The information related to the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and Amazon Rewards Card has been collected by ValuePenguin and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply to Chase credit card offers. See chase.com for more information.
If you've ever needed to buy motor oil, cat food and an e-book at the same time, you've probably shopped on Amazon.com. And if you frequently order from Amazon—or Amazon's subsidiary supermarket chain, Whole Foods Market—you might be a good candidate for an Amazon credit card.
Amazon shoppers have a number of credit cards to choose from, both from the e-commerce giant itself and from other credit card companies that incentivize spending online and in supermarkets. We've broken down the rewards rates and bonuses below, so you can maximize your money while shopping.
Recommended cards | Best for | Credit needed | Annual fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card | Amazon Prime | Good/Excellent | $0 ($119 Amazon Prime subscription required) | |
| Amazon Rewards Card | Third-Party Amazon Purchases | Good/Excellent | $0 | |
 | Discover it® Cash Back | General Spending | Good/Excellent | $0 | |
 | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Supermarkets | Good/Excellent | $95 () | |
Amazon offers two types of credit cards for customers—a rewards card and a store card—and each type has an Amazon Prime option and a standard option to choose from.
The only meaningful benefit to the Amazon.com Store Card and the Amazon Prime Store Card that you can't already get from their rewards card counterparts is the option for monthly financing. With either of the Amazon store cards, you can finance purchases of a certain amount over a six-, 12- or 24-month repayment plan, with a 0% interest rate. We don't think this benefit is enough to warrant choosing a store card over either of the rewards cards, though.
Instead, if you frequently shop on Amazon.com or at Whole Foods and you're looking to earn cash back on your purchases, you should compare Amazon's rewards cards with the best cash-back credit cards to make your decision.
The Best Amazon Credit Card for Prime Subscribers
Best for people who:
- Are already Amazon Prime members.
- Spend upward of $6,000 per year on Amazon products.
- Spend more than $119 per year on shipping for Prime-eligible products.
- Frequently shop at Whole Foods.
- Live in an Amazon same-day shipping hub.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is the best credit card for Amazon purchases. It has no annual fee (other than the $119 Amazon Prime subscription) and comes with a $70 Amazon.com gift card upon approval. It also offers a significant 5% cash back on purchases at Amazon.com and Whole Foods. Purchases at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores earn you 2% back, and you'll receive 1% back for all other spending.
Great if You're Already a Prime Member
If you already subscribe to Amazon Prime for its other benefits, such as free two-day shipping (or same-day shipping in some areas) and access to the Amazon Prime video-streaming service, adding this card to your wallet is a free way to optimize your spending. Its 2% and 1% cash-back categories aren't bad, but they also don't set it apart from most other rewards cards on the market. The real benefit of the card is the opportunity to earn 5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases.
However, if you don't think you order enough from Amazon to warrant paying for Amazon Prime, we don't think you should sign up for it just to qualify for this Amazon card. There are other good cards with no annual fee and no Prime subscription required, including the Amazon Rewards Card.
The Best Amazon Credit Cards if You Don't Have Prime
Best for people who:
- Don't want Amazon Prime.
- Spend less than $6,000 per year at Amazon.com and Whole Foods.
- Buy a lot of products from Amazon that aren't eligible for Prime shipping.
The Amazon Rewards Card is essentially a light version of the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. All spending categories earn you the same 2% to 1% back that you would get with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, with the exception of purchases on Amazon.com and at Whole Foods, where you'll only receive a 3% credit for your purchases rather than 5%. Also, the Amazon Rewards Card comes with a $50 Amazon gift card upon approval instead of the $70 gift card you'd receive with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card.
Good if You Don't Have Prime
No Amazon Prime subscription is required to qualify for the Amazon Rewards Card, meaning you'll profit from your very first purchase. For example, somebody who spends $4,000 per year at Amazon and Whole Foods would earn $120 back on those purchases with the Amazon Rewards Card, but only $81 with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card once you deduct the cost of Amazon Prime. However, this does not take into account any money you could have saved in waived shipping fees through an Amazon Prime subscription, so figuring out which card is best for you really depends on the total amount you spend and whether the products you regularly order are eligible for Prime shipping. In most cases, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is the better choice.
