- Intro Offer
-
Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.49% – 27.49% Variable
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 5% Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership; Earn unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare); Earn unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
At a glance
The Prime Visa is Amazon’s flagship rewards credit card. It offers high cash-back rates with all of Amazon’s brands, plus for gas, dining and local transit like Uber.
You can even use it to book travel through Chase’s travel portal. It includes several helpful travel and shopping protections, and it has one of the easiest welcome offers to earn. If you’re approved, you’ll earn a $100 Amazon gift card that you can use immediately for any and all Amazon purchases.
Our take
If your Amazon delivery driver knows your address by heart, the Prime Visa could help you earn money back each time you check out. You’ll earn 5% cash back on all Amazon purchases, and you’ll receive a $100 Amazon gift card instantly on approval.
The Prime Visa will automatically be added to your account once you’re approved, so you can use it to shop Amazon before you have the physical card in hand. I recently applied for the Prime Visa -- between the instant gift card and easy online access to the card, I’ve already saved money on a number of purchases.
While you’ll earn the most rewards for Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods and for travel booked through Chase, this card also provides a competitive return on purchases made at restaurants, local transit, gas stations and for commuting -- including rideshares. The Prime card also includes shopping protections that protect your new purchases against damage or theft and extend the manufacturer’s warranty.
This card doesn’t charge an annual fee, but you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member to qualify. A Prime membership currently costs $139 per year. There’s a non-Prime version of the card, the Amazon Visa*, but it has less impressive features.
Pros
High Amazon, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods rewards
Competitive flat-rate rewards for gas station, restaurant drugstore and rideshare purchases
Shopping and travel protections
Great welcome offer
Cons
Requires a Prime membership
Not particularly useful if you don’t shop at Amazon.com often
Who should choose this card?
The Prime Visa is one of the best rewards credit cards available. If you’re on the fence about adding it your wallet, consider if these examples sound like you:
- Amazon is your go-to website. If you find yourself on Amazon with a full shopping cart monthly, the Prime Visa will provide a 5% cash-back return on your purchases.
- You’re worried about your purchases being damaged or stolen. The Prime Visa includes a nice selection of shopping protections, including Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty protection.
- You dabble in travel. You can also earn 5% cash back for travel booked through Chase’s travel portal and earn 2% cash back on local transit including rideshares. (Note: There are certainly better, more focused, travel credit cards for those who are interested.)
Who should skip it?
Just because it’s a great rewards credit card doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. You should consider a different card if:
- You don’t shop with Amazon or its brands. If you aren’t a fan of Amazon, you won’t get much from this card.
- You don’t want to pay for Amazon Prime. While there isn’t an annual fee, you do need to be a Prime member, which costs $139 annually.
A closer look at the Prime Visa
Rewards and welcome bonus
As the biggest retailer, Amazon can offer a better rewards program than most other cards in its class. Your rewards won’t be completely confined to your purchases under the Amazon umbrella.
The 5% cash-back rate you’ll earn at Amazon, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods is quite competitive. Newly, you’ll also get 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase. You’ll also earn 2% cash back on dining, gas stations, local transit and commuting (including rideshares) as well as a 1% flat rate on all other purchases.
The welcome bonus -- a $100 Amazon gift card is instant. I recently applied for the Prime Visa, and as soon as I was approved the gift card (and the credit card itself) were available in my account. Good timing too -- I had a number of birthday gifts to pick up, all of which were easily covered by the gift card.
While I did miss out on earning 5% cash back for these purchases, using the $100 Amazon gift card is well worth missing out on $5 in rewards.
Promotional interest-free financing option
In a similar way to some other large retailer credit cards, the Prime Visa gives users the option to choose an interest-free financing plan on their Amazon purchases rather than earning the 5% cash back. Eligibility depends on the price of the purchase, and you must pay the entirety of your balance in equal payments over the allotted time to avoid interest charges. After the promo period, a variable APR of 19.49% to 27.49% applies.
- For purchases of $50 or more, you can finance your purchase for six months
- For purchases of $250 or more, you can finance your purchase for 12 months
- For purchases of $500 or more, you can finance your purchase for 18 months
To claim this benefit on a purchase, simply select “Equal monthly payments” as you check out. But be careful -- you need to monitor your monthly billing statements and make sure you pay off any remaining balances from other purchases that are still subject to a nonzero APR.
Redeeming your cash back
Though this is branded as a cash-back card, you’ll technically earn your rewards in the form of points, which are worth $0.01. You have a few options to choose from when it comes to redeeming your rewards.
First, as your balance loads automatically, you can apply your earned points directly to your Amazon purchases at checkout. Or, you can redeem them as cash back in the form of a statement credit or a deposit into your bank account. Third-party offers on travel, gift cards and other deals may also be available for redemption at any given time. You don’t have to meet a minimum point balance to redeem your points.
Why you shouldn’t use your points to fund your Amazon purchases
Though you can use your points for Amazon purchases, it isn’t the best move. Using your points means you’ll miss out on the 5% cash back rate for the purchase. You’re better off buying the purchase with your card, and then redeeming points for a statement credit to cover the cost.
