Can You Use Amazon Credit Card Anywhere

Snapshot

4.5

Bankrate rating

Bottom line

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is a must-take for frequent Prime number shoppers and offers impressive reward categories and benefits for a store-branded credit card. Yet, you lot may consider looking elsewhere if you lot favor retail stores outside of Amazon and y'all want a chip more versatility.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

Intro offer

$150 Amazon Gift Card

Regular Apr

14.24% to 22.24% Variable

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Splendid (670 - 850)

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card Overview

The Amazon Prime number Rewards Visa Signature Card is 1 of the best online shopping credit cards due to its high advantage rates on Amazon purchases with no spending caps and Visa Signature benefits. If you lot spend effectually $two,800 (preferably more) at Amazon and Whole Foods, this card volition requite you lot a hearty blindside for your buck. Used to its full potential, yous can easily recoup the cost of your Amazon Prime membership while enjoying other key perks, including surprisingly rich travel and purchase protections.

The biggest drawbacks are the cost of an Amazon Prime membership, being locked into Amazon brands and for your best advantage tiers and a few missing purchase protections—but these are minor nitpicks compared to what many other store cards (don't) offering.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Pros

High earning rate on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases
Upwards to $150 bonus Amazon gift card instantly upon approval
No foreign transaction fees
Rewards tin can exist redeemed at an equal charge per unit toward cash back, travel and Amazon purchases
Carries beefy Chase travel and buy protections plus Visa Signature benefits, including Luxury Hotel Collection perks and concierge services

Cons

Requires an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $139 per year
Simply one Amazon Prime account can be linked to this card
Reward points can't exist transferred to other loyalty programs
Although it's a Hunt credit card, it doesn't take access to the Chase Offers or Chase Ultimate Rewards portals

A deeper await into the current carte offer

Quick highlights

Rewards rate: 5 percent back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Marketplace; two percent back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; 1 pct back on all other purchases
Welcome offer: Up to $150 Amazon gift card upon approval
Annual fee: $0 ($139 Amazon Prime subscription required)
Buy intro APR: N/A
Balance transfer intro April: Northward/A
Regular Apr: xiv.24 pct to 22.24 percent variable

Current sign-up bonus

Yous can currently receive an upward to $150 Amazon gift carte du jour just past being approved for the Prime Rewards Visa carte, which is equal to the menu's highest-value promotion nosotros saw earlier in 2021—and a good step up from the well-nigh recent $100 gift card offer. Even so, it'southward important to note that the value of this gift carte du jour may vary depending on the page yous apply from.

Ahead of Prime Day this by June, the Amazon Prime number Rewards Visa Signature Menu updated its intro offer to a sizable up to $150 Amazon gift carte du jour upon approval. This synced perfectly with the x+ percent additional rewards limited-fourth dimension offering for select products usually seen on Prime Solar day, which could make the lead-in period to Prime Day perhaps the all-time fourth dimension to apply for an Amazon Prime number Rewards Visa card if your application isn't offering the full $150 intro value at the moment.

The $100 promotion wasn't a bad offer by any means—the bonus souvenir menu has previously weighed in at a lower $70—but seeing the much more than competitive upwardly to $150 gift card return makes for a much more enticing hook. The $100 value was below the low end of many sign-up bonuses we typically see, which ordinarily counterbalance in at $150 to $200 with no annual fee cards. All the same, there is no spending requirement for the standard Amazon credit offer (y'all receive the bonus instantly) and many shop cards don't offer a sign-up bonus at all. Every bit far as retail cards go, the bonus is a nice plus since it can cover the $139 yearly cost of Amazon Prime membership for the first yr.

Although it's non a traditional sign-up "bonus," in that location's also an alternate Whole Foods Market card art, which became available for new cardholders starting Jan. 22, 2021. Existing cardholders can besides switch menu designs if they desire to prove off their Whole Foods loyalty.

Rewards charge per unit

Regular Amazon shoppers will have no problem earning a slew of rewards with the Prime carte du jour. With one of the highest-earning rates available for Amazon purchases, you'll only need to spend $ii,780 each year to compensate your Prime membership—or well-nigh $232 per month.

How y'all earn

Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market purchases will earn y'all unlimited 5 percent rewards. Plus, you'll earn 2 percentage at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores, along with i percent back on all other purchases.

Since the 5 per centum category besides applies to Whole Foods Market, this is also one of the all-time grocery rewards rates if yous can do your grocery shopping there.

Amazon and Chase occasionally offer additional ways to earn rewards. Amazon regularly posts express-time "Exclusive Prime cardmember" offers that provide anywhere from 10 to 25 percent back on select items.

How to redeem

Although the reward terms make information technology sound similar yous're earning cash back, you're actually earning points. Yous can redeem your points at a 1:1 value toward cash dorsum, travel, souvenir cards or Amazon purchases upon checkout.

