Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
December 13, 2024: Citi announced its bonus quarterly categories on the Citi Dividend card, and since Citi Dividend cardmembers can get 5% cash back at Amazon in Q1 2024, the card gets a temporary spot on our list.
If you’re looking for the best credit card for Amazon, chances are you’re a Prime member. For Prime members looking for an Amazon credit card, there’s one card that rises to the top: The Prime Visa.
But there are plenty of other cards that offer great rewards and benefits useful to Amazon shoppers. Here’s our take on the best credit cards to use at Amazon.
The best credit cards for Amazon
- Best for Amazon Prime Subscribers: Prime Visa
- Best for non-Prime shoppers: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Best for small businesses paying for AWS: Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
- Best for holiday shopping in Q4 2024: Discover it® Cash Back.
- Best for quarterly categories in Q1 2025: Citi Dividend Card
- Best for maximum cash back rewards: U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card
- Best if you have a Bank of America banking relationship: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Editor’s overall pick: Amazon Prime Visa
Picking a single card to recommend for Amazon is easy: The Prime Visa is the best card for most people. The card’s 5% cash back at Amazon.com with no annual fee is a strong start. But the included purchase protection and extended warranty protection mean that there’s really not any reason to use any other card when shopping at Amazon.
Even for Amazon customers without Prime, the similar Amazon Visa offers 3% cash back at Amazon.
Sure, you can get slightly more cash back other cards, but these other cards have annual fees or require a banking relationship. Against these cards, the Prime Visa wins for simplicity.
Amazon Prime Visa
Who it’s best for: Most Amazon Prime members. Between the Prime Visa‘s 5% cash back rewards at Amazon.com and the card’s extended warranty and purchase protection benefits, there’s little reason to use any other card.
Sign up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: annual_fees. Additionally, the card requires an eligible Amazon Prime membership, currently $139/year.
Rewards:
- 5% on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh online or in-store and Whole Foods Market.
- 5% on Chase Travel℠ purchases.
- 2% at gas stations, restaurants, and local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 1% on other purchases.
Learn more: Read why the Amazon Prime Visa is one of our favorites in our review of the Prime Visa.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Who it’s best for: Occasional Amazon shoppers. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express can give you good rewards when shopping at Amazon.com, plus the card offers benefits and rewards that can be useful elsewhere.
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership, plus receive 10% back, up to $150, as a statement credit on purchases at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Learn how to apply. (See Rates and Fees)
Annual fee: annual_fees.
Rewards:
- 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 1% on other eligible purchases.
Learn more: Take a peek at our review of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
Who it’s best for: If you’re a small business owner paying for AWS (Amazon Web Services) you’ll want to consider the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card for its 5% rewards on U.S. purchases of AWS services on up to $120,000 in spending each year. (Then 1%)
Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. (See Rates and Fees)
Annual fee: annual_fees. Additionally, the card requires an eligible Amazon Prime membership, currently $139/year.
Rewards:
- 5%* back or 90 day terms on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com, and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime Membership.
- 2% back on U.S. purchases at restaurant, gas stations, and wireless phone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers.
- 1% on other purchases.
Rewards are earned as cash back. *5% rewards are limited to the first $120,000 of purchases of 5% eligible purchases each calendar year. Afterward, you will earn 1%. Purchases financed with 90 day terms do not count toward this cap. 5% eligible Amazon purchases include U.S. purchases at:
Discover it® Cash Back
Who it’s best for: People without Prime who will be shopping at Amazon during the 2024 holiday shopping season. You’ll earn 5% cash back on the first $1,500 of spending in the Discover it® Cash Back. quarterly bonus categories, which include Amazon from October through December of 2024. Learn how to apply.
Welcome offer: Earn a $100 statement credit after you apply through a referral link and make your first purchase within 3 months of getting approved. Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: annual_fees.
Rewards:
- 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in Discover’s rotating 5% categories each calendar quarter.
- 1% on other purchases.
Learn more: Read our review of the Discover it® Cash Back card or check out the Discover it quarterly categories.
All information about the Discover it® Cash Back card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
Citi Dividend Card
Who it’s best for: If you already hold the Citi Dividend card and don’t have Amazon Prime, the card is a great choice to use for Amazon purchases in Q1 of 2025. That’s because Amazon.com purchases in early 2025 will earn 5% cash back on the card. You’ll need to already have the card—it’s not available to new cardholders—and we don’t know of any to product-change to this card.
Annual fee: $0.
Rewards:
- 5% cash back in the card’s quarterly bonus cash back categories.
- 1% cash back on other purchases.
- Total rewards are capped at $300 per calendar year.
Learn more: Check out our review of the Citi Dividend card.
All information about the Citi Dividend card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card
Who it’s best for: Cash back maximizers who want 6% cash back at the two stores where they spend the most. The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card also offers purchase security, return protection, and extended warranty protection—the best suite of consumer insurance protections of any card on this list. Learn how to apply.
Welcome offer: Earn a $250 bonus after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95/year thereafter).
