Editor’s note: The Paceline Credit Card is no longer being offered and cardholders will be unable to make new purchases after Feb. 23, 2023, according to an announcement from Paceline.
- Intro Offer
-
$429 Get a head start and receive weekly statement credits, up to $429 in total value, when you purchase an Apple Watch with the Paceline Card.
- Annual fee
- $60
- APR
- 15.99% to 29.99%
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
3% – 5% Up to 5% cash back on Health & Wellness.; Up to 3% cash back on everything else.
If you’re looking for extra incentive to improve your fitness, consider the new Paceline Card. The first credit card of its kind to offer extra benefits for exercising, Paceline doubles your cash back when you hit a weekly total of 150 minutes of elevated heart rate.
“A huge part of our mission is to really show people you don’t really need a super intense workout to get results and earn rewards,” says Jess Bieligk, chief commercial officer of Paceline. “It can just be just general movement and slight adjustments and what you’re already doing, but that really generates that return for your longer term health.”
Paceline provides a baseline 2.5% cash back on health and wellness spending, and 1.5% on all other purchases. But those rates double when you hit the minimum weekly exercise mark, earning you up to 5% back on health and wellness purchases and 3% on all other credit card spending. The expanded rate of 3% cash back for all credit-card spending is currently unrivaled in the market.
To qualify for double rewards, you’ll need to run the Paceline app on an iPhone or iPad and use an Apple, Garmin or Fitbit integrated smart watch. As an additional unique bonus, the Paceline Card reimburses up to $429 (over the course of a year) for an Apple Watch Series 7 if you hit your weekly exercise targets. All of Paceline’s rewards are included for a reasonable $60 annual fee.
Learn more about the Paceline card, including details on the rewards program, weekly streak requirements and the Apple Watch reimbursement in our full review below.
Earn boosted rewards through exercise
The basic rewards rate for all purchases with the Paceline Card is 1.5% cash back, which is a pretty solid flat cash-back rate compared to others in the market.
The rewards rate is 2.5% for purchases in the health and wellness category, which incorporates gyms, athletic apparel, fitness equipment, groceries, pharmacies and more. There are more than 20 brands currently included in the health and wellness category (see some in the chart below). When you log 150 minutes of elevated heart rate in any given week, you’ll get double the basic rewards: 5% for health and wellness transactions and 3% for everything else.
Health and wellness brands
| Gyms | Grocery | Pharmacy | Apparel and goods | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet Fitness | Whole Foods | CVS | Adidas | Peloton |
| SoulCycle | Trader Joe’s | Walgreens | Nike | Tonal |
| Equinox | Instacart | Rite Aid | North Face | Mirror |
If you already exercise regularly, it’s hard to match this value with another card. Or Paceline could easily argue that the most value goes to the cardholder who wants more movement and activity, and a push to develop new habits. Comparing airline travel rewards with exercise rewards, Bieligk joked, “Our miles are better than their miles.”
You’ll need an Apple Watch, Garmin or Fitbit to track your movement, and you’ll run the Paceline app through iOS (that means only iPhone and iPad users only at this time). When you reach your 150 minutes, your rate increase will be displayed in the app. The week starts every Monday at 12 a.m. and lasts through Sunday 11:59 p.m. local time.
Once you earn your streak for the week, all the charges you made during that period will be retroactively given a boost in rewards. As another perk, the cash back you earn will be posted to your account on a daily basis, unlike most credit cards that post rewards monthly.
Apple Watch offer
You can be reimbursed up to $429 for an Apple Watch Series 7. To receive the offer, you need to buy an Apple Watch Series 7 with your Paceline Credit Card. You can then earn a weekly credit of up to $8.25 toward this purchase for 12 consecutive months. But you only earn the weekly credit in the weeks that you hit your streak -- a further incentive to keep up with your movement. And of course, make sure to keep your account in good standing to remain eligible for this offer.
How to apply for this card
You’ll need Good to Excellent credit for this card (typically a credit score of 670 higher), though Paceline expects to expand the offering more broadly soon.
Because this new product is being built as a supplement to the current Paceline app, applications must go through the app rather than a web browser. The interface is sleek and intuitive compared to that of other credit card startups.
You’ll get an instant decision upon approval and immediate access to a virtual online credit card number through the app, so you can start making purchases and working toward your streak immediately. Paceline will then mail you a physical card.
How Paceline Credit Card compares to other cards
- Intro Offer
-
$429 Get a head start and receive weekly statement credits, up to $429 in total value, when you purchase an Apple Watch with the Paceline Card.
- Annual fee
- $60
- APR
- 15.99% to 29.99%
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
3% – 5% Up to 5% cash back on Health & Wellness.; Up to 3% cash back on everything else.
- Intro Offer
-
$200 cash rewards Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2% Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
- Intro Offer
-
$200 cash back Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Fair – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 5% Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.; Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
FAQs
Cash-back credit cards offer cardholders rewards on their spending in the form of statement credits or cash. A statement credit is a reduction in the amount due to the credit card company on your monthly bill. Note that rewards are not always available the month you earn them -- they are usually applied to your balance by credit card issuers after one or two billing cycles.
The redemption process for cash-back credit cards is automatic or otherwise simple. Some cards automatically apply cash rewards to your statement balance each month. Others require you to log in and redeem available rewards points for statement credits. Most points don’t expire, but you will lose them if you close the account before redeeming them.
Cash-back credit cards generally fall into four primary categories: flat rate, tiered, rotating or choose your own.
Flat-rate cards offer the same rate for every purchase. Tiered cards offer a different rewards rate for different categories of spending. Rotating category cards offer different rewards each quarter, determined by the card issuer. Choose-your-own category cards allow you to choose your rewards category.
The better the benefits, the more hoops you’ll need to jump through to be eligible for certain credit cards. Credit cards with attractive rewards programs or cash-back rewards require better credit than more basic credit card varieties.
If you have poor or fair credit, you might only qualify for credit builder or secured credit cards. If you have good to excellent credit, you may easily qualify for any credit card you want. But if you don’t have the right score, you can always work to improve your credit for better odds of approval.
Our approach
We review the cards that are in the highest demand and offer the best benefits. We scour the fine print so there aren’t any surprises when you open an account. We find the key factors that make a card stand out and compare them with other top cards. That way, readers can opt for a different card with similar features if our pick isn’t right for them. Our reviews are regularly checked and updated to incorporate new recommendations, as well as to reflect changes in offers and the market.
*All information about the Paceline Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
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