Amazon Prime Visa
5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods with no annual fee for Prime members
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.
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 rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft) is competitive, but the 1% rate on all other purchases is where the card falls behind. Flat-rate cashback cards like the Citi Double Cash offer 2% on everything, and competing no-fee options offer 1.5% on all purchases — both outperform the Prime Visa for non-Amazon, non-restaurant spending.
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 often bundled into mid-tier travel cards. The purchase APR of 18.74%–27.49% variable is standard for a no-annual-fee rewards card. This is not a card for carrying a balance: a single month of interest charges on a $1,000 balance can erase multiple months of 5% cashback earnings. Pay in full every month to capture the full value of the rewards program.
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.
Amazon Prime Visa vs Amazon Visa
Chase issues two co-branded Amazon cards. The choice comes down to whether you have Prime:
If you're a Prime member, the Prime Visa wins clearly: 5% vs 3% on Amazon purchases and a $50 higher welcome bonus. If you don't have Prime and don't want to pay for it, the Amazon Visa earns a solid 3% at Amazon with no membership requirement.
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 strategy for most Prime members: use the Amazon Prime Visa for all Amazon.com, Whole Foods, and Amazon Fresh purchases, and pair it with the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Citi Double Cash for everything else. This combination captures near-optimal cashback across both Amazon-heavy and general spending categories.
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
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.