Gap Inc. Encore is the free membership program shared by Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, and counted at the Gap Factory and Banana Republic Factory stores too. Members earn 5 points per $1 at every banner, redeem every 500 points for a $1 reward, and move through three tiers: Core (free), Premier ($350 or more of spending in a calendar year) and All-Access (for holders of the Encore credit card, who earn 25 points per $1 at the brands). Points stay alive as long as the member earns or redeems at least once every 12 months. Gap Inc. announced Encore on 24 February 2026 as the successor to its earlier cross-brand rewards program, which included Gap Good Rewards and Old Navy's Navyist.
Last checked on 4 November 2026 against Gap's Encore program page, Encore FAQ and Encore Membership Program Terms and Conditions (effective 15 October 2026), the program pages of Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, and Gap Inc.'s announcement of Encore (24 February 2026), for the US in US dollars.
This guide is written by Graeme, co-founder of Mage, a loyalty and customer accounts platform for Shopify.
Gap Inc. Encore at a glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Cost to join | Free |
| Who can join | US residents, including Puerto Rico, aged 16 and over; no purchase needed; one membership per person, email address and phone number |
| Brands | Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, plus Gap Factory and Banana Republic Factory (see below) |
| Points per $1 | 5 at Core and Premier; 25 at the brands for cardmembers (15 on other eligible apparel, 5 everywhere else Mastercard is accepted) |
| What a point is worth | $0.002: 500 points are a $1 reward (1% back at Core and Premier, 5% back for cardmembers at the brands) |
| Tiers | Core (no minimum), Premier ($350 or more in a calendar year), All-Access (Encore credit cardmembers) |
| Qualification window | Calendar year; status lasts through the following calendar year |
| Expiry | Points expire if there is no qualifying activity for 12 months |
| Where it works | Stores, each brand's website and each brand's app |
| Redemption | Merchandise at the brands, or rewards in the Encore Market |
Which brands are in Gap Inc. Encore
Four brands carry the Encore name: Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta. Each has its own Encore page with the same tiers, rates and perks, and the program terms describe the program as four branded expressions. Gap Inc. refers to all of them as the "family of brands", and one membership works across them. A member who enrolled at one banner keeps the same tier and benefits at every other, and points are one balance, not a balance per brand.
The factory banners are in the program too, although they are not part of the four-brand headline. The terms list Gap Factory and Banana Republic Factory stores and sites among the places to join, and the FAQ counts spend at both toward Premier and lets members use points and the Encore credit card at both. Both factory sites carry their own Encore page.
| Banner | In Encore | Join and earn | Redeem points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Old Navy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Banana Republic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Athleta | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gap Factory | Yes (FAQ and terms) | Yes | Yes |
| Banana Republic Factory | Yes (FAQ and terms) | Yes | Yes |
| Old Navy Outlet | Redemption is listed in the FAQ | Not listed | Yes |
Points can't be used in the Gap Inc. Clearance Center. One benefit belongs to a single banner: free basic alterations are available at Banana Republic only. The tiers, rates and perks are the same on every brand's page, so a Gap shopper and an Old Navy shopper get the same program. The program is limited to the US and Puerto Rico.
How to join Encore
Membership is free, optional and needs no purchase. You sign up at a store with an associate's help, or online at any of the brand sites. Members must be at least 16 and live in the US or Puerto Rico, and each person can hold one membership per email address and phone number. Duplicate accounts can be combined through Customer Service.
A phone number identifies you in stores, so it needs to be on the account, and online you must be signed in with your membership email to earn. Nothing in the program requires the app: a member can earn in stores with a phone number and online while signed in, and the app shows balances and the Encore Market as well.
Applying for any of the four brands' credit cards also enrolls you. Approved applicants join at All-Access, and applicants who are declined join at Core if they have not already joined.
