The Home Depot credit card is issued by CitiGroup. Consumers may apply for the credit card by phone, at a Home Depot store or online through the CitiCard web page. Applying online is safe as CitiGroup utilizes the Secure Socket encryption system for secure data transmission. To apply for a credit card, the applicant must be a resident of the United States, at least 18 years of age and have a valid social security number. The applicant has to provide personal and financial information as well as provide a street address and not a post office box. The applicant may receive instant approval or the applicant will be notified within 30 days by postal mail of your application status. To be approved, the applicant must have a reasonable credit rating and credit history along with a moderate income. Upon approval, the applicant can expect to receive the card within 14 days. Before using the card the applicant will be required to follow the activation process. Once the account is approved the credit card holder will have the opportunity to open an online account to view, manage and pay your bill online. There is no annual fee for the credit card, which is quite rare these days. The annual percentage rate (APR) is between 17.99% and 26.99%. Applicants may qualify for a lesser APR but according to the Home Depot web page less than half of the credit card holders will qualify for a rate under 25.99%. A penalty rate for overdue payments may be as high as 29.99%.  A typical promotion is if the credit card holder makes a purchase of at least $299, no interest is charged if paid within 6 months, making minimum payments. If you do not make the required payments within the specified time frame, interest is charged on the purchase balance beginning from the purchase date. Occasionally, Home Depot will present special offers for credit card holders only such as deferred payments on certain products, special sales prices and unadvertised sales as well as certain dollar credit when purchases are made within defined time frames.

A Home Depot credit card can only be used at Home Depot stores and www.homedepot.com.  Online access makes it easy to apply for a credit card as well as view and manage your account. Home Depot will not accept store credit towards a payment on your credit card. Keeping your account current will maintain your good credit rating or boost a sagging credit score.

The Home Depot is a major retailer of home improvement supplies, with more than 2000 stores around the world. The stores sell products such as building materials, lighting tools, home appliances, electronics and home décor products, among many others. Second only to retail giant Wal-Mart when it comes to home materials retail in the U.S., the Home Depot has operations in major international markets.

With the credit services, a customer can have that extra funding for materials whenever they need it the most. The service also provides flexible means of payment for customers. Not only that but it also gives customers the ability to monitor their remodeling and building costs. Spending can be easily controlled with the help of the credit card.

There are several types of Home Depot Credit Services available. Customers can choose from the following credit cards:

• Home Depot Consumer Credit Card
• Home Depot Business Rewards MasterCard
• Home Depot Rewards MasterCard
• Home Depot Commercial Account
• Home Depot Commercial Revolving Charge Card

Selecting the type of credit service to apply for will largely depend on what kind of builder you are. There are cards that are made for individual builders, those with small projects and corporate customers, who are working on large-scale projects.

Aside from credit, you can avail of the following benefits when you apply for Home Depot Credit Services. First, there is no annual fee to be paid for. Cardholders need not make annual fee payments for a specified period of time. The interest rates are definitely much lower for purchases in certain amounts. The service also provides excellent reward points as well as the ability to track purchases either by PO number, job name or job number.

Home Depot credit cards have their own set of restrictions, just like other financial services. For instance, if a member does not make the payment before the end of the promotional period, he will shoulder accrued financial charges for his account.

Customers can check their balances online by logging in to http://www.myhomedepotaccount.com. In case you encounter problems when logging in, there are Technical Support people which you can contact to provide you valuable assistance. There are separate hotline numbers for each credit card type.

Applying for these credit services is very easy. Applications can be made online or through Express Credit, which you will find at the Special Services desks of Home Depot
branches. You can also pick up an application form when you go to any Home Depot stores in your area. For business clients, they need to print out an application form from the internet then mail it or have it faxed to Home Depot Credit Services