Whole Foods Credit Card Review

John S Kiernan, WalletHub Managing EditorMay 25, 2023

WALLETHUB’S RATING: 4.5 / 5

John S Kiernan, WalletHub Managing EditorMay 25, 2023

WalletHub’s Rating

4.5 out of 5 rating 4.5 / 5

This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of an issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer.

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

Whole Foods Credit Card Review Summary

The Whole Foods Credit Card is a good credit card for frequent Whole Foods and Amazon.com shoppers with good credit or better, particularly Prime members. The Whole Foods Card is easily worth it thanks to a $0 annual fee and rewards of 1 - 5 points per $1 on purchases.

To be clear, the Whole Foods Credit Card is the same offer as the Amazon.com Credit Card. The main difference is the appearance of the card, which you can select when you apply. You may also be able to earn a Whole Foods-centric initial bonus.

Whole Foods Credit Card Review Highlights

$50 - $100 initial bonus

New cardholders who open an account by March 3, 2022 can get a $100 bonus in return for spending $100 at Whole Foods Market within two months of opening an account.

Or, you can opt for the card’s traditional bonus. More specifically, if you have Amazon Prime, you can automatically get a $200 gift card loaded to your Amazon account when you’re approved for the card. If you don’t have Prime, you can get $50.

None of the options are elite. But at least you don’t have to spend anything to get the traditional bonus, which can’t be said of the best credit card sign-up bonuses.

$0 annual fee

Not having to worry about an annual fee means you won’t have to spend a certain amount each year just to earn enough rewards to break even. It also helps keep your overall credit card costs down if you already have multiple cards before applying for the Whole Foods Visa.

If you want to put a dollar value on it, a $0 annual fee saves you $21.65 per year compared to the average credit card offer.

3-5 points per $1 spent at Whole Foods and Amazon.com

The Whole Foods Credit Card gives at least 3 points per $1 spent on Whole Foods and Amazon purchases, as well as purchases at select merchants that accept Amazon Pay. If you’re a Prime member, you’ll get 5 points per $1 spent instead.

In other words, you will basically earn the equivalent of 3% to 5% cash back on eligible purchases. For context, the average rewards card gives about 1% back.

2 points per $1 spent at gas stations, drug stores & restaurants

With groceries, Amazon purchases, gas, dining and drug store purchases as bonus rewards categories, the Whole Foods Credit Card has most major spending categories covered.

You will, however, only earn 1% back on all other purchases. Many people have another card in their wallet for such purchases as a result.

10% - 25% back on select Amazon purchases

For a limited time, Prime members can earn at least 10% back on certain Amazon.com purchases made with the Whole Foods Credit Card. You can check out the options here.

Whole Foods Credit Card Review Lowlights

Fairly high APR

The Whole Foods Credit Card APR ranges from 19.24% to 27.24% (V). The exact rate you’re assigned depends on your overall creditworthiness. In any case, you’re unlikely to get a rate that’s lower than average for your credit score.

For example, the average APR among new credit card offers for people with excellent credit is 17.23%. The average for good credit is 23.24%.

With that in mind, you should plan to pay your bill in full every month if you decide to apply for the Whole Foods Credit Card.

Amazon Prime required for the best rewards

You need to link your Amazon Prime account to your Whole Foods Credit Card in order to earn the maximum rewards rate of 5 points per $1 spent on Whole Foods and Amazon purchases. Prime membership is not included with the card.

Other Things To Consider about the Whole Foods Credit Card

Ultimate Rewards Redemption Options

In addition to paying with points on Amazon.com, you can also redeem your rewards for cash back or travel accommodations booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards (Chase issues the Whole Foods Card). This makes the card even more versatile.

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.

Whole Foods Credit Card FAQ(1 question)

What's the best Whole Foods credit card?

Upvotes

Bogdan Roberts, Credit Cards Moderator

The best Whole Foods credit card is the Whole Foods version of the Amazon.com Credit Card. Amazon owns Whole Foods, and the card rewards you with 3 points per $1 spent on all purchases for the first 3 months up to $1,500, after that 3 points per $1 spent at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases, 2 points per $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants and on local transit and commuting, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. This card requires good credit or better for approval and has a $0 annual fee.

You don't necessarily have to get a card with rewards specific to Whole Foods in order to save on purchases you make there, however. Lots of other credit cards offer bonus rewards on groceries, allowing you to earn at a high rate when shopping at Whole Foods and elsewhere.

Best Whole Foods Credit Cards

Best Overall: Amazon.com Credit CardAmazon.com Credit CardLearn MoreLearn More

Initial Bonus: $60 Amazon.com gift card upon approval ($150 for Prime members)

Ongoing Rewards: 3 points per $1 spent on all purchases for the first 3 months up to $1,500, after that 3 points per $1 spent at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases, 2 points per $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants and on local transit and commuting, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Annual Fee: $0

Min. Credit Required: Good credit

Rates & FeesTerms ApplyHigh Rewards Rate: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American ExpressBlue Cash Preferred® Card from American ExpressLearn MoreLearn Moreon issuer's website

Initial Bonus: $250 statement credit for spending $3,000 in the first 6 months

Ongoing Rewards: 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 spent per year), 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back at U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% back on all other purchases, earned as statement credits

Annual Fee: $0 intro 1st yr, $95 after

Min. Credit Required: Good credit

No Annual Fee: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit CardCapital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit CardLearn MoreLearn More

Initial Bonus: $200 for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

Ongoing Rewards: 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery store purchases, along with 1% back on all other purchases (except for 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 10% back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats)

Annual Fee: $0

Min. Credit Required: Good credit

Excellent Credit: U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® CardU.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® CardLearn MoreLearn More

Initial Bonus: 50,000 points for spending $2,000 in the first 120 days

Ongoing Rewards: 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center, 4 points per $1 spent on travel, 4 points per $1 at gas stations, 2 points per $1 at grocery stores, 2 points per $1 on dining, grocery delivery and streaming services, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases

Annual Fee: $0 intro 1st yr, $95 after

Min. Credit Required: Excellent credit

Limited Credit: Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit CardCapital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit CardLearn MoreLearn More

Ongoing Rewards: 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, as well as 1.5% cash back on all other purchases

Annual Fee: $39

Min. Credit Required: Limited History credit

If you truly want the most bang for your buck, Blue Cash Preferred offers the highest earning rate on groceries. But the Amazon.com Credit Card is also a good option and has no spending limits for the 5 points / $1 it offers on Whole Foods purchases if you have an eligible Prime membership.

View more answers

Was this article helpful?

Disclaimer: Editorial and user-generated content is not provided or commissioned by financial institutions. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and have not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution, including those that are WalletHub advertising partners. Our content is intended for informational purposes only, and we encourage everyone to respect our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.

Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.