The Prime Visa can do a lot -- from earning rewards for your Amazon shopping sprees and Whole Foods grocery hauls to insuring your new purchases from damage or theft with a myriad shopping protections.
It’s become my go-to credit card when I need to buy anything online. And its versatility doesn’t stop there. In lieu of opening a travel credit card, you might find the Prime Visa could save you a decent amount on your travel bookings by using its rewards to fund them.
The Prime Visa is a rewards powerhouse when it comes to all things Amazon, but as a Chase credit card, it comes with a lesser-known bonus category for travel. Not only will you earn 2% cash back for local transit and commuting (including rideshares), but you can also earn 5% cash back when you book your travel through Chase. It even includes a number of travel protections like travel accident insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, roadside dispatch and an auto rental collision damage waiver.
You can learn more in our Prime Visa review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 19.49% – 27.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
The Prime Visa is a rewards powerhouse when it comes to all things Amazon, but as a Chase credit card, it comes with a lesser-known bonus category for travel. Not only will you earn 2% cash back for local transit and commuting (including rideshares), but you can also earn 5% cash back when you book your travel through Chase. It even includes a number of travel protections like travel accident insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, roadside dispatch and an auto rental collision damage waiver.
You can learn more in our Prime Visa review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 19.49% – 27.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
How much could you save?
Most avid travelers like to shop around to find the best rate, rather than going through one booking service or travel portal. However, even if you’re able to book a single aspect of your trip through Chase, it can put some money back in your pocket.
Chase’s travel portal lets you book hotels, rental cars, airfare, activities and cruises. If you booked a $807 weekend hotel for two in Denver with an $83 rental car, you’d earn $44.50 in rewards to put toward another trip or toward your account to lower your overall balance.
However, unlike some of Chase’s other credit cards (specifically those in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program), you aren’t able to utilize point transfers with the Prime Visa. Point transfers are a way to potentially get even more value from your points by transferring them to partner airlines or hotels.
How to use your rewards
The Prime Visa lets you redeem your rewards for cash back, merchandise through Amazon or for travel. However, you’ll get the best value if you redeem your points as cash back or travel. While convenient, if you redeem them when you checkout with Amazon, you’ll miss out on earning rewards for those purchases.
Your points will be worth 1 cent each. Whether you want to use them for travel or cash back depends on your preferences. If you travel frequently, putting your rewards toward covering some of the expenses could help save money toward activities when you land.
Travel perks
If you’ve been booking your travel using a debit card or a non-travel credit card, you’re missing out on both rewards and protections that could help avoid financial headaches in certain circumstances. The Prime card comes equipped with more travel protections than some dedicated travel cards.
- Travel accident insurance: Charging your airfare, bus fare, cruise fare or train fare to the card provides up to $500,000 in coverage against accidental death and dismemberment.
- Baggage delay insurance: If your baggage is delayed for longer than six hours, you can get reimbursed for the cost of essential purchases like toiletries and clothing by up to $100 per day for three days.
- Lost luggage reimbursement: If you or an immediate family member has luggage lost or damaged by the carrier, you’re covered by up to $3,000.
- Roadside dispatch: If you run into car trouble -- whether it’s a flat tire, dead battery or you’ve locked your keys in your car -- you can call 1-800-847-2869 for assistance.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver: If you decline the rental car provider’s insurance offer and charge the full amount to your Prime Visa card, you’ll get secondary coverage for your rental against damage or theft.
Comparing the Prime Visa to other travel credit cards
While the Prime Visa could fill the spot of travel credit card in your wallet, it’s not the only option available.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* is a great choice if you’re looking for flat-rate rewards that you don’t have to think about. Whereas the Prime Visa provides a different reward rate depending on which purchase you’re using it for, the Venture will earn the same amount no matter what you’re buying.
Despite being a dedicated travel credit card, it has fewer travel protections than the Prime card. However, it does provide an application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, which can save avid travelers a lot of time at the airport.
