What the Amazon Prime Visa card offers and who it's built for

The Amazon Prime Visa Signature card, issued by Chase, gives you 5% cash back on Amazon purchases and Whole Foods transactions, 2% back at gas stations and restaurants, and 1% on everything else. There is no annual fee if you have an active Prime membership; without Prime, the card costs $39 per year. The card also includes purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, and roadside information.

This card makes sense if you spend heavily on Amazon or Whole Foods and already pay for Prime. The 5% rate on Amazon alone can offset the cost of Prime membership within a few months of regular use. If your spending is split across many retailers or you rarely shop at Amazon, a flat-rate card or a card with category bonuses at different merchants will likely earn you more.

Chase also offers the Amazon Prime Store Card, which has no annual fee but only works at Amazon and Whole Foods. It offers 5% back at both, but no rewards elsewhere. The Store Card has a lower credit limit ceiling and is harder to use outside the Amazon ecosystem, so most people find the Visa Signature card more flexible.

Key Takeaways

  • The card earns 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, 2% at gas and restaurants, and 1% elsewhere, with no annual fee if you have Prime.
  • You need an active Prime membership to avoid the $39 annual fee, so the card only makes financial sense if you already subscribe.
  • The rewards structure favors Amazon shoppers; if most of your spending happens at other retailers, a different card will likely earn more.
  • The card includes purchase protection, extended warranty, and roadside information, but these benefits are standard on most premium Visa cards.

How the 5% Amazon and Whole Foods rate compares to other cards

The 5% rate on Amazon is one of the highest available, but it only applies to purchases made directly through Amazon.com or the Amazon app. Purchases through third-party sellers on Amazon's marketplace, Amazon Fresh grocery delivery, or Amazon Business accounts may not earn the full 5%. Whole Foods transactions earn 5% when you use the card in-store or online, but only if you're an active Prime member at the time of purchase.

Other cards offer competing rates in specific categories. The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 3% on dining and travel, which beats the Prime card's 2% on restaurants. The Capital One SavorOne earns 3% on dining, entertainment, and streaming, also higher than the Prime card. However, neither of those cards earns anything on Amazon purchases, so the choice depends on where your money actually goes each month.

If you split spending between Amazon and other categories, calculate your average monthly rewards under each card. A spreadsheet of your last three months of charges, sorted by merchant, will show you whether the 5% on Amazon outweighs what you'd earn elsewhere. Many people find they come out ahead with the Prime card, but not all.

Annual fee and when it actually costs you nothing

The card has a $39 annual fee, but it's waived if you have an active Prime membership. Prime costs $139 per year (or $14.99 per month), so you're not getting the card for free — you're getting it included with a subscription you already pay for. If you don't have Prime, the $39 fee is added on top of the card's cost, making it less competitive against no-fee alternatives.

The fee posts on your card anniversary each year. If you cancel Prime, the fee will still charge unless you also close the card or call Chase to request a waiver. Conversely, if you have the card and later start a Prime membership, the fee will be waived going forward, but it won't refund fees you've already paid.

Some people keep the card specifically to maintain Prime benefits, even if they don't use it much. That's a valid choice, but it's worth tracking whether the rewards you actually earn justify keeping both the card and the membership active. If you use neither heavily, dropping one or both saves money.

Rewards on gas, restaurants, and everything else

Outside of Amazon and Whole Foods, the card earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants, and 1% on all other purchases. The 2% on gas is solid — it matches or beats most general-purpose cards — but the 1% catch-all is below average. Many no-fee cards earn 1.5% or 2% on everything, which means they'll outpace the Prime card on non-Amazon, non-Whole Foods, non-gas, non-restaurant spending.

The restaurant category includes takeout, delivery services, and dining establishments, but not grocery stores (except Whole Foods). Grocery purchases at regular supermarkets earn only 1%. If you do most of your grocery shopping at Whole Foods, that 5% rate is valuable; if you shop at Kroger, Safeway, or Trader Joe's, you're leaving rewards on the table.

