Pros
- No membership fees
- 0% intro APR on purchases
- High rewards rate
- $60 gift card initial rewards bonus
Cons
- Spending caps on rewards
- No intro APR on balance transfers
- Balance transfer fee
- Requires good/excellent credit
Amazon Credit Card Review Summary
The Amazon.com Credit Card is a good credit card for frequent Amazon.com and Whole Foods shoppers with good credit or better, especially Prime members. The Amazon Visa is worth it thanks to a $0 annual fee and attractive rewards.
Even if you don’t have an Amazon Prime membership, you will earn 3 points per $1 on purchases from Amazon.com, Whole Foods and other merchants that accept Amazon Pay. You’ll also earn 2 points per $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants and drug stores, as well as 1 point / $1 on all other purchases. New cardholders get a $50 Amazon.com gift card as an initial bonus, too.
If you are a Prime member, you’ll earn even more rewards. Given that Amazon.com Credit Card points are basically as good as cash, it’s pretty clear that the Amazon.com Credit Card is a must-have for online shoppers.
Amazon.com Credit Card
Rewards Details
- A $60 Amazon.com Gift Card ($150 for Prime members) will instantly be loaded into your Amazon.com account upon the approval of your credit card application.
- Earn a total of 3 points everywhere on up to $1,500 in spending for the first 3 months after account opening ($45 value). Prime cardholders receive 5 points on a maximum of $2,500.
- Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants and on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Redeem daily rewards at Amazon.com as soon as the next day. Or redeem at Chase.com for cash back, gift cards, or travel.
- If you have an eligible Prime membership, you can link your Amazon.com Credit Card to earn 5 points for every $1 (equivalent to 5% cash back) on purchases made at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases. Plus, get up to 10% back on rotating Amazon categories and products with a Prime card.
Additional Info
- If you have an eligible Prime membership, you can choose between 5 points for every $1 spent at Amazon.com or 0% promo APR for 6-12 months on purchases $50 or more. Terms apply.
- Equal Monthly Payment Financing: 6 equal monthly payments on purchases of $50 or more, and 12 equal monthly payments on purchases of $250 or more.
- Travel Benefits: Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Luggage Reimbursement, Baggage Delay Insurance, Travel and Emergency Assistance, Roadside Dispatch and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
- Shopping protection: Extended Warranty Protection, Purchase Protection and Zero Fraud Liability for Unauthorized Purchases.
- If approved for an account, your credit access line will be at least $500.
- More Details & Reviews About Amazon.com Credit Card
Amazon Credit Card Review Highlights
Freeway To Amazon Savings
The fact that the Amazon.com Credit Card does not charge an annual fee is essential, as it allows potential applicants to use the card as a supplement to their everyday spending vehicles. After all, most people don’t want to pay for a credit card that they’re not going to use every day, and other cards provide a lot more value on non-Amazon purchases. And, even though you can seemingly buy everything imaginable from Amazon, we’re not yet at a point where average consumers spend more money through Amazon than elsewhere.
Good Value At Gas Stations, Drug Stores & Restaurants
Most co-branded credit cards severely restrict earnings on purchases not made through the company whose name the card bears. So, if you have a credit card tied to a particular airline, for example, you can expect to earn very little when filling your car up with gas. And even if you can earn a bit more in certain spending categories, they’re usually not major ones. The Amazon Card is a bit different in this regard, providing 2 points per dollar (versus 3 for Amazon purchases) on charges made at gas stations, drug stores and restaurants.
This makes using Amazon Rewards as your sole credit card a bit more viable than would be the case with other affinity cards if you don’t fancy keeping track of two accounts.
Ultimate Rewards Redemption Options
In addition to paying with points on Amazon.com, you can also redeem your earnings at a 1:1 ratio for cash back or travel accommodations booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards (Chase issues the Amazon Card). This makes the card even more versatile, enabling you to benefit – by simply using points to pay your bill, for example – even if you don’t need something from Amazon.com.
