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Prime Visa card review: The ideal card for shoppers

One of the best retail store card options for online shoppers, especially for people with Amazon Prime subscriptions.

 /  14 min
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At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for and how we rate our cards. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Snapshot

4.1

Bankrate rating
Info
Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5

Bottom line

The Prime Visa card is a must-have for frequent Prime shoppers as it offers impressive reward categories and benefits for a store-branded credit card. However, you might look elsewhere if you prefer retail stores outside Amazon and don’t shop at Whole Foods.

Apply now Lock
on Amazon's secure site
  • Rewards value
    Rating: 4 stars out of 5
    4 / 5
    APR
    Rating: 4 stars out of 5
    4 / 5
    Rewards flexibility
    Rating: 2.3 stars out of 5
    2.3 / 5
    Features
    Rating: 3 stars out of 5
    3 / 5
Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Recommended Credit

1% - 5%

Rewards rate

Info

Annual fee

Intro offer

Info

Regular APR

Prime Visa Card overview

The Prime Visa Card is one of the best online shopping credit cards (and one of the best store cards, period) due to its high reward rates on Amazon purchases with no spending caps and Visa Signature benefits. If you use it to its full potential, you can easily offset the cost of your Amazon Prime membership while enjoying other key perks, such as a few surprisingly rich travel and purchase protections.

The most significant drawbacks are the Amazon Prime membership cost and the best rewards rates are limited to Amazon-related purchases. But these are minor nitpicks considering the various products you can purchase through Amazon.

  • Credit Card Cash Back

    Rewards

    • 5 percent back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market
    • 5 percent back on Chase Travel purchases
    • 2 percent back at restaurants and gas stations 
    • 2 percent back on local transit and commuting (example: rideshares)
    • 1 percent back on all other purchases

    Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
    See our expert analysis

  • Rewards

    Welcome offer

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

    Expert Appraisal: Fair
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Card Search

    Rates and fees

    • No annual fee ($139 Amazon Prime subscription required)
    • No foreign transaction fee
    • 19.49 percent to 27.49 percent variable ongoing APR

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Congrats

    Other cardholder perks

    • Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection and Concierge Service
    • Travel and purchase protections

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

Prime Visa card pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark

    A high earning rate at Amazon.com and Whole Foods makes everyday and grocery store purchases exceptionally rewarding.

  • Checkmark

    A combo of high rewards rates for Chase travel purchases and no foreign transaction fees offers unusual (but welcome) extra value for a store card.

  • Checkmark

    Cardholders can redeem rewards at an equal rate toward cash back, travel and Amazon purchases, which provides plenty of flexibility.

  • Checkmark

    It comes with substantial travel and purchase protections, plus Visa Signature benefits, including Luxury Hotel Collection perks and concierge services.

Cons

  • The $139 required for Amazon Prime membership increases the cost of carrying this card.

  • There is no option to transfer rewards points to other programs, so cardholders are limited in where they redeem their points.

  • Although it’s a Chase credit card, cardholders cannot use Chase Offers or Chase Ultimate Rewards portals.

Why you might want the Prime Visa Card

If you're a frequent Amazon shopper, the Prime Visa card is one of the best methods — if not the best — of earning cash back with the online retailer. You can also earn rewards for shopping at Whole Foods, restaurants, gas stations and more. This flexibility is astounding for any cash back card, let alone a retail card. The card also carries a decent welcome offer and multiple ways to redeem rewards.

Rewards: Unmatched rewards rate at Amazon.com and Whole Foods

Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market and Chase travel purchases earn an unlimited 5 percent back in rewards. Plus, you’ll earn 2 percent at restaurants, gas stations and transit and 1 percent back on all other purchases.

Regular Amazon shoppers should have no problem earning plenty of rewards with the Prime Visa card. With one of the highest earning rates available for Amazon purchases, you’ll only need to spend $2,780 each year — or about $232 per month — on Amazon or Whole Foods purchases to offset the cost of your Prime membership. Given you can purchase nearly anything from the retailer, even occasional Amazon shoppers could benefit from adding this card to their wallet.

The 5 percent category also applies to Whole Foods Market. This is a remarkably competitive rate for grocery purchases considering the Prime Visa is a store card. The current reigning champion of grocery store rewards, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, earns 6 percent back on U.S. grocery store purchases but with a spending cap of $6,000 annually (then 1 percent). Its uncapped rate makes the Prime Visa one of the best cards for grocery rewards rates if you do your grocery shopping at Whole Foods Market.

Welcome offer: Solid value for a retail card

Amazon is offering a gift card worth $100 just for getting approval for the Prime Visa card. While that's half as much as the card's previous $200 gift card offer and falls short of the bonus value on some of the best no-annual-fee cash back and rewards cards, it's still impressive for a retail card bonus. Many store cards offer no sign-up bonus at all. 

The new bonus also stands out among the best credit card sign-up bonuses since it has no spending requirement (you receive the bonus instantly upon approval). Most bonuses of this value require at least $500 in spending in your first three months. If nothing else, the bonus can offset a large chunk of the cost of an Amazon Prime membership for the first year. 

