Which Amazon credit card is right for you?

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One of the best ways to maximize your Amazon purchases is with an Amazon credit card.

If you're looking for a rewards card, for example, the Prime Visa (see rates and fees) offers an incredible return of 5% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market.

Have a side hustle or small business? The Amazon Business Card offers rewards on AWS and Amazon Business purchases.

Even if you don't want a co-branded credit card, there are non-Amazon options that are highly rewarding on Amazon purchases.

The Prime Visa, issued by Chase, is available exclusively to Prime members and earns the highest returns of any Amazon-branded credit card. Notably, it earns 5% cash back on all purchases at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods and Chase Travel^SM, as well as 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com.

If you're debating whether an Amazon Prime membership is worth the money, this card could help you decide. As a welcome bonus, you receive a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval, exclusively for Prime members, which covers all of the $139 annual membership fee your first year (and then some).

Amazon Prime membership gets you access to several perks, including free two-day shipping, Prime Video, a free Grubhub+ membership and exclusive discounts at Whole Foods. Plus, only Amazon Prime members will get access to the deep discounts available during the Prime Day sales.

The Prime Visa also earns an above-average return of 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations and on local transit and commuting.

If you don't have an Amazon Prime membership but still frequently shop on the site, another option is the Amazon Visa. This credit card does not require a Prime membership and earns 3% cash back at Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel℠, plus 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and on local transit and commuting.

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

The Amazon Prime Store Card is available to anyone with a Prime membership. Since it's specifically a store card, it can only be used at Amazon-owned stores, including Whole Foods.

The Prime Store Card earns 5% cash back on Amazon.com (including eligible Whole Foods purchases) and features promotional financing options.

Equal monthly payments

• Make equal monthly payments for six months on Amazon.com purchases of $50 to $599.99 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

These are deferred-interest plans, though, so if you don't pay off the balance by the deadline, you'll pay all the interest accrued during the offer period. If you really want a no-interest period, consider a card with a 0% intro APR offer — the interest won't start accruing until the offer expires.

If you're not a Prime member but plan on making a big purchase on Amazon, the Amazon Store Card doesn't offer rewards but it does have the same promotional financing options as the Amazon Prime Store Card.

During the special financing period, you must make at least the minimum monthly payment. 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 six-, 12- or 24-month period.

The Amazon Store Card can only be used on Amazon or Amazon-affiliated purchases. Plus, it doesn't earn any rewards unless you're a Prime member, so consider this card's limitations before applying.

If you don't qualify for the Amazon Prime Store Card or Amazon Store Card, you may be considered for the secured versions: the Amazon Prime Secured Card and Amazon Secured Card.

These cards require an upfront security deposit and can help you rebuild your credit and eventually upgrade to an unsecured card. Both cards have no annual fee, and while the Amazon Secured Card doesn't earn rewards, the Prime Secured Card earns 2% cash back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with a Prime membership.

Having a credit card for your business or side hustle is important for keeping business and personal expenses separate, but there are other benefits.

Both Amazon business cards offer elevated rewards on AWS and Amazon Business purchases, and that's on top of additional cash back on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market purchases. You can also forgo the cash rewards to receive extended payment terms of 30, 60 or 90 days on eligible purchases at 0% APR.

The Prime Visa technically has no annual fee, but you need to pay for a Prime membership. That means you pay $139 a year or $14.99 a month to have this card (unless you qualify for a special discount). That's a steep annual fee for a card that earns cash back rewards and doesn't offer valuable statement credits or other money-saving perks.

The Prime Visa earns 2% more in rewards than the non-Prime Amazon card on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods purchases (5% back compared to 3% back). That means you'd need to spend $6,950 in a year in the 5% back categories to earn $139 more in rewards. Since it takes so much spending on the Prime Visa to justify paying for a Prime membership, an important question to ask yourself is: Is a Prime membership worth it for you?

Think of the Prime Visa as the icing on the cake. If you already save enough on shipping and value other Prime membership perks enough to justify the cost, then the Prime Visa makes sense. There are less costly and more rewarding standalone cards, but the Prime Visa's value lies in adding to a Prime membership you already consider worthwhile.

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