The next Amazon Prime Day—or at least the Prime Day-like fall event known as “Prime Big Deal Days”—will take place Oct. 7–8. Though Lifehacker will keep you keyed in to all the best deals, one way to really maximize this mega-sale is with an Amazon-specific credit card.
There are several options, but the Prime Visa is by far the most popular, and for good reason: With this card, you can earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership. Here’s what to know, so that you can be ready to earn and redeem rewards during the upcoming Prime Day event.
What are the perks of a Prime Visa credit card?
There are several good reasons for any devoted Prime member to sign up for an Amazon Prime Visa Credit Card. First, if you sign up now, for the card between now, you’ll get a $175 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval.
Now, a $175 gift card alone isn’t necessarily a compelling enough reason to sign up for a whole new credit card. What actually matters is that the Prime Visa the best card to help you earn money back each time you check out. Unlike many other store-branded cards, you can use it anywhere that accepts Visa. You earn 5% cash back on purchases made through Amazon, Whole Foods, and Chase Travel; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, drugstores and rideshare; and 1% back on all other purchases.
There’s no annual fee, but you do need to have a Prime membership to apply. A Prime membership currently costs $139 per year—which you can more than offset with that $175 gift card.
If you’re not a frequent Amazon shopper, there’s a non-Prime version of the card—the Amazon Visa—though it doesn’t come with all of the same perks (you’ll only get 3% back on Amazon purchases, for example). Ultimately, the main draw of this card is the Amazon-specific perks, so it’s probably not worth signing up if you don’t use Prime regularly.
How to apply for the Amazon Prime Visa Credit Card
The first step to applying for the Prime Visa is to make sure you have an active Amazon Prime membership. From there, sign in and they’ll direct you to the application page. The Prime Visa is offered through Chase Bank, so the bank’s website is where you’ll actually apply for the card. You’ll need to provide all the standard personal information for any credit card application: contact details, social security number, date of birth, net annual income, and so on.
Then all you have to do is wait for approval, which you should receive within minutes. While the physical card will take a week or so to arrive by mail, you can begin using your card number on Amazon immediately.