5 Things to Know About Harley-Davidson Credit Cards
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Motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson offers branded credit cards through U.S. Bank. Whether you should get one depends on your credit and just how much you love the big bikes with the engines that go potato-potato-potato.
Here are five things to know about Harley-Davidson credit cards:
1. There are 3 Harley cards
Whether you’re new to credit, rebuilding your credit or a die-hard Harley fan, there's a co-branded credit card option.
For credit beginners and second-chance seekers, there's the Harley-Davidson® Visa® Secured Card, which can help you work your way up to good credit. It requires putting down a cash deposit, which the issuer holds as collateral in case you don't pay your bill. The amount of your deposit matches your credit limit.
With sturdier credit, consider the H-D™ Visa Signature® Card or the H-D™ H.O.G.™ Elite Visa Signature® Card. With its annual fee, the latter option makes sense only if you’ll get enough use from the card’s perks to offset the cost. But if the perks don’t align with your spending and you’re less likely to use them, consider the next option down. And even if they do, more rewarding options may exist.
Here’s what each card offers:
Harley-Davidson® Visa® Secured Card | H-D™ Visa Signature® Card | H-D™ H.O.G.™ Elite Visa Signature® Card | |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $0, but a minimum security deposit of $300 is required to qualify. | $0*. | $99. |
Sign-up bonus | None. | Spend $500 in eligible net purchases within the first 60 days of account opening and 15,000 Genuine Rewards points will be credited to your account 6–8 weeks after the 60-day period. The 15,000 Genuine Rewards points can be redeemed for a $150 H‑D™ Gift Card. | Spend $500 in eligible net purchases within the first 60 days of account opening and 15,000 Genuine Rewards points will be credited to your account 6–8 weeks after the 60-day period. The 15,000 Genuine Rewards points can be redeemed for a $150 H‑D™ Gift Card. |
Rewards |
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APR | The ongoing APR is 27.74%, Variable APR. | The ongoing APR is 14.99% - 23.99% (Variable). | The ongoing APR is 19.74%-29.74% Variable. |
Credits | None. | None. | Get up to $49 annually for your H.O.G. membership when you pay with your card. (Existing Full H.O.G. Lifetime Members will receive 5% back on eligible H‑D dealership purchases made in 2022, up to $49. Terms apply.) Dealership Credit: Get up to $30 annually for purchases made at dealerships. SiriusXM Membership Credit: Get a $20 credit after your 11th consecutive monthly SiriusXM payment billed to the card. |
2. The rewards get you Harley gear — that's it
Every time you accumulate 2,500 points, you get a $25 H-D gift card redeemable at Harley dealerships or the Harley-Davidson online store. That makes the points worth a penny apiece, which is the industry standard. If you're hardcore H-D, maybe the rewards are priceless. If not, maybe they're worthless. You also have the option to enroll in Real-Time Rewards, which allows you to turn points into statement credit to cover H-D purchases. Points redeem for this option at the same rate as gift cards.
3. Good credit? You have better options
The unsecured Harley cards offer decent rewards on gas and a specific bonus category for bars, a rarity among credit card categories. Still, you stand to do better even if you're 100% Harley from chin to chaps. With good credit, you’ll have your pick of cash-back credit cards that offer more value.
A credit card like the $0-annual-fee Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card can offer a solid 2% back on all purchases and more redemption flexibility. You could still use those rewards to buy Harley stuff (and more of it) — but you'd also have the option of using the money for essentials like food or transportation.
For elevated rewards in common spending categories, consider these options:
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: If that bar category is a must-have, the $0-annual-fee Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card earns 3% back on dining (including bars) and rewards in other categories, too.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card: The $0-annual-fee U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card merits a look with 4 points per dollar spent on dining (including takeout and delivery); 2 points per dollar spent at grocery stores (discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs excluded, effective Sept. 9, 2024), gas stations, EV charging stations and on eligible streaming services; and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
As a H.O.G. member, you can earn even more rewards (up to 50,000 points per calendar year) for miles ridden. The H-D™ Visa Signature® Card earns 1 point and the H-D™ H.O.G.™ Elite Visa Signature® Card earns 2 points for each mile ridden. To qualify, accounts must be in good standing and you must record an odometer reading at participating H-D dealerships or through an alternate Harley-Davidson method. The added points are worth it only if you already have a H.O.G. membership or plans to purchase one. Otherwise, it's not worth spending on annual membership costs for the sole sake of earning a few extra points.
4. Bad credit? The secured card is a decent option
Unlike a lot of secured credit cards, the Harley-Davidson® Visa® Secured Card has an annual fee of $0, which means it doesn't cost you anything to carry it. You do have to put down a deposit, though. The minimum is $300 and the maximum is $5,000. You get that money back when you close your account in good standing. This is standard with secured cards: Get the card, build credit, move on.
The terms on this secured card make it a totally OK option even for non-Harley fans with bad credit. You'll earn rewards that might not be of any use to you, but hey, maybe you can sell your gift card. A secured credit card that offers rewards of any kind is a rare find. And if you earn enough of them, they can defray the security deposit amount.
5. The cards toss in a few extra perks
Through the end of 2022, a Harley-Davidson credit card qualifies you for the Harley Davidson Visa Free Ride Sweepstakes. The prizes include new motorcycles. Vroom vroom!
All cards include auto rental coverage and emergency card replacement. Best we can tell, there is no coverage for damage incurred when you and your buddies have your motorbikes lined up outside a bar and a hapless dude bumps into one of them and they all fall down like dominoes. Unless Hollywood is lying to us, this happens all the time.
Want more options? See NerdWallet's list of the best credit cards on the market.
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