Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Review

This card is perfect for regular Amazon and Whole Foods shoppers who don’t have an Amazon Prime membership, or don’t want to buy one for $119 a year. You’ll earn extra cash back on purchases from Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, restaurants, drug stores, and gas stations—for no annual fee.

While travel buffs would be better off with a travel rewards card, this is not a bad card to take with you on a trip. It provides a variety of travel insurance and assistance products, and charges no foreign transaction fees.

Pros explained 

• Easy-to-earn new cardholder bonus: You’ll get a $50 Amazon gift card upon approval. That's an unusually good bonus for a retail card since you're not required to spend anything to get it. 
• Widespread acceptance: Some retail cards can only be used at a single store or group of stores. This card can be used anywhere that Visa is accepted, and therefore acts more like a general cash-back card.
• Travel perks: The card has some strong travel-related insurance benefits and doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. 

Cons explained

• No low-interest balance transfer or introductory purchase offer: Some cash-back credit cards offer these types of deals for up to 15 months, but this isn’t one. 
• Earns less than the Amazon Prime card: This card offers a smaller bonus for new cardholders and a lower cash-back rate, compared to the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature card. If you’re a loyal, frequent Amazon and Whole Foods customer, you may want to purchase the membership required for the Amazon Prime card to get the highest rewards.

Bonus for New Cardholders

You’ll earn a $50 Amazon electronic gift card upon credit card approval. That’s not bad for a retail card bonus, especially considering you don’t have to spend anything to get it. 

Earning Points and Rewards

The Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card from Chase offers three levels of cash-back earnings. You’ll earn 3% at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Markets; 2% at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores; and 1% on everything else.

Points don’t expire as long as your account stays open.

Redeeming Rewards 

In general, each point is worth 1 cent when redeemed for cash. Here are a few ways to redeem points:

• Cash or statement credits: 10,000 points translate to $100, and you can transfer cash electronically to checking or savings accounts. Statement credits are applied directly to balances, but they don’t replace minimum payments due. The exception is if the statement credit pays off the full balance including interest owed. 
• Amazon purchases: Use points directly through your Amazon account like cash. You can pay partially with points and any remaining balances can be paid with Amazon gift cards or your Amazon credit card. 
• Gift cards: Gift cards for restaurants and retailers can be purchased at chase.com/amazonrewards.
• Travel: Points for travel can be redeemed at the Chase Travel Center phone number. Any difference in costs can be paid with your card, and some bookings will have a minimum booking amount.

How to Get the Most out of This Card

Consider buying everything you can from Amazon.com and Whole Foods to earn 3% back. Then make sure you use the card for all your restaurant, gas, and drugstore purchases to max out the 2% category. Consider, however, buying your over-the-counter drugstore purchases from Amazon instead of a drugstore, so you’ll get 3% instead of 2% back.

Excellent Perks

The Amazon Rewards Visa Signature card provides a couple of perks that our editors have deemed “excellent” because they provide more value than the standard credit card perks.

• Travel accident insurance: If you’re dismembered or killed in an accident while on a trip you paid for with this card, you or your survivors are eligible for up to $500,000 in coverage.
• Coverage for lost, damaged, or delayed luggage: Lost or delayed luggage is reimbursed at up to $3,000 per passenger. If your flight is delayed for six hours or more, each passenger may be reimbursed for clothing and toiletries at a rate of $100 per day for up to three days.

Other Features 

• Rental car collision insurance (secondary to your own policy)
• Insurance for stolen or damaged purchases
• Extended warranties
• Travel and emergency hotline
• Concierge for booking event tickets, restaurant reservations, hotels, and other services 

Customer Experience

In J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, Chase was ranked fourth out of 11 and scored only one point below the average.

You can call Chase customer service representatives 24/7 but there is no online chat capability. One interesting feature that Chase offers is its Credit Journey tool, which gives you access to a free credit score updated weekly and a score simulator, which shows you how your score might be impacted by different behaviors, such as paying off debt.

Security Features

Chase’s credit cards have industry-standard security features and a few exceptional ones. You can lock your card from the app if you misplace it, and if you need a new card, you can get a free replacement within 3-5 business days.

Fees

The Amazon Rewards Visa Signature card has mostly standard fees for a card of this type, although the 5% balance transfer fee may give some pause. Travelers will be pleased that there are no foreign transaction fees.