Our Verdict
The Prime Visa is a lucrative option for existing Prime members who frequently shop at Amazon or Whole Foods and want to earn 5% cash back. While the card does require an Amazon Prime membership, it has no annual fee itself and likely appeals to those who are already Prime members.
Pros
- 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases
- No spending required for the welcome bonus
- No foreign transaction fees
- Travel and shopping protections
Cons
- Requires an Amazon Prime membership
- No 0% introductory APR
- Low cash back for purchases outside of bonus categories
Highlights
- Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
- Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership
- Earn unlimited 5% back on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- Earn unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
- Earn unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
- No annual credit card fee
- No more waiting. Redeem daily rewards at Amazon.com as soon as the next day
- Member FDIC
Introduction
The Prime Visa card issued by Chase is specifically designed with Amazon shoppers in mind. The card requires a Prime membership to qualify and has special perks for Amazon shoppers, including 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, an Amazon gift card when you sign up and the ability to use your cash back when you shop at Amazon.
The card also has other perks, including 2% cash back on dining and transportation purchases. Other benefits include extended warranty protection, purchase protection and plenty of travel perks that include no foreign transaction fees and certain travel insurance coverages.
Of course, this card also has some downsides. While it has no annual fee, it does require an Amazon Prime membership, which currently costs $139 per year—that’s higher than the annual fee on most rewards cards. The card also doesn’t have a 0% introductory APR period for purchases or balance transfers.
Featured Partner Offers
Quick Facts
- No annual fee
- 19.49% - 27.49% Variable APR
- 5% back on purchases at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership, 2% back at gas stations, restaurants and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and 1% back on other purchases
- New cardmembers can receive a $100 Amazon gift card upon approval with an eligible Prime membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Prime Visa Rewards
Earning Rewards
Eligible new cardmembers will instantly receive a $100 Amazon gift card upon approval with an eligible Prime membership.
Additionally, when you use your Prime Visa for spending, you’ll get 5% back on purchases at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership, 2% back at gas stations, restaurants and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and 1% back on other purchases.
Redeeming Rewards
First, you can redeem your Prime Visa points by using them to shop at Amazon.com. To shop with your points, you’ll add items to your Amazon.com card and then use your Prime Visa as your payment method. You’ll then have the option to use your rewards points to cover some or all of your purchase.
You can also redeem your Prime Visa points for cash back, travel through the Chase travel portal, or gift cards.
Rewards Potential
To get an idea of the rewards potential for the average consumer, Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in about $118,438 per year, and that’s the number we’ll use for our estimates. Our data shows that the average household has roughly $39,337 in expenses that could be charged to this credit card.
The typical household spends $4,708 on groceries outside of warehouse clubs and large discount retailers. Let’s assume you do that shopping at Whole Foods, and since those purchases would be eligible for the 5% cash back, you’d end up with a total of $235.40. You’d get another $25.35 back from the grocery shopping you do at warehouse clubs and large discount retailers, thanks to the 1% cash back.
Next, let’s assume you purchase all your travel through the Chase Travel Portal. The typical household travel expenditures, which equal roughly $8,573, would be eligible for 5% cash back, meaning a total annual cash back of $428.65.
This card also offers 2% back at gas stations, at restaurants and on transportation purchases. Those categories average $2,990, $4,622 and $573, respectively. Combined, those categories would net you about $163.70 cash back for the year.
Finally, the remainder of the typical household spending, which comes to $15,336, would be eligible for the 1% cash back, for a total annual cash back of about $153.36.
That brings your total cash back to roughly $1,006.46 per year. And in many cases, this number could be higher. Because we don’t have a breakdown for the typical household’s online versus in-store shopping, we’ve only allocated the 1% cash back to shopping. In reality, many families probably do a lot of that shopping on Amazon, which would make it eligible for the 5% cash back.
Other Prime Visa Benefits
- No foreign transaction fee. You won’t pay a fee when you use your Prime Visa outside of the United States.
- Extended warranty protection. The Prime Visa will extend eligible manufacturers’ warranties by an additional year if they were three years or less.
- Purchase protection. New purchases are protected up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account for 120 days.
- Baggage delay insurance. Get reimbursed for toiletries, clothing, and other luggage up to $100 for baggage delays that exceed six hours.
- Zero liability protection. You won’t pay out of pocket for any unauthorized charges made on your card.
- Travel accident insurance. Receive up to $500,000 of coverage for accidental death or dismemberment when you pay for air, bus, train or cruise travel with your card.
- Lost luggage replacement. Damaged or lost checked bag or carry-on will be replaced up to $3,000 per passenger.
- Visa Signature Concierge service. Get access to Visa Signature Concierge Service for 24 hours per day to find tickets to events and make dinner reservations.
Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 19.49% - 27.49% Variable
- Purchase Intro APR: N/A
- Balance Transfer Intro APR: N/A
Fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Foreign purchase transaction fee: $0
How the Prime Visa Stacks Up
Prime Visa vs. Amazon Visa Credit Card*
The Prime Visa is a great option for Amazon shoppers, but it’s only available to those with a Prime membership. But non-Prime members can get some of the same perks through the other Amazon card issued by Chase: Amazon Visa Credit Card*.
The Amazon Visa offers a welcome bonus of Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval. You’ll also get 3% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases. Earn 2% back at gas stations, restaurants and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare). Earn 1% back on all other purchases.
Prime Visa vs. Amazon Prime Store Card*
Another option for Amazon shoppers is the Amazon Prime Store Card*, which is issued by Synchrony Bank. This card is also only available to Prime members. Cardholders will get 5% back on Amazon.com purchases and an extra 5-15% back on select rotating items.
The card also comes with 0% intro APR financing on qualifying purchases, followed by a 29.99% variable APR. However, the special financing is in lieu of the 5% cash back, so you can’t take advantage of both perks.
Prime Visa vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠*
The Chase Freedom Flex℠* is a great option for someone who wants to be rewarded for certain purchases—including those on Amazon.com—but doesn’t necessarily want an Amazon-affiliated card.
The Chase Freedom Flex offers a welcome bonus of $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You’ll get 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Amazon usually makes an annual appearance in the Freedom Flex’s bonus categories. You’ll also be eligible for 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24% applies. Balance transfer fee of up to 5% (min. $5) of the amount of each transfer applies.
Is the Prime Visa for You?
The Prime Visa might be a rewarding option for someone with a Prime membership who frequently shops at Amazon.com or Whole Foods. The 5% cash back is comparable to what you would find with a card with rotating bonus categories, similar to the Chase Freedom Flex. But the 5% category is always Amazon and its affiliated companies.
On the other hand, this card may not be the right choice if you only occasionally shop at Amazon. In that case, you can find cards that have perks like more lucrative welcome bonuses, higher rewards in categories you may spend more money in, and 0% introductory APR periods. Additionally, if you don’t have a Prime membership, you may not find it worth the annual fee to sign up for one to qualify for this card.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:
- Annual fees
- Welcome bonus offers
- Ongoing earning rates
- Value of individual points
- Additional cardholder benefits
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Amazon Visa Credit Card, Amazon Prime Store Card, Chase Freedom Flex℠. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