The 2% gas rate applies at gas stations only, not at convenience stores or car washes. If you fill up frequently, this category alone can add up to $100 or more per year in rewards, depending on your driving and fuel prices.

Cardholder benefits beyond cash back

The Prime Visa Signature includes purchase protection (covers items damaged or stolen within 120 days of purchase), extended warranty coverage (adds up to one year to manufacturer warranties), and roadside information (24/7 help with lockouts, towing, fuel delivery, and jump-starts). These benefits are valuable if you use them, but they're standard on most Visa Signature cards, not unique to this one.

The card also offers price protection, which reimburses you if an item you bought drops in price within 60 days. This benefit has become rare on credit cards, so it's a genuine advantage. However, you have to track prices yourself and submit a claim with proof of the lower price — the card doesn't monitor automatically.

Travel protections like trip cancellation insurance and lost luggage reimbursement are not included on this card, which is a gap compared to premium travel cards. If you travel frequently, a card like the Sapphire Preferred or American Express Platinum may offer better coverage.

Credit limit and approval odds

Chase typically offers credit limits between $1,000 and $5,000 for new cardholders, though limits can be higher if you have excellent credit and a long history with Chase. The card is easier to get approved for than premium cards like the Sapphire Reserve, but harder than entry-level cards. You'll generally need a credit score of 670 or higher, though approval is not may provide at any score.

If you're approved, you can request a credit limit increase after six months of on-time payments. Chase often grants increases without a hard inquiry, which means your credit score won't take a hit. Calling the number on the back of your card is the fastest way to ask.

The card does not report to all three credit bureaus equally, so check your credit report after opening to confirm it's being tracked. This matters if you're building credit or monitoring your score for a major loan process.

How this card stacks up against the Store Card and other Amazon alternatives

The Amazon Prime Store Card earns 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods with no annual fee, but it has no rewards outside those two merchants and a lower credit limit. It's designed for people who shop almost exclusively at Amazon. If you use other retailers regularly, the Visa Signature card's 2% on gas and restaurants and 1% elsewhere makes it more useful.

The Amazon Business Prime Card is for business accounts and offers 3% back on Amazon Business purchases, 2% at gas and restaurants, and 1% elsewhere. It has a $39 annual fee (waived with Prime for Business) and is only worth considering if you have a business account and spend significantly on it.

If you don't have Prime or don't want to pay for it, the Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% cash back on everything with no annual fee. You'll earn less on Amazon (1.5% instead of 5%), but you'll save the Prime membership cost and the card's annual fee. Over a year, this trade-off depends on your total Amazon spending.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Prime to get the card, or can I get the card and then cancel Prime?

You don't need Prime to open the card, but the $39 annual fee will charge if you don't have an active membership. If you open the card without Prime and then cancel Prime later, the fee will still post each year unless you call Chase to request a waiver or close the card.

Does the 5% rate explore to Amazon Fresh and third-party seller purchases?

The 5% rate applies to purchases made directly through Amazon.com and the Amazon app. Amazon Fresh orders, third-party marketplace sellers, and Amazon Business accounts may earn a lower rate or no rewards. Check your statement after your first purchase to confirm the rate you received.

What happens to my rewards if I cancel Prime?

Rewards you've already earned stay in your account and don't disappear when you cancel Prime. However, the $39 annual fee will charge on your card anniversary if you don't have an active Prime membership, and future purchases will earn rewards at a lower rate or not at all depending on the merchant.

Can I use this card outside the US?

Yes, the card works internationally, but you'll pay a 3% foreign transaction fee on purchases made outside the US. If you travel frequently, a card with no foreign transaction fee will save you money. The rewards rates (5% on Amazon, 2% on gas and restaurants, 1% elsewhere) explore to the purchase amount before the fee is added.

Is the extended warranty worth keeping the card for?

The extended warranty adds up to one year to manufacturer warranties on may be able to access items, which can be valuable for electronics and appliances. However, this benefit is standard on most Visa Signature cards, not unique to the Prime card. If you're deciding whether to keep the card, the cash back rewards should be your main factor, not the warranty.