Fingerhut: Best Place to Shop Online for Christmas and Pay Monthly with Credit


By Chris Huntley

Former Certified Credit Consultant, licensed insurance agent, and former Series 65 Registered Investment Advisor


Advertiser Disclaimer - Some links on this page may pay us advertising fees.


Instant Approval, Bad Credit OK, Builds Your Credit Score!

We analyze a LOT of credit-building tools here at Credit Knocks.  But Fingerhut stands head and shoulders above the rest because it's free to open an account, boosts your credit quickly, and just about anyone can qualify.  Here's an overview of how Fingerhut works and how to get started.

fingerhut logo

9.8

(52,462 Reviews)

How It Works


How it Works:

Build your credit by shopping in Fingerhut's online store, similar to how you use Amazon.


Easy Steps to Start:

1.  Apply for Fingerhut Credit

Instant approval, Free to apply

2.  Shop from Fingerhut Store

Over 450,000 products from brands like Dyson, Sketchers, and Samsung

3.  Make On-Time Payments

Grow your credit while making payments as low as $7.99 per month


What We Like:

  • Founded in 1948 and owned by Macy's
  • Millions of customers 
  • 34,478 5-Star Reviews on Trust Pilot
  • Credit Boost Speed: 30 Days
  • Estimated Credit Impact: *20 To 40 Points
  • Cost To Start: $0

Yeah, we're biased... Fingerhut helped our co-founder!!

Mark's story:

It wasn't too long ago (2018) that our co-founder, Mark Huntley, got declined for a car loan with a 475 credit score.  Mark, determined to turn his score around, started our 90-Day Credit Sprint in January 2019 and by September 2019, he had increased his credit 163 points!  He shows how 50-60 of those points are from Fingerhut in this video.

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Increase Your Credit by 100+ Points

In a recent study at Credit Knocks, we found that *48% of clients who used a credit repair company got a credit score increase of 100+ points.

Consultation is quick, easy, and free.

EFFECTIVENESS

Adds Account To Your Credit Report

PRICE

Free To Apply For An Account

EASE OF USE

Apply in less than   2 minutes

SUPPORT

Respond pretty quickly

    Credit Knocks Overall Star Rating:     

  • Easy to qualify
  • No Annual Fee
  • Credit building tool
  • Reports to all credit bureaus
  • Hard Pull On Credit
  • Can Only Use Credit With Fingerhut

SUMMARY: 

Fingerhut gives you access to thousands of items you can shop for online with the added benefit that you can pay it off over time and it can help you establish positive credit history if you pay your bills on-time. 

However, you will receive a hard pull on your  Experian credit report which can have an initial negative affect on your overall credit.

I created this Fingerhut Credit Review so that you can understand how their accounts work, their benefits and short comings.  


Who Is Fingerhut?

Fingerhut was started back in 1948 by William Fingerhut as an automobile seat cover firm.

fingerhut credit card account

In 1952 they became a mail order catalog company. 

Through their site you can buy everything from furniture, bedding, jewelry, and the latest electronics, all at low monthly prices. 

They also offer two different credit accounts through WebBank, one is called the Fresh Start and the other is the Advantage plan and if you apply online you can get an instant decision. 

FingerHut Credit Card Review

Who Is WebBank?

WebBank is an FDIC insured, state-chartered industrial bank located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was created in 1997 and operates under federal banking law.

They offer a wide variety of products like savings accounts and time deposits and they also partner with companies such as Fingerhut to provide niche financing solutions to businesses and consumers.

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Increase Your Credit by 100+ Points

In a recent study at Credit Knocks, we found that *48% of clients who used a credit repair company got a credit score increase of 100+ points.

Consultation is quick, easy, and free.

What Makes Them Different?

Fingehut prides themselves on being able to issue credit to people that have already been turned down by someone else. 

Even though the primary purpose of this account is to build your credit history, Fingerhut offers over 450,000 products and has 24/7 customer service.

What also makes them different is that you can pay with credit, and make monthly payments until your  orders is paid off.

Fingerhut Advantage Credit Account

The  Advantage Credit Account is an unsecured store credit card, which means that you can only use the card to shop with Fingerhut or its partners.  

While you can shop for over 400,000 items, this account is primarily used to help people establish or rebuild their credit.

