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Amazon Store Card Review

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EDITOR’S NOTE: THE CREDIT CARD OFFERS IN THIS ARTICLE ARE EXPIRED AND ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Amazon.com is a hotspot for picking up deals on everything from books to electronics. If you want to save even more on the things you buy, opening an Amazon.com Store card account is a no-brainer.

This card offers special promotional financing on qualifying Amazon purchases. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you’re upgraded to the Amazon Prime Store card, which pays you back 5% every day, on every purchase.
If you’re a frequent Amazon shopper, keep reading to find out whether an Amazon Store card or a Prime card is a good fit for your wallet.

Card Highlights

Amazon.com Store CardAmazon.com Prime Store Card
Annual feeNoneNone; $99 Amazon Prime membership fee applies
Rewards programNoneEarn 5% back on Amazon.com eligible net purchases, applied as a statement credit
Promotional financing offers6 Months Special Financing on purchases of $149 or more6 Months Special Financing on purchases of $149 or more
12 Months Special Financing on purchases of $599 or more12 Months Special Financing on purchases of $599 or more
24 Month Special Financing on select Amazon-sold items24 Month Special Financing on select Amazon-sold items
12 Month Equal Pay Offer on select Amazon-sold items12 Month Equal Pay Offer on select Amazon-sold items
We think this card is good for:Amazon.com shoppers who want to enjoy 0% interest financing on Amazon.com purchasesAmazon.com Prime members who want to take advantage of 0% interest financing or earn automatic 5% rewards on Amazon.com eligible net purchases
We think these folks should do more research:Someone who shops Amazon.com regularly and wants to earn rewards on their purchasesAmazon.com shoppers who want more flexibility in where they can earn and redeem rewards
Someone who may not be able to pay their balance in full before the 0% interest promotional period endsAmazon.com Prime members who don't charge at least $2,000 in purchases each year

Amazon Store Card Basics

So what is the Amazon Store card? Simply put, it’s a credit card that’s designed to be used exclusively at Amazon.com and at merchants who accept it as a form of payment. The card, offered by Synchrony Bank, features four special promotional financing programs for Amazon shoppers. Here’s how they compare:

  • 6-month 0% interest financing – A 6-month zero interest financing period is available on purchases totaling $149 or more.
  • 12-month 0% interest financing – If you’ve got something bigger you need to buy, like a TV or surround sound system, you can snag a 12-month zero interest period on purchases totaling $599 or more.
  • 24-month 0% interest financing – This deal applies to select items sold by Amazon.com. That doesn’t include items offered by third-party sellers. Terms and limitations apply.
  • 12 Month Equal Pay Offer: 0% APR until paid in full. With the first three financing offers, you only have to pay the minimum due each month. As long as you pay the balance in full before the promotional period ends, no interest will accrue. With the 12-month Equal Pay offer, you have to make 12 equal payments consecutively to wipe out your balance in order to dodge the interest charges.

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The Amazon Store card has no annual fee. One thing worth noting, however, is the variable Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for purchases, is fairly steep. If you have a balance that isn’t eligible for 0% financing, paying it off could get very expensive once the interest is tacked on.

When you apply for a new Amazon credit card, you’re eligible for a $10 Amazon.com gift card. This one-time  limited bonus reward is loaded onto your Amazon.com account automatically once you’re approved.

Earning Big Rewards With the Amazon Prime Store Card

AmazonStoreCardThe Amazon.com Store card can prove valuable to Amazon shoppers who want to save money on interest but the Amazon Prime Store card is an even better pick if you’re a Prime member. When you upgrade to a Prime card, you have your choice of taking advantage of one of the special promotional financing offers or earning 5% back on qualifying net purchases.

The card itself has no annual fee but your Prime membership fee is charged to it each year. To earn back the $99 annual fee for Prime, you’d need to spend at least $2,000 a year with your Prime Store card. That comes out to about $167 a month so that’s not too much of a stretch even if you don’t shop Amazon all that often.