Amazon Credit Card Review Lowlights
Earnings Don’t Measure Up For Most Non-Amazon Spending
If you make Amazon Rewards your only credit card, odds are you’ll end up earning only the market average of 1% on most purchases. You can see for yourself by comparing your gas, restaurant and Amazon.com spending to the overall amount you charge on your credit card. This ultimately isn’t too big of a deal, but the lack of high earning rates on all purchases does mean that you’ll be sacrificing value – not to mention some measure of redemption flexibility – relative to offers like Citi Double Cash if you make the Amazon Card your everyday spending vehicle.
No Help With Financing
If you’re in the market for a big-ticket Amazon item, such as a TV or rare collectible, the Amazon Card won’t be the source of any finance savings. It doesn’t offer 0% introductory interest rates on either new purchases or balance transfers, and its regular APR will be well above the average for people with excellent credit – even if you’re lucky enough to fall in the low end of its 19.24% - 27.24% (V) range.
That’s why you should only use this card if you plan to pay your bill in full every month. If you’re going to carry a balance, other cards will save you more money – even on Amazon purchases.
Other Things To Consider about the Amazon Credit Card
Free Prime Membership Not Included
Some people might assume that Prime status would be automatically thrown in as part of being an Amazon.com cardholder the same way that elite status is often a perk of opening a hotel rewards credit card. Although that’s not the case, it isn’t too big of a deal considering that shipping for orders of $35 or more is still free for all Amazon customers, and the Amazon Card would probably charge an annual fee if Prime membership was included, but it’s nevertheless good to know before applying.
Might Lead To Unnecessary Spending
Like falling into a black hole of Googling, it’s easy to get lost in Amazon’s maze of inventory, only to emerge with a big ole bill. And since Amazon rewards could serve as another reason to throw caution to the wind and embrace the short-term pleasure of purchasing, cardholders should stay on the lookout for overspending. Amazon.com, unlike an airline or hotel chain, is open 24/7/365 and always at your fingertips.
The Amazon Credit Card vs. The Competition
| Info | Amazon.com Credit Card | Amazon.com Store Card | Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer | Chase Freedom Unlimited® |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Bonus Offer | $60 gift card | $60 | N/A | N/A |
| Rewards Rate | 1 - 5 points / $1 | 0 - 5% back in rewards | 2% Cash Back | 1.5 - 5% Cash Back |
| Purchase Intro APR | 0% for 6 - 12 months | 0% for 6 - 24 months | N/A | 0% for 15 months |
| Transfer Intro APR | N/A | N/A | 0% for 18 months Transfer Fee: 3% intro fee ($5 min) for each transfer in first 4 months, after that 5% ($5 min) for each transfer | 0% for 15 months Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days (5%, min $5 after) |
| Regular APR | 19.24% - 27.24% (V) | 29.99% (V) | 18.99% - 28.99% (V) | 19.74% - 28.49% (V) |
| Editors' Rating | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Details, Rates & Fees | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More Rates & Fees | Learn More |
Amazon.com Credit Card Review Methodology
This Amazon.com Credit Card review is based on WalletHub’s proprietary 100-point credit card rating system. By using a consistent methodology to evaluate the Amazon.com Credit Card and all other cards, WalletHub’s credit card experts make it easy for people to compare their options and find the best credit cards for their needs.
The WalletHub rating system uses 16 key metrics grouped into seven categories: Fees, Rewards, Two-year Cost, Interest Rates, Approval Requirements, Special Features, and Reviews. Each metric has a maximum number of points allocated to it, based on the metric’s importance as determined by our editors. The points are added up to create an overall rating for the Amazon.com Credit Card out of a maximum of 100 points, which is then converted to a 5-point scale.
Ratings for each category reflect how close Amazon.com Credit Card is to WalletHub’s definition of a 5-star credit card, which is based on market conditions and what we believe are reasonable terms. We compare Amazon.com Credit Card to that standard to give a numerical approximation of how reasonable and competitive its terms are compared to other cards.
To learn more about how WalletHub rates credit card offers, check out our full credit card review methodology.