Travel benefits and other perks
The Prime Visa offers a surprising amount of travel perks for a retailer credit card. There are no foreign transaction fees, so you can use this credit card abroad and still collect the rewards without concern.
You’ll also earn 5% cash back for travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. While being restricted to one travel portal might not sound ideal to avid travelers, even booking a single aspect of your trip through Chase could help lower one of your travel expenses.
A wide range of insurance coverage is available to cardholders, giving you more peace of mind while on the road. You’ll get baggage delay insurance, travel accident insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver and lost luggage reimbursement. Some of the top travel cards don’t even offer all of these in combination.
How many Amazon credit cards are there?
The family of Amazon credit cards can get a little confusing, and not everyone’s online experience will look the same. There are two different cards, each with its own version for Prime members and non-Prime members.
The Prime Visa card (the focus of this review) is the matriarch of the family, with the best benefits available to those taking full advantage of Amazon Prime already.
If you don’t have a Prime account and don’t want one, you can apply for the Amazon Visa Card*. You’ll get a smaller welcome bonus and only 3% cash back at Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Amazon, but the other major specs of this card are the same. Plus, there’s no annual fee.
The Amazon Prime Store Card* is a good option if you’re a Prime member and want longer interest-free financing on larger purchases made at Amazon. However, it can only be used within the Amazon ecosystem. You’ll earn a $60 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval and can finance a purchase for up to 24 months (depending on price and eligibility). If you don’t choose to use the financing, you’ll earn 5% cash back on Amazon purchases.
The non-Prime equivalent is the Amazon.com Store Card*. It maintains the same specs as the Prime version, except you don’t have the option to earn cash back on Amazon purchases, even if you don’t use the financing option.
Alternative cards
Citi Custom Cash® Card
With the Citi Custom Cash® Card*, the headline cash-back rate is 5% (up to the first $500 spent within the eligible category per billing cycle, then 1%), and it automatically applies to your highest eligible spending category. If the 5% back at Whole Foods is the most appealing part of the Prime Visa, this card can give you 5% back at grocery stores beyond just Whole Foods. This includes supermarkets, meat or seafood stores, dairy stores, bakeries and miscellaneous convenience stores.
Spending categories also include restaurants, gas stations, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment. You’ll get a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (19.24% to 29.24% variable APR thereafter), so you don’t have to choose between cash back and interest-free financing. Balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening. Additionally, you can earn a $200 welcome bonus by spending $1,500 on the card within the first six months of account opening (bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back).
See our full review of the Citi Custom Cash Card for more details.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
If you’re looking to earn rewards on online shopping purchases -- not just at Amazon -- the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card* is worth a look. The Customized Cash Rewards allows cardholders to choose the category where they’ll earn the top cash-back rate of 3%. Online shopping is one of these categories, along with gas, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvement/furnishings. You’ll also earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (on the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter, then 1%) and 1% on all other purchases.
While these rates are lower than the 5% cash back offered by the Prime Visa, they allow for greater flexibility for shopping beyond Amazon and Whole Foods. You’ll also be able to take advantage of 0% introductory APR for the first 15 billing cycles on purchases and on any balance transfers made in the first 60 days (18.24% to 28.24% variable APR thereafter; an introductory balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transaction for the first 60 days of account opening, then 4%), as well as a $200 online cash rewards welcome bonus when you spend at least $1,000 within the first 90 days of account ownership.
How Prime Visa compares to other cards
- Intro Offer
-
Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.49% – 27.49% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 5% Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership; Earn unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare); Earn unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
- Intro Offer
-
$200 Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 15 months on purchases
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Fair – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 5% Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter.; Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
- Intro Offer
-
$200 $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 18.24% – 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 3% 3% cash back in the category of your choice; 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases); 1% cash back on all other purchases
FAQs
Ultimately, the right credit card is unique to each person’s goals and preferences. Decide what features you’re looking for: maximized rewards, spaced-out payments on a large purchase, credit building, an emergency credit card or other benefits. From there, you can decide the type of card you’re looking for. You can then use CNET’s online reviews to further narrow down what terms will work best for you.
You don’t need a Prime membership to shop at Amazon, though Prime members enjoy free, quicker shipping on millions of items, along with other perks. You do need a Prime membership to apply for the Prime Visa card, as well as the Amazon Prime Store Card, but there are non-Prime equivalents to both cards.
Cash-back credit cards generally fall into four primary categories: flat rate, tiered, rotating or choose your own.
Flat-rate cards offer the same rate for every purchase. Tiered cards offer a different rewards rate for different categories of spending. Rotating category cards offer different rewards each quarter, determined by the card issuer. Choose-your-own category cards allow you to choose your rewards category.
Our approach
We review the cards that are in the highest demand and offer the best benefits. We scour the fine print so there aren’t any surprises when you open an account. We find the key factors that make a card stand out and compare them to other top cards. That way, readers can opt for a different card with similar features if our pick isn’t right for them. Our reviews are regularly checked and updated to incorporate new recommendations, as well as to reflect changes in offers and the market.
*All information about the Amazon Visa, Prime Store Card, Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card, Citi Custom Cash Card, and Amazon.com Store Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
