The Best Credit Cards for Shopping on Amazon in September 2023

If you’re shopping on Amazon and using a credit card, it’s valuable to choose a card that can help you maximize your rewards and save serious money on purchases. While there are branded Amazon credit cards available, they may not always be the best choice for Amazon shopping.

Whether you want to get the most out of Prime Day or just your everyday shopping, let’s take a look at all the Amazon cards and some other credit cards you might consider. This guide will help you explore different options for getting the best Amazon bonus cash or bonus rewards.

Amazon-branded cards

If you’re a loyal Amazon shopper, using an Amazon-branded credit card can help you earn a bunch of different rewards. These credit cards offer bonus gift cards when you sign up, travel protection, premium perks, and more.

The biggest differentiators between the Amazon Visa and the Prime Visa are the higher cashback offers and required Amazon Prime membership with the latter. Here are all the details on all the Amazon-branded cards:

	Rewards rate	Annual fee	Prime membership required
Amazon Visa	3% cash back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases; 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, and on local transit and commuting; and 1% cash back on all other purchases	$0	No
Prime Visa	5% cash back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases; 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, and on local transit and commuting; 1% cash back on all other purchases	$0	Yes
Amazon Prime Store Card	5% cash back at Amazon.com or zero-interest promotional financing	$0	Yes
Amazon Store Card	Zero-interest promotional financing	$0	No
Amazon Secured Card	5% cash back at Amazon.com or zero-interest promotional financing	$0	No

Amazon Visa

The Amazon Visa offers rewards on every purchase, including 3% cash back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases; 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, and on local transit and commuting; and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Once approved, you’ll receive a $50 Amazon.com gift card. Additionally, the Amazon Visa has no earnings cap and a $0 annual fee. 

The Amazon Visa is a good option for non-Amazon Prime Members who want to capitalize on all of their Amazon purchases.

Prime Visa

Exclusively for eligible Amazon Prime members, the Prime Visa can earn you 5% cash back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases; 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, and on local transit and commuting; 1% cash back on all other purchases. New applicants will also receive a $100 Amazon gift card upon approval. 

The Prime Visa offers similar benefits as the Amazon Visa, including no earnings cap and a $0 annual fee. 

The Prime Visa credit card is a good option for loyal Amazon Prime shoppers.

Amazon Prime Store Card

Another Amazon-branded card is the Amazon Prime Store credit card. This store card is offered exclusively to Amazon Prime members and can't be used at other retailers. As a cardholder, you can receive promotional financing or 5% cash back on all eligible Amazon purchases. Also, upon approval, you may receive an Amazon gift card.

With the Amazon Prime Store credit card, you can only use the card on Amazon websites. This store card is strictly intended for someone who only wants rewards with Amazon.

Amazon Store Card

With this store card available to non-Prime members, you can receive promotional financing — meaning you can pay no interest on eligible purchases for six, 12, or 24 months depending on the order amount. However, you must pay in full by the end of the term in order to not incur interest. The Amazon Store credit card doesn’t offer additional benefits or perks, and it also can't be used at retailers other than Amazon.com or other Amazon businesses.

Amazon Secured Card

There’s one more Amazon-branded option to consider if you’re looking to rebuild your credit or establish a credit history from scratch. The Amazon secured credit card could help you. Secured credit cards are backed by a security deposit that you make when the account is opened and regular, responsible use of them can help you improve your credit score.

With the Amazon Credit Builder secured credit cards, cardholders can receive promotional financing or 5% cash back for eligible Amazon Prime members. After one year, you may be eligible for an Amazon Store Card. 

Non-Amazon cards that offer great cash back on Amazon purchases

Some non-Amazon credit cards offer extra cash back or bonus points on Amazon.com purchases all year round, while other cards offer seasonal or rotating cash back on certain purchase categories that can include Amazon.

For example, the Discover it^® Cash Back sometimes includes Amazon.com in its 5% cash back rotating bonus category. With this card, you also automatically get an unlimited dollar-for-dollar match of any cash back you've earned at the end of your first year.

Find out more in our Discover it Cash Back review. 

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ also has a changing quarterly rewards categories that may sometimes apply to Amazon. The great thing about the Chase Freedom Flex is that you earn Ultimate Rewards points. These points have a variety of redemption options. You can redeem them for cash in the form of a statement credit, but you could also transfer them to another Chase card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve^®. Using this method you can get even more value by redeeming your points as travel rewards for things like hotel stays and airfare.

The Chase Freedom Flex also offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months after account opening. This could be helpful if you're planning to make large purchases on Amazon and don't want to pay interest charges. Be aware that after those 15 months, your remaining balance will be subject to the regular APR of 20.49%-29.24% Variable, so be sure to have it all paid off by then. 

Learn more in our Chase Freedom Flex review. 

