Amazon Store Card Reviews [2024]

If you are a frequent visitor to the Amazon website, an in-house Amazon Store Card can seriously improve your shopping experience. But is the Amazon Store Card worth it? The short answer is, well, maybe. One thing is obvious, however — this is one of the best options for online shopping that can save you a lot of money.

We’ve prepared a detailed Amazon Store Card review so you can learn everything you should know before becoming a cardholder.

Understanding the Amazon Store Card

What is an Amazon Store Card, and how can you obtain it?  For starters, let's cover the basics. An Amazon Store Card is a payment tool for use on Amazon.com and affiliated retailers. While the card is accessible to anyone who can legally open bank accounts in the US, you must be an Amazon Prime member and have an active subscription to get the full list of benefits. As usual, keep in mind that this payment method is only available to US residents.

How does it work?

You must link a card to an active bank account and social security number before you can make any purchases. The Amazon Store Card has some enticing additional financial offers and boasts enhanced fraud protection. Paying with it is as easy as paying with a regular bank plastic; you can pay for both the order itself and delivery.

Uniquely for this card, the perks you unlock don’t depend on your credit score, but rather on whether you’re a Prime subscriber.

The standard option has no monthly or annual fees and offers interest-free financing for purchases, but otherwise has a relatively limited list of benefits. As we’ve already mentioned, you should consider an Amazon Prime subscription to apply for additional rewards programs.

Prime membership

Amazon Prime is a full-fledged membership program that offers subscribers a variety of additional services, privileges, and media content for an annual or monthly fee. For instance, when shopping through your Prime account, you get many cashback opportunities, and discounted interest-free financing on expensive purchases.

The Amazon Store Card is not the same as Amazon Prime, and obtaining a card does not automatically grants you Prime subscription. However, if you become a Prime member after applying for the card, it will be immediately upgraded (in a sense that its status will change).

What’s more, if you’re a Prime member and have a good to excellent credit score, you may also qualify for the Prime Visa Card, which offers the best terms, the biggest welcome bonus, and the highest rewards rates on Amazon purchases.

Merits and Downsides of the Amazon Store Card

The Amazon Store Card offers favorable conditions for cardholders who frequently shop online on this e-commerce platform.

Let’s look at the benefits of the Amazon Store Card that make this offer worth considering:

• No annual fee;
• An $80 gift card for all newcomers;
• Advanced financing options on orders of $150 or more.

Besides the Amazon Store Card benefits, there are some limitations and disadvantages a cardholder should mind:

• Bonuses and cashback are available only for Prime cardholders;
• The card can only be used for purchases on Amazon or its affiliated brands and companies;
• Variable Annual Percentage Rate reaches 29.99%;
• If you do not repay your special balance in full and on time during the financing offer period, you’ll have to deal with costly interest payments.

Exploring Alternatives to the Amazon Store Card

Any financial tool is as good or bad as its alternatives, so let’s explore some of those!

Target RedCard Credit Card

A Target in-house credit card with no annual fee. It offers a 5% discount on purchases and provides cashback to all clients without the need for active membership. In addition, the discount is applied immediately when placing an order, and the cardholders enjoy free shipping and some additional time to return purchases.

Capital One Walmart Rewards Card

A similar store-specific card that also has no annual payments. The cardholders earn a substantial 5% back on purchases at Walmart and can use the card anywhere Mastercard is accepted (unlike the Amazon’s one).

Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

This is the first member of our list that isn’t an internal store card and can be used anywhere (although Walmart’s card provides a similar level of financial freedom). It allows cardholders to select a purchase category to receive 3% cashback on, with an additional 2% on groceries, and 1% on any other purchases. It comes with a great welcome bonus and has a $0 annual fee.

Conclusion

As an Amazon cardholder, you can gain access to a decent rewards system, as well as other benefits, privileges, and personalized offers. However, all this is possible only if you have a Prime membership. Amazon Store Card reviews online typically state that if you’re not a Prime member, or if Amazon isn’t your only place to shop, you should probably consider some alternatives.

Last but not least, regardless of whether you have a Prime subscription, we must advise against using Amazon Store Card’s special financing offers, which may seem attractive at a glance but will likely result in high interest rates.

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