Indigo Credit Card: How to Apply for an Indigo Credit Card

As one of the most popular retail store credit cards in Canada, the Indigo Plum Rewards Visa card offers some attractive benefits for book lovers and other shoppers. Are you thinking of applying for the Indigo credit card?

Let’s take a closer look at what this card has to offer.

The Indigo Plum Rewards Visa card is a partnership between Chase Bank and Indigo Books & Music stores across Canada. As a cardholder, you’ll earn rewards points called “Plum Rewards” for every dollar you spend at Indigo, Chapters, Coles, and other affiliated stores. These points can be redeemed for purchases at any of these stores, making it a great option for those who frequent these retailers.

Features of the Indigo Credit Card

Here is a more in-depth overview of the key features and benefits offered by the Indigo Plum Rewards Visa:

# 11 Plum Points per Dollar at Indigo, Chapters, Coles and affiliated stores (online and in-store)

# 5 Points per Dollar on purchases at other retailers

# Bonus Plum Events – Frequently 15-20x points promotions for cardholders

# Special Discounts – Such as 20% or 25% off a single item for cardholders

# Free Standard Shipping on online orders of $25 or more before tax

# Plum Break Savings Events – Occasional extra percent-off sales like 10-15% off books/toys/tech for cardholders

# No Foreign Transaction Fees – For spending outside Canada

One other less advertised perk is that Indigo often exclusions their branded credit card from other general exclusions. For example, if they have a sitewide 20% off sale excluding gift cards and certain brands, the Indigo card would still earn bonus points and work with gift cards.

The Benefits of the Indigo Credit Card

Strong Rewards Rate at Indigo Stores

The most appealing aspect of the Indigo credit card is the ability to rack up points quickly from shopping at Chapters and Indigo stores, whether in-person or online. With 11 plum points per dollar, frequent book and gift buyers can accumulate points rapidly.

Most travel and cashback credit cards typically offer 1-2 points per dollar spent across all purchases.

Maximizing Your Rewards from the Indigo Card

To get the most value from an Indigo credit card, focus first on using it frequently at Indigo stores themselves. The 11x rewards rate makes racking up points here much faster than other spending categories.

You can accelerate your rewards earnings even more during special promotions. For example, Indigo often offers “Bonus Plum Events” where you can earn 15x or 20x rewards for a weekend. They also regularly provide discounts like 20% off for cardholders.

Outside of Indigo purchases, do keep in mind that the card still provides a decent 5x rewards rate on other everyday spending. So it’s worthwhile to keep it in your wallet and use it at grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants etc. While there are cards with higher rewards rates in some of those categories, the Indigo Visa remains competitive.

As a Visa card, other standard benefits also include:

Rental car collision insurance
24/7 roadside assistance hotline
Fraud protection
Ability to manage the card via a mobile app

Drawbacks to Consider

While the 11x plum rewards rate is great for a store credit card, the Indigo Visa does come with a few limitations to be aware of.

Most notably, the rewards you earn are only good at Indigo’s family of stores. You can’t convert plum points into straight cash back or airline miles. So getting maximum value does require some commitment to shopping at Chapters/Indigo.

There are also no bonus perks like extended warranty protection, rental car insurance etc. that you’d typically see from Visa’s midrange and premium consumer credit cards. Those can offer a better all-around package if you aren’t loyal to Indigo.

Finally, while there’s no annual fee, interest rates on store cards also tend to be higher, around 20% or more. So carrying a balance month-to-month is especially costly.

How to Apply for an Indigo Credit Card

If you’ve decided the Plum Rewards program is a good fit, applying for an Indigo credit card is easy:

You can apply online at indigo.ca by clicking “Get Our Card” at the top right of the website
Provide identifying information like name, address, date of birth
Enter your annual household income
Check the box to agree to the cardholder agreement and terms

The application process only takes a few minutes.

You’ll typically receive a decision within 60 seconds on whether you’ve been approved. If approved, you can begin using your new card account immediately online or in-store via digital wallets while you wait for the physical card to arrive by mail within 5-7 business days.

As with most credit cards, approval decisions depend on individual creditworthiness factors like your credit score, current income, and ability to manage credit responsibly based on your history. But an Indigo card can make for a good entry-level card even if you’re just starting to build credit.

Be sure to make payments by the due date once you start putting everyday purchases on your new Indigo rewards credit card!

Tips for Saving Money with Your Indigo Credit Card

To wrap up, here are some handy tips for using your Indigo credit card in a budget-friendly way:

Pay your bill in full each month – Set up autopay if it helps avoid interest charges!
Stack rewards with coupons – Plum discounts can be combined with other percent-off promotions.
Buy discounted gift cards – Occasionally you can get sites like Groupon selling Indigo gift cards at 10-15% off. The points you earn shopping with gift cards count too!
Redeem discounts for more expensive items – With no redemption minimums, using rewards brings bigger ticket items more affordably into reach.
Plan your shopping around Bonus Events – Timing big hauls on 15-20x promotion days really accelerates earning.

Conclusion

The Indigo Plum Rewards Visa card offers an excellent 11% back in rewards on anything you buy at Chapters, Indigo and affiliated stores.

Avoid readers and gift shoppers who frequently shop these stores either online or in-person can extract great value from the card.

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