very few cards have a bonus for that category, so the table above is a list of flat-rate cards: 2% cash back, or about 3% if you value transferable points at 1.5 cents. None of them reaches 5%.

When a general card is the better pick anyway

You shop at REI once in a while. Cash back you can spend anywhere beats REI rewards you might not use.
You'd use it as your everyday card. The 1.5% outside REI, in REI rewards, loses to a 2% cash back card everywhere else.

Check which of your cards wins at REI →

Questions

Does the REI Co-op Mastercard stack with the member reward?: Yes. The card's 5% and the co-op member reward are separate. On eligible full-price purchases a member typically gets an estimated 10% member reward, paid each March, on top of the card's 5%. REI doesn't guarantee the rate, and it excludes sale, clearance, outlet and used gear and gift cards.
Is the 1.5% outside REI worth it?: Only if you spend the rewards at REI. A no-fee 2% cash back card pays more on everyday spending, and its rewards are cash.
Does REI count as a travel or entertainment purchase?: No. REI codes as a sporting goods store, so travel and entertainment bonuses don't apply and most general cards pay their base rate.

128 cards modeled · 18 spending categories · every verdict is a published formulaHow we rank →