Cabela's CLUB Card After the Bass Pro Merger: Now the CLUB Mastercard
Cabela's CLUB Card After the Bass Pro Merger: Now the CLUB Mastercard
For years the Cabela's CLUB Visa was the card outdoor catalog shoppers asked about first. It no longer exists under that name. Bass Pro Shops bought Cabela's in 2017, Capital One took over the card program, and in 2018 the Cabela's CLUB card business was moved onto the Mastercard network alongside Bass Pro's own card. The card a Cabela's shopper applies for today is the CLUB Mastercard issued by Capital One, and it earns the same way at Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops. This guide explains what changed and what the card earns now, from Capital One's own card page, checked in October 2026.
What Happened to the Cabela's CLUB Visa
Three steps took the Cabela's card from a store bank's Visa to a Capital One Mastercard:
- The merger. Bass Pro Shops completed its roughly $5 billion acquisition of Cabela's in September 2017, Retail Dive reported. Cabela's had run its credit card through its own bank, World's Foremost Bank; as part of the deal, Synovus Bank bought that bank and the card business went to Capital One.
- The issuer. Capital One became the issuer of the Cabela's CLUB program after the deal closed.
- The network. In February 2018, Mastercard announced that Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's had chosen it as the network for the combined co-brand portfolio: "the Cabela's CLUB credit card business will convert to Mastercard," joining Bass Pro's card, which had long been on Mastercard.
The result is one program. Capital One's card page presents it as the Bass Pro Shops CLUB card, and its rewards apply equally at Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.
What the CLUB Mastercard Earns Now
Capital One lists three reward tiers, set by how much a cardholder spends at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's in a year:
- Classic — 2% back in CLUB Points, no annual spend requirement
- Silver — 3% back, at $10,000 a year in annual spend
- Black — 5% back, at $25,000 a year in annual spend
Those tier rates apply at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's stores and websites and, according to Bass Pro's help page, at a list of affiliated places including Big Cedar Lodge, Big Cypress Lodge, the Wonders of Wildlife museum, the brands' affiliated restaurants, Tracker Marine Boat Centers and Signature Events. Everywhere else, the card earns 1% in CLUB Points regardless of tier.
Other Terms Worth Knowing
Capital One's page sets out several features beyond the earn rates:
- No annual fee.
- A 9.99% APR on Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's purchases — in store, online, by phone and at Signature Events — separate from the card's standard purchase APR elsewhere.
- A welcome bonus in three parts: $20 in CLUB Points on approval, $20 more after five purchases anywhere Mastercard is accepted within 30 days, and another $20 after five more purchases in the same window.
- Points never expire for open accounts, and can be redeemed toward large purchases including boats and ATVs.
- A price promise for members: Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's say they will match a current price from a local retailer or qualifying website, and for CLUB members will beat it by 5%.
Is the Tiered Rate Realistic?
The headline 5% is real, but it needs $25,000 a year of spending at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's. Even the 3% Silver tier needs $10,000. For most cardholders the working rate is Classic's 2% on in-network purchases — still double what the card pays elsewhere, and paid in points that only spend at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's.
A worked example: a shopper who spends $2,000 a year at Cabela's and Bass Pro earns $40 in CLUB Points at the Classic rate. On a 2% flat-rate general card the same spending earns $40 in cash. At Classic, then, the CLUB card's in-network rate merely matches a good general card, and the difference comes down to the extras — the 9.99% in-network APR for anyone financing a large purchase, the price-beat for members, and the welcome bonus — against the drawback of a store currency. Above $10,000 a year in network spending, the CLUB card pulls clearly ahead.
How It Compares with the REI Co-op Mastercard
The natural comparison for an outdoor catalog shopper is the REI Co-op Mastercard, also issued by Capital One. REI's card pays 5% at REI from the first dollar and 1.5% everywhere else, has no annual fee, and is open only to REI members, whose $30 lifetime membership also returns an annual 10% back on eligible purchases. The CLUB card pays 2% in its network for most cardholders, rising only with heavy spending, and 1% elsewhere.
The two cards suit different shoppers. REI's is stronger per dollar for a member who shops REI, and better as an everyday card at 1.5%. The CLUB card fits a hunter, angler or boater whose gear spending goes to Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops, especially one who finances large purchases at 9.99% or who spends enough to reach Silver. Someone who shops both can carry both, using each only in its own store.
If You Still Have an Older Cabela's Card
Shoppers who opened a Cabela's CLUB card before the merger may still have an older card or older paperwork with Visa branding. Mastercard's 2018 announcement described the Cabela's CLUB card business converting to Mastercard, and Capital One now services the program, so the current terms are the ones on Capital One's CLUB page rather than anything printed on an old card carrier. If you are unsure which card you hold or which tier your account is on, Capital One's app and online account show both, along with your CLUB Points balance. Points earned under the older program are worth checking there too, since they redeem at both Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops today.
Key Points for Catalog Shoppers
- The Cabela's CLUB Visa converted to Mastercard after 2018; the current card is the CLUB Mastercard from Capital One.
- 2% / 3% / 5% at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's by annual spend tier; 1% elsewhere.
- No annual fee; 9.99% APR on in-network purchases.
- Points never expire on open accounts and spend only at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's.
How to Apply
Applications run through Capital One's CLUB card page, which offers an eligibility check before you apply. Existing Cabela's cardholders whose accounts converted manage them through Capital One.
Bottom Line
The Cabela's CLUB Visa is history; the card that replaced it is the CLUB Mastercard, issued by Capital One and earning the same at Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops. For most cardholders it pays 2% in network, matching a good general card, with a 9.99% in-network APR and a member price-beat as the extras. It becomes a clearly better card only for shoppers spending $10,000 or more a year at the two stores. Pay it in full and use it in network; carry a strong general card for everything else.
References
Posts in this series
- American Express Blue Cash Everyday for Catalog Shoppers
- Discover Card for Catalog Shopping: Cash Back Rates at Major Mail-Order Brands
- REI Co-op Mastercard: Is It Worth It for Outdoor Catalog Shoppers?
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- Frontgate & Grandin Road: Is There a Co-Branded Card for Cornerstone?
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- Crate & Barrel Credit Card: What Home Catalog Shoppers Need to Know
- Williams-Sonoma Key Rewards Visa: Worth It for Kitchen Catalog Shoppers?
- Hollister House Rewards: How It Works and the Best Cards to Pair
- Cabela's CLUB Card After the Bass Pro Merger: Now the CLUB Mastercard
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- Best Low APR and Balance Transfer Cards for Big Catalog Orders
- Bass Pro Shops CLUB Mastercard: Earn Rates and Rewards Guide
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