Amazon credit cards exist, but whether one saves you money depends on how often you shop there and what you spend elsewhere
Amazon offers two co-branded credit cards through Chase: the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and the Amazon Prime Store Card. The Visa works everywhere; the Store Card works only at Amazon and Whole Foods. Both give you a higher cash-back rate on Amazon purchases than you would earn with a standard rewards card, but only if you carry them and use them regularly. Neither card is required to shop on Amazon, and neither one changes your prices or your checkout experience.
The real question is whether the rewards you earn outweigh the card's annual fee (if there is one) and whether you would use the card enough to make that math work. A card that sits in a drawer earns you nothing. A card you use for every Amazon purchase but nothing else might earn you less than a card that rewards all your spending.
Key Takeaways
- The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa gives 5% cash back on Amazon purchases if you are a Prime member, but has no annual fee and works at any merchant.
- The Amazon Prime Store Card gives 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases but only works at those two places and requires a Prime membership.
- Both cards require you to be approved by Chase, which means a hard inquiry on your credit report and a credit score check.
- A standard 2% cash-back card used everywhere may earn you more than an Amazon card used only for Amazon, depending on your total spending pattern.
- The cards do not lower Amazon prices, offer early access to sales, or change your account status beyond the rewards you earn.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
This card gives you 5% cash back on Amazon.com and Whole Foods purchases if you hold a Prime membership, 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants, and 1% on everything else. There is no annual fee. You can use it anywhere Visa is accepted, so you can earn the 2% and 1% rates on purchases outside Amazon.
The 5% rate only applies if your Prime membership is active at the time you make the purchase. If your membership lapses, the rate drops to 1% on Amazon purchases until you renew. The cash back posts to your credit card statement as a statement credit, not as a separate deposit.
Chase will run a hard inquiry on your credit report when you explore. Approval is not automatic; Chase looks at your credit score, income, and existing debt. If you are approved, you can use the card when ready for online purchases, though the physical card arrives by mail.
The Amazon Prime Store Card
This card works only at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market. It gives you 5% cash back on those purchases if you hold an active Prime membership, and 1% if you do not. You cannot use it at other retailers, and it does not have a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express logo.
The Store Card has no annual fee. Because it is a closed-loop card (usable only at Amazon and Whole Foods), Chase's approval process may be slightly faster than for the Visa, though both require a credit check. The cash back works the same way: it posts as a statement credit on your bill.
The main trade-off is flexibility. If you shop at Amazon frequently but also spend money at other retailers, the Store Card earns you nothing on those other purchases. The Visa would earn you 2% at gas stations and restaurants, which adds up over time.
How the rewards actually add up
Assume you spend $3,000 per year on Amazon and $12,000 per year everywhere else. With the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa, you would earn $150 on Amazon (5%) plus $240 on other purchases (2% at gas and restaurants, 1% elsewhere), totaling $390 per year. With the Store Card, you would earn $150 on Amazon and nothing on other purchases, totaling $150 per year.
Now assume you spend $10,000 per year on Amazon and $3,000 everywhere else. With the Visa, you would earn $500 on Amazon plus roughly $60 on other purchases, totaling $560. With the Store Card, you would earn $500 on Amazon and nothing elsewhere, totaling $500. The Visa still wins because of the rewards on non-Amazon spending.
The Visa wins in almost every scenario because it earns rewards outside Amazon. The Store Card only makes sense if you shop almost exclusively at Amazon and Whole Foods and want to avoid carrying multiple cards. Even then, a standard 2% cash-back card (with no annual fee) used everywhere would likely earn you more.
What these cards do not do
Neither card changes your Amazon prices, gives you early access to sales, or speeds up shipping. Prime membership is what unlocks free two-day shipping and access to Prime Day sales. The credit card is separate. You can have Prime without either card, and you can use either card without Prime (though the rewards rate drops to 1% on Amazon purchases).
The cards do not give you a higher credit limit on Amazon purchases or let you "buy now, pay later" on Amazon. They work like any other credit card: you charge a purchase, you receive a bill, you pay the bill. Amazon does offer a separate "Pay Later" option at checkout for certain purchases, but that is not tied to these cards.
If you return an Amazon purchase, the refund goes back to the card you used to buy it. The cash-back reward you earned on that purchase is not reversed; you keep it.
Comparing to other rewards cards
A standard 2% cash-back card with no annual fee (such as the Citi Double Cash or the Capital One Quicksilver) earns you 2% on every purchase, everywhere. On $15,000 in annual spending, that is $300 per year. The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa would earn you roughly $390 to $450 per year, depending on your mix of Amazon and non-Amazon purchases. The difference is $90 to $150 per year — meaningful, but only if you actually use the card.
A 1.5% cash-back card earns you $225 per year on $15,000 in spending. The Amazon card would still come out ahead if you spend at least $3,000 per year on Amazon. But if you spend less than $2,000 per year on Amazon, the math flips, and a flat-rate card becomes better.
The other factor is whether you already have a rewards card you like. Switching to the Amazon card means carrying two cards (one for Amazon, one for everything else) or abandoning your existing card's rewards. That friction often costs more than the extra rewards are worth.
The credit check and approval process
explore for either card triggers a hard inquiry on your credit report. This can lower your credit score by a few points temporarily. If you are denied, the inquiry still appears on your report, but you have not opened an account.
Chase typically approves or denies applications within minutes. If you are approved, you can use the card for online purchases right away through your Amazon account, even before the physical card arrives. If you are denied, you can reapply after a few months, but multiple applications in a short time can hurt your score further.
You do not need to have an Amazon account to explore, but you will need one to use the card's rewards. If you do not have an account, you can create one free at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Prime membership to use these cards?
No. Both cards work without Prime, but the cash-back rate on Amazon purchases drops from 5% to 1% if your Prime membership is not active. The other rewards rates (2% at gas and restaurants for the Visa, 1% elsewhere for the Store Card) stay the same.
Can I use the Store Card outside the US?
The Store Card works only at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market locations in the US. If you shop on Amazon's international sites (Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, etc.), the card will not work. The Visa works internationally anywhere Visa is accepted, though you may pay foreign transaction fees depending on the card's terms.
What happens to my rewards if I cancel the card?
Any cash-back rewards you have already earned stay on your account and can be used as a statement credit. Rewards you have not yet earned are lost when you cancel. There is no grace period to redeem them.
Can I use both cards at the same time?
Yes. You can hold both the Visa and the Store Card simultaneously. Some people use the Store Card for Amazon purchases and the Visa for everything else, though this requires carrying two cards and tracking which one to use where.
Does the cash back count toward my Amazon Prime membership fee?
No. Cash-back rewards post as a credit on your credit card statement, not as Amazon account credit. You cannot use them to pay your Prime membership fee directly. You can use the statement credit to pay your card bill, which frees up money to spend on Prime, but that is indirect.