H-E-B debuts a branded Visa credit card

About six months after launching a branded debit card, Texas grocer H-E-B on Monday unveiled a credit card.

The H-E-B Visa Signature Credit Card and Central Market Visa Signature Credit Card have no annual fee and offer 5% cash back on products in the H-E-B family of brands, plus 1.5% cash back made on all other purchases anywhere Visa is accepted.

“At H-E-B, we’re always looking to create and adopt innovative, quality programs that give Texans more ways to save,” Ashwin Nathan, H-E-B group VP of marketing, said in a statement. “With the H-E-B and Central Market credit cards, we’re offering Texans a more rewarding shopping experience that provides savings wherever they shop and gives H-E-B and Central Market fans a premium benefit on their favorite products.”

Eligible items for the 5% cash back promotion include H-E-B, Central Market, Hill Country Fare, Field & Future by H-E-B, H-E-B Brand Shop, Home by H-E-B, Kodi, Cocinaware, H-E-B Kitchen & Table and GTC brands, among others.

Both cards also earn unlimited 5% cash back on all on-demand Favor Delivery orders.

The first 20,000 applicants approved for the H-E-B Visa card will be able to choose a limited-edition H-E-B-branded metal card, the grocer said. And the first 10,000 applicants approved for the Central Market card can also choose a limited-edition version.

H-E-B has long offered finance-related services. The H-E-B Federal Credit Union was founded in 1963 to serve the banking needs of employees in San Antonio. The credit union has expanded in the years since, launching in 1997 the Financial Service Center so members could complete transactions by phone, fax, internet and mail. H-E-B is the largest private employer in Texas.

H-E-B’s no-fee debit card, which debuted in September, is affiliated with Mastercard and features an optional savings account. It also offers no-fee cash withdrawls at H-E-B-branded ATMs.

Like the Visa credit card, shoppers who use the debit card to purchase items from H-E-B’s portfolio of brands receive 5% cash back. The H-E-B Debit Account can be linked to another debit card or bank account to be used for direct deposit, income tax returns and other payments, the grocer said at the time.

Trusting a grocer with one’s finances may seem like a leap, but H-E-B has long been known for cultivating a base of very loyal shoppers

H-E-B operates more than 420 stores and has 137,000 employees in Texas and Mexico.