Spoiler: if you shop at Amazon, Whole Foods, or a gas station, the numbers are better than you probably think.
Ready to see what you could earn? The Amazon Visa takes 15 seconds to apply, and you get a $50 Gift Card instantly upon approval.
Ready to see what you could earn? The Amazon Visa takes 15 seconds to apply, and you get a $50 Gift Card instantly upon approval.
Let’s be honest: most of us already spend a meaningful chunk of our monthly budget on Amazon. Groceries, household staples, random things we convincingly told ourselves we needed at 11 pm — it adds up. The question isn’t really whether you’re spending money there. It’s whether you’re getting anything back for it.
The Amazon Visa card is one of those financial tools that sounds almost too simple to be worth paying attention to. No annual credit card fee. No foreign transaction fees. Unlimited cash back on purchases you’re already making. But the actual dollar figure you stand to earn each year is something most people haven’t sat down to calculate — so we did it for you!
Here’s how the rewards work
The card earns at different rates depending on where you spend. Here’s the full breakdown:
The headline number for Prime members is that 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market — and if you’re a regular at either, that rate compounds quickly. Non-Prime members still earn a solid 3% at those same retailers, which beats a lot of dedicated store cards.
Now let’s do the actual math
We ran the numbers on a realistic monthly spending profile — nothing extravagant, just the kind of purchases most households make regularly. Here’s what a Prime member could conservatively earn in a year:
| Category | Monthly Spend | Rate | Annual Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com | $150 | 5%* | $90 |
| Whole Foods Market | $200 | 5%* | $120 |
| Gas stations | $120 | 2% | $29 |
| Restaurants | $150 | 2% | $36 |
| Everything else | $300 | 1% | $36 |
| Total annual earnings (est.) | $311+ | ||
*5% rate applies to Prime members. Non-Prime members earn 3% at Amazon and Whole Foods, bringing the estimated annual total to approximately $243.
And that’s before factoring in the $50 Amazon Gift Card you receive instantly upon approval, or any 10%-or-more rotating category bonuses throughout the year. For many cardmembers, those bonuses alone add meaningfully to the annual total.
How you redeem matters — and this one is easy
One underrated feature of this card is how frictionless the redemption experience is. Rewards show up as soon as the next day and can be applied directly at Amazon checkout — there’s no waiting for a statement credit or logging into a separate rewards portal to redeem points. You can also redeem through Chase.com for cash back, gift cards, or travel if you prefer.
For Whole Foods shoppers, redemption works through the Amazon Shopping app or the Whole Foods Market app using an in-store code at checkout — both staffed lanes and self-checkout.
The extras that most people overlook
Beyond the cash back, the card comes with a suite of travel and purchase protections that tend to fly under the radar:
- 💳 0% promo APR option — choose 0% promo APR for 6 months on purchases of $50+ or 12 months on purchases of $250+ at Amazon.com or eligible Amazon Pay retailers, instead of earning rewards. After the promo period, a variable APR of 18.74%–27.49% applies.
- ✉ Purchase Protection — covers new purchases against damage or theft for a limited time after you buy.
- ✈ Travel Accident Insurance and Baggage Delay Insurance — useful coverage when things go sideways on a trip.
- 🚗 Auto Rental Coverage and Roadside Assistance — skip the rental counter upsell on collision coverage.
- 🔒 Extended Warranty Protection — extends the manufacturer’s warranty on eligible purchases.
So who is this card actually for?
The Amazon Visa makes the most sense if two or more of these describe you: you shop on Amazon at least a few times a month, you buy groceries at Whole Foods (or wish you could justify it more), and you want a no-annual-fee card that earns meaningful rewards without requiring you to think too hard about category tracking.
If you’re a Prime member, the value proposition gets significantly stronger. The jump from 3% to 5% at Amazon and Whole Foods is not trivial — on $350 in combined monthly spend at those two retailers alone, that’s an extra $84 per year compared to the non-Prime rate. Prime membership, in other words, amplifies the card. And the card amplifies Prime.
If you’re not a Prime member, the card still earns competitively at 3% on Amazon purchases — better than most general-purpose cash back cards — and the 2% categories cover the spending most people do every single day.
Pricing & Terms: No annual credit card fee. No foreign transaction fees. Variable APR of 18.74%–27.49% applies. 0% promo APR available for 6 months on purchases of $50 or more, or 12 months on purchases of $250 or more, at Amazon.com or eligible retailers with Amazon Pay; standard variable APR applies after promo period. Purchases made under Equal Pay promotions do not earn % back rewards. 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market available to Prime members only; non-Prime members earn 3%. $50 Amazon Gift Card offer valid for new cardmembers only and will be loaded to your Amazon Gift Card balance upon approval. Rewards are tracked as points; 100 points = $1 in redemption value. See full offer details at Chase.com.
22Words may receive compensation from JPMC. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines, or hotel chain.