GM Rewards™ Mastercard^® Review [2025]: Only Consider it if you Love GM Vehicles

Card basics

The GM Rewards™ Mastercard^® has a $0 annual fee and features a welcome offer that's fairly easy for most people to achieve just with grocery shopping and dining out:

Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.

The GM Rewards™ card offers up to 10X points on GM purchases (7X for every $1 spent on eligible GM purchases, plus up to 3X points for being a GM Rewards Member) and 3X on all other purchases. It also has 0% intro APR on all qualifying GM purchases greater than $499 for 9 billing cycles from the date of account opening, and then 22.99% to 32.99% (variable).

Who should get the GM Rewards™ Mastercard^®?

The name says it all; if you aren't a GM owner or about to become one, you won't get much from the GM Rewards™ card.

Here's why.

Each point earned is worth one cent only if you redeem them for points toward a GM purchase, such as an eligible new GM vehicle, GM certified service, GM Genuine parts, most OnStar plans, and GM Financial account balances.

So, it makes sense to only have this card if you are loyal to GM vehicles.

GM Rewards™ Mastercard^® benefits and perks

• Generous welcome offer: Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
• Rewards earning: Earn up to 10X points on GM purchases (7X for every $1 spent on eligible GM purchases, plus up to 3X points for being a GM Rewards Member) and 3X on all other purchases.
• $0 annual fee: Having a $0 annual fee makes it easier to profit from the rewards you might earn because there's no annual cost to offset.
• My GM Rewards: Cardmembers automatically receive Gold Tier status (the second-highest membership tier) in the My GM Rewards program.
• GM redemptions: Redeem your points toward the purchase of a new or certified pre-owned GM vehicle, services, accessories, parts, select OnStar and GM Connected Services plans, and other eligible GM expenses.
• Mastercard World Elite benefits: Cardholders receive unique benefits, including special offers with Fandango, Lyft, Instacart, ShopRunner, and Peacock, as well as access to Mastercard concierge services.

Potential earnings and how to maximize them

I think it's helpful to project your earnings for the first couple of years of opening any rewards credit card, to determine if it's worth it. In the case of the GM Rewards™ credit card, there's no annual fee, but there are other rewards credit cards that will pay you much better than what you could earn with this card.

Potential earnings in years one and two

To determine the first two years of earnings on the GM Rewards™ card, I used the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model to determine the estimated annual household spend and what you could expect to earn on this card.

Year one: $1,425

Year two: $1,125

Best ways to earn

The nice thing about the GM Rewards™ card is its simplicity. I like that you don't have to worry about tracking rotating categories, or wondering what point value you'll get for your purchases. With this card it's just up to 10X points on GM purchases (7X for every $1 spent on eligible GM purchases, plus up to 3X points for being a GM Rewards Member) and 3X on all other purchases.

Because you have a up to 10X earning rate on many GM-related items, you would want to use your card whenever you visit a GM dealer and have to pay for parts or services.

Maximizing your redemptions

If you compare credit cards, most rewards cards offer different redemption options. These are your available redemptions with the GM Rewards™ card:

• Eligible new GM vehicles
• Certified service, accessories, and parts
• Most OnStar plans
• GM Financial

Your best bet to maximize your redemption is to use your points toward the purchase or lease of a GM vehicle or toward GM-related services.

FAQs

Other cards to consider

The GM Rewards™ card could make sense if you have lots of GM-related expenses, but it won't be the right fit for everyone. For alternative options, consider the Citi Double Cash^® Card and the Chase Freedom Unlimited^®.

Citi Double Cash^® Card

The Citi Double Cash offers 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel. This is a lower rewards rate than the GM Rewards™ card, but you're earning cash back compared with points. With cash back, you aren't limited to mostly GM-related redemptions — you can use cash for just about anything, whether it's groceries, travel, gas, or something else. 

You also get 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, and then 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable).

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. This isn't necessarily a travel card, but your rewards can be redeemed for travel, especially if you pair it with a Chase Sapphire card. 

The Freedom Unlimited also offers 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months, and then 18.99% - 28.49% Variable, as well as 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months, and then 18.99% - 28.49% Variable.

Bottom line

I wouldn't suggest the GM Rewards™ Mastercard^® unless you are a loyal GM car owner and use GM facilities often. Since most people don't buy cars too frequently, and the dealership can be expensive for normal repairs, most people won't get the full value from this credit card.

However, if you buy GM cars frequently, or prefer to purchase parts directly from GM, you can earn healthy rewards to use toward your purchases. If not, I'd consider a no annual fee rewards card that doesn't require loyalty to a specific car brand.

Valuable Earnings for GM Customers

GM Rewards™ Mastercard^®

4.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

GM Rewards™ Mastercard^®

Compare Credit Cards

Current Offer

Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

up to 10X points on GM purchases (7X for every $1 spent on eligible GM purchases, plus up to 3X points for being a GM Rewards Member) and 3X on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Rewards GM-related purchases
• $0 annual fee
• Points never expire as long as your account remains open

Drawbacks

• The redemption value is weak if you don’t use them for a new GM vehicle or GM parts

Card Details

• Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening
• up to 10X points on GM purchases (7X for every $1 spent on eligible GM purchases, plus up to 3X points for being a GM Rewards Member) and 3X on all other purchases
• Intro purchase 0% APR offer: 0% for 9 billing cycles then 22.99% to 32.99% (variable)