Not as Good for High Spenders
Once you've spent exactly $5,950 at Amazon and Whole Foods in a year, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card will earn you more going forward, regardless of shipping benefits, because of the higher rate of return.
Other Good Options for Amazon Customers
Although the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card does provide good benefits for frequent Amazon shoppers, it shouldn't be the only one you consider. There are other good cards for online shoppers as well as cards built for people with a big grocery bill.
The Best Cash Back Card for General Spending
Best for people who:
- Do most of their Amazon shopping around the holidays.
- Think they can take advantage of Discover's rotating 5% cash-back categories.
- Want a long-term no-fee credit card to build their credit.
- Want a bigger sign-up bonus this year.
The Discover it® Cash Back is one of our favorite cards for online shopping and spending in general due to its rotating rewards categories and first-year bonus.
The 5% Cash-Back Calendar
Each quarter, the Discover it® Cash Back offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases OR up to quarterly maximum in a new category (activation is required). Any spending outside of that quarter's category earn a modest 1% back.
Here's the 2019 bonus category calendar:
- January–March: Grocery stores
- April–June: Gas stations, Uber and Lyft
- July–September: Restaurants
- October–December: Amazon.com
As you can see, Amazon.com is one of the rotating categories for 5% cash back, and it comes just in time for the holidays. If you're not a heavy spender at Amazon throughout the year and don't want to pay for Amazon Prime, utilizing the Discover it® Cash Back will still allow you to generate cash rewards during the busiest shopping season of the year.
First-Year Bonus
Another thing we love about the Discover it® Cash Back is the bonus available to new cardholders. At the end of your first year, Discover will double the cash back you've earned so far. That means you could be earning as much as 10% back on some purchases throughout your first year.
A Good Long-Term Card
Since the Discover it® Cash Back card comes with no annual fee, it makes for a great backup card to keep in your wallet. You might not always want to take advantage of the current quarterly cash-back category, but if you regularly use it on small purchases throughout the year, it can be a great tool to build your credit score over time.
The Best Card for Supermarkets
If you tend to spend more at Whole Foods than at Amazon, or if you shop at another supermarket altogether, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express might be a great option for you.
Best for people who:
- Spend around $500 per month at supermarkets.
Although the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express comes with a $95 annual fee, we still think it's a great alternative for people who spend a lot at supermarkets, such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
The card doesn't offer any benefits for online shopping, other than the standard 1% cash back it gives to all general purchases, but cardholders will receive an impressive 6% cash back at supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases per year (and 1% thereafter). So if you typically spend $500 per month at supermarkets, you could earn $360 over the course of the year.
You'll also receive 3% cash back at gas stations and a $200 statement credit after you spend $1,000 within the first three months of account opening.
If you have hungry kids at home or you love to entertain, we think having the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express in your wallet is a great choice—even if you decide to sign up for one of the cards above as well.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please click .
Frequently Asked Questions
We think the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is a good deal if you frequently shop at Amazon.com and Whole Foods and you already subscribe to Amazon Prime. Since there are other good cash-back cards available, we don't think it's worth signing up for Prime just for this card, unless you want to take advantage of Prime's other benefits, such as its video-streaming service.
It shouldn't be especially difficult to qualify for any of Amazon's credit cards, provided you have the necessary memberships, if applicable. Generally, people with good or excellent credit scores should be approved.
Yes, the Amazon Prime Store Card is a credit card issued by Synchrony Bank. However, the card has no network affiliations outside of Amazon.com purchases, so its use is limited. On the other hand, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and the Amazon Rewards Card are issued by Chase and can be used anywhere Visa cards are accepted.
There are four Amazon-branded credit cards available for individual use, but the best card Amazon offers is the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card.
Compare How the Cards Perform for You
Our credit card comparison tool allows you to see how each card performs for your unique spending habits. Enter the amounts you typically spend each month to see your potential earnings over a two-year period. Note that your personal rewards might differ if you're able to take advantage of certain offers, such as rotating categories for higher cash back.