It comes down to how much flexibility you want, and if you’d rather lean more into travel rewards. With the Venture card, you’ll have more choices when it comes to booking travel, but you’ll miss out on higher rewards at Amazon with the Prime Visa.
You can learn more in our Capital One Venture Rewards Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- $0 at the Transfer APR, 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* is a great choice if you’re looking for flat-rate rewards that you don’t have to think about. Whereas the Prime Visa provides a different reward rate depending on which purchase you’re using it for, the Venture will earn the same amount no matter what you’re buying.
Despite being a dedicated travel credit card, it has fewer travel protections than the Prime card. However, it does provide an application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, which can save avid travelers a lot of time at the airport.
It comes down to how much flexibility you want, and if you’d rather lean more into travel rewards. With the Venture card, you’ll have more choices when it comes to booking travel, but you’ll miss out on higher rewards at Amazon with the Prime Visa.
You can learn more in our Capital One Venture Rewards Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- $0 at the Transfer APR, 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has the Prime Visa beat when it comes to travel. But that makes sense, considering the Sapphire Preferred is a dedicated travel card whereas the Prime merely dabbles in it. It comes with one of the best reward programs thanks to its 25% redemption bonus when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards and its 1:1 point transfer rate to Chase’s travel partners.
Point transfers are how you can get even more value from your points. The Prime Visa is unable to take advantage of point transfers, which is one of the most lucrative features of a travel card. That means it can’t really compete with the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s reward program redemption opportunities.
You can learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 21.49% – 28.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has the Prime Visa beat when it comes to travel. But that makes sense, considering the Sapphire Preferred is a dedicated travel card whereas the Prime merely dabbles in it. It comes with one of the best reward programs thanks to its 25% redemption bonus when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards and its 1:1 point transfer rate to Chase’s travel partners.
Point transfers are how you can get even more value from your points. The Prime Visa is unable to take advantage of point transfers, which is one of the most lucrative features of a travel card. That means it can’t really compete with the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s reward program redemption opportunities.
You can learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 21.49% – 28.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
While the Prime Visa offers a great rewards rate at Whole Foods, the American Express Gold Card offers rewards at all restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. The reward rate is slightly less than what you’d get from the Prime Visa, but it gives cardholders more places to eat and earn rewards with.
It also features rewards for flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com. It’s a bit more restrictive than the other cards here, considering you won’t be able to earn many rewards for your hotel or rental car or for rideshares, but you could earn rewards beyond Whole Foods on your travels.
The Amex Gold also lets cardholders use points to fund your Amazon purchases. But you’d get only 0.7 cent per point for doing so, which is less than if you redeem your rewards for statement credits with the Prime Visa. The Gold card also costs $250 annually, which is over $100 more than a Prime membership.
You can learn more in our American Express Gold Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- See Pay Over Time APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- N/A
While the Prime Visa offers a great rewards rate at Whole Foods, the American Express Gold Card offers rewards at all restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. The reward rate is slightly less than what you’d get from the Prime Visa, but it gives cardholders more places to eat and earn rewards with.
It also features rewards for flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com. It’s a bit more restrictive than the other cards here, considering you won’t be able to earn many rewards for your hotel or rental car or for rideshares, but you could earn rewards beyond Whole Foods on your travels.
The Amex Gold also lets cardholders use points to fund your Amazon purchases. But you’d get only 0.7 cent per point for doing so, which is less than if you redeem your rewards for statement credits with the Prime Visa. The Gold card also costs $250 annually, which is over $100 more than a Prime membership.
You can learn more in our American Express Gold Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- See Pay Over Time APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- N/A
The bottom line
The Prime Visa is unmatched when it comes to earning rewards with Amazon and its brands. I use it whenever I need to buy something online or if I’m craving the Whole Foods hot bar or baked goods -- but I leave it alone for anything else.
If you don’t have a travel credit card in your wallet, it can fill that space – and be pretty rewarding too. The caveat is that you’ll need to book your travel through Chase rather than shopping around with different travel portals. If you’re an avid traveler though, there are other dedicated travel credit cards that do it better.
*All information about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the American Express Gold Card, click here.
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.
