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13 cards ranked

Best credit card to use at Eastern Mountain Sports.

Sporting GoodsOnline Shopping

Eastern Mountain Sports, widely known as EMS, is a New England-founded outdoor retailer selling hiking, camping, and climbing gear along with technical apparel from both in-house and name-brand labels. The chain has changed hands several times and scaled back its store footprint in recent years while continuing to operate online. There's no EMS co-brand credit card, so shoppers stocking up on outdoor gear should use a card that earns a bonus on sporting goods purchases, or a flat-rate cashback card if their spending doesn't fit a dedicated category.

Picks without a tag earn at Eastern Mountain Sports both in-store and online. Watch for theOnline onlytag — those bonuses only apply on ems.com.

  1. #1
    U.S. Bank
    5% on sporting goods if you select it as a bonus category (up to $2,000/quarter, then 1%)
    Choose 2 categories each quarter, up to $2,000 combined
    5%
  2. #2
    American Express
    3% on online shopping (up to $6,000/year, then 1%)
    U.S. online retail purchases
    3%
  3. #3
    Robinhood
    3% flat-rate cashback
    3%
  4. #4
    American Express
    2% flat-rate cashback
    2%
  5. #5
    Citi
    2% flat-rate cashback
    1% when you buy, 1% when you pay
    2%
  6. #6
    First Electronic Bank
    2% flat-rate cashback
    Up to 4% with higher crypto balances on Coinbase; requires Coinbase One membership
    2%
  7. #7
    Elan Financial Services
    2% flat-rate cashback
    When deposited into an eligible Fidelity account
    2%
  8. #8
    American Express
    2% flat-rate cashback
    Unlimited 2% cash back on eligible purchases
    2%
  9. #9
    Navy Federal
    2% flat-rate cashback
    Issued on the cashRewards application when approved for a credit limit of $5,000 or more; lower limits receive cashRewards at 1.5%
    2%
  10. #10
    PNC
    2% flat-rate cashback
    2%
  11. #11
    U.S. Bank
    2% flat-rate cashback
    2%
  12. #12
    Wells Fargo
    2% flat-rate cashback
    2%
  13. #13
    Wells Fargo
    2% flat-rate cashback
    2%

Last updated July 9, 2026