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Amazon's biggest annual sale, Prime Day, is right around the corner. This exclusive shopping event—available only to Amazon Prime members—features impressive discounts throughout the website.
If you've been wanting to purchase the latest laptop or a pair of brand new running shoes to train for your next 10k run, Prime Day is the day you’ve been waiting for. Shoppers rejoice and enjoy savings on items such as tech gadgets, household appliances, fitness equipment and more—during Amazon’s 48-hour mega sale extravaganza.
On Amazon, you can pick from literally over a million goods, so it's critical to plan your shopping and use the best credit card to get the most rewards or cash back.
Here are the best cards for shopping on Amazon Prime Day.
Amazon Prime Visa Credit Card
If you do most of your shopping at Amazon, then the Amazon Prime Visa credit card is a great option for your Prime Day purchases (and all year round).
The Amazon Prime Visa card delivers 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods, in addition to 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. The return on Amazon is higher than that of any other card on our list for the entire year.
Prime Visa Credit Card
Secure application on Amazon’s site
- Our Rating 3.5/5 How our ratings work
- APR19.74% - 28.49% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$0
$0 with Prime membership
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Sign-Up Bonus
$150Gift Card
Get a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
This card is a good fit for consumers who do a lot of shopping at Amazon and Whole Foods because they can earn an unlimited 5% cash back on purchases there. Cardholders also earn some cash back on other purchases, with decent rates for restaurants and gas stations. If you already have or plan to get a Prime membership, using this card could quickly earn you sizable cash back.
Overview
With high rewards rates, this card could make up for the required Prime membership fee if you shop a lot at Amazon and Whole Foods. Non-Prime members can qualify for the Prime Visa Credit Card, which is pretty similar but with lower rewards rates.
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rates
- Sign-up bonus offer
- Can redeem rewards as soon as the next day
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Must have a Prime membership for highest rewards rates
- No intro APR offer
Keep in mind, that you’ll need to have an eligible Amazon Prime membership to qualify for the Amazon Rewards Visa Card. But that includes a host of perks, including two-day shipping.
Best of all, there’s no annual fee to worry about, and the card carries no foreign transaction fee.
Citi® Double Cash Card
If simplicity and rewards are what you’re after in a credit card, the no annual fee Citi® Double Cash Card, from our partner Citi, is a tough competitor in the cash back credit card market. Cardholders will earn 2% cash back on all purchases with no bonus categories to memorize—1% when you buy, plus 1% as you pay. That means any Amazon purchases you make on Prime Day and all-year-round will earn 2% back when you pay off your credit card statement. There is no cap on the amount of cash back you can obtain.
Citi Double Cash Card®
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
- APR18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$0
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Sign-Up Bonus
$200Cash Bonus
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
The Citi Double Cash® Card, from our partner Citi, is among the top cards on the market for general spending. Forget the cards that offer 1% and 1.5% cash back. The Citi Double Cash Card offers you a whopping 2% cash back for all spending. Earn 1% back when you make a purchase and 1% back when you pay your account balance.
Overview
The Citi Double Cash® Card, from our partner Citi, offers attractive and uncomplicated cash back for people who value a flexible credit card reward program. The Citi Double Cash Card gives you the chance to earn 2% cash back on your purchases. You can receive 1% cash back when you make a purchase and an additional 1% cash back once you pay your bill.
Pros
- No category bonuses to remember, unlimited 2% cash back on everything
- Earns ThankYou Points, which gives the potential to unlock valuable travel rewards
Cons
- Foreign transaction fees are applied
- Limited perks
The cash back earned from the Citi Double Cash Card can be converted to ThankYou® Points (via a linked ThankYou account) and redeemed for a variety of things, including travel, gift cards, retail, and more. Read our full review of the Citi Double Cash Card.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom UnlimitedⓇ credit card can be a decent middle ground if you're not sure whether you want cash back or travel points from your Prime Day purchases. With this card, you earn a straightforward 1.5% cash back on all of your purchases, including those from Amazon. You can also earn elevated rates on select bonus categories, such as 5% cash back on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards® and 3% cash back on dining purchases at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and drugstores.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
- APR19.74% - 28.49% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$0
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Bonus Offer
1.5%Extra Cash Back
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
We like that the card offers a high flat rewards rate but also provides accelerated rewards on some common everyday spending categories. You’ll also get access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal, which allows you to use your cash-back earnings for travel rewards, gift cards and more. If you make this your primary card for most purchases you can quickly rack up a lot of rewards.
