With Amazon Prime Day quickly approaching, you may be looking for the best credit card to use for your purchases on those big shopping days.
Here, CNBC Select explains a new option worth considering that offers up to 4% cash back on your Amazon purchases. If you won't be participating in Prime Day because you don't have an Amazon Prime membership, this card may still be a worthy option for purchases on the occasions you do shop at Amazon as we'll explain below.
How to get 4% cash rewards on Amazon
The recently released no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Attune℠ World Elite Mastercard® has several bonus categories that offer an unlimited 4% cash rewards with one of them being "Select Sports, Recreation, and Entertainment." As a part of that category, Attune cardholders earn 4% cash rewards at bookstores.
And isn't it convenient that the biggest bookstore is Amazon.com? Of course, Amazon sells much more than books, but based on the CNBC Select team's experiences and online reports, Mastercard codes purchases from Amazon.com and Amazon Marketplace (orders sold by third-party sellers) as a bookstore, which will qualify your spending on the Attune card to receive 4% back.
Wells Fargo Attune℠ World Elite Mastercard®
Rewards
Earn 4% cash rewards on fitness and wellness; 4% cash rewards on select sports, recreation, and entertainment (including live shows and sporting events); 4% cash rewards on gardening and floral stores, as well as pet supplies, boarding and grooming; 4% cash rewards on public transit, EV charging stations, and select thrift stores. Plus earn 1% cash rewards on other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn $100 in cash rewards when you spend $500 in qualifying purchases during the first 3 months after account opening.
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% on purchases for the first 12 months after account opening
Regular APR
18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable based on your creditworthiness
Balance transfer fee
Introductory fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater, for 120 days from account opening. After that, up to 5% for each balance transfer, with a minimum of $5.
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction converted to U.S. dollars
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Terms apply
Pros
- Earns bonus rewards in categories not typically seen in rewards cards
- No annual fee
- Introductory APR on purchases
Cons
- Foreign transaction fee
- No introductory APR on balance transfers
It gets better — if you have a Wells Fargo travel card like the $95-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card or the no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph® Card, you may be able to convert your cash rewards from the Attune into transferable travel points, potentially increasing the value of your rewards. So, you can effectively earn 4X travel rewards points on Amazon purchases year-round, which is unmatched.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card offers generous rewards on travel and dining purchases, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.
- Excellent rewards rate for hotel, airfare and travel
- Strong welcome bonus
- Access to all of the Wells Fargo transfer partners including Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and Virgin Red
- Easy-to-use airline credit; Built-in cell phone protection
- Fewer transfer partners than comparable programs
- No intro APR offer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Select Learn More to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that's $600 toward your next trip.
- Earn unlimited 5X points with hotels, 4X points with airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases.
- $95 annual fee.
- Book your travel with the Autograph Journey Card and enjoy Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Baggage Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
- Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
- Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Foreign transaction fee
None
The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card offers generous bonus spending categories and lets you transfer points to airline and hotel partners, which is rare for a credit card with no annual fee.
- Access to all of the Wells Fargo transfer partners including Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and Virgin Red
- No annual fee
- Excellent bonus spending categories
- Intro-APR for purchases
- No travel credits or other valuable travel perks
- Lacks key travel protections such as trip delay reimbursement and trip cancellation/interruption coverage
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.
- Earn unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up - like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
- $0 annual fee.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Redeem your rewards points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits. Or shop at millions of online stores and redeem your rewards when you check out with PayPal.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
Balance transfer fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Foreign transaction fee
None
What are merchant category codes?
Every business that accepts credit cards has a merchant category code, a four-digit number that the credit card issuers use to categorize them. As a consumer, knowing how your purchases code on your credit card can help you maximize your benefits and earn the best return possible on your spending.
For instance, many credit cards offer bonus points on groceries but stores like Walmart or Target do not qualify because they are categorized as "superstores" as opposed to grocery stores or supermarkets. So you'd earn more rewards when you shop at those stores using a card that offers a flat 2X points on all spending versus one that offers 4X points on groceries and 1X points on other purchases.
At the time of this writing, Mastercard codes Amazon and Amazon Marketplace purchases as MCC 5942, which is the merchant category code for bookstores. However, the MCC for Amazon purchases with a Mastercard could change at any time. For example, American Express categorizes Amazon purchases as "other."
Certain purchases through Amazon may also code differently with Mastercard. For example. Prime Video is a different category because it's streaming, though the Attune card also earns 4% back on streaming. Purchases from Amazon Fresh may be a different category as well.
If you want to be sure about receiving 4% back, you may want to do a smaller test purchase to see how it codes before you proceed with larger purchases.
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card vs. Wells Fargo Attune Card
For Prime members, 4% back on the Attune card comes in just under the 5% back you can get on your Amazon spending with the Prime Visa (see rates and fees).
The Prime Visa is only available to Amazon Prime members ($139 for an annual membership and $14.99 for a monthly membership) but is very rewarding for Amazon purchases.
- High rate of return at Amazon and Whole Foods
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- Requires an Amazon Prime membership
- If you choose the promo APR you won't earn rewards on those purchases
Rewards
- Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
- 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Both the Attune card and Prime Visa have no annual fees, but the Prime Visa requires a Prime membership ($139 per year) to be eligible.
If you have the basic Amazon Visa without a Prime membership, you would only receive 3% back on Amazon spending versus the 5% return Prime members receive. Meanwhile, anyone can get a 4% return on Amazon spending with the Attune card.
The Wells Fargo Attune World Elite Mastercard gets a nod for offering a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months after account opening (18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter). This can be useful if you want to pay for your Amazon purchases over time without accruing interest.
In addition, rewards on the Prime Visa card are not as flexible as on the Attune card. Prime Visa points cannot be combined or converted to Chase's Ultimate Rewards® points and transferred to travel partners. However, you can pair the Attune card with one of Wells Fargo's Autograph credit cards to make the cash back transferrable to travel partners, which unlocks the ability to get higher-value redemptions from your rewards.
Even though the Attune offers a slightly lower return of 4% vs. 5% on the Prime Visa, the potential to transfer the points and take advantage of benefits like cell phone insurance and an introductory APR may give the Attune the edge for some.
Alternative cards to use for Amazon purchases
If keeping track of bonus categories to maximize returns on your spending isn't appealing to you or your credit needs some work, consider these other options for your Amazon purchases:
- Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card – This is a no-annual-fee card that offers a simple, unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases and it also has a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card – This is a $39 annual fee, cash-back card that offers 1.5% on every purchase. You only need a fair or average credit score to be approved for this card as opposed to the good or great credit score required by many other rewards cards.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is great if you want simplicity thanks to its flat-rate 2% unlimited cash rewards on purchases and $0 annual fee.
- High flat-rate return on purchases
- Intro-APR for purchases and qualifying balance transfers for a year
- No annual fee
- Cell phone protection
- Has a foreign transaction fee
- Limited redemption options unless you pair it with a Wells Fargo card that allows point transfers
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don't expire as long as your account remains open.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card available to those with limited/fair credit, which makes it surprising that it features an elevated 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
- Simple rewards structure with no caps or categories to track
- Available if you have fair credit
- High APR
- Has an annual fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- No rotating categories or limits to how much you can earn, and cash back doesn't expire for the life of the account. It's that simple
- Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Help strengthen your credit for the future with responsible card use
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
- Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
- $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
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