Prime Visa Review

Overview

The Prime Visa is a no-brainer if you are an Amazon Prime member: 5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods, with no annual fee beyond your Prime membership. If you buy a lot on Amazon, that 5% adds up fast, and it comes with a nice welcome gift card too.

The catch is that the best rate requires a Prime membership, and the 5% is really only on Amazon and Whole Foods. But for heavy Amazon shoppers, it is one of the best free cards going.

Our 4.0 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

You earn 5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods, 5% on Chase Travel, 2% on dining, gas, and transit, and 1% on everything else, with no card fee if you have Prime. The 5% on Amazon is the star, and for anyone who does a lot of their shopping there, it is excellent. Without Prime, the rate drops, so the value is tied to your membership.

The fine print on rates: The headline rate is 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods (with an eligible Prime membership), plus 5% on travel booked through Chase Travel. The 5% grocery rate applies only at Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, not at other supermarkets, where you earn 1%.

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The welcome is a nice instant perk: a $200 Amazon gift card upon approval, with no spending requirement. Easy value right away.

Is it worth the annual fee?

There is no annual fee, though you do need a Prime membership to get the 5% rate. If you are already paying for Prime, the card costs you nothing extra and the 5% on Amazon makes it well worth holding.

First-year value vs ongoing value

The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $940 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the no fee. After that, the honest figure is about $740 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.

*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Visa Signature benefits including travel and purchase protections

Statement credits

• $150 Amazon gift card upon approval (Amazon balance, not a cash welcome bonus)

Who should get it, and who should skip it

If you are a Prime member who shops on Amazon regularly, this card is close to essential, 5% back on all that spending, for free, is hard to argue with, and the instant gift card is a bonus.

If you do not have Prime or rarely use Amazon, the value drops off and a broader cash-back card makes more sense. But for the Amazon-heavy household, this is a top free pick.

Frequently asked questions

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