Best Credit Cards for Home Depot & Lowe's: Earn Up to 6% Back on Every Project

Best Cashback Cards for Home Improvement Categories

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Top Pick: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

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• Earn rate: 3% cash back in your choice category (including home improvement)

• Quarterly cap: $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases

• Bonus with Preferred Rewards:
  
  • Gold tier: 25% bonus = 3.75% effective rate
  • Platinum tier: 50% bonus = 4.5% effective rate
  • Platinum Honors: 75% bonus = 5.25% effective rate

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Runner-Up: Citi Custom Cash® Card

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• Earn rate: 5% cash back on your top spending category (up to $500/month)

• Eligible categories: Includes home improvement stores, plus restaurants, gas, groceries, and more

• Monthly cap: $500 (then 1%)

• Annual fee: $0

• Why it's great: Automatic category selection—no activation needed

[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "2885", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Cash Back Seekers", "headerHint": "Flexible Cash Back Card"} ]]

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For Flexibility: US Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card

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• Earn rate: 5% on two categories of your choice, 2% on one category

• Quarterly customization: Change categories every quarter

• Cap: $2,000 combined quarterly spending in 5% categories

• Best for: Those willing to actively manage their rewards

[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "2353", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Cash Back Seekers", "headerHint": "No Annual Fee Card"} ]]

Best Cards for Specific Retailers

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The Home Depot® Consumer Credit Card

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Ongoing Financing:

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• 6, 12, or 24-month deferred interest financing options

• Covers eight categories, including installed services

• Minimum purchase: $299 for special financing

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Welcome offer:

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• Save up to $100 on your qualifying first purchase

• $25 off purchases $25-$299

• $50 off purchases $300-$999

• $100 off purchases $1,000+

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Regular APR: 17.99%-29.99% variable

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MyLowe'sRewards Card

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Choose Your Benefit:

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• 5% off every day purchases, OR

• 6 months special financing on $299+, OR

• Up to 84 fixed monthly payments on $2,000+

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Welcome offer: 20% off your first purchase

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Extended financing options:

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• 36 months at 7.99% APR

• 60 months at 8.99% APR

• 84 months at 9.99% APR

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Regular APR: 31.99% variable

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Important note: You can only use one promotion at a time with Lowe's cards.

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Best Cards for 0% Financing

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Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

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• Intro APR: 0% for 21 months on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

• Regular APR: 16.99%-28.74% variable

• Annual fee: $0

• Best for: Large projects you need to finance over time

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Strategy tip: Use this card for major purchases you'll pay off over 15-18 months to avoid interest entirely.

[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "3351", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Large Purchasers", "headerHint": "0 Annual Fee"} ]]

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Citi Double Cash® Card

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• Balance transfer offer: 0% intro APR for 18 months

• Earn rate: 2% on all purchases (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay off)

• Annual fee: $0

• Best for: Simple, straightforward cash back with financing option

[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "580", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Everyday Spenders", "headerHint": "No Annual Fee"} ]]

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Best Cards for Online Home Improvement Shopping

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Prime Visa

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• Amazon/Whole Foods: 5% back

• Restaurants, gas, transit: 2% back

• All other purchases: 1% back

• Welcome offer: $150

• Requirement: Active Prime membership needed

• Best for: Heavy Amazon shoppers buying materials, tools, and décor online

• Kudos Kickstart+ Boost: Earn $100 in Boost when you add this card to Kudos

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How Kudos Automates All of This (So You Don't Have To)

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Here's the reality: the strategies outlined above work brilliantly if you can remember which card to use at which store, track quarterly caps, remember when categories rotate, and mentally calculate which card gives the best return at checkout.

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That's exhausting. And most people either:

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1. Give up and use the same card everywhere (leaving money on the table)
2. Pull out the wrong card and miss out on bonus categories
3. Exceed spending caps without realizing it

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What Kudos Does

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Kudos is an AI-powered credit card optimization tool that works as a browser extension and mobile app. Here's how it transforms your home improvement shopping:

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🔹 Automatic Card Selection When you're checking out at Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon, or any of the 2 million merchants we support, Kudos instantly shows you which card in your wallet will earn the most rewards. No calculations needed.

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🔹 Flash Boost Campaigns Get access to monthly cashback promotions that stack on top of your existing card rewards, maximizing your earnings on home improvement purchases.

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🔹 Spending Cap Alerts Kudos tracks your spending toward quarterly caps and monthly limits, so you never waste purchases on a maxed-out category when another card would earn more.

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🔹 Test Drive Feature Curious which new card would actually benefit your spending? Kudos' Test Drive shows you potential earnings using your real spending data, so you can make informed decisions before applying.