The main features of this account include: 

  • No Annual Fee
  • 29.99% Interest Rate
  • SafeLine Insurance Benefit (Optional)
  • 10% Back Through Payment Rewards Program
  • $38 Fee For Late Payments Or Returned Payments
  • Account Reported To All 3 Credit Reporting Agencies
  • Easy Approval Even With Limited Or No Credit History

After you have been approved you’ll be given a specific credit limit, based on your credit profile, and can make purchases up to that limit. 

You won't actually be receiving a physical card either, it is all online and you can access your account through the member portal area. 

You have the option to pay off your purchases over time or in-full.

In a recent study, we found that *48% of paying, credit repair clients got a 100+ credit score gain or more.   If you don't have serious time to devote to your dispute letters, we recommend you hire the pros to help.  Check out our #1 choice for professional credit repair. 

However, we recommend paying off balances as fast as possible because if you carry a balance, you will have to make minimum payments and incur interest.

It is always a good idea to keep your credit utilization low anyway.

If you aren’t approved for this account don't worry, your application will automatically be considered for a Fingerhut FreshStart® Credit Account, which works a bit differently.

Below is a Payment chart that shows what your payments could be based on how much you purchase:

PAYMENT CHART
Account BalanceMinimum PMT $
FromTo
-$6.98100%
$6.99$44.99$6.99
$45.00$69.99$7.99
$70.00$99.99$8.99
$100.00$124.99$10.99
$125.00$199.99$14.99
$200.00$249.99$17.99
$250.00$299.99$20.99
$300.00$349.99$23.99
$350.00$449.99$29.99
$450.00$549.99$34.99
$550.00$799.99$46.99
$800.00$1,099.99$59.99
$1,100.00$1,399.99$69.99
$1,400.00$5%

Fingerhut Credit Accounts help you to establish a solid payment history with no annual fees required.

Fingerhut FreshStart Credit Account

Depending on your credit, you could initially get approved for the Fingerhut FreshStart® Account.

This account is a type of Installment loan and is set up with taking 3 steps:

  • Make a one-time purchase of at least $50.
  • Put a minimum of $30 as a down payment on your order and only a debit card, ACH payment, a paper check or a money order can be used for your down payment.
  • Pay off the balance in monthly payments split into either six or eight payments.

Once you have your first item purchased, in order to get your account upgraded to an Advantage Account, you need to make on-time payments over several months.

Also, don't pay off the item all at one time or you won't be able to qualify for the upgrade since it is an installment loan.

Below should give you an Idea of the fees involved: 

FreshStart Account Fees

Item Price

$50.00

$150.00

Required Down Payment

$30.00

$30.00

Finance Charge

$1.79

$10.68

Repayment terms

6 monthly payments of $3.63

6 monthly payments of $21.78

In my personal opinion, purchasing something you need and paying a small fee over time, to establish credit is 100% worth it; just be sure to make your payments on-time.

Payment Rewards Program

While it isn't your typical rewards program, it is something, and the best thing about this program is that once you are enrolled in it, it works automatically.

This program is for the Advantage account and gives you the ability to earn 10% towards Payment Rewards when you make payments on your account. 

If you earn $5.00 or more in rewards by the end of the 3-month period you will be given Payment rewards in that amount that can be redeemed on a new Fingerhut purchase. 

Payment Rewards Earning Periods

Payment Rewards has four 3-month (quarterly) periods each year in which you can earn Payment Rewards.

The earning periods are named for the four seasons and are divided as follows:

  • The Spring Reward is earned during February, March and April
  • The Summer Reward is earned during May, June and July
  • The Fall Reward is earned during August, September and October
  • The Winter Reward is earned during November, December and January
Caution Credit Knocks

Fingerhut does a Hard Pull on your credit through Experian.  This means you will receive an inquiry to get this account. These stay on your credit for 2 years; however, they usually no longer affect your score after one year.

Earnings For Each Payment

During each 3-month period you'll earn 10% of the payments you make. 

The total payment amount is all new posted payments less any refunds or reversals.

If you earn $5 or more in Payment Rewards by the end of the 3-month period, you'll be issued Payment Rewards in that amount that can be redeemed on a new Fingerhut purchase with your credit account.

The best thing about these rewards is that there is no limit to how many you can obtain.

Safeline Account Protection

SafeLine Account Protection Plus is an optional benefit available with your WebBank/Fingerhut credit account.

