Which card to use for Amazon orders: Prime Visa or a flat 2 percent card

The short answer

For a household that already pays for Prime, the Prime Visa is the strongest Amazon card in Julia's example. On $5,400 a year of eligible Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, the Prime Visa earns $270 back and a no-fee flat 2 percent card earns $108. That is a $162 gain without changing anything you buy.

If you would join Prime only to get the card, the picture changes. The same purchases on an Amazon Visa without Prime earn 3 percent, or $162, so the membership adds $108 in card rewards. Julia's test charges a $139 yearly Prime membership, which $108 does not cover.

Julia's Wallet Score reflects that split. Prime Visa scores 55 out of 100 on Julia's everyday card test. Wells Fargo Active Cash scores 70, Citi Double Cash 69 and Capital One Quicksilver 71. The Prime Visa's score charges the full membership and includes plenty of shopping away from Amazon. The best Amazon card therefore depends on whether you would keep Prime regardless.

Is the Prime Visa worth it for Amazon orders?

The Prime Visa has no annual fee. With an eligible Prime membership, it earns 5 percent at Amazon.com, Audible.com, Whole Foods Market and through Chase Travel. Restaurants, gas stations and local transit earn 2 percent. Everything else earns 1 percent.

Julia's example is a family spending $450 a month on eligible Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. Over a year that is $5,400, and the numbers run like this:

• Prime Visa with Prime: $270 back.
• Amazon Visa without Prime, at 3 percent: $162 back.
• A flat 2 percent card with no annual fee: $108 back.

The Prime Visa beats the flat card by $162, assuming the purchases qualify and you pay the statement balance in full. A family that would shop there anyway has a clear reason to add the card.

Does Prime pay for itself through the card alone?

Keep the membership decision and the card decision apart. Prime adds 2 percentage points over the non-Prime Amazon Visa, so it adds 2 percent of your eligible spending, which was $108 in Julia's example.

To test a different membership price, divide the yearly cost you want the rewards to cover by 2 percent. If that cost were $100, you would need $5,000 of eligible spending to recover it through the extra reward.

Other Prime services may be worth something to you. Julia's rule is to count only what they would be worth if you would otherwise pay for them. An advertised service price is not money saved if you would never have bought the service.

Should the Prime Visa carry all your spending?

No. In Julia's example, the family adds $12,000 of ordinary 1 percent spending to the Prime Visa. That part earns $120, for $390 in total. A flat 2 percent card would earn $348 on the whole $17,400 budget. The Prime Visa still leads, but only by $42, so most of its advantage disappears.

A split works better:

• Put the qualifying $5,400 on the Prime Visa.
• Keep the other $12,000 on a 2 percent card.
• Together they earn $510, which is $120 more than using the Prime Visa for everything.

This needs two cards and two statements to track. If that would be hard to manage, weigh the extra reward against the effort.

Where do flat-rate cards fit?

A flat-rate card is the simple partner for the purchases the Prime Visa does not reward well. Julia's Wallet Scores for the main options on the everyday card test:

• Capital One Quicksilver: 71. It earns 1.5 percent on most purchases and has no foreign transaction fee.
• Wells Fargo Active Cash: 70. It earns a steady 2 percent. On $21,600 of yearly spending that is $432, against $324 at 1.5 percent.
• Citi Double Cash: 69. It earns 1 percent when you buy and 1 percent through eligible payments. Paying in full earns both parts, but a statement-credit redemption does not count as a payment.
• PayPal Cashback Mastercard: 62. It earns 3 percent on eligible online purchases paid through PayPal and 1.5 percent elsewhere. It only helps where a store offers PayPal checkout, and you must choose this card inside PayPal.
• Prime Visa: 55, because the test charges the full Prime membership.

If you already earn 2 percent somewhere, moving ordinary spending to another 2 percent card adds nothing. Active Cash and Double Cash also charge 3 percent on foreign purchases. Quicksilver does not, which can matter for travel.

Does the 5 percent always mean the lowest price?

No. The percentage back is only part of the cost. Julia's example is an appliance at $180 on Amazon and $170 at another reliable retailer, with comparable shipping and returns.

• On Amazon, 5 percent back brings the cost to $171.
• At the other retailer, 2 percent back brings it to $166.60.

The smaller reward saves another $4.40. The goal is a lower final price on something you already wanted, not keeping every purchase on one card.

Eligibility at checkout also matters. Amazon Pay at an unrelated merchant is not the same as buying on Amazon.com. International Amazon sites do not automatically get the higher rate. Some Whole Foods purchases through excluded third-party services may earn differently. For Chase Travel, compare the full fare or room price, cancellation terms and baggage before you count the 5 percent.

How do the rewards work in practice?

The Prime Visa's rewards are tracked as points, but they are Amazon card rewards. Chase issuing the card does not make them transferable Ultimate Rewards. Use the value shown for the redemption you choose.

Three habits protect the rewards:

• When rewards cover part of an Amazon purchase, that portion is not a new card charge and earns nothing. If cash redemption gives the same value, you can pay normally and redeem separately.
• Special financing at checkout may replace normal rewards. Do not count 5 percent on an option that excludes it.
• Pay the statement balance in full. Earning $50 on a $1,000 purchase can be erased by revolving interest.

An opening Amazon gift-card offer, if you qualify, is a first-year extra. It is not cash in your bank account and it does not repeat each year.

Before you act

Look at your last year of Amazon and Whole Foods orders. Decide first whether you would keep Prime without the card. If you would, the Prime Visa's extra reward is a gain on spending you already do. If you would join only for the card, compare the $108 in Julia's example with the membership price available to you.

On the issuer's page, confirm:

• The current Prime membership requirement and which merchants earn 5 percent.
• Whether your usual Whole Foods and Amazon checkouts qualify.
• The redemption options and any current opening offer.

Terms checked October 6, 2026. They may have moved since, so confirm them with the issuer before you decide.

The cards in this guide

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