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Amazon credit card review: Cash-back savings for non-Prime members

Amazon visa review·Yahoo Personal Finance
Kendall Little
·Senior Writer, Credit Cards
Updated 10 min read

The Amazon credit card is the online retailer's cash-back credit card for shoppers who aren’t Prime members.

If you don’t have a Prime membership, you can use this card to earn 3% cash back on every purchase you make from Amazon.com, as well as groceries you order from Amazon Fresh or pick up from Whole Foods Markets.

Here’s what to know about this card, how it differs from the Prime Visa, and whether it could be a good fit for you.

  • Annual fee: $0

  • Welcome offer: Get a $50 Amazon gift card instantly after approval

  • Rewards:

    • 3% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market

    • 3% cash back on Chase Travel purchases

    • 2% cash back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting

    • 1% cash back on all other purchases

  • More details: This card does not require an Amazon Prime membership, and you may get an instant approval decision after submitting your application online. Added benefits include travel and purchase protections and no foreign transaction fees.

This card has a variable APR of 19.49%–27.49%. You’ll incur interest at this rate if you don’t pay your full balance by the due date.

There’s no annual fee to own this card.

Unlike with the Prime Visa, you don’t need to be an Amazon Prime member. But this card will not get you the benefits of Prime membership. To enjoy Prime features from Amazon and when using your card, you’ll need to subscribe and pay up to $14.99 per month or $139 per year for membership.

Instead of a standard cash welcome bonus, new cardholders get a $50 Amazon gift card instantly after approval — without any spending requirement.

There is no introductory 0% APR for the Amazon Visa. Any balance you carry will accrue interest at your assigned ongoing APR.

This cash-back credit card offers rewards ranging from 1% to 3% across Amazon categories and beyond.

  • 3% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market

  • 3% cash back on Chase Travel purchases

  • 2% cash back at gas stations

  • 2% cash back at restaurants

  • 2% cash back on local transit and commuting, including rideshares

  • 1% cash back on all other purchases

While these are solid rewards rates, it can be useful to compare them to Prime Visa’s rewards. Prime members get a boosted 5% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and Chase Travel.

Let’s say you spend $1,500 each year on Amazon.com. In addition to that, maybe Whole Foods isn’t your regular supermarket, but you do shop there to supplement your normal grocery haul, for an annual total of $2,000.

Using the Amazon Visa with 3% cash back on Amazon spending, you’ll get $105 back annually on these purchases. If you had Prime membership and the Prime Visa instead, you’d get $125.

In this example, those rewards alone may not be enough to justify the cost of Prime membership, making the Amazon Visa a better option. But it can pay to calculate your own spending with these brands to decide which is best for you.

You’ll earn rewards when you make a purchase with your Amazon credit card, and get bonus rewards when you spend in eligible categories.

There are some purchases excluded from the 3% bonus rewards, such as Amazon Pay, international Amazon sites, and more. You can find out more about potentially ineligible Amazon.com or Whole Foods purchases on Amazon’s site.

Like many credit cards, non-purchase transactions are also not eligible to earn any rewards. This includes balance transfers, cash advances, and fees — as well as purchases you return, lottery and betting transactions, and fraudulent spending.

If you’re considering this card because you’re a frequent Amazon shopper, you’ll probably get the best use of your cash back by using it toward future Amazon purchases. Cash rewards are available through your linked Amazon account when you go to check out, and you can use them to make your full purchase or cover a part of the cost.

You can also redeem for cash in the form of statement credits, a deposit into your bank account, gift card purchases, or booking travel through Chase.

As a cash-back card with no annual fee, the Amazon Visa doesn’t offer the broadest range of added perks, but it does offer a few travel and purchase protections.

These include baggage delay and travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and auto rental collision damage waiver. They also include purchase protection against damage or theft and extended warranty protection on eligible purchases. Just remember, these protections only apply when you book travel or make a purchase with your Amazon Visa card.

If you plan to use your card when you travel, you can also enjoy no foreign transaction fees.

The Amazon Visa credit card is a good option for shoppers who want to earn cash back on their everyday spending, especially since it has no annual fee.

However, many consumers may find better value in a more general cash-back credit card or the Prime Visa.

If you don’t shop with Amazon enough to justify a Prime membership, you likely won’t get the best potential value from a card with the highest rewards rates on Amazon spending. There are plenty of no annual fee cash-back cards with bonus rewards up to 5% in everyday categories, as well as flat cash-back credit cards with as much as 2% back on everything you buy.