How you earn points
| Action | Points | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Spend at the brands as a Core or Premier member | 5 per $1 | In a store, give your phone number; online, be signed in |
| Spend at the brands with the Encore credit card | 25 per $1 | The card must be the sole payment type |
| Encore Mastercard on other eligible retail apparel | 15 per $1 | Purchases coded as clothing stores; excludes wholesale clubs, Amazon, Target and Walmart |
| Encore Mastercard everywhere else Mastercard is accepted | 5 per $1 (10 per $1 on World and World Elite) | Wherever Mastercard is accepted |
| Buying physical gift cards | 5 per $1 for Core and Premier, 25 per $1 for cardmembers | Cardmembers earn 5 per $1 on e-gift cards; nothing is earned when a gift card is used |
| Bonus offers | Varies | Gap Inc. runs these occasionally, and the promotion carries its own rules |
Nothing is earned on the part of a purchase paid with points, gift cards, store credit, certificates, vouchers or refunds. Members don't earn on shipping, taxes or fees, on the amount of a coupon or discount, or on purchases made through third-party platforms such as Instagram, eBay or Shopify. If you return an item that earned points, those points come off your balance, and a negative balance means no redemptions until it is positive again. Authorized users on a card account earn points into the cardmember's account.
At the brands, a purchase paid through Afterpay, Klarna, PayPal or TikTok earns 5 points per $1 (10 on World and World Elite) even when a Gap Inc. credit card funds it, not the 25 a direct card payment earns. The terms add that the 15 points per $1 on apparel outside the brands may not be earned when the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader or when the cardmember pays with a mobile or digital wallet.
Base points show as pending within 1 to 2 business days of the purchase, and can take up to 14 days to become active. Bonus points follow 1 to 2 weeks after a bonus campaign ends.
What Encore points are worth
Encore states the exchange rate: 500 points are a $1 reward. A point is worth $0.002, which makes the base rate 1% back for Core and Premier and 5% back for cardmembers at the brands.
| Where the points come from | Points per $1 | Return per $1 | Spend for each $1 reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core or Premier member at the brands | 5 | 1% | $100 |
| Cardmember at the brands | 25 | 5% | $20 |
| Encore Mastercard, other eligible apparel | 15 | 3% | $33.33 |
| Encore Mastercard, everywhere else | 5 | 1% | $100 |
| World or World Elite Mastercard, everywhere else | 10 | 2% | $50 |
The 3% and 2% returns and the spend column are our arithmetic from the stated rates. A Core member who spends $350 and reaches Premier has earned 1,750 points, which is $3.50 of rewards (our arithmetic). A $10 reward costs 5,000 points: $1,000 of spending at the base rate, or $200 at a cardmember's 25 points per $1.
When Encore launched, balances from the earlier program were adjusted to the new earn rate. Gap Inc.'s FAQ says members keep the same redemption value, and that balances were increased to match the new rate.
How to redeem Encore points
Members redeem points on merchandise at the brands or for rewards in the Encore Market. Rewards come in increments of 500 points, with a limit of 1 million points ($2,000) per transaction.
In a store, give your phone number or email to identify the account and tell the associate you want to redeem points at checkout. This works at any of the brands.
Online and in the app, sign in and open your shopping bag, where a Points & Rewards section shows the rewards available. Choose how much to apply, and the amount is deducted from the order total. The value is spread across the items you buy and appears on the receipt.
Points can't be used in the Gap Inc. Clearance Center or on gift cards, taxes or fees, shipping and handling, delivery, packaging or gift wrap, and they can't pay an Encore credit card bill. If you return an item you paid for with points, the dollar value comes back as points.
The Encore Market is a rotating members-only store where points buy exclusive products, offers and experiences from Gap Inc. brands and partners. At launch, Gap Inc. described never-before-sold items, limited-run products, signed pieces and a trip to New York to visit Zac Posen's studio. For New York Fashion Week in September 2026 it added runway shows, an atelier tour and concert tickets, some in limited quantities and some by invitation for cardmembers. Market redemptions are final sale: they can't be returned or exchanged, points can't be refunded and shipping fees may apply. Points can also be donated to select charities through the Market.
