GM Rewards™ Mastercard® Review

Overview

The GM Rewards™ Mastercard® is a flat-rate cash back card from Barclays, running on the Mastercard network. The GM Rewards™ Mastercard® keeps things simple, earning a flat 3x on every purchase with no categories to track or quarterly activations. There is no annual fee, which means every dollar of rewards is pure profit. New cardholders can earn 30,000 points ($300) after $1,000 in 90 days.

It is built for simplicity. There are no categories to track, no quarterly activations, and no annual fee, which makes it one of the easier cards to set and forget while still earning a respectable flat rate.

Our 4.3 out of 10 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

The GM Rewards™ Mastercard® earns a flat 3x on every purchase. On a typical $29,160 of annual average household spending that comes to about $875 back a year, with nothing to track or activate.

The fine print on rates: GM Rewards points are worth about 1 cent each but redeem only toward a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac vehicle, GM Financial account balances, parts, accessories, and eligible services. They are not cash back and do not transfer out, so their value depends entirely on buying and servicing GM vehicles.

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is 30,000 points ($300), earned after you spend $1,000 in 90 days. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $300. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for no annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $1,175.

Is it worth the annual fee?

The GM Rewards™ Mastercard® has no annual fee, so there is no break-even math to worry about. Every dollar of rewards is profit, and you can keep it open for free, which also helps the average age of your credit over time.

First-year value vs ongoing value

The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $1,175 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the no fee. After that, the honest figure is about $875 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.

*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• Welcome: 30,000 points (about $300) after $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days
• Points redeem toward a new GM vehicle, GM Financial balances, parts, and service

Statement credits

This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for anyone who wants the simplest possible setup: one flat rate on everything, no categories to track, and no annual fee to earn back.

Skip it if you have heavy, predictable spending in one category, where a card with a higher bonus rate there would simply earn you more.

Frequently asked questions

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