Rewards:
- 6% cash back on your first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with two retailers you choose.
Choose from a list of 24 popular retailers, including Amazon.com. - 3% cash back on your first $1,500 in eligible purchases on one everyday category you choose.
Everyday category options include wholesale clubs, gas and EV charging stations, and bills and utilities. - 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
Learn more: Check out our review of the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card. is your ticket to getting up to 6% cash back rewards at Amazon.com year-round.
All information about the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards
Who it’s best for: Bank of America customers with $100k+ in combined balances in Bank of America deposit and Merrill investment accounts. Thanks to the Preferred Rewards program, you can earn up to a 1.75x credit card reward multiplier, which turns the card’s 3% rewards category into a 5.25% cash back category. Select online shopping as your category and you’ll earn 5.25% cash back at Amazon.com. Learn how to apply.
Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: annual_fees.
Rewards:
- 3% cash back in the category of your choice.
Choose from gas and EV charging stations; online shopping, including cable, internet, phone plans and streaming; dining; travel; drug stores and pharmacies; or home improvement and furnishings - 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs.
- 3% and 2% rewards are earned on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Learn more: Read more about the Preferred Rewards program or check out our review of the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards.
All information about the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
More ways to earn more rewards: Gift cards and preloading your account
Amazon credit cards aren’t the only way to get a high rate of cash back on Amazon Purchases. In fact, you can get even more rewards on Amazon purchases by by employing some of these additional strategies.
Buying gift cards at retailers that earn category bonuses and using those gift cards to spend on Amazon. Office supply stores, drugstores, grocery stores, and gas stations frequently sell gift cards, including gift cards to Amazon.com. You can use a credit card that gets a high rate of cash back in one of these categories to buy Amazon gift cards at these places and load them to your account.
Load your Amazon account using 5% rotating category cards. Many of the 5% rotating category cards offer occasional rewards bonuses for Amazon.com spending for three months of the year. You can get 5% on your Amazon purchases if you use these cards to load your Amazon gift card balance when Amazon is a featured 5% category.
Our perspective: How we use the card
While our best card lists are based on our methodology, the members of our team often sometimes have different perspectives.
I’m an Amazon Prime member, and I’ve had the Prime Visa since the beginning. This is the card that I use for almost everything on Amazon. And I don’t use the card at all outside of Amazon.
I did recently apply for the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card to separate my business Amazon purchases from my personal purchases. I like the fact that the card includes Amex return protection, but Amazon’s return policy is so good that I don’t think I’ll get much benefit from this.
While I am a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, and I could be getting 5.25% cash back with my Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, I prefer to use this card for other online retailers that don’t offer such as easy to use card.
Sometimes I’ll use the Chase Freedom Flex℠, when it includes Amazon in its quarterly rotating 5% categories because I like earning Ultimate Rewards® points and I’ll occasionally switch to an American Express card when there’s an Amex Offer for Amazon available, but 95%+ of my Amazon purchases get charged to my Prime Visa.
Our methodology: How we picked the best cards for Amazon
Most Amazon shoppers will prioritize cash back on Amazon purchases. For recurring purchases of household staples and small items, cash back is probably your sole priority.
But if you’re buying large, expensive items at Amazon, don’t discount the value of an extended warranty benefit and purchase protection. Having these perks on the credit card you use at Amazon can protect the items you buy from theft or damage for a few months after you buy them or cover you if something you buy stops working, usually within one year of the original manufacturer’s warranty expiring.
Here are the points we considered when putting together out list of the best cards to use at Amazon:
- Cash back on purchases. Amazon.com sells. For most of our purchases, we simply want the most cash back possible.
- Not everyone has an Amazon Prime membership. You might be a frequent Amazon.com shopper, but have opted out of paying for an annual subscription to spend money at Amazon.com. We get it. That’s why we included cards that do not require an Amazon Prime membership.
- Extended warranty, purchase protection, and return protection. When we buy durable goods—things like electronics and home appliances—we prioritize getting an extended warranty and purchase protection benefits. Amazon’s standard return policy is 30 days, so it’s nice to have return protection for some purchases.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to have Amazon Prime to get an Amazon Visa card?
No. You can get an Amazon Visa card without a Prime membership, but you’ll receive a version of the card that only offers 3% back on Amazon purchases.
Is it possible to get 5% cash back on everything I purchase on Amazon?
Yes. This is relatively simple if you have Amazon Prime. The Amazon Prime Visa earns 5% cash back on Amazon purchases.
Does the Amazon Prime Visa have an extended warranty?
Yes. The Amazon Prime Visa includes Chase’s extended warranty benefit, which gives you an extra year of warranty coverage on eligible warranties of three years or less.
What are the downsides of the Customized Cash for Amazon?
If you are a Preferred Rewards customer with Platinum Honors or higher status, you might be tempted to use the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards card for all of your Amazon purchases. But remember that the card does not offer an extended warranty benefit. The Prime Visa or another card may be a better bet if you care about warranty coverage.
American Express card disclosures
- For rates and fees of the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