Encore tiers and perks
| Core | Premier | All-Access | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you qualify | Free | $350 or more of qualifying spend in a calendar year | Encore credit cardmember |
| Points per $1 at the brands | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| Free shipping | Basic, $50+ | Standard, $50+ | Standard, $35+ with the card |
| Birthday gift | You | You and one family member | You and up to three family members |
| Returns | 30 days, free by mail | Up to 45 days | Up to 60 days |
| Create Your Own Sale Day | None | 15% off, once a year | 20% off, once a year |
| Early access to collections and drops | No | No | Yes |
| Free basic alterations at Banana Republic | No | No | Yes |
| Encore Market and partner experiences | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Qualifying spend is merchandise bought for personal use at the family of brands. It excludes sales tax, fees, gift packaging, shipping and handling, anything paid with a gift card, merchandise credit or other store credit, and the amount of any coupon or points redemption. Premier upgrades are processed within 60 days of qualifying.
Tier spend resets to zero each 1 January, and status carries on. A member who reaches Premier in November 2026 keeps it through 31 December 2027, and must reach $350 again in 2027 to hold it beyond that. A member who doesn't reach the threshold in the prior year drops to Core for the next.
The sale day is a code in the member's Encore Offers tab that works once at each of the brands, online or in a store, on a day the member chooses. For cardmembers, the 20% applies when they pay with a Gap Inc. credit card.
Free returns by mail apply to every Encore member, while non-members pay $6 per package. Returns after 30 days under the extended windows are refunded as merchandise credit.
Birthday gifts are chosen by Gap Inc. and vary. To receive one, the birthday must be on the account at least seven business days before the first day of the birthday month.
The Encore credit card
All-Access is the card tier. Anyone approved for a Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy or Athleta credit card joins Encore at All-Access, and the Encore Credit Card works at all of the banners, including both factory brands. The card disclosure on the program pages says the cards are issued by Barclays Bank Delaware, and the Mastercard version runs on the Mastercard network.
The card earns 25 points per $1 at the brands, which is five times the Core rate, and the Mastercard version adds 15 points per $1 on other eligible apparel and 5 points per $1 elsewhere. Existing Gap Good Rewards cardholders became All-Access cardmembers with no change, and Luxe4Life status carries into Encore for as long as the qualifying card account stays open.
A cardmember who cancels the card but keeps the membership drops to Core or Premier, depending on spending. The card has to be the sole payment type for the 25-point rate, and the $35 shipping threshold doesn't apply to wallet payments such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.
The fine print
- Expiry. Points won't expire if the member does at least one of these in a 12 month period: buys at the family of brands, exchanges for an item of equal or greater value, redeems points for merchandise, uses an Encore credit card outside the brands, uses points in the Encore Market, or earns bonus points. With none of these, all points expire. The terms add that the account may be closed.
- Points have no cash value. The terms say points aren't property, can't be exchanged for cash and aren't transferable, and that Gap Inc. can change the program, the earning structure or the reward levels at any time, even where that affects the value of rewards.
- Identify yourself. Purchases made without giving the phone number, signing in or using the card aren't tied to the account, and a return of an item bought without noting the membership, or of a gift by someone other than the buyer, won't be tied back to the account for points credit.
- One account. The limit is one membership per person, email address and phone number. Several Encore credit card accounts combine into one points balance when the email address and phone number match.
What stands out about Encore
The card decides how fast points build. At the brands, a cardmember earns 25 points per $1 and a Core or Premier member 5, so the card pays five times as much for the same basket. Gap Inc. calls this "5% back" against "1% back", and it is why the top tier is a financial product more than a spend level.
Premier is a perks tier, not a points tier. Premier earns the same 5 points per $1 as Core. What $350 of yearly spend buys is Standard rather than Basic shipping, 45 days to return, a 15% sale day and a gift for a family member. The threshold works out at about $29 a month (our arithmetic), a low bar for those perks.
Spend counts across banners. A year of Old Navy basics, a Banana Republic coat and Athleta leggings build the same Premier total, because status and points belong to the member and not the brand. For a house of brands, that makes cross-shopping the quickest way up.
Activity keeps every point alive. Expiry doesn't run point by point. A single qualifying action in 12 months protects the whole balance, so a regular shopper never sees points expire, and only a lapsed member does.
Points are being steered towards access. The Encore Market sells experiences as well as products, and Gap Inc. describes a program that goes "beyond points and discounts". Those redemptions are final sale, and some are invitation only for cardmembers.
