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News: Cash Back Credit Card Offers Back-to-School Spending Relief - Credit-Land.com

A cash back credit card can ease some of the school supply spending pain when your kids or you head back to the classroom this fall. The Barnes & Noble MasterCard from Barclays is one such card, offering 5% back on all purchases at the book superstore, both online and in-store.

Barnes & Noble offers a variety of popular textbooks and required reading books, so students can find much of what they need for their course syllabus, no matter where they go to school. The College Board estimates that the average cost for books and supplies at both public and private colleges in 2014 was just over $1,200. Based on that figure, cardholders could get back almost $250 in cash back over four years of college.

There are 724 on-campus Barnes & Noble locations at colleges across the United States, so students have easy access to a retail location, plus the online store, bn.com.

New benefits coming to Barnes & Noble cardholders

Even if school has already started, it’s not too late to take advantage of this card’s benefits. The savings will last past the back-to-school season, and the Barnes & Noble card is debuting some new features in the near future.

In addition to getting extra cash back at Barnes & Noble, cardholders can earn two reward points per dollar spent at restaurants, plus a free one-year Barnes & Noble membership when they spend $7,500 on the card (anywhere, not just at Barnes & Noble). The membership usually costs $25 a year, and gives members 40% off hardcover bestsellers, 10% off most other purchases, and free express shipping from Barnes & Noble online (bn.com).

These new perks will be available to new cardholders starting September 2, 2015 and to existing cardholders November 15, 2015.

Current benefits include 5% back on all purchases at Barnes & Noble and bn.com, a $25 gift card from Barnes & Noble after your first purchase on the card, one reward point per dollar spent everywhere except Barnes & Noble (there, you get the 5% cash back instead), and a free FICO score on every statement. There’s no annual fee for the Barnes & Noble MasterCard.

“Barnes & Noble is the perfect back-to-school destination for families and students buying school supplies, from books to science and math products, and so much more,” said Barnes & Noble chief operating officer Jaime Carey.

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