Cardholder perks: Strong travel benefits for a store card

The Prime Visa card carries a surprising number of benefits for a retail card, such as Luxury Hotel Collection benefits, concierge service and premium travel perks. The Visa Signature level of the Luxury Hotel Collection grants cardholders seven VIP Guest status amenities, including automatic room upgrades when available and other complimentary privileges. And when you need to save time, the free Visa Signature Concierge Service is like a 24-hour personal assistant that can book reservations, tickets and more.

The card’s auto rental collision damage waiver, roadside dispatch, travel accident insurance (coverage up to $500,000), lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger) and baggage delay insurance (reimburses up to $100 per day for three days) can help you recoup some costs if your trip doesn’t go as planned. The Prime Visa also offers purchase protection that covers damage or theft up to $500 per claim ($50,000 per account). Considering how light co-branded store cards are on perks, the Prime Visa card’s depth of travel protection coverage is remarkable. 

Why you might want a different rewards card

Though the Prime Visa card features fantastic tiered rewards, if you aren't interested in Amazon Prime, this card can’t do much for you. In addition, you can’t redeem points toward any Chase Rewards programs or portals, nor can you pool points with any Chase Ultimate Rewards cards you have, restricting your point redemption possibilities.

Rates and fees: Must have an Amazon Prime membership 

The rates and fees for the Prime Visa card are standard, but the “no annual fee” comes with an important footnote. You must have an Amazon Prime membership to get the card, which is currently $14.99 per month or $139 each year if you pay for an entire year upfront.

Amazon comes with plenty of valuable benefits, but the cost of Amazon Prime just for this card might not be worth it for shoppers who don’t regularly use Amazon’s services. It takes spending at least $232 each month across Amazon.com and Whole Foods to break even on a Prime membership.

Otherwise, you must spend almost $580 per month across your 2 percent categories with the card to break even with the Prime membership cost. The no-annual-fee Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card might be a more reasonable alternative if you spend little money on Amazon.

Redemption: Points have limited options for a Chase card

Although the reward terms make it sound like you’re earning cash back, you’re actually earning points. You can redeem your points at a 1:1 value toward cash back, travel, gift cards or Amazon purchases upon checkout — meaning each point you earn with the Prime Visa card is worth 1 cent no matter how you redeem it. For example, 50,000 Amazon points equals $50.

Though you don’t need to meet a minimum rewards balance to redeem for cash back or for Amazon purchases, there’s a disappointingly long list of items you can’t buy with points. Many of these items are small purchases that you would probably use points on more often, such as music, Kindle eBooks and video downloads.

Another sore spot: you cannot transfer points to Chase’s travel partners or other Chase rewards cards. This is a huge bummer considering the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal is among the most rewarding travel portals and several Chase cards can access it. 

We tried it: Here’s what our experts say

Several members of the Bankrate staff love the Prime Visa card and dedicate a regular slot in their wallets to it. Bankrate editor Nouri Zarrugh enjoys the versatility Amazon.com online shopping rewards add to his credit card rotation:

The Prime Visa card has given a nice boost to my cash back strategy. Considering the variety of items available on Amazon, this card gets you 5 percent back on almost anything you can think of — from streaming subscriptions via Amazon Channels to grocery deliveries via Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods to tools and home goods — making this easily one of the most versatile cards in my wallet.

— Nouri Zarrugh, Senior Editor, Bankrate

How the Prime Visa compares to other rewards cards

Although they may not prove as lucrative on your Amazon.com purchases, some credit cards can still offer rewards for online and in-store purchases. Depending on your shopping habits and preferences, either one of the following cards could be a good alternative.

Image of Prime Visa
Bankrate Score
Apply now Lock
on Amazon's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card
Info

Rewards rate

1% - 5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®

Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

5%
Info

Rewards rate

1% - 5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Bankrate Score
Apply now Lock
on Bank of America's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200
Info

Rewards rate

1% - 3%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info

Best cards to pair with the Prime Visa card

Since the Amazon Prime Visa card is rewarding for Amazon purchases, a general-purpose cash back credit card is a great partner for broader rewards. Flat-rate cards are solid picks to earn cash back on every other purchase you make. 

Who is the Amazon Prime Visa card right for?

The Amazon Prime Visa isn’t the best rewards card for everyone, but if you fall into one of these categories, it may be the best one for you.

Bankrate’s Take — Is the Amazon Prime Visa worth it?

The Prime Visa card is undoubtedly worth it if you frequently order from Amazon — especially if you spend big during the holidays or on Amazon Prime Day. The unlimited 5 percent rewards easily outperform other credit cards’ online shopping categories, and you can easily offset your Prime membership cost, better protect your purchases and enjoy a few travel perks while you’re at it. 

On the flip side, a general-purpose rewards card may earn more rewards for your spending if you want higher rates on variable bonus categories or other online retailers. Still, the Prime Visa offers better rates and more versatile rewards than many store cards, making it hard to go wrong with this pick.

*All information about the Capital One® Walmart Rewards® Card, and Amazon Business Prime American Express Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

How we rated this card

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Credit Card Reviews
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We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest). 

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:

Frequently asked questions

Written by
Re'Dreyona Walker
Associate Editor, Credit Cards

Re’Dreyona Walker is an editor for Bankrate and CreditCards.com, focusing on product guides and reviews. As a personal finance expert, she is dedicated to providing honest product reviews as well as in-depth, comprehensive guides to assist readers in building credit and finding the best credit cards for their needs.

Edited by Senior Editor, Credit Cards

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.