There’s no limit on the amount of rewards you can earn but there is one caveat—you can’t earn the 5% back and enjoy zero interest financing on the same purchase. If your purchase is $149 or more, you will have the option to select either the promotional financing offer or the 5% back benefit you would like to apply to your purchase. When you head to the checkout, you’ll have to decide which one you want. If you want to make things easy, you can set your default choice when you manage your account online to either 5% back or zero interest financing.

Redeeming Amazon Prime Store card rewards

The 5% rewards you earn are automatically applied as a statement credit against your account. That makes it ideal for someone who doesn’t want to have to worry about meeting a minimum threshold to redeem their rewards. To put it in easy to understand terms, you’re effectively getting $5 off every $100 you spend with the card.

pros2What Are the Pros?

The obvious advantage of the regular Amazon Store card is the promotional financing program.

As long as you’re disciplined enough to pay off what you charge within the necessary time frame, this card can be a good option if you need to finance an Amazon.com purchase.

The Prime Store card is best suited to someone who’s already a Prime member or who’s planning to sign up for Prime service.

If you’re already going to be paying the $99 fee for your membership and you spend at least $2,000 a year on Amazon purchases, it makes sense to have a credit card that’s going to put some of that money back in your pocket.

cons2What Are the Cons?

The biggest drawback of both the Amazon.com Store card and the Amazon.com Prime Store card is acceptance. You can only use the card when you shop at Amazon.com or through a merchant that accepts either Amazon card as payment. With the Prime card, the rewards structure is generous but again, you’re only getting that 5% back on Amazon purchases.

If you’re looking for a card that can save you some dough when you shop at Amazon, while giving you rewards on other purchases you might like the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card instead. This card pays you 3% back when you shop at Amazon, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drug stores, plus 1% back on all other purchases.

Rewards on the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card are earned as points that can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, cash back, travel and more. One point is worth $0.01 each and you can also use them to pay at the checkout when you shop Amazon.com. Redemption values vary based on how you redeem your points. Another good reason to consider this card is the opportunity to grab a $50 Amazon.com gift card instantly upon credit card approval. Like the Amazon Store card and the Prime card, the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card has no annual fee.

Should You Get the Amazon Store Card?

The Amazon.com Store card is worth a look if you’re planning to buy something big on Amazon but you don’t want to spring for a $99 Prime membership. If you’re a Prime member, however, the 5% back rewards rate is tough to match. The most important thing to keep in mind with either card is the promotional financing terms. You don’t want to get stuck paying big bucks in interest if your main reason for using the card is to hang on to more of your hard-earned dollars.


Independent Review Disclosure: All the information about the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card, Amazon.com Store card and Amazon Prime Store card have been collected independently by CreditSesame.com and have not been reviewed or provided by the issuers of these cards. The Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card, Amazon.com Store card and Amazon Prime Store card are not available through CreditSesame.com.

Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Credit Sesame receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Credit Sesame provides a variety of offers, but these offers do not include all financial services companies or all products available.

Credit Sesame is an independent comparison service provider. Reasonable efforts have been made to maintain accurate information throughout our website, mobile apps, and communication methods; however, all information is presented without warranty or guarantee. All images and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Editorial Content Disclosure: The editorial content on this page (including, but not limited to, Pros and Cons) is not provided by any credit card issuer. Any opinions, analysis, reviews, or recommendations expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any credit card issuer.

Provider’s Terms: *See the online provider’s application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts have been made to maintain accurate information, however, all information is presented without warranty or guarantee. When you click on the “Apply Now” button, you can review the terms and conditions on the provider’s website. Offers are subject to change and the terms displayed may not be available to all consumers.

The information, including rates and fees, presented in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date of the article. Please refer to issuer website and application for the most current information. Verify all terms and conditions of any offer prior to applying.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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Disclaimer: The article and information provided here is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice.

Rebecca Lake
Rebecca is a financial journalist from North Carolina. She has a Bachelors in Political Science from the University of South Carolina. She covers the intersection of public policy and personal finance.

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Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Credit Sesame receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Credit Sesame provides a variety of offers, but these offers do not include all financial services companies or all products available.

Credit Sesame is an independent comparison service provider. Reasonable efforts have been made to maintain accurate information throughout our website, mobile apps, and communication methods; however, all information is presented without warranty or guarantee. All images and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.