It's basically insurance protection in the case of major life events, unpaid leave of absence, hospitalization, involuntary job loss, disability, or even death. 

SafeLine Plus will cover your current month's minimum payment on your account for up to twelve months if you're laid off or disabled, and up to three months if you are hospitalized, take an unpaid leave of absence from work or experience a major life event. 

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Low Credit Score?

Get a free consultation with a credit repair expert to see how much they can help your credit score.

It's quick, easy, and free.

You may even be eligible to have your balance canceled for extended disability, unemployment or hospitalization.

If eligible, in the event of your death, bankruptcy, or foreclosure, your outstanding account balance (up to the assigned credit line) will be waived.

You pay for this coverage only when you have a balance on your statement, and you may cancel the coverage at any time.

FingerHut Credit Card Review

SafeLine Account Protection Plus Cost

You only have to pay for the coverage when you have a balance on your account and can cancel the coverage at any time.

The cost is only $1.19 for every hundred dollars ($100) of your Fingerhut statement balance.

If you do not have a balance on your statement, your SafeLine Plus coverage remains active and you pay nothing. 

Fingerhut Credit Pros & Cons

PROS

CONS

No Annual Fee

Improves Payment History

May Improve Credit Score

Costs Money

Credit Check Required

High APR

Alternatives To Fingerhut

Fingerhut is a great option to get things started with your credit profile.  

However, there are a few other options available for building or re-building your credit, and if you can, I would get them in addition to the Fingerhut account.

Credit Builder Loans

These loans have a small monthly fee attached to them and they don't do a hard pull on your credit report.

Just like Fingerhut, Credit Builder Loans will report to all 3 credit reporting agencies, but once the loan is paid off, the funds will be sent back to you.

We wrote a detailed guide here and a review of one of the best credit builder loan companies, Self Lender here.

Secured Credit Cards

If you have about $200 dollars to invest in building your credit,  then a secured credit card is probably going to be a great option for you.

There are several options you can chose from and it is usually easy to get approved for them. 

Secured Credit Cards will report to all 3 credit reporting agencies and you can actually use them anywhere a Visa or MasterCard is accepted.

You can check out our guide to secured credit cards here and our Secured Card Reviews page here. 

Steps To Take After Approval

It feels great getting approved for something, no matter what it is, you feel like you have just won something.

But, now that you have been approved, there are some things you should be doing with your accounts.

Make On Time Payments

I am sure you are tired of seeing everyone saying "on-time payments".

Helpful Tip

If your application goes to "Pending" status it doesn't mean Declined. Usually, more information may be needed.

But it is super important and is one of the largest factors in your credit score.

No matter what, avoid late payments.

Wanna Know the Easy Way to Repair Your Credit?

In a recent study, we found that *48% of paying, credit repair clients got a 100+ credit score gain or more.   Get help from the pros! ​Check out our #1 choice for professional credit repair.

Keep Credit Utilization Low

Another factor to consider is credit utilization, you really want to keep this under 3% of total credit if you can but try to never get it over 15%.

For example, if you have 3 credit cards with $1,000 limits on each of them, your total credit is $3,000.

If you spend $500.00 the percentage of credit you are utilizing is around 16.6% and is above the recommend credit utilization, so be mindful of how much you spend.

FingerHut Credit Card Review

How Do I Cancel My Fingerhut Account?

You can close your Account at any time by writing to them at WebBank, Fingerhut Credit Account Services, P.O. Box 0260, St Cloud, MN 56395-0260.

You cant use your account for any purchases after you cancel or close your Account.

If you don't pay any remaining balance in full when you cancel, your outstanding balances will continue to accrue interest charges. 

Is There A Fee For Closing My Account?

Outside of the fees associated with your remaining balance, there is no fee for closing your account. 

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Low Credit Score?

Get a free consultation with a credit repair expert to see how much they can help your credit score.

It's quick, easy, and free.

Taking Action On Your Credit

Hopefully, you found this Fingerhut Credit Review helpful because store Cards or Catalog Accounts are a great option to help build or rebuild your credit.

There is no better time than now to get things started and the sooner you get your accounts, the faster it will hit your report and start helping you.  

Still not convinced? 

Read about how Fingerhut credit helped my business partner increase his credit score by 100 points

Or, start building your credit today with a Fingerhut Account!

Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided or commissioned by any financial institution. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, statements or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities prior to publication.

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