Amazon Credit Card Changes: New Bonuses and Benefits

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Chase issues two cobranded Amazon credit cards, both of which are extremely popular.

Formerly called the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, these products have been renamed more simply: The Prime Visa and the Amazon Visa .

Along with new names, these cards now come with added bonus categories to help you earn cash back faster. You'll also now be awarded that cash back daily. In other words, you'll no longer have to wait for your statement to close before receiving your rewards.

Both cards also offer new welcome bonuses:

Let's take a look at all the changes that have been made to the family of Chase Amazon credit cards — and why they may be the best rewards credit cards for many situations.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

When you apply for a Chase Amazon credit card, the one you'll get depends on whether or not you have an Amazon Prime account.

The Prime Visa is only available for Prime members. The Amazon Visa is available for everyone.

Neither Amazon credit card incurs an annual fee — but because the Prime Visa requires an Amazon Prime account, you're effectively paying $139 per year for that card. If you shop on Amazon even infrequently, Amazon Prime membership is likely worth it to you, anyway.

If you're not sure a Prime membership is worth it for your situation, you can enroll in a free 30-day trial here and earn rewards on the Prime Visa during your free membership period.

The Prime Visa previously offered a $100 Amazon gift card upon account approval. It now offers a notably better $200 Amazon gift card upon approval of your credit card application. That's up to $275 in value.

Similarly, the Amazon Visa previously offered a $50 Amazon gift card upon account approval. The card now offers $60 Amazon gift card and 3% back on all purchases, up to $1,500, for three months after account opening — worth up to $105.

Both Amazon credit cards have long offered very practical bonus categories. These aren't going away. Instead, Chase has added two new categories — travel purchases made through Chase Travel and local transit and commuting (including rideshare). Here's what each card's earning rate looks like now:

Prime Visa

Amazon Visa

Coupled with modest travel insurance such as rental car insurance, baggage delay insurance, and travel accident insurance, these changes catapult Amazon credit cards into the conversation of the best no-annual-fee travel credit cards.

When you use your Chase Amazon credit card to make purchases, the rewards you earn will post daily and can immediately be redeemed.

Previously, your earned cash back would post to your account once per month. That worked just fine for most cardholders, as it's difficult to accrue a meaningful amount of rewards in a single month. But those who like an instant rebate on their purchases will appreciate this change.

Both the Prime Visa and the Amazon Visa are getting considerable makeovers. Two new bonus categories (local transit and commuting and travel booked through Chase Travel) and improved intro offers have been added. Even the card designs are changing.

The ability to earn up to 5% cash back with Amazon has always been excellent — especially considering Amazon has just about everything. But these cards are now more valuable than ever for non-Amazon spending.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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