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Amazon.com is the world’s largest online retailer. If you shop there a lot, make sure you have a credit card, as doing so can give you a healthy bonus. The 3% bonus Amazon Rewards Visa offers is the biggest credit card bonus offered to non-Prime Amazon customers of the year. Amazon buyers with Prime membership should check out the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card.

The Amazon Rewards Visa Card offers 3% cash back on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

The Amazon Rewards Visa Card is marketed as giving “3% back” on Amazon purchases, but the fine print states that your purchases do earn Amazon Rewards points. For example, a $50 purchase from Amazon will earn you 150 Amazon Rewards points. Each point is currently redeemable for a value of 1 cent per point. So in the example above, your $50 purchase on Amazon will earn you $1.50 worth of points, basically 3% back on your purchase.

Unlike some other cards, there’s no cap on your earnings; you get 3% back on everything you buy on Amazon, no matter how much you spend.

Amazon Visa offers a remarkable array of travel and other perks, including concierge services, access to luxury hotels and a $0 foreign transaction fee. The benefits are top-notch on a card with no annual fee.

At first glance

Unlimited 3% cash back on all Amazon and Whole Foods purchases

Unlimited 2% refund at restaurants, gas stations and pharmacies

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1% back on all other purchases

$0 annual fee and $0 foreign transaction fee

Remuneration

Earn rewards

The Amazon Rewards Visa Card gives you unlimited 3% cash back on rewards at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and pharmacies, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

There’s also a welcome bonus: get an Amazon.com gift card immediately upon card approval, which loads directly into your Amazon account upon approval.

Redeem rewards

Rewards are earned in the form of Amazon Rewards, an Amazon-specific currency that is worth 1 cent per point. There are many ways to redeem Amazon Rewards, including travel cards and gift cards, but the two most lucrative ways to redeem your points are using points for rewards and using Amazon’s Shop.

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Since Amazon purchases through Shop with Points don’t earn the 3% bonus, the most efficient way to redeem Amazon Rewards is to use statement credit.

Reward Potential

Using data from various government agencies, Eragoncred consultants have estimated how much households making up 70 percent of income spend in different categories each year. We assume self-employed individuals in this income range. 70% of working families have an annual income of $100,172 and can pay $26,410 by credit card. These numbers are used to estimate the potential returns of the card.

Our sample household spends $5,687 a year on grocery shopping. If you’re looking at the Amazon Rewards Visa Card, chances are you’re already a Whole Foods shopper. So let’s assume that all annual grocery spending is either at Whole Foods or grocery shopping on Amazon.com. This will add 17,061 Amazon Rewards points towards grocery purchases.

Additionally, our basic household spends $2,377 a year on online shopping. Amazon sells almost everything, so let’s assume all purchases are made on Amazon. That’s another 7,131 Amazon Rewards points.

The family spends an average of $978 a year at the pharmacy, $4,406 at restaurants and $2,687 at the gas station. Earning 2% back can earn you an additional 16,142 Amazon Rewards points per year.

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Eragoncred estimates that you can reasonably expect to be charged an additional $13,144 per year to your Amazon card. When 1% is refunded, Amazon Rewards points will increase by 13,144 points.

For this example household, there are a total of 53,478 Amazon Rewards points. In addition to the welcome benefits you get your first year, there’s nearly $550 in cash back every year. Of course, every household has different shopping habits, so take a look at your own spending patterns and see what rewards your family can get with the Amazon Rewards Visa Card.

More card benefits

  • Lost Baggage Compensation: Up to $3,000 per passenger if your checked baggage is damaged or lost by a regular carrier.
  • Baggage Delay: If your bag is delayed for more than 6 hours, you’ll receive a refund for purchases such as toiletries and clothing, up to $100 per day for three days.
  • Buyer Protection: Your purchases will be protected against damage or theft for 120 days, up to $500 per claim and up to $50,000 per account.
  • Extended Warranty Protection: Items purchased with this card can be extended from an authorized U.S. manufacturer’s warranty for three years or less.
  • Free Visa Signature Concierge Service: Access Visa Concierge 24 hours a day for services like hard-to-find sports and entertainment tickets, dinner reservations, and more.
  • Visa Signature® Luxury Hotel Collection: Access 900 luxury hotels worldwide with best available rates, automatic room upgrades (if available), free in-room WiFi (if available), and more.
  • Car Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Provides second theft and collision coverage if you decline the rental car company’s collision insurance and charge your card the full cost of the rental.
  • No International Transaction Fees: There are no additional fees for purchases outside the US.

Beautifully printed

Interest expense

  • 14.49% – 22.49% Variable

Cost

  • Annual fee: $0
  • Transfer Fee: $5 or 5% of each transfer amount, whichever is greater.
  • Foreign purchase transaction fee: $0.

How the cards are stacked

Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card* and Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card*

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, consider purchasing the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card. The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card earns 5% cash back on eligible Prime memberships at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and pharmacies, and 1% on all other purchases. Plus, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card offers 10% or more cash back on rotating Amazon categories and products. The card has no annual fee (assuming you’ve already paid for Prime membership) and enjoys all the other benefits of the Amazon Rewards Visa Card.

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card also offers a welcome bonus: Amazon.com gift cards load directly into your Amazon account as soon as the card is approved.

Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card* and Amazon Business Prime American Express Card*
If you’re an Amazon Prime member who uses Amazon for business purchases and would like to receive a 5% bonus, consider using the Amazon Prime Business American Express Card. The card earns 5% back on the first $120,000 in Amazon.com purchases and 2% back on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and wireless phone service. The card earns a 1% bonus on all other purchases.

In addition, the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card offers a variety of travel and insurance benefits, including:

  • luggage insurance
  • Taxi Loss and Damage Insurance
  • Purchase protection
  • Extended Warranty

The Amazon Business Prime American Express Card offers the following welcome bonuses: Amazon.com Gift Card upon Amazon Business Prime American Express Card approval.

Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card* and Citi® Double Cash Card
If you prefer a card with a simpler rewards program, you might be interested in the Citi Double Cash Card. It offers 2% cash back on all purchases – 1% upfront on purchases and 1% upfront on bill payments.

Depending on how much you spend on Amazon versus where you earn just 1% on the Amazon Rewards Visa Card, you may find Citi Double Cash more rewarding.

Citi Double Cash is also a great option if your card earns Citi Thank You points, as you can combine your total points for more redemption options.

Is this card right for you?

Amazon Rewards Visa is a great option for regular Amazon shoppers who are not Amazon Prime members. Earning 3% on Amazon purchases is substantial, and the card offers the best-in-class no annual fee card. However, if you are an Amazon Prime member, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa is for you.

If you’re not a large Amazon or Whole Foods shopper, consider a 2% cashback card like Citi Double Cash. This way, you get 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and pharmacies, but also 2% back on all other purchases (1% on purchases and 1% on card payments).

Learn more:

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Jake Smith

Escrito por

Jake Smith

He is the editor of Eragoncred. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Eragoncred and a financial industry reporter. Jake has spent most of his career as a Digital Media journalist and has over 10 years of experience as a writer and editor.