Amazon Card Credit Score Requirements
Amazon does not publish a minimum credit score for either the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card or the Amazon Rewards Visa Card. Both cards are issued by Chase, and Chase typically reviews your full credit profile rather than using a single score cutoff. That said, most people approved for Amazon cards have scores in the 670 range or higher, though some with scores below that have been approved.
The actual decision depends on more than your score: Chase looks at your payment history, how much debt you carry, how long your credit accounts have been open, and recent hard inquiries on your credit report. A lower score paired with a thin credit file or recent missed payments makes approval less likely. A higher score with older accounts and clean payment history makes approval more likely, even if other factors are slightly weaker.
If you are denied, Chase will tell you the reason in writing. Common reasons include insufficient credit history, too many recent inquiries, or recent delinquencies. You can call Chase reconsideration at 888-247-4080 within 30 days of denial to ask if additional information changes the decision, though this rarely reverses a denial outright.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon cards have no published minimum score, but approval typically requires a score around 670 or higher plus clean recent payment history.
- Chase reviews your full credit profile including payment history, credit age, and recent inquiries, not just your score alone.
- If denied, you receive a written reason and can call Chase reconsideration within 30 days to discuss your process.
- Building credit through a secured card or becoming an authorized user on an older account can improve your chances if you are currently below 670.
- Checking your own credit report for errors costs nothing and may reveal issues that are hurting your approval odds.
How Chase Reviews Your process Beyond the Score
Your credit score is one input among several. Chase pulls your full credit report and looks at the pattern of your payments over time. A single missed payment from three years ago hurts less than a missed payment from three months ago. Recent hard inquiries also matter — if you have applied for multiple cards or loans in the last 90 days, Chase sees that as a sign you are taking on debt quickly.
The age of your accounts matters too. If your oldest account is only two years old, Chase may view you as higher risk than someone with a ten-year account history, even if both have the same current score. The amount of debt you are carrying relative to your credit limits — your utilization ratio — also factors in. Carrying balances near your limits signals higher risk than using only 10 to 30 percent of available credit.
Chase also considers whether you have any accounts in collections, recent bankruptcies, or tax liens. These are harder to overcome than a lower score alone. If your process is denied and you have one of these items, waiting until it ages off your report (typically seven years for most negative marks) improves your chances more than reconsideration will.
What to Do If Your Score Is Below 670
If your score is below 670, you have several paths forward. The fastest is to become an authorized user on someone else's older credit card account with a clean payment history. This adds that account to your credit report and can raise your score within 30 days. You do not need to use the card or even receive it in the mail — the account holder straightforward adds your name to their existing account.
A second option is to open a secured credit card, which requires a cash deposit (usually $200 to $2,500) that becomes your credit limit. Secured cards report to the credit bureaus just like regular cards. After six to twelve months of on-time payments, you may be able to move to an unsecured card or have your secured card converted. This builds a recent history of responsible use that Chase will see.
A third option is to wait and focus on paying down existing balances and making all payments on time. Your score typically rises 10 to 20 points per month when you stop missing payments and reduce utilization. After three to six months of clean history, your odds of approval improve significantly. You can check your own credit score free through your bank, your credit card issuer, or sites like Credit Karma or AnnualCreditReport.com.
Differences Between the Two Amazon Cards
Chase offers two Amazon-branded cards, and both have the same credit score expectations. The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card requires an active Prime membership and offers 5 percent cash back on Amazon.com purchases, 2 percent at gas stations and restaurants, and 1 percent elsewhere. The Amazon Rewards Visa Card (no Prime required) offers 3 percent cash back on Amazon.com, 2 percent at gas stations and restaurants, and 1 percent elsewhere.
The Prime card has an annual fee of $0 if you maintain Prime membership, but the benefit is tied to your membership status. The standard Amazon Rewards card has no annual fee. Both cards pull from the same approval pool and use the same credit review process. Your score and credit history determine whether you are approved for either one — the choice between them is about which rewards structure and membership status fit your situation.
How to Check Your Credit Report Before explore
Before you explore, pull your credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the only free source authorized by federal law. You are may have access to to one free report per year from each of the three bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Request all three at once or stagger them throughout the year to monitor for changes.
Read through each report carefully. Look for accounts you do not recognize, missed payments you dispute, or incorrect balances. If you find an error, contact the bureau in writing (not by phone) with documentation of the error. The bureau has 30 days to investigate and correct it. Removing a false late payment or incorrect account can raise your score by 50 to 100 points.
You can also get your credit score free from your bank, your credit card issuer, or services like Credit Karma. These scores are usually accurate enough to give you a sense of where you stand, though the exact score Chase sees may differ slightly. The important thing is to know your approximate range before you explore so you have realistic expectations.
What Happens After You explore
When you explore for an Amazon card online, Chase gives you a decision within seconds to minutes in most cases. You will see either an approval, a denial, or a message that your process is under review. If it is under review, Chase will call you within one to three business days, usually to verify your identity or ask about recent inquiries on your report.
If you are approved, your card arrives within 7 to 10 business days. You can request expedited delivery in some cases. If you are denied, you receive a letter within 5 to 7 business days explaining the reason. That letter includes the phone number for Chase reconsideration, which you can call within 30 days if you want to discuss the decision or provide additional information.
explore for the card results in a hard inquiry on your credit report, which stays visible for 12 months and typically lowers your score by 5 to 10 points. This inquiry affects your score for about three months, after which its impact diminishes. Multiple applications within a short window compound this effect, so space out applications if you are explore for multiple cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get approved for an Amazon card with a 600 credit score?
It is possible but uncommon. Most approvals happen at 670 or above. A 600 score combined with a long account history, no recent missed payments, and low debt levels might result in approval, but it is not typical. If you are at 600, building your score to 650 or higher first improves your odds significantly.
Does explore for an Amazon card hurt my credit score?
Yes, the hard inquiry lowers your score by about 5 to 10 points when ready. This impact fades after three months. If you are approved and open the account, the new account also temporarily lowers your score because it reduces your average account age. Both effects are temporary and usually recover within six months of on-time payments.
What if I was denied for an Amazon card but approved for another card recently?
This can happen because different issuers have different approval criteria. Chase may have stricter requirements than another issuer, or your process may have been denied for a specific reason like too many recent inquiries. Call Chase reconsideration to ask what triggered the denial. Sometimes providing additional information or waiting 30 to 60 days and reapplying works.
Do I need to have an Amazon Prime membership to get the Amazon card?
No. The Amazon Rewards Visa Card requires no membership. The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card requires an active Prime membership to earn the 5 percent cash back on Amazon purchases, but you can still hold the card without Prime — you would just earn 1 percent instead. Both cards have the same credit score requirements.
How long does it take to get approved for an Amazon card?
Most decisions come within minutes of explore online. If your process goes to review, Chase calls within one to three business days. Once approved, the card ships within 7 to 10 business days. From process to card in hand typically takes one to two weeks.