There's a lot to like about the Prime Visa (see rates and fees) credit card.
It has perhaps the easiest-to-earn welcome bonus, since there's no spending requirement — just get approved, and you can start spending the $150 Amazon gift card right away. Plus, it earns 5% back on all your Amazon.com, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Chase Travel purchases.
Those are just the headline benefits. If you peek under the hood, you'll find additional perks that allow you to squeeze even more value out of this no-annual-fee cash back card (although a Prime Membership is required).
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
How to maximize the Amazon Prime Visa
Earn 6% to 10% cash back
The Prime Visa's bonus rewards at Amazon.com make it the most rewarding credit card for Amazon spending. But the value doesn't stop there: In certain instances, you can earn up to 10% back.
At checkout, Prime members can choose to have all their items delivered on the same day (Amazon Day Delivery), rather than as they become available. When you choose this option, you'll receive 6% cash back instead of 5% back.
An additional 1% back may not be worth it depending on the order (and how long it'll take to arrive), but it can add up for more expensive purchases. Also, pay attention to limited-time or targeted offers for additional cash back when you choose no-rush delivery.
You can also earn 10% back or more at Amazon.com on purchases in rotating categories and select items. The Prime card bonuses are only available during limited-time promotional periods, and exclusions apply.
Save with Chase Offers
The Prime Visa is a Chase credit card, and that means it's eligible for Chase Offers.
Chase Offers are card-linked deals you activate online and automatically receive statement credits for eligible purchases. You typically earn either a fixed percentage back (up to a certain amount) or a fixed dollar amount with a minimum purchase.
The cash back you earn with these deals is in addition to the rewards you earn with your Prime Visa or other Chase credit cards. These offers can complement or broaden the range of purchases where using your Prime Visa makes sense.
For example, at the time of writing, a targeted offer to earn $100 back on a $600+ Chase Travel booking is available for select Chase cardholders. If you take advantage of that offer with your Prime Visa, you also earn its 5% cash back on Chase Travel purchases on top of the $100 statement credit.
Don't forget about the protections
Your credit card's travel and shopping insurance benefits are easy to overlook. They don't require enrollment or activation, and it's difficult to peg a value to these perks. But knowing what coverage you have and when it applies can save you bunches in the right circumstances.
The Prime Visa comes with:
- Rental car coverage (secondary for rentals within the U.S.)
- Baggage delay insurance
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Extended warranty protection
- Roadside assistance
- Travel accident insurance
- Travel and emergency assistance
- Purchase protection
This card's shopping protections could outshine its rewards if you ever find yourself in a situation where they apply. The extended warranty coverage adds one additional year to eligible warranties of three years or less, and the purchase protection covers eligible items against damage or theft for up to $500 for 120 days from the date of purchase.
To put this in perspective, you'd need to spend $10,000 at Amazon.com (5% back) to earn cash back equal to one $500 purchase protection claim.
What to do if you don't have a Prime membership
If you don't have (and don't want to pay for) an Amazon Prime membership, you can still get an Amazon Visa.
This non-Prime Amazon credit card has a smaller welcome bonus and earns a reduced 3% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods and Chase Travel. That's a lot of value for someone who doesn't want to pay for a Prime membership.
You could also consider a simple flat-rate credit card that rewards you for every purchase. The Citi Double Cash® Card earns 2% cash back on every purchase (1% back when you buy and 1% back when you pay). That's a solid return without much effort, but it can be even more rewarding because you earn cash back as Citi ThankYou® Points (1 cent in cash back = 1 ThankYou® Point).
You can transfer ThankYou® Points to a long list of airline and hotel loyalty programs, which gives you the opportunity to receive outsized value by booking expensive flights or rooms with points.
The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee cash-back cards thanks to its straightforward rewards structure.
- Balance transfers get a long intro APR
- Generous flat-rate cash-back rewards structure
- No annual fee
- Travelers face a foreign transaction fee
- Intro APR only applies to balance tranfer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Foreign transaction fee
3%
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