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If you regularly give part of your paycheck to Amazon, you can get some of that money back by paying with the right credit card. And sure, the co-branded Amazon credit cards give shoppers consistently high cash-back rates on Amazon purchases. But other cards can offer more flexibility in terms of when and where you can earn cash back. With some strategizing, even infrequent Amazon shoppers can still get a high rate of 5% back (or more) on Amazon. Here are some of the best credit cards to use at Amazon.
Top cards for Amazon purchases
- Our pick for Amazon Prime subscribers: Prime Visa
- Our pick for regular Amazon shoppers: Amazon Visa
- Our pick for optimizers: U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card
- Our pick for flexibility: Chase Freedom Flex®
- Our pick for simplicity: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
- Our pick for customization: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Prime Visa
Annual fee: $0, but you must be an Amazon Prime member. Membership costs $139 annually but is discounted to $84 per year for eligible EBT and Medicare recipients or $69 per year for students.
Sign-up bonus: Get a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members.
Rewards:
- 5% back on travel booked through Chase.
- 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market.
- 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 1% back on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Amazon: If you’re an Amazon Prime member, chances are you’re placing Amazon orders at a fast clip. The Prime Visa is the best card for the avid Amazon shopper since it gives a generous 5% cash-back rate on Amazon.com. You’ll also earn 5% back at Whole Foods, whether you shop in-store or online at wholefoodsmarket.com, plus 2% back in some other everyday spending categories like restaurants. Rewards come as points that can be redeemed toward eligible Amazon.com purchases, with no minimum redemption required.
» MORE: Full review of the Prime Visa
Amazon Visa
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: For a limited time, get a $60 Amazon gift card and earn 3% back on all purchases, up to $1,500, for three months after account opening.
Rewards:
- 3% back on travel booked through Chase.
- 3% back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market.
- 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 1% back on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Amazon: While this card’s 3% cash-back rate on Amazon orders is lower than the one from the Prime Visa, it’s still competitive compared with other cash-back cards. If you don’t want to pony up for a Prime membership (You can live without same-day shipping, right?) but you’re still a regular Amazon customer, the Amazon Visa may be the best fit.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Shopping for your business? If you have a Prime membership, the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card could be a better fit. There's also the Amazon Business American Express Card, a business card option that doesn't require Prime membership. Unlike the Chase-issued personal Amazon credit cards, these cards are issued by American Express. U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card
Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $250 bonus after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
Rewards:
- 6% cash back on your first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter at two retailers you choose from a list of 24.
- 3% cash back on your first $1,500 in eligible purchases each quarter on your choice of one everyday category from a list of three: wholesale clubs, gas and EV charging stations, or bills and home utilities. (Note: gas purchased at discount stores, supercenters and wholesale clubs doesn't qualify.)
- 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
- 5.5% cash back on prepaid car and hotel reservations booked directly in the Rewards Center.
Full list of 6% merchants
- Ace Hardware.
- Apple.
- Amazon.com.
- Anthropologie.
- Bed, Bath, & Beyond.
- Best Buy.
- Chewy.com.
- Crate & Barrel.
- Disney.
- Home Depot.
- Ikea.
- Kohl's.
- Lowe's.
- Lululemon.
- Macy's.
- Menards.
- Nordstrom.
- Pottery Barn.
- QVC.
- Restoration Hardware.
- Target.
- Walmart.
- Wayfair.com.
- Williams Sonoma.
Why we like it for Amazon:
Cardholders select two retailers from a list of 24, which will earn 6% back on a combined $1,500 of spending for the quarter. Amazon.com happens to be on that list of eligible merchants. That 6% rate tops even Amazon’s own credit cards, which earn either 5% or 3% on Amazon.com purchases.
However, the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card has its limitations, too. First, there's an annual fee — $0 intro for the first year, then $95. Also, cardholders must remember to choose two retailers every three months in order to qualify for the 6% rate. If you forget, you’ll earn just 1.5% back. And while that cash-back rate is excellent, the $1,500 cap on combined quarterly spending means you won’t be able to get more than $90 back from Amazon.com orders per quarter.
Chase Freedom Flex®
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories that change quarterly.
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase.
- 3% cash back on restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Amazon: The Chase Freedom Flex® earns 5% cash back on Amazon purchases, but there’s a catch: you'll only earn that 5% when Amazon is a quarterly bonus category. Usually the card features Amazon as a bonus category at least once per year, but there's no guarantee. While it won't earn 5% at Amazon all the time, it does offer solid permanent rewards on some everyday spending like dining and drugstores. Plus, its flexibility to earn 5% cash back on more categories than just Amazon throughout the year is appealing to many shoppers.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Rewards:
- Unlimited 2% cash back on any purchase.
Why we like it for Amazon: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is an excellent card for purchases from Amazon or anywhere else, for that matter. With no bonus categories to keep track of, earning rewards on your Amazon purchases is as easy as clicking to place your order. Better yet, you’ll earn that same 2% on the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card no matter where you shop throughout the year, with no cap or restrictions.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Rewards:
- 3% cash back in the category of your choice.
- Automatic 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases).
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Why we like it for Amazon: The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card earns 3% cash back in a category of your choosing, so as long as you select “online shopping,” you’ll be rewarded for purchases on Amazon.com plus many other popular retailers such as Walmart.com and Target.com. The card caps bonus rewards after $2,500 of combined spending in the 3% and 2% categories per quarter. After you hit that limit, you’ll earn 1%.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card and Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card for Students currently earn elevated rewards during the first year you have either card. Rather than earning 3% on the category you choose, you'll earn 6% back. After the first year, this reverts back to 3%. (You'll earn these elevated rewards, plus 2% back on groceries and wholesale clubs up to $2,500 in combined spending per quarter.) Information related to the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