There is no minimum rewards residual to redeem for cash back or for Amazon purchases, but there'southward a disappointingly long list of what yous tin't use points to buy. Many of these items are small purchases that y'all would probably apply points on more than often, such as music, Kindle eBooks and video downloads. Depending on what yous may spend points on, cash back might be the virtually flexible option.

Other cardholder perks

The Amazon Prime Rewards card carries a surprising number of benefits for a retail carte du jour—even Luxury Hotel Collection and concierge service premium travel perks.

Since information technology's a Visa Signature credit card, it comes with a handful of travel and shopping protections that are standard to many rewards cards. Simply fifty-fifty these "standard" Visa benefits outnumber other networks', like Discover.

Travel protections

Considering how low-cal co-branded store cards are on perks, the Amazon Prime Rewards card'due south depth of travel protection coverage is remarkable.

Your card's travel accident insurance (coverage upward to $500,000), lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger) and baggage delay insurance (reimburses up to $100 per day for iii days) exercise a petty to smooth the rough edges of airport travel. Or, if you're on the route, the automobile rental collision harm waiver and roadside dispatch service can exist a big help in a pinch.

Purchase and extended warranty protections

These two buy protection benefits provide some peace of mind when you come up across a proficient deal, just yous're worried about iffy merchants or shipping damage. The extended warranty protection increases eligible warranties (three years or less) past a whole year. Meanwhile, your purchase protection covers new purchases against damage or theft upward to $500 per merits ($50,000 per account).

As an online shopping menu with Visa Signature benefits, it's surprising that the Amazon Prime number Rewards card doesn't come with price and return protection besides. It's a bit disappointing that you can't get your money back if a sketchy seller doesn't offer returns, but render protection is a rarer perk nowadays.

Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection and Concierge Service

The Visa Signature level of the Luxury Hotel Drove grants cardholders 7 "VIP Guest status" amenities, including automatic room upgrades when available and other complimentary privileges.

When you demand to relieve time planning your travel or fifty-fifty at dwelling house, the costless Visa Signature Concierge Service is similar a 24-hr personal assistant that can book reservations, tickets and more.

How much are the rewards worth?

Each signal is worth ane cent. You can maximize your cash back on Amazon past taking reward of the site'southward "subscribe and save deals" and other retailers' Amazon gift carte du jour promotions for actress discounts and rewards.

Rates and fees

The rates and fees for the Amazon Prime number Rewards card are standard, but the "no almanac fee" comes with an important footnote. Y'all must have an Amazon Prime membership to get the menu, which is currently $fourteen.99 per month or $139 each year (if you opt to pay for a whole year at once).

Amazon's Feb. eighteen, 2022, Prime number yearly membership price increase from $119 (previously $12.99 if you pay monthly) may make the extra $400 you lot need to spend each yr (breaking down to well-nigh $34 more per month) at Amazon or Whole Foods to recoup your membership cost a little tougher, but leaning on your other categories can help fill the gap.

Amazon comes with a range of valuable benefits, but the cost of Amazon Prime just for this card might non be worth information technology for shoppers that don't regularly shop at Amazon or won't take advantage of other Amazon services similar Prime Video. Information technology takes spending at least $232 each month beyond Amazon.com and Whole Foods to break fifty-fifty on a Prime membership, or nearly $580 per month across your two percent categories, so the no-annual-fee Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card might be a more reasonable alternative if you don't spend a proficient deal more than that. The standard Amazon Rewards Visa card doesn't crave a Prime subscription but carries a slightly lower rewards rate in substitution.

Other than offsetting Amazon Prime number, the only other potential rates to exist aware of mainly are the ongoing interest and foreign transaction fees. Fortunately, the fourteen.24 percentage to 22.24 percent variable APR can be well beneath the 22 pct average for co-branded retail cards (according to a CreditCards.com survey), and tin can even be lower than the current average credit carte interest charge per unit. What's more, at that place are no foreign transaction fees to worry about if you frequently travel.

Bankrate staff experience

Several members of the Bankrate staff love the Amazon Prime Rewards card and dedicate a regular slot in their wallet to it. I of our editors, Nouri Zarrugh, enjoys the versatility Amazon.com online shopping rewards adds to his credit carte rotation:

The Amazon Prime Rewards card has given a overnice boost to my cash dorsum strategy. Because the diverseness of items available on Amazon, this card gets you lot v per centum dorsum on almost anything you lot can think of—from streaming subscriptions via Amazon Channels to grocery deliveries via Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods to tools and home appurtenances—making this easily one of the nearly versatile cards in my wallet.

