Amazon Prime Visa
5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods with no annual fee for Prime members
Updated September 11, 2026 · By the MoneyAtlas Editorial Team
Pros
5% cashback is unmatched at this tier: No other no-annual-fee card offers unlimited 5% back on Amazon.com, Whole Foods, and Amazon Fresh — categories where Prime members spend consistently.
No annual card fee with instant welcome bonus: The $0 annual fee and a $150 Amazon gift card loaded immediately upon approval — no minimum spend required — make the card worthwhile from day one.
No foreign transaction fees: Zero FTF is a meaningful perk at the no-annual-fee tier, adding international versatility without any premium card cost.
Cons
Prime membership required for the 5% rate: Without an active Amazon Prime subscription ($139/year), the Amazon cashback rate drops to 3%, significantly undercutting the card's core value proposition.
1% base rate lags flat-rate alternatives: Non-category spending earns just 1% — below the 1.5%–2% offered by competing general-purpose cashback cards, making this a poor choice for non-Amazon purchases.
No travel transfer partners or premium redemptions: Rewards are limited to Amazon cash, statement credits, or gift cards — no access to Chase's airline and hotel transfer partners, unlike Sapphire-family cards.
Why we rate it 4.2/5
Worth it if you already pay for Prime and shop Amazon weekly. The catch: without Prime, 5% drops to 3%.
Unlimited 5% at Amazon, Whole Foods and Chase Travel is the best no-fee Amazon rate available, but 1% on everything else is weak.
No annual card fee, though the 5% rate only exists while you pay $139 a year for Prime.
Purchase protection, extended warranty, lost-luggage and rental car coverage, and no foreign transaction fee. No lounges, statement credits or transfer partners.
Nothing to activate and rewards apply at Amazon checkout. Chase's 5/24 rule and the Prime requirement are the only real hurdles.
The Amazon Prime Visa is the best no-annual-fee card for Amazon loyalists. Unlimited 5% cashback on Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh, and Chase Travel is unmatched at this price point — but only if you already pay for Amazon Prime. Outside the Amazon ecosystem, the 1% base rate lags behind flat-rate alternatives. For high-frequency Amazon shoppers, few cards deliver this level of passive earning with zero fees.
Searching for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card? This is the same card under its current name: Chase shortened it to Prime Visa. The catch is the membership. The 5% rate only applies while you pay for Prime ($139 a year), so if you would not keep Prime for shipping and video anyway, count it as the card's real annual fee. Measured against a flat 2% card, the extra 3 points cover $139 once you spend about $4,630 a year ($386 a month) at Amazon and Whole Foods.
Card Overview
Issued by Chase on the Visa Signature network, the Amazon Prime Visa carries no annual fee. The card was previously marketed as the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and is available exclusively to active Amazon Prime members. Prime membership costs $139 per year (or $14.99/month) and delivers value well beyond the credit card — including free two-day shipping, Prime Video, Prime Music, and Amazon Fresh delivery benefits.
Amazon and Whole Foods Cashback
The headline 5% rate applies across the Amazon ecosystem with no earnings cap. Eligible spending includes:
- Amazon.com (all product categories, including Subscribe & Save and marketplace sellers fulfilled by Amazon)
- Whole Foods Market (in-store and online via Amazon Prime delivery)
- Amazon Fresh (grocery delivery service)
- Chase Travel (flights, hotels, and car rentals booked through Chase's travel portal)
Cashback accrues as Amazon Rewards points (valued at 1¢ each), redeemable at Amazon checkout, as a statement credit, or as gift cards. The $150 Amazon gift card welcome bonus is loaded to your Amazon account balance immediately upon approval — no minimum spend required, which is rare among rewards cards.
Rewards Outside Amazon
The 2% rate at gas stations, restaurants and local transit (including Uber and Lyft) is competitive. The 1% rate on everything else is where the card falls behind: a flat 2% card like Citi Double Cash earns double on that spending, and plenty of no-fee cards pay 1.5%. The best setup for most Prime members is this card for Amazon and Whole Foods and a flat-rate card for everything else.
The optimal strategy for most Prime members: use this card exclusively for Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, and pair it with a higher flat-rate card for all other spending categories.
Prime Membership Requirement
An active Amazon Prime membership is required to earn the full 5% cashback rate. If your Prime subscription lapses or is canceled, the Amazon cashback rate drops to 3% — matching the non-Prime Amazon Visa. The card itself remains open and usable, but the top-tier earning rate disappears until Prime is reinstated.
