Credit First National Association, commonly known as CFNA, is a credit card issuer owned by Bridgestone Corporation that provides store credit cards for tire and automotive repair shops. If you recently visited a Firestone, Tires Plus, or Wheel Works location and were offered a credit card at checkout, CFNA is the bank behind it. The card is designed to help customers finance tire purchases and car repairs, often with a promotional financing period.
Who Owns CFNA
CFNA is a wholly owned subsidiary of BFS Retail and Commercial Operations, LLC, which is itself wholly owned by Bridgestone Corporation. Bridgestone, headquartered in Japan, is one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world with subsidiaries in roughly 30 countries. CFNA’s sole purpose is to originate private label credit cards for Bridgestone’s retail network and select independent automotive shops.
Because CFNA exists specifically to support Bridgestone’s retail business, it operates differently from a general-purpose credit card issuer like Chase or Capital One. You won’t find CFNA offering travel rewards cards or balance transfer deals. Its entire product line revolves around helping customers pay for tires, brakes, alignments, and other automotive services.
Where You Can Use the Card
CFNA is the financing partner for Bridgestone, Firestone, and thousands of merchants nationwide. That includes Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, and Wheel Works locations, along with independently owned shops that carry Bridgestone or Firestone products. CFNA has also partnered with a small number of non-affiliated automotive chains.
The standard CFNA card is a private label store card, meaning it can only be used at participating automotive retailers. CFNA also offers a Mastercard version that works anywhere Mastercard is accepted, giving you more flexibility if you want a card that isn’t limited to tire shops.
Interest Rates and Fees
The rates on CFNA cards are high compared to general-purpose credit cards. The private label store card carries an APR of 34.99%. The Mastercard version has a variable APR of 33.24% as of January 2026, with a cap of 34.99%. For context, the average credit card APR across the industry typically falls well below those figures, making CFNA’s rate notably steep if you carry a balance.
There is also a minimum finance charge of $2.00. That means even a small remaining balance will trigger at least $2 in interest for any billing cycle where you owe finance charges.
How the Promotional Financing Works
The main draw of a CFNA card is its six-month promotional financing offer on purchases of $149 or more at participating retailers. During those six months, interest is deferred, meaning you won’t owe any interest charges if you pay the full purchase amount before the promotional window closes.
The critical detail here is the word “deferred.” This is not the same as 0% APR. With a true 0% APR offer, interest simply doesn’t accrue during the promotional period. With deferred interest, the card issuer calculates interest from your original purchase date and holds it in reserve. If you pay the balance in full before the six months end, that interest disappears entirely. If you don’t pay it off in time, even by a few dollars, the full amount of accumulated interest gets added to your balance all at once.
At an APR near 35%, six months of retroactive interest on a $600 tire purchase would add roughly $100 or more to your bill. Minimum monthly payments are required during the promotional period, but making only the minimum almost guarantees you won’t pay the balance in full before the deadline. If you plan to use this offer, divide your purchase total by six and pay at least that amount each month.
Who Can Qualify
CFNA markets its cards as accessible to applicants with lower credit scores or limited credit history. The company describes its approval criteria as “flexible,” though it does not publish a specific minimum credit score. The application process is handled in-store or online and typically takes just a few minutes.
Like most credit cards, CFNA reports your payment activity to credit bureaus. That means on-time payments can help you build credit over time, while missed payments will hurt your score. If you’re using the card primarily as a credit-building tool, keep balances low relative to your credit limit and always pay on time.
When a CFNA Card Makes Sense
A CFNA card is most useful when you have an unexpected car repair bill and need a few months to pay it off without interest. If you’re facing a $400 brake job or a $800 set of tires and you’re confident you can pay the full amount within six months, the deferred interest offer effectively gives you a free short-term loan.
It’s less useful as an everyday credit card. The private label version is restricted to automotive shops, and both versions carry APRs that will make any lingering balance expensive quickly. If you already have a general-purpose credit card with a lower interest rate, putting the repair on that card and paying it down may cost you less in the long run, especially if there’s any chance you won’t clear the balance within the six-month window.
For people with thin credit files who need to establish a payment history, the card’s flexible approval standards can be a reasonable entry point, as long as you treat the high APR as motivation to pay in full every month rather than carry a balance.