— Nouri Zarrugh, Credit Bill of fare Reviews Editor at Bankrate

How the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature compares to other rewards cards

Although they may not be as rewarding for shopping on Amazon.com as the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa signature is, enough of other cards are designed to reward online shopping beyond this one retailer. However, many of these alternatives are limited past quarterly categories, bonus category spending caps and limited-time offers, such as the Chase Liberty Flex℠ carte and the Blue Cash Preferred® Bill of fare from American Express.

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card vs. the Upper-case letter One® Walmart Rewards® Card

Ultimately, whether the Amazon Prime Rewards card or the Capital One® Walmart Rewards® Card is the amend option depends on which retailer you lot shop with online more. They take comparable advantage programs, except the Amazon bill of fare offers ii percent rewards at drugstores while the Walmart card offers 2 pct greenbacks back on travel. While the Walmart card'south travel category would likely accept more than rewards potential, its gas category merely covers Walmart and White potato USA gas stations while the Amazon card's gas category is much more flexible.

You may be able to get more kickoff-year value from the Walmart carte since its 12-month 5 percent cash back charge per unit on in-store purchases when using Walmart Pay only takes spending over $3,000 that yr to eclipse the Amazon carte du jour's up to $150 bonus gift card. Nevertheless, factors like richer benefits, a lower ongoing April (the Walmart rewards card poses a 17.99 percent to 26.99 percentage variable rate) and a more pop online shopping platform could brand the Amazon Prime number Rewards card a slightly ameliorate option overall.

The Amazon Prime number Rewards Visa Signature Card vs. the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit menu

If you're a big online shopper simply you want as much rewards flexibility as you tin get month-to-month, the Bank of America® Customized Greenbacks Rewards credit carte is one of the most versatile cash back cards on the marketplace. Granted, its online shopping category rewards rate is 3 percent rather than 5 percent, but y'all can swap out your iii percent category each calendar month for v other choices that include dining, gas, travel and other everyday expenses. Y'all'll likewise benefit from fixed 2 percent cash back categories that cover grocery stores and wholesale clubs. More than interestingly, Banking concern of America's online shopping category is one of the most comprehensive bachelor, covering major retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart.com on meridian of a myriad of retailers and specialty sites like Etsy.com.

The downside is that the Bank of America Customized Cash carte's 3 percent and two percent bonus categories share a $two,500 quarterly spending limit, which volition drop all your spending to i percent cash dorsum if y'all exceed it. The Depository financial institution of America menu's better $200 cash rewards bonus (after spending $i,000 on purchases within the first 90 days), 15-billing bike 0% intro Apr on purchases and residue transfers (transfers within the first 60 days incur a standard 3 percent fee; $x minimum) and 14.24 per centum to 24.24 percent variable Apr may offset this hurdle, but the Amazon Prime card offers unlimited rewards. Information technology'due south worth noting that, aside from rewards, the Prime number carte also has meatier benefits.

Although the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature could be more than rewarding if nearly of your online shopping is through Amazon, the better-rounded Bank of America Customized Cash carte du jour could be a more valuable day-to-day option if your online spending is varied enough that yous can't justify a Prime membership.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

4.five

Intro offer

$150 Amazon Souvenir Menu

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent(670 - 850)

Capital 1 Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®

Recommended credit

Fair to Expert(580 - 740)

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit carte

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent(670 - 850)

Best cards to pair with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature

Since the Amazon Prime Rewards menu is focused on rewarding Amazon purchases, other full general-purpose cash back credit cards are great partners for broader rewards. Flat-rate cards like the Citi® Double Cash Menu are solid picks to earn cash back on every purchase y'all make.

The Bank of America Customized Greenbacks card may provide a more consistent base than rotating categories for this pairing strategy since its online shopping category is one of the most robust available (its scope includes specialty sites like Etsy on pinnacle of major retailers like Amazon.com) and can exist swapped in each calendar month for expected expenses.

Bankrate insight

When considering skillful pairing partners, information technology'south worth noting that some card-linked offer programs like Amex Offers occasionally provide limited-time discounts, or fifty-fifty a college rewards rate, on Amazon.com purchases.

Bankrate's Take: Is the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature worth information technology?

The Amazon Prime Rewards card is undoubtedly worth information technology if you frequently club from Amazon—specially if you spend over $2,780 each year on the site or spend big on Amazon Prime Day or during the holidays. (Note, business owners may save even more than with the Amazon Business Prime American Express Credit Card's extra reward categories.)

With the Prime number Rewards carte, y'all can easily reimburse your Prime membership, better protect your purchases and utilize a few travel perks to kicking. The unlimited five pct rewards hands outperform other credit cards' online shopping categories.

On the flip side, a full general-purpose rewards card may earn yous more if you prefer higher rewards rates on more variable bonus categories or other online retailers. Notwithstanding, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature offers amend rates and more versatile rewards than many store cards.

All data almost the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, Capital Ane® Walmart Rewards® Card, and Amazon Business Prime American Express Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or canonical by the issuer.

Oft Asked Questions