Overview
The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is unique for a couple of reasons. First, it comes with purchase protection and extended warranty protection you don’t see with some other cash-back cards. Second, you earn cash back in the form of points (Chase Ultimate Rewards) and when paired with another annual-fee earning Chase product, you can get even more value if you love to travel by transferring to partners.
That’s because while the Freedom cards are marketed as cash-back credit cards, they actually offer points. You can use those points to book travel through Chase at a rate of 1 cent per point. But if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you’ll get 25% and 50% more value on those travel redemptions, respectively. (Plus, the ability to transfer your points, too.)
Pros
- No category bonuses to remember; earn at least 1.5% back on everything
- No annual fee
- Generous travel and purchase protection benefits
Cons
- Can't transfer Chase points unless paired with another annual-fee Chase product
Additionally, you'll discover that the cash back earned from the Chase Freedom Unlimited card really are Ultimate Rewards points — arguably the most valuable travel rewards currency on the market. While there are various ways to use these points, redeeming them to offset Amazon purchases would get you a subpar value of 0.8 cents per point.
Instead, If you have another Chase Ultimate Rewards card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can redeem your points for much greater value — either by booking travel through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal at an improved rate of 1.25 cents per point or higher (depending on the Ultimate Rewards card you hold) or transferring those points to any of Chase's airline and hotel reward partners. Read our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited card
Wells Fargo Active Cash®
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® is a natural fit for Amazon Prime shopping, especially for those who want to put earning on autopilot with a simple rewards structure. This card offers a flat 2% cash back on all purchases, with no limit on rewards you can earn, no annual fee and no categories to juggle.
Read our full review of the Wells Fargo Active Cash card.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
- Our Rating 4.0/5 How our ratings work
- APRXX.XX%, XX.XX%, or XX.XX% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$0
-
Welcome Bonus
$200Cash Bonus
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
If you’re a fan of earning cash rewards for your everyday spending, you need a credit card that rewards you for purchases outside of popular bonus categories like travel, grocery stores and gas stations. With the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (Rates and Fees), you earn 2% back for every dollar spent without the fuss of tracking specific bonus categories.
Overview
While many rewards credit cards tempt you with bonus rewards for specific purchases, these cards invariably offer a mere 1% rewards rate on the vast majority of charges that don’t qualify for a bonus. And with many of these cards, the amount of purchases that are eligible for your bonus is capped, restricting the overall potential value.
But with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you simply receive a high level of cash rewards on purchases. There’s no need to register for anything, and there are no limits on the amount of cash rewards you can earn.
Pros
- Earn an unlimited 2% cash back on every single purchase
- No annual fee
- Automatic cellphone protection when you pay your monthly bill with the card
Cons
- Points don't transfer to travel partners unlike other card currencies
- No bonus earning categories
Discover it® Cash Back
If you're considering the Discover it® Cash Back card and repeatedly shop at Amazon.com, this card might be your best bet. That’s because Discover doubles all the cash back you earn in the first year. Similar to the Chase Freedom Flex Card, the Discover it Cash Back card offers 5% cash back (up to $1,500) in quarterly rotating bonus categories — which typically include Amazon for one quarter per year.
This card will appeal to those who enjoy making the most of rotating categories and value cash back over travel rewards. Since Discover doubles your cash back in the first year as a cardholder, you’re essentially earning a whopping 10% cash back on Amazon purchases. Read our full review of the Discover it Cash Back card.
Bottom Line
Whether on Prime Day or anytime throughout the year, if you shop at Amazon often, consider a credit card that rewards you handsomely for your spending. The best earning rates for Amazon shopping typically come from cash-back cards, but several of these types of cards can convert the cash they earn into valuable travel rewards. There are many different cards to choose from, and the best choice for you will depend on the type of rewards you prefer to earn.
See Which Credit Cards Offer Bonuses