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Real-World Example: $30,000 Home Renovation with Kudos

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Without Kudos:

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• Forget which card has home improvement bonus: -$450 in missed earnings

• Exceed Citi Custom Cash monthly cap without noticing: -$120

• Use wrong card for online purchases: -$200

• Miss Kickstart+ bonuses: -$200

• Total missed: ~$970

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With Kudos:

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• Browser extension automatically suggests optimal card at every checkout

• Mobile app alerts you when approaching spending caps

• Flash Boost campaigns add extra cashback

• Kickstart+ bonuses automatically tracked

• Additional earnings: $970+ saved/earned

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That's nearly $1,000 in value just from using the right card at the right time—automatically.

Strategic Approaches for Maximum Savings

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For Small Projects ($500-$2,500)

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Best approach: Use rotating category cards when home improvement is the bonus category

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• Chase Freedom Flex®: 5% on home improvement (one quarter annually)

[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "2883", "isExpanded": "true", "bestForCategoryId": "52", "bestForText": "No-Fee Card Seekers", "headerHint" : "No Annual Fee" } ]]

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• Discover it® Secured Credit Card: 5% on home improvement (one quarter annually)

[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "827", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Credit Builders", "headerHint": "No Annual Fee Card"} ]]

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• Quarterly caps: Typically $1,500 in bonus spending

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Kudos tip: The browser extension will automatically remind you when home improvement is the active bonus category and alert you when you're approaching the cap.

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For Medium Projects ($2,500-$10,000)

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Best approach: Combine category bonus cards with a strong flat-rate card

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1. Max out quarterly caps on 5-6% category cards first
2. Use 2% flat-rate card (Citi Double Cash or similar) for remaining spend
3. Consider sign-up bonuses if timing works

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Kudos tip: The app tracks all your cards' earning rates and spending caps in real-time, automatically switching recommendations as you hit limits.

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For Large Projects ($10,000-$30,000+)

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Best approach: Strategic application timing for multiple sign-up bonuses

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1. Apply for 2-3 cards with valuable bonuses 3-6 months before project
2. Spread spending across cards to hit all minimum spend requirements
3. Use category bonus cards where applicable
4. Put overflow on highest earning flat-rate card

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Example scenario for $30,000 project:

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• Card 1: Chase Sapphire Preferred - first $4,000 → 100,000 points ($2,000 value)

• Card 2: Capital One Venture - next $4,000 → 75,000 miles ($750 value)

• Card 3: Citi Custom Cash - $500/month × 6 months at 5% → $150 cash back

• Card 4: Kickstart+ Boost on multiple cards → $200-300 in Boost

• Remaining $19,000: Blue Business Plus at 2% → 38,000 points

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Total value: ~$3,200+ in rewards

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Kudos tip: Use the Hidden Perks feature to automatically track credit card benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty, and price protection—especially valuable for expensive appliances and tools.

Important Considerations and Warnings

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Deferred Interest Financing

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Many store cards offer "special financing" or "deferred interest" promotions. Critical warning: If you don't pay off the entire balance before the promotional period ends, you'll be charged interest retroactively from the purchase date on the remaining balance.

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Action step: Set up automatic payments to ensure you pay off before the deadline. Kudos can help you track these deadlines in your wallet overview.

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Credit Score Impact

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Applying for multiple credit cards in a short period will:

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• Result in multiple hard inquiries (minor, temporary impact)

• Lower your average account age

• Potentially improve your credit utilization ratio

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Recommendation: Space out applications by 2-3 months when possible, and only apply if you're confident about approval.

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Kudos advantage: The platform provides detailed approval odds analysis based on your credit profile, so you can apply with confidence and avoid unnecessary hard inquiries.

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Regular APRs on Store Cards

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Store credit cards typically have much higher APRs (30-35%) than general-purpose cards (15-25%). Never carry a balance on these cards outside promotional periods.

Bottom Line: Match Your Card to Your Project

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The best credit card for home improvement depends on your specific situation:

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• For maximum category earnings: Bank of America Customized Cash (up to 5.25% with Preferred Rewards)

• For large project financing: Wells Fargo Reflect (21 months, 0% APR)

• For store loyalty: Home Depot or Lowe's cards (5% off + financing options)

• For massive renovation bonuses: Chase Sapphire Preferred + Capital One Venture combination

• For automated optimization: Use Kudos to manage all your cards and maximize rewards automatically

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Remember: The most valuable credit card strategy is one you'll actually use consistently while paying balances in full to avoid interest charges. Home improvement projects are expensive enough without adding high-interest fees to the mix. The reality is that even the perfect card combination only works if you remember to use the right card every time.

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That's why 400,000+ people use Kudos to automate the entire process, earning an average of $600-$1,200+ in additional rewards annually just by using our browser extension and mobile app.