If you’re thinking of picking something up during Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale, you might be able to use a gift card instead of paying out of pocket.
Starting June 11, Prime members approved for the Prime Visa (see rates and fees) can get a $200 Amazon Gift Card instantly, with no spending required. Not having to hit a spending goal to earn a card’s sign-up bonus is somewhat rare, and while the Prime Visa does require a Prime membership, the card itself doesn’t have an annual fee.
With this year’s sale running Tuesday, June 23 through Friday, June 26, now is the perfect time to apply; the card offers instant access and is automatically added to your Amazon account after approval. Below, CNBC Select covers who is eligible for the Prime Visa bonus offer and other cards that should be on your radar for Prime Day.
The Prime Visa is only available to Amazon Prime members ($139 for an annual membership and $14.99 for a monthly membership) but is very rewarding for Amazon purchases.
- High rate of return at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases
- Offers an automatic gift card welcome bonus after card approval
- Option to earn rewards or take advantage of 0% promo APRs
- Includes a wealth of travel insurance protections
- Requires an Amazon Prime membership for approval
- If you choose the promo APR, you won’t earn rewards on those purchases
- Rewards can’t be pooled with other Chase credit cards
Rewards
- Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
- 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Who can get a $200 Amazon Gift Card?
What’s the current Prime Visa welcome offer?
New cardmembers who qualify for the Prime Visa earn a $200 gift card instantly upon approval. You don’t need to hit a spending goal or keep your Prime membership for a certain period of time, and the card is instantly loaded to your Amazon account.
This upgraded $200 offer is $50 more than the card’s previous welcome offer, and it’s only available for a limited time, as the offer will end July 9. Amazon frequently offers an elevated bonus for the Prime Visa ahead of its annual Prime Day sale.
Additionally, the Amazon Prime Store Card (which can only be used at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market) is also offering an elevated welcome offer. New cardholders can soon get a $120 gift card instantly upon approval, but only if they apply June 23 through June 26. That’s $40 higher than its current offer.
Additional Amazon credit card perks for Prime Day
All Prime cardmembers can earn a total of 7% back on eligible Amazon.com purchases from June 23 through June 26 when they choose No-Rush Delivery. Additionally, Prime Visa cardmembers can take advantage of Prime Card Bonus offers and earn 10% back (or more) on those purchases.
Do I qualify for the Prime Visa?
The Prime Visa requires a good-to-excellent credit score for approval (or a FICO Score of 670 and higher), which could be harder to reach for some people. That being said, Amazon does offer other credit card options with lower credit score requirements, notably the Prime Store Card. We cover those further below.
Since the Prime Visa is issued by Chase, it falls under the infamous 5/24 rule. This rule isn’t officially acknowledged, but it means you likely won’t be approved for most Chase cards if you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards (from any issuer) within the past 24 months.
It’s worth pointing out that the Prime Visa’s $200 gift card bonus is only available to new cardholders, so if you’ve earned this card’s bonus before, you won’t be eligible.
Other cards to consider for Prime Day
If you’re looking for a different type of credit card for Prime Day, or maybe one that isn’t solely tied to Amazon purchases, here are two to consider. Both of these cards also offer instant access, so you can start spending as soon as you’re approved.
Prime Store Card
As previously mentioned, the Prime Store Card has a lower barrier to entry in terms of credit score requirements and still earns a strong 5% back on Amazon.com purchases (and Whole Foods Market). But since this is a store card, you can only use it with those two retailers.
The Prime Store Card also offers unique promotional financing for periods of six, 12 or 24 months on qualifying purchases. Just be aware that these are considered deferred interest plans, which are separate from 0% APR offers. If you don’t pay off the whole amount by the assigned date, you’ll be liable for the accrued interest.
While the card does still require a Prime membership, if you qualify for Prime for Young Adults or Prime Access, you can get a discounted rate.
Prime Store Card
-
Rewards
5% back on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market (In-Store Code required)with an eligible Prime membership
-
Welcome bonus
$80 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval
-
Annual fee
-
Intro APR
Pay equal monthly payments on Amazon.com purchases, at 0% APR, over the financing offer period. 6 equal monthly payments on purchases between $50 and $599.99; 12 equal monthly payments on purchases of $600 or more; 24 equal monthly payments on select purchases
-
Regular APR
-
Balance transfer fee
-
Foreign transaction fee
Terms apply. We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through Amazon links.
Pros
- No annual fee
- High 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods
- Various promotional financing offers
Cons
- Deferred interest means you have to pay all interest you incurred during the intro period if you don’t pay your balance in full before it ends
- Prime membership is required
- This card can only be used at Amazon stores
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
If you’re looking for a card that excels for both Amazon buys and everyday purchases, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express could be a great option. There’s no annual fee (see rates and fees), and you earn 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, up to $6,000 in spending per year. That includes purchases at Amazon.com.
You’ll earn the same cash back rates on eligible gas and U.S. supermarket purchases, as well — so if you’re particularly fond of the Amazon cards’ rewards on Whole Foods Market purchases, know you’ll still be able to earn cash back there with the Blue Cash Everyday.
The Reward Dollars you earn can be directly used at checkout on Amazon.com or redeemed as a statement credit to cover past purchases.
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has no annual fee and you may be eligible for bonus rewards on a wide range of common expenditures.
- Up to $264 in streaming service and meal kit credits every year (subject to auto renewal)
- High cash-back rates in popular spending categories
- No annual fee
- The best bonus cash-back categories are capped
- Has a foreign transaction fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Apply and find out your welcome offer. As High As $200 cash back* after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply, and if approved: 1. Find out your offer amount 2. Accept the Card with your offer 3. Spend $2,000 in 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. *Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- No Annual Fee.
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.49%-28.49%.
- Plan It®: Buy now, pay later with Plan It. Split purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee so you don’t have the pressure of paying all at once. Simply select the purchase in your online account or the American Express® App to see your plan options. Plus, you’ll still earn rewards on purchases the way you usually do.
- Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on eligible purchases for each category on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
- Get up to a $7 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday® Card for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites. Subject to auto-renewal.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
Either$5or3%of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
Subscribe to the CNBC Select Newsletter!
Money matters —so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.Sign up here.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage ofcredit cards,bankingandmoney, and follow us onTikTok,Facebook,InstagramandXto stay up to date.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
About The Author
