Sara Rathner is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She has appeared on the “Today” show and CNBC’s “Nightly Business Report,” and has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Time, Reuters, NBC News, Business Insider and MarketWatch. Before joining NerdWallet, Sara worked at The Motley Fool for nearly 10 years. She also worked as a freelance personal finance writer and paraplanner and has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
Assigning Editor Kenley Young
Assigning Editor | Credit cards, credit scores
Kenley Young directs daily credit cards coverage for NerdWallet. Previously, he was a homepage editor and digital content producer for Fox Sports, and before that a front page editor for Yahoo. He has decades of experience in digital and print media, including stints as a copy desk chief, a wire editor and a metro editor for the McClatchy newspaper chain.
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BMWs are expensive to buy and maintain.
Still, for many car enthusiasts, the thrill of gripping the wheel, inhaling the leather-tinged new-car smell and zipping around town in a head-turning feat of German engineering makes those monthly payments worth it.
There’s an additional way to show your Beemer loyalty — by using BMW credit cards. The cards, previously issued by BMW Bank of North America, have been revamped with new names and rewards programs. They are now issued by Elan Financial Services, a division of U.S. Bank, and have been moved from the Visa network to Mastercard.
BMW Credit Card : $0 annual fee. BMW Precision Credit Card : $99 annual fee. BMW Motorrad World Mastercard® Credit Card : $0 annual fee.While they’re associated with the luxury car brand, the cards' details vary. Here are five things to know about them.
The previous versions of BMW credit cards mostly earned additional points on BMW purchases and at gas stations, but the new family of cards added another spending category to the mix: restaurants, including fast-food establishments.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreThe BMW Credit Card earns:
4 points per $1 spent on eligible BMW purchases. 3 points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations. 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants. 1 point per $1 everywhere else.There's also a sign-up bonus: Earn 5,000 Bonus BMW Reward Points after you spend $500 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
The BMW Precision Credit Card earns:
5 points per $1 spent on eligible BMW purchases. 3 points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations. 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants. 1.5 points per $1 everywhere else.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreThe sign-up bonus is as follows: Earn 7,500 Bonus BMW Reward Points after you spend $1,000 in net purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Both cards have solid rewards, but you can do even better in some categories — without paying a cent. The $0 -annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card earns an unlimited 3x points on restaurants, travel and transit, gas and EV stations, popular streaming services, and select phone plans.
The BMW Motorrad World Mastercard® Credit Card offers similar rewards to the BMW Credit Card , but its focus is on motorcycle purchases and maintenance. The card earns:
4 points per $1 spent on eligible BMW Motorrad purchases. 3 points per $1 spent at gas stations. 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants. 1 point per $1 everywhere else.It, too, has a sign-up bonus: Earn 5,000 bonus BMW Reward Points after you spend $500 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Redeem your points for travel, cash back and merchandise at a value of 1 cent per point.
For a value of 1.25 cents per point, redeem for a BMW Rewards Card, which you can use at BMW Centers and BMW Motorrad dealerships to pay for a broad variety of purchases, including down payments, service and repairs.
In exchange for the $99 annual fee, the BMW Precision Credit Card throws in a few more benefits that can help offset the cost:
A $70 annual dealership credit, which will automatically be applied to your account as a statement credit when you use the card for a purchase at BMW Centers or BMW Financial Services.
A higher sign-up bonus compared with the other two cards (though you need to spend more to earn it).More point-earning potential with 5 points per $1 on BMW purchases and a minimum of 1.5 points otherwise.
0% foreign transaction fee.Give yourself time to pay down your BMW purchase interest-free. Both the BMW Credit Card and BMW Motorrad World Mastercard® Credit Card charge 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 billing cycles, and then the ongoing APR of 20.49%-29.49% Variable . The balance transfer fee is 3% or $5, whichever is greater.
The BMW Precision Credit Card doesn’t offer a 0% APR period.
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Sara is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She has appeared on the “Today” show, Nasdaq and CNBC’s “Nightly Business Report.” See full bio.
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