What members should know going in:
- A point is a fifth of a cent. Core members need $100 of spending for each $1 of reward, and discounted amounts earn nothing.
- Dots without a key. The rundown table marks the Encore Market and partner experiences with one dot at Core, two at Premier and three at All-Access, and Gap Inc. doesn't say what the dots measure.
- Where you shop matters on the card. Wallet payments and third-party payment platforms lower the earn rate or lose the $35 shipping threshold.
- Terms can change. Gap Inc. can amend or end the program, and the effective date of the current terms is 15 October 2026.
Is Encore worth joining?
Yes for anyone who shops at Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic or Athleta even once or twice a year: it is free, and membership unlocks free shipping at $50, free mail returns and a birthday gift. An occasional shopper gets 1% back and should remember that points lapse after a year with no activity.
A regular shopper across several banners should aim for Premier. $350 of spend gets the extended return window and a sale day worth 15% on a large basket, and the same spending in a year at the base rate is $3.50 of points (our arithmetic).
A heavy shopper at these brands is the person the card is built for: 25 points per $1 means a $1,000 year of spending returns $50 in rewards (our arithmetic), five times the $10 a Core member earns, plus 60-day returns, a 20% sale day and Banana Republic alterations. Whether the card is right depends on its interest rate, fees and approval terms, which the issuer sets and which are separate from the program's rules. A shopper who wants only the experiences should look through the Encore Market first, since the catalogue changes and redemptions are final.
What Shopify brands can learn from Encore
Encore is built for a shopper who moves between several storefronts, and some of its mechanics carry over to a Shopify brand:
- Let status follow the customer across your stores. One balance and one tier across four banners means a Premier member is Premier everywhere. Mage has a case study of a brand running one loyalty program across two stores, which is the same idea at a smaller scale.
- Give status a calendar year and let it carry over. Spend resets each January, and the tier is held for the rest of the following year, so a customer never feels punished for a slow month. In Mage, VIP tier progress can run on a calendar year, a rolling year or lifetime, and a tier can be protected for twelve months after it is earned.
- Expire on inactivity, not per point. Encore keeps every point as long as the member does something once a year. In Mage, points expiry can reset on each purchase using the customer's last purchase date, or run a set number of days after points are earned.
- Scale the gift to the tier. The birthday gift grows from you, to you and one family member, to you and three. In Mage, VIP tiers can carry scaled birthday rewards, points multipliers such as 1.5x, 2x or 3x, and tier-specific rewards. In a store, the Mage tile on the Shopify POS home screen shows a customer's points balance and rewards at the till and lets staff redeem them.
- Offer a paid or premium route to the top. Encore's top tier is a card, which a Shopify brand can't copy directly, though Mage has Memberships for a paid tier, which sits on Enterprise.
If you're building a points and VIP tier program on Shopify, Mage covers the structure above: points, VIP tiers on amount spent, points earned or number of orders (up to 10 tiers), tier multipliers, configurable points expiry and a Shopify POS tile.
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Frequently asked questions
Do Gap Inc. Encore points expire? Yes, if there is no qualifying activity for 12 months. A purchase at any of the brands, an exchange, a points redemption, card use outside the brands, Encore Market use or earning bonus points all keep the balance alive.
How many points do I need for $10 off at Gap or Old Navy? 5,000 points. Rewards are $1 for each 500 points, so $10 takes 5,000, which a Core member earns by spending $1,000.
Are Gap Good Rewards and Navyist still running? No. Encore replaced them, and members of Gap Good Rewards and Old Navy's Navyist program became Encore members automatically. Gap Inc. announced the program on 24 February 2026.
Is Encore available in Canada? No. The program terms limit Encore to the United States, including Puerto Rico.
Do I need the Encore credit card to get free shipping? No. Core members get free Basic shipping on orders of $50 or more and Premier members get free Standard shipping at $50. The card lowers the Standard shipping threshold to $35.
Graeme is the co-founder at Mage Loyalty. He heads product development, from complex loyalty migrations and large-scale data handling to building the features shaping the future of loyalty on Shopify.
