The best credit card for people who love shopping on Amazon

Subscribe to the Select Newsletter!

Our best selections in your inbox. Shopping recommendations that help upgrade your life, delivered weekly. Sign-up here.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

• Rewards

  5% cash back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; 1% back on all other purchases

• Welcome bonus

  $200 Amazon.com gift card upon approval

• Annual fee

  $0 (but Prime membership is required)

• Intro APR

  None

• Regular APR

  18.49% to 26.49% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  5%, $5 minimum

• Foreign transaction fee

  None

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

See our methodology, terms apply.

Pros

• No annual fee
• $100 Amazon.com gift card upon approval, with no spending requirements
• 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market
• No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.

Cons

• Prime membership is required
• The 5% back on groceries only applies to groceries bought on Amazon.com or at Whole Foods Market

• Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $590
• Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $2,352

Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus

View More

Who’s this for? The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, offered through Chase, rewards users with the highest unlimited cash-back rate of the Amazon branded credit cards Select analyzed. For all purchases made by Prime members at Amazon and Whole Foods, you get a robust 5% cash back. That’s one of the key reasons this card was our No. 1 pick overall for online shopping.

In addition to the generous 5% cash back at those two retailers, the card offers users 2% back on purchases made at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores. All other purchases earn 1% cash back.

If you’re debating whether an Amazon Prime membership is worth the money, this card could help you decide: As a welcome bonus, cardholders can get a $100 Amazon.com gift card that offsets the $139 annual membership your first year.

Amazon Prime membership gives you access to a number of perks, including free two-day shipping, access to Prime Video and exclusive discounts at Whole Foods.

That said, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card doesn’t have the most competitive welcome bonus, and you can do better than 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores with other rewards cards if those are big spending areas for you.

*First year rewards total incorporates the points earned from the welcome bonus. When we calculated the returns for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, we assumed the cardholder would do 75% of their grocery shopping at Whole Foods Market; 25% of their clothing and housekeeping supplies shopping at Amazon. You may earn a higher or lower return depending on your spending habits.

Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card

Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card

• Rewards

  3% cash back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; 1% back on all other purchases

• Welcome bonus

  $50 Amazon.com gift card upon approval

• Annual fee

  $0

• Intro APR

  None

• Regular APR

  15.74% to 23.74% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  5%, $5 minimum

• Foreign transaction fee

  None

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

See our methodology, terms apply.

Pros

• No annual fee
• No Prime membership required
• $50 Amazon gift card upon approval, with no spending requirements
• 3% back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market
• No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.

Cons

• The 3% back on groceries only applies to groceries bought on Amazon or at Whole Foods Market

• Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $399
• Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $1,835

Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus

View More

Who’s this for? If you don’t have an Amazon Prime membership but still frequently use the website to shop, another option is the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card. This credit card does not require a Prime membership and still offers 3% back at Amazon and Whole Foods, along with the 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores.

New cardholders get a $50 Amazon gift card once their application is approved. Cardholders can also benefit from no foreign transaction fees and select travel benefits, such as travel accident insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver and lost luggage reimbursement.

If you later decide to become a Prime member, you’ll be upgraded to the Prime version of this card.

*First year rewards total incorporates the points earned from the welcome bonus. When we calculated the returns for the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, we assumed the cardholder would do 75% of their grocery shopping at Whole Foods Market; 25% of their clothing and housekeeping supplies shopping at Amazon. You may earn a higher or lower return depending on your spending habits.

Amazon Store Card

Amazon Store Card

Learn More

On Amazon’s secure site

• Rewards

  None

• Welcome bonus

  $10 Amazon.com gift card upon approval

• Annual fee

  $0

• Intro APR

  Pay no interest on all Amazon purchases of $150 or more if the entire purchase amount is paid in full within 6, 12 or 24 months

• Regular APR

  27.49% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  Not applicable

• Foreign transaction fee

  Not applicable

See our methodology, terms apply.