Another great option is the Bank of America^® Customized Cash Rewards credit card. This card offers 3% cash back on category of your choice — dining, drugstores, gas, home improvement/furnishings, online shopping, or travel (on the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter). So, if you select online shopping as your category, the eligible online and mobile merchants include sites like Amazon.com.

Read our full Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card review.

If you prefer simplicity, a straightforward cashback card such as the Citi^® Double Cash Card could be a good choice. It offers 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases and 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable). 

Find out more in our Citi Double Cash Card review. 

Note: If you still have the older Chase Freedom Card, you can also take advantage of when the rotating bonus category applies to Amazon.

Card	Rewards rate	Bonus availability
Chase Freedom Flex℠	5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases	Each quarter you can activate 5% cashback earnings on a specific category. Options sometimes include Amazon.
Discover it® Cash Back	5% cash back in quarterly rotating categories (including gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and Amazon.com), up to quarterly maximum, and 1% cash back on all other purchases	Each quarter you can activate 5% cashback earnings on a specific category. For example, in 2022, from October to December, you could earn 5% cash back at Amazon.com.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card	3% cash back on the category of your choice - now with expanded categories; 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (on the first $2,500 spent each quarter in the 2% and 3% categories combined); and 1% cash back on all other purchases	You can change your category each month or keep it the same.
Citi® Double Cash Card	2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases	No restrictions

Best cards for purchase protection on Amazon

Cards like the American Express^® Gold Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card offer purchase protection, which covers damaged or stolen items purchased with the card. In the case of the American Express Gold Card, you are also covered for lost items.

It’s worth it to analyze the numbers and consider how much purchase protection you might need versus the potential annual fee. For example, with the American Express Gold Card, you’re protected for up to $10,000 per occurrence and for a total of $50,000 in a calendar year. The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a much lower annual fee than the Amex Gold Card, but it also offers less protection per claim.

Having purchase protection can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. If you’re getting ready to make a large purchase on Amazon, or regular mid-sized purchases, it’s wise to consider cards with purchase protection.

Card	Annual fee	Protection per claim	Protection per account	Days to file claim
American Express® Gold Card	$250 (Terms apply)	Up to $10,000	Up to $50,000 per year	90 days (starting Jan. 1, 2020)
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	$95	Up to $500	Up to $50,000 per year	120 days

Best business card for shopping on Amazon

If you’re a business owner, you could consider a business credit card with Amazon cashback rewards. If a lot of your business expenses are through Amazon, a cashback card could offset some of your costs.

The Amazon Business Prime American Express Card offers Amazon cashback rewards to eligible Prime members. In addition to the cashback rewards, all qualifying applicants receive a welcome bonus in the form of a $125 Amazon gift card Amazon gift card. 

If you’re a business owner but not a Prime member, you can apply for the Amazon Business American Express Card. This card is similar, but has a lower rewards rate and new cardmembers can earn a $100 gift card Amazon gift card.

Both cards also come with additional benefits such as expense management tools, extended warranty protection, purchase protection, dispute resolution, and more.

Card	Rewards rate	Annual fee	Prime membership required
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card	5% back in Amazon Rewards points or no interest for 90 days on U.S. Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com, and Whole Foods purchases (on up to $120,000 in purchases per calendar year, after that 1%); 2% back at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and purchases with U.S. wireless providers; and 1% back on all other eligible purchases	$0 (Terms apply)	Yes
Amazon Business American Express Card	3% back in Amazon Rewards points or no interest for 60 days on U.S. Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com, and Whole Foods purchases (on up to $120,000 in purchases per calendar year, after that 1%); 2% back at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and purchases with U.S. wireless providers; and 1% back on all other eligible purchases	$0 (Terms apply)	No

A note on Capital One cards and Amazon shopping

You can also shop on Amazon with many Capital One cards and use your Capital One rewards to pay for Amazon purchases. Many Capital One cards offer excellent sign-up bonuses, and this may be a way to help you boost your shopping power. But be aware that you don't earn rewards on your Amazon purchases when you shop using your Capital One rewards.

FAQs

Bottom line

Whether you’re a loyal Amazon Prime Member or want to finance a large Amazon purchase, one of the Amazon Visa Signature credit cards may be just what you need. On the other hand, if you enjoy flexible cashback reward programs, you may consider the Chase Freedom Flex.

When reviewing all of the credit card offers available to you, make sure you read all the card details and understand both the benefits and any fees or interest rates. This is important if you want to find a card that’s suitable for your lifestyle. With the abundance of credit cards out there, you’re bound to find the best rewards credit card for you.

Methodology

To select the best credit cards for shopping on Amazon, we examined Amazon's range of co-branded cards for customers. We assessed features like annual fees, Prime membership requirements, and additional perks to identify the best options. We did not include all cards available.