But if you often shop with Amazon often, it may be worth the price of Prime membership to get the Prime Visa instead. You’ll get an added 2% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and Chase Travel spending, for a total 5% cash back.

For the added cash back to make up the $139 annual membership cost, you would need to spend about $7,000 each year. While that’s a considerable sum, it could make sense if you have a family and focus your regular groceries, household items, and more within the 5% categories.

Another person this card could make sense for is the loyal Whole Foods shopper. If Whole Foods is your preferred supermarket, but you don’t usually shop on Amazon.com — and therefore have little use for a Prime membership — this card could be a great way to guarantee 3% back on your grocery spending. That’s in line with many other top no-fee cash-back cards with grocery rewards today.

Before applying, compare your regular spending (including any money you spend with Amazon) to what you may earn with this card.

  • No annual fee: The Amazon Visa has no annual fee — and because it also doesn’t require Prime membership, you won’t pay anything to open and use this credit card.

  • Everyday rewards: While the 3% Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market bonus categories can potentially include groceries and essential purchases, this card offers even more back on your regular spending. The added 2% cash back at gas stations, restaurants, and on transit and commuting can go a long way toward adding to your rewards balance over time.

  • Lower rewards than Prime Visa: You may get more value from Prime Visa if you’re a regular Amazon shopper. Make sure you do the math to decide if a Prime membership cost is worth the boosted 5% return you’ll get on your Amazon and Whole Foods Market spending before applying to either card.

  • Few added benefits: Even among cash-back cards, there’s not a lot of added annual value beyond cash rewards. If you’re looking for added benefits, consider a more general cash-back credit card option or a rewards credit card.

This Amazon credit card is a Visa card. Unlike some store cards, you can use it to make purchases anywhere Visa is accepted — which includes more than 130 million merchants in over 200 countries across the globe.

Though it's co-branded with Amazon, Chase is the Amazon Visa card issuer. You can access your account and make payments using one of the following options from Chase.

  • Online: Log into your mobile app or online account to make a one-time payment or set up automatic payments.

  • Phone: Chase’s automated phone service line is 1-800-436-7958.

  • Mail: Send a check or money order to the following address with your card number on the memo line.

Cardmember Services

P.O. Box 6294

Carol Stream, IL 60197-6294

  • You can also make card payments at Chase ATM or branch locations.

Here are your options for contacting Chase with any questions or issues with your card:

  • You can send messages to Chase about your account when you sign in online and use the Secure Message Center. Answers are also available anytime through Chase’s credit card FAQ page.

  • Phone number: 1-800-432-3117

  • Chase login page

The following cards are more general cash-back credit card options that can still help you save on everyday spending. Like the Amazon Visa, they charge no annual fee — but may have some increased rewards or annual benefits you prefer:

Why we like it: Blue Cash Everyday is a no annual fee cash-back card with a broad range of rewards categories — and you can even save when you shop with Amazon.com. You’ll earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on U.S. online retail purchases, and at U.S. gas stations (up to the first $6,000 spent in each category per year, then 1%). Also, get 1% back on everything else (see rates and fees, terms apply).

For more value in your first year, you can both take advantage of the card’s 0% APR on new purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening (19.24% to 29.99% variable APR after that), and get a welcome offer worth $200 after you spend $2,000 within the first six months.

Why we like it: Capital One Quicksilver is a flat cash-back credit card that’s great for simplifying your rewards. It has no annual fee and a $200 cash welcome bonus after spending $500 within the first three months. For rewards, you’ll get 1.5% cash back on every purchase — with a boosted 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. If you have existing debt or plan to make an large, upcoming purchase, you may also want to use the card’s 0% APR on new purchases and balance transfers.

Why we like it: Chase Freedom Unlimited is another no annual fee cash-back option from Chase that offers plenty of rewards in regular spending categories, as well as some added benefits. For no annual fee, you’ll earn 5% cash back on Chase Travel spending, 3% cash back at drugstores, 3% cash back at restaurants, and 1.5% cash back on everything else.

There’s also a nontraditional welcome offer that extends throughout your first year. Earn an extra 1.5% cash back on up to the first $20,000 spent over the first year, up to an additional $300 back. Finally, you can use the card’s 0% intro APR on new purchases and balance transfers to pay down debt or pay off a large purchase over time.

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers.