Amazon Prime Rewards Review: Perhaps the Ultimate Store Card – NerdWallet

Drawbacks and considerations

The value is mostly at Amazon and Whole Foods

Unless you’re doing a significant amount of shopping through Amazon or at Whole Foods, it doesn’t make sense to apply for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. For starters, Amazon isn’t always the cheapest option — especially when you factor in the cost of a Prime membership — and Whole Foods didn’t earn the nickname “Whole Paycheck” for carrying budget-minded fare. If you aren’t into membership fees and you’re looking for low prices, consider applying for a different co-branded credit card from a different ubiquitous retail behemoth: namely, the Capital One® Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard®. The card offers similarly generous rewards for shopping under the Walmart umbrella: 5% back on purchases at Walmart.com; 2% back on in-store purchases at Walmart (including at Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations), as well as on travel and restaurant expenses; and 1% back on all other purchases. And like Amazon, Walmart also carries just about any item you can think of. The difference? No annual membership fee is required to hold the card.

The ‘everything else’ rate is lackluster

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card offers elevated rewards in several categories — but not on every purchase you make. If you want a simpler option that can reward you well no matter where you buy, a better choice might be the Citi® Double Cash Card. It has the potential to earn a fantastic 2% cash back on all purchases: 1% when you buy, plus another 1% when you pay, with no category tracking or pricey membership required. The annual fee is $0.

And if that card doesn’t make sense for you, check out a list of Nerdwallet’s best rewards credit cards.

N

o

0% intro APR offer

If you’re aiming to finance a big-ticket item or you just want some extra time to pay off an existing balance, there are plenty of cards with enticing introductory interest-free offers. As with most store-branded credit cards, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is not one of them. For a lengthy 0% intro APR period on both balance transfers and purchases, the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is a good choice.