Pros

• No annual fee
• $10 Amazon.com gift card upon approval, with no spending requirements
• Various promotional financing offers

Cons

• Deferred interest means you have to pay all interest you incurred during the intro period if you don’t pay your balance in full before it ends
• No rewards program
• This card can only be used at Amazon
• High APR

Learn More

View More

Who’s this for? If you’re not a Prime member but still looking to make a big purchase on Amazon, the Amazon.com Store Card, offered through Synchrony, gives you access to interest-free financing for 6, 12 or 24 months.

Special financing

• Pay no interest on Amazon.com purchases of $150 or more if the entire purchase amount is paid in full within 6 months.
• Pay no interest on Amazon.com purchases of $600 or more if the entire purchase amount is paid in full within 12 months.
• Pay no interest on select Amazon.com purchases of $800 or more if the entire purchase amount is paid in full within 24 months.

Equal monthly payments

• Make equal monthly payments for 6 months on Amazon.com purchases of $150 or more and pay no interest.
• Make equal monthly payments for 12 months on Amazon.com purchases of $600 or more and pay no interest.
• Make equal monthly payments for 24 months on select Amazon.com purchases and pay no interest.

During the special financing period, you’re still required to make at least the minimum monthly payment. In order to get the full benefit, you need to pay off the entire balance before the intro period ends, or else you’ll incur all the interest you accrued during the 6-, 12- or 24-month period (known as deferred interest). Once the intro period ends, there’s a high 27.49% variable APR.

There are not any cash-back rewards for spending, but you can get a $10 Amazon gift card once you are approved for a credit card.

Amazon Prime Store Card

Amazon Prime Store Card

Learn More

On Amazon’s secure site

• Rewards

  5% back on Amazon.com

• Welcome bonus

  None

• Annual fee

  $0

• Intro APR

  Pay no interest on all Amazon purchases of $150 or more if the entire purchase amount is paid in full within 6, 12 or 24 months

• Regular APR

  27.49% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  Not applicable

• Foreign transaction fee

  Not applicable

See our methodology, terms apply.

Pros

• No annual fee
• High 5% back at Amazon.com
• Various promotional financing offers

Cons

• Deferred interest means you have to pay all interest you incurred during the intro period if you don’t pay your balance in full before it ends
• Prime membership is required
• The 5% back only applies to Amazon.com purchases
• This card can only be used at Amazon

Learn More

View More

Who’s this for? The Amazon Prime Store Card, available to those with a Prime membership, has the same promotional financing offers as the Amazon Store Card above, as well as cash-back rewards.

With this card, you can earn 5% back on Amazon.com purchases but, unlike with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, you do not earn cash back at Whole Foods, restaurants, gas stations, drugstores or any other purchase.

Cardholders have to choose between earning 5% back or using a promotional financing period. For example, if you purchase a 65-inch flat screen TV for $900, you’re eligible for a financing plan in which you would not pay interest for two years. But if you take advantage of the financing, you wouldn’t receive the 5% cash-back reward (worth $45) on that $900 purchase.

Learn more:

• Costco vs Amazon: Which credit card is the best for your wallet?
• Here are the best credit cards for free shipping that can deliver purchases in as fast as two days

Our methodology

To determine which Amazon card will put the most money back in your pocket, Select compared the four Amazon cards on a range of features, including cash-back rewards, annual fee, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available.

Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company’s data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri’s data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee.

It’s important to note the value of a point or mile varies from card to card and based on how you redeem them. When we calculated the estimated returns, we assumed that cardholders are redeeming cash back for a typical maximum value of 1 cent per point or mile. (Extreme optimizers might be able to achieve more value.)

Our final picks are weighted heavily toward the highest five-year returns, since it’s generally wise to hold onto a credit card for years. This method also avoids giving an unfair advantage to cards with large welcome bonuses.

While the five-year estimates we’ve included are derived from a budget similar to the average American’s spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your shopping habits.

Don’t miss:

• The shopper’s guide to Amazon Prime: Benefits, prices, plans
• Amazon vs. Walmart: Which retailer offers the best credit card?
• Costco vs. Amazon: Which credit card is the best for your wallet?

Information about the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, Amazon Store Card, Amazon Prime Store Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication; if you purchase something through Select links, we may earn a commission.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.