Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
As you load your cart in celebration of Amazon’s annual Prime Day event this July 11-12, make sure you’re maximizing your purchases by paying with a credit card that earns rewards on top of your killer savings.
However, determining which card is right for you for Amazon purchases requires looking beyond just points-earning rates and considering other factors, such as rewards currencies, purchase protection and extended warranties. In some cases, you might even want to consider different cards depending on the specific purchase. Additionally, your best option may vary based on whether you’re a Prime member and what other cards you already carry.
And even if you don’t actually use a participating card, you may be eligible for a discount of up to 50% on your purchase by applying just 1 American Express or Chase point to your purchase.
With all those things in mind, here’s a look at the best credit cards to use when shopping at Amazon.
Best credit cards for Amazon purchases
The information for the Prime Visa and Discover it Cash Back card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Prime Visa
At first glance, Amazon’s own Prime Visa appears to be the most exciting option — and for most people, it probably is. The Prime member-exclusive card, which should not be mistaken for the basic Amazon Rewards Visa Signature, does not charge an annual fee (though you do need to pay for Prime membership, obviously).
It offers an impressive 5% cash back on all Amazon and Whole Foods purchases; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; and 1% back on all other purchases.
Plus, cardholders will enjoy bonus earnings on Prime Day this year. On July 11-12, Prime Visa cardholders will earn 6% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market.
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The biggest drawback is that the high return on spending is all this card really has to offer. While it comes with purchase protection (it covers items up to $500 in value if they’re damaged or stolen within 120 days of purchase) and extended warranty protection, it doesn’t include important purchase benefits like price protection and return protection, so it’s not ideal for large purchases.
The other drawback is that you need a Prime membership ($139 per year) to qualify. Although with so many U.S. households already subscribed to Prime, that’s probably not much of an issue for the card’s target demographic.
For more details, check out our full review of the Prime Visa.
Capital One Venture X and Venture cards
If you want transferable points on your Amazon purchases, a pair of cards from Capital One could be good options. That’s because both the Venture X Rewards card and the Venture Rewards card offer 2 miles per dollar spent on everyday purchases — including Amazon.
Based on TPG’s most recent point valuations, that’s a very respectable 3.7% return (valuations are an estimate and not provided by the issuer).
Beyond that, both cards offer identical sign-up bonuses (75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening).
Check out our comparison of the two Venture cards for additional details.
Official application links: Capital One Venture X and Capital One Venture, each with 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
If you’re not a Prime subscriber and still want a solid return on your spending from a card with no annual fee, your best bet may be to go with the Chase Freedom Unlimited. The Freedom Unlimited provides 5% back on travel purchased through Chase, and 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining. All other purchases will earn 1.5% cash back.
While that’s a solid return on its own, you could potentially double the value of your rewards by pairing the Freedom Unlimited with a Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.
By doing so, you can convert your cash-back points into full-fledged transferable Ultimate Rewards points, worth 2 cents each based on TPG’s monthly points valuations.
Related: The power of the Chase Trifecta: Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred and Freedom Unlimited
Additionally, the Freedom Unlimited also offers 120-day purchase protection and extended warranty protection that extends eligible manufacturer’s warranties by an additional year. Like the two Amazon cards, this one does not have an annual fee.
For more details, check out our full review of the Freedom Unlimited.
Official application link: Chase Freedom Unlimited with an additional 1.5% back on all purchases up to $20,000 spent in the first year.
Discover it Cash Back
Amazon’s Prime Visa isn’t the only card to offer 5% cash back on purchases — the no-annual-fee Discover it Cash Back does, too (on rotating categories, up to $1,500 each quarter you activate, and 1% cash back after that) — and this one doesn’t require you to be a Prime member. However, this earning rate is typically only available on Amazon purchases just one quarter out of the year, and even that isn’t guaranteed to come around every year.
The most recent times Amazon was a rotating category were in the last quarter (Q4) of 2021 and 2022.
Keep in mind that while this card is great for Amazon purchases during any quarter when Amazon is among the retailers that count toward bonus earning, it isn’t the best card to use year-round. When Amazon is not a part of the quarterly cash-back bonus category, your purchases will only receive 1% back.
However, what makes the card shine is that Discover will match your rewards at the end of your first cardmember year, so you could get up to 10% back on Amazon.com purchases from a quarter when it’s a bonus retailer.
Unfortunately, the card has discontinued other benefits, including extended product warranty, return guarantee, purchase protection and price protection.
For more details, check out our full review of the Discover it Cash Back.
American Express® Gold Card
This card is a good choice for those who make many high-value purchases on Amazon.
With the Amex Gold Card, you’ll earn 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar on Amazon purchases, yielding a return of 2% based on TPG’s valuations. Unless there’s an Amazon deal available through Amex Offers, this won’t be the best card from an earning perspective.
The biggest benefit of using the card is its generous purchase protection policy. While many cards include a similar perk, the Amex Gold Card provides an astounding $10,000 in protection per incident and up to $50,000 for all incidents in a calendar year.*
*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Related: Best credit cards for purchase protection
The Amex Gold Card has a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees), but its benefits — including up to $120 in dining credits each calendar year at participating restaurants/locations and up to $120 in Uber Cash each year ($10 monthly credits) — make the card worthwhile. The card must be added to your Uber account to receive the Uber Cash benefit. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
For more details, check out our full review of the Amex Gold.
Official application link: American Express Gold Card with a 60,000-point welcome offer after spending $4,000 in the first six months of card membership. However, you may be targeted for a higher welcome bonus through the CardMatch tool (offer is subject to change at any time).
Bottom line
As you can see, picking a card for Amazon purchases isn’t as simple as going with the one at the top of this list.
The best rewards credit card for you depends on your personal habits and priorities. So, while the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature card offers a high return on Amazon purchases, it’s not everyone’s best option, as it’s only available to Prime members and lacks key shopping protections, which you’ll want for larger purchases.
Card benefits such as return protection have proved extremely valuable and may be worth sacrificing 2%-3% in rewards in the long run. Additionally, if you’ve been saving up transferable points for a specific redemption, it may make sense to earn rewards in that currency rather than cash back so that you can top off your account and book that award trip you’ve been dreaming about sooner.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold, click here.
Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Ryan Wilcox, Stella Shon and Benét J. Wilson.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Source: thepointsguy.com