Prime Visa card review: The ideal card for Amazon shoppers

Prime Visa

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5

4.1

Apply now

on Amazon's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card

Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members

Rewards rate

1% - 10%

Prime Card Bonus: Earn 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership. Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and 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.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

Bankrate Score

Rating: 3.7 stars out of 5

3.7

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards rate

1% - 4% and 5%

Earn 5% cash back rewards on gas at Costco and earn 4% cash back on other eligible gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging purchases for the first $7,000 combined spend per year, and then 1% thereafter. 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases and eligible travel, including Costco Travel. 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com. 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Excellent (740 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5

4.3

Apply now

on Bank of America's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200

$200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Rewards rate

1% - 3%

Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases). Earn automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases). Earn unlimited 1% on all other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

• Prime Visa Card vs. Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

  The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is ideal for those who desire wholesale club rewards as well as a higher rewards rate on gas and restaurant spending. Costco's yearly subscription is also less expensive than Amazon Prime, costing as low as $65 against Amazon's $139 (or $14.99 per month). However, one of the most noticeable drawbacks of the Costco Anywhere Visa compared to the Prime Visa is that it lacks a welcome offer.

  Both cards also feature travel and purchase protection benefits, but neither card offers significant rewards redemption options or perks. So the most important consideration is whether you'd prefer an Amazon Prime membership and use your rewards for online purchases and Whole Foods or a Costco membership and use your rewards for in-store and gas station purchases.

• Prime Visa Card vs. Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

  The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card is one of the most versatile cash back cards for reward flexibility. While its online shopping category rewards rate is lower than the Amazon Prime Visa, it’s one of the most comprehensive available, covering major retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart.com as well as retailers and specialty sites like Etsy.com. Plus, you don’t have to worry about an annual fee or membership fee cutting into your rewards. However, if you have Preferred Rewards Platinum Honors status, you can actually earn as high as 5.25 percent on these purchases.

  The downside of the Bank of America Customized Cash card is that its bonus categories share a $2,500 quarterly spending limit, which drops to 1 percent cash back after. The Bank of America card’s intro APR period and slightly lower ongoing APR may offset this hurdle, but the Amazon Prime Visa card offers unlimited rewards and better benefits.

• Amazon shoppers

  This card is a no-brainer if you regularly use Amazon Prime. You can earn excellent rewards for purchases made on the website or app. You also have the chance to get special offers from Amazon for being a Prime member, such as a high reward rate on purchases made during promotional periods like Prime Day.

• Health food enthusiasts

  Whole Foods has a great selection of healthy products and produce. Whether you use your card for all your shopping needs or just want to pick up a few groceries and save money on delivery costs when ordering through Amazon, this card is a great choice.

• Rewards value

  The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

  To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

  Based on this data, we determine a “chargeable” spend (which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards). This includes the following spending by category:

  • Groceries: $5,200
  • Dining out: $3,000
  • Entertainment: $2,500
  • Gas: $2,100
  • Apparel and services: $1,700

  Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 23 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

  This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

  With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

• Rates and fees

  We also rate cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

  To start, each rewards or cash back card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards or cash back cards. 

  We also score each card based on how its annual fee influences its overall value. 

  We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value, but if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score even if it carries a high annual fee. 

  With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against other cards in the category when you subtract its annual fee.

• Flexibility

  We rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards and factor this rating into a card’s overall score. 

  Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you redeem for some options versus others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

• Perks

  We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

  We break down these tiers as follows:

  • Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits. 
  • Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges. 
  • Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection. 
  • Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs. 
  • Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.

• What credit score do you need for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card?

  Applicants with a good to excellent credit score — a 670 FICO score or higher or a 661 VantageScore or higher — have the best approval odds when applying for the Amazon Prime Visa card.

• What happens to your Prime Visa card if you cancel Amazon Prime?

  Canceling your Prime membership to have an Amazon credit card, canceling your Prime account won’t cancel your Prime Visa card. Instead, your card will downgrade to the base Amazon Rewards Visa Card, which earns 3 percent rewards on Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market and Chase Travel purchases instead of 5 percent. It also doesn’t offer additional Prime-exclusive limited-time cash back offers.

• What bank does the Prime Visa card use?

  Chase Bank issues the Prime Visa card. This means that the Amazon Prime Visa card is subject to the Chase 5/24 rule: you may not qualify for the Prime Visa card if you’ve opened five or more credit card accounts in the last 24 months.

What cardholders think

Prime Visa

4.3

49 ratings

In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6,160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers.

88% of customers recommend this card

Score breakdown

5 stars

39%

4 stars

49%

3 stars

12%

2 stars

0%

1 star

0%

Score by category

Overall 4.3 / 5

Extra perks 3.4 / 5

Meets financial needs 4.2 / 5

Privacy and security 4.3 / 5

Customer service 3.8 / 5

Online portal or mobile app 4.3 / 5

In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.