Break-even calculation: At 5% back, you earn $5 for every $100 spent on Amazon. To recoup the full $139 Prime membership cost through card rewards alone, you need $2,780 in annual Amazon purchases — approximately $231 per month. Most active Prime members reach this threshold without trying. Cardholders spending $500+/month on Amazon effectively get Prime free through the card alone.
Household sharing: Amazon Prime allows adding one adult household member at no extra cost. Both adults can hold the card under a single Prime subscription, doubling the earning opportunities without doubling the membership fee.
No Annual Fee and Cost Analysis
The Prime Visa charges no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, two costs mid-tier travel cards often carry. The purchase APR is variable, set by your creditworthiness, and sits in the same high range as most no-annual-fee rewards cards. You can read the full terms in the CFPB's credit card agreement database. This is not a card for carrying a balance: one month of interest on $1,000 can wipe out several months of 5% cash back, so pay in full every month.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Integration
Despite being issued by Chase, the Amazon Prime Visa does not earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Rewards accrue as Amazon Rewards points redeemable only for Amazon purchases, statement credits, or gift cards. There are no airline or hotel transfer partners — a significant limitation compared to the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, which earn transferable points worth significantly more for travel redemptions.
As a companion card in a broader Chase setup — using Sapphire cards for travel, the Prime Visa for Amazon — the combination maximizes rewards across both ecosystems without paying multiple annual fees.
Prime Visa vs Amazon Visa vs Amazon Store Card
Three Amazon cards earn at Amazon. Chase issues the two Visas, which work anywhere. Synchrony Bank issues the Amazon Store Card, a closed-loop card you can only use with Amazon. Which one fits depends on whether you pay for Prime and how strong your credit is:
If you pay for Prime, the Prime Visa wins: 5% versus 3% at Amazon, a $100 larger welcome gift card, and it works everywhere Visa does. Without Prime, the Amazon Visa still earns 3% at Amazon with no membership. The Amazon Store Card only makes sense if Chase turns you down. It matches the 5% rate for Prime members but earns nothing outside Amazon, and CFPB research on retail credit cards found they tend to carry higher interest rates than general-purpose cards.
Amazon Prime Visa vs Other Cashback Cards
For non-Amazon spending, several competing cards outperform the Prime Visa. Here's how it stacks up:
The best two-card setup for most Prime members: the Prime Visa for Amazon.com, Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, and the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Citi Double Cash for everything else. If you will track rotating 5% categories, Chase Freedom Flex adds more on top. Heavy grocery spending outside Whole Foods points to Blue Cash Preferred instead, which pays more at U.S. supermarkets but charges an annual fee.
Credit Score and Approval Requirements
Chase recommends good to excellent credit for the Amazon Prime Visa. Most approved applicants have FICO scores of 670 or higher, with the majority reporting scores above 700. Approval depends on multiple factors:
- Credit score (670+ recommended; 700+ typical for approval)
- Income and debt-to-income ratio
- Number of recent credit inquiries and accounts opened in the past 24 months
- Active Amazon Prime membership (required before or at time of application)
Chase's 5/24 rule applies: if you've opened 5 or more credit card accounts across all issuers in the past 24 months, Chase will typically deny the application regardless of credit score or income. This rule is not published officially by Chase but is extensively documented by applicant data.
Who Should Get This Card
Get this card if:
- You're an active Amazon Prime member spending $100+ per month on Amazon.com or Whole Foods
- You want the highest no-annual-fee cashback rate on Amazon purchases — 5% with no cap
- You regularly shop at Whole Foods or use Amazon Fresh for grocery delivery
- You already hold a travel rewards card and want a dedicated Amazon cashback companion
Skip this card if:
- You don't have (or don't want to pay for) an Amazon Prime membership
- You want transferable travel points and airline or hotel transfer partners
- You want premium travel benefits like airport lounge access or trip cancellation insurance
- Most of your spending falls outside Amazon, restaurants, and gas stations
Bottom Line
The Prime Visa is the right card for a Prime member who shops at Amazon or Whole Foods most weeks. The 5% rate has no cap, the card has no annual fee, and the $150 gift card arrives on approval. It is the wrong card to carry alone: 1% on everything else is weak, so pair it with a flat-rate card, or compare cash back credit cards if Amazon is a small share of your spending.