Is applying for amazon credit card safe

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst credit card experience as customer.
By Jorge Torres on February 12, 2019

I applied for this card making sure my credit score was good enough to obtain it. I hate the feeling there are things out of my control so I studied all the requirements before sending the request. I'm a declared fan of all Amazon's products, this couldn't fail.
After a few days I got a letter from Chase asking me for some details such as my SSN card and a proof of residence. Fair. During that day, I went to a Chase office in person to show all my papers, and they said "you're approved". Effectively, I got my card a week later. It came with a described list of all basic steps: how to activate it, sign in for online account, etc. Even my Amazon account automatically assigned this card as my default payment method. To make sure it was properly working, I bought a couple of stuffs on Amazon without using the $70 gift card. I thought "I can use the benefit later" and it worked as expected.

Sounds like a nice story, right?

Well, next day I tried to pay my lunch with my brand-new Amazon Prime Visa but it was rejected. I didn't pay much attention and I just called by the end of the day to Chase. Surprise was to hear they'd decided to close my card without immediate notice. In addition, they said they didn't have access to the actual reasons. They just said I had to wait seven to ten days for a letter with the reasons. I must be honest, I was totally upset with this situation and I thought to send this feedback right away. But, what is a good review without the whole story?

Today I got the glorious letter. The reason? NOT ENOUGH CREDIT INFORMATION ON FILE.

Really? Don't they have the chance to check this after asking me for my SSN, ID, creating a hard inquiry on my credit score, etc? Don't they have the chance to check this information BEFORE SENDING THE PHYSICAL CARD?

I thought Chase + Amazon = best combination.

Now, for the very first time, I cannot recommend an Amazon product.

For existing Prime customers, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card could help you save big. Although there's $0 annual fee, think of the $139 Prime membership cost as part of the requirement to open this card. Still, only frequent Amazon or Whole Foods shoppers should consider this card above other options, as other cashback cards can help you earn bonus rewards on a wider variety of purchases.

How does the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card compare to other credit cards?

The best measure for a card’s value is to compare it against other offers. We look at how the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card's features stack up against some of its competitors.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a competing cashback card that may be better suited for those who don't shop exclusively at Amazon. Its sign-up bonus offers the chance to Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!

You'll 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. Here is 2022's cashback calendar:

January-March

April-June

July-September

October-December

  • Grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target) and eBay

  • Amazon.com and select streaming services

  • Not announced

  • Not announced

Note that the 5% bonus is only eligible for up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter. If you're fine with earning 5% back on Amazon.com during just a few months, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ may be a better option than the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. If you prefer a more predictable reward structure where the categories never change, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is the better choice.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card vs. Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer

The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer is one of the few credit cards that lets you Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. This applies regardless of where you shop — meaning you'll earn 2% back whether you're shopping on Amazon.com or purchasing movie tickets.

While the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer doesn’t give you the same 5% reward on Amazon purchases that you can get with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, the unlimited 2% rate takes the guesswork out of earning rewards.

If Amazon.com makes up a large chunk of your total purchases, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is the better deal. However, if your spending is more varied, go with the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer instead.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card vs. Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card is another popular option that lets you choose how you want to earn rewards. You'll earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice, automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases) and unlimited 1% on all other purchases

The 3% purchase categories include gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvements and furnishings, and you can choose your bonus category monthly. If you happen to spend more at Amazon, or on other online purchases, in a particular month, you can choose to earn 3% on online shopping.

The sign-up bonus may be harder to achieve for some consumers: Online $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. If you prefer to diversify your spending, the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card can help adjust your rewards to your specific needs.

Earning and redeeming points

As mentioned above, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card lets users earn 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership, 2% back at restaurants and gas stations and 1% back on all other purchases..

You'll earn rewards in the form of points, which can then be applied to future Amazon purchases through the Shop with Points Program. Or, you can redeem your points for cash back, gift cards or travel through Chase.

Each point is worth 1 cent each, so 100 points equal $1 in rewards. So long as you're a cardholder, your rewards won't expire, and there's no limit to how many points you can earn.

Is it worth signing up for Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime costs $139 per year, comparable to the cost of many credit cards with annual fees. Since the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is only open to existing Prime members, you may wonder if it's worth opening a membership if you don't own one already. Here is the list of the ongoing benefits you'll enjoy with Amazon Prime:

  • Free two-day shipping on millions of eligible products, with free same-day or 2-hour delivery in select cities
  • Extra 10% discount on sale items (excluding alcohol) at Whole Foods
  • Prime Video, offering access to thousands of movies and TV shows for free
  • Prime Music, offering over two million songs ad-free with the opportunity to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited at a Prime member rate
  • Amazon Photos, with free unlimited photo storage shareable to up to five family members or friends
  • 30-minute early access to Amazon Lightning Deals
  • Borrow one e-book for free on any Kindle device

If you live in a metropolitan area, Whole Foods offers free two-hour delivery or one-hour same-day pickup, which can be helpful to grocery shoppers who need items in a pinch. While the shipping benefit alone is why millions of people subscribe to Amazon Prime, there are many entertainment and shopping perks with this subscription.

Amazon Prime also offers a free six-month trial exclusively for college students. After that, you'll enjoy a 50% discount on membership while you're still a student.

{"backgroundColor":"ice","content":"\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch3 id=\"Benefits\"\u003EIs it worth signing up for Amazon Prime?\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAmazon Prime costs $139 per year, comparable to the cost of many credit cards with annual fees. Since the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is only open to existing Prime members, you may wonder if it's worth opening a membership if you don't own one already. Here is the list of the ongoing benefits you'll enjoy with Amazon Prime:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeList--root \"\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeList--content ShortcodeList--content-margin\"\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeList--column\"\u003E\n \u003Cul class=\"ListUnordered--root ListUnordered--bullet\"\u003E\n \u003Cli class=\"ListUnordered--list-item\"\u003E\n Free two-day shipping on millions of eligible products, with free same-day or 2-hour delivery in select cities\n \u003C\/li\u003E\n \u003Cli class=\"ListUnordered--list-item\"\u003E\n Extra 10% discount on sale items (excluding alcohol) at Whole Foods\n \u003C\/li\u003E\n \u003Cli class=\"ListUnordered--list-item\"\u003E\n Prime Video, offering access to thousands of movies and TV shows for free\n \u003C\/li\u003E\n \u003Cli class=\"ListUnordered--list-item\"\u003E\n Prime Music, offering over two million songs ad-free with the opportunity to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited at a Prime member rate\n \u003C\/li\u003E\n \u003Cli class=\"ListUnordered--list-item\"\u003E\n Amazon Photos, with free unlimited photo storage shareable to up to five family members or friends\n \u003C\/li\u003E\n \u003Cli class=\"ListUnordered--list-item\"\u003E\n 30-minute early access to Amazon Lightning Deals\n \u003C\/li\u003E\n \u003Cli class=\"ListUnordered--list-item\"\u003E\n Borrow one e-book for free on any Kindle device\n \u003C\/li\u003E\n \u003C\/ul\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you live in a metropolitan area, Whole Foods offers free two-hour delivery or one-hour same-day pickup, which can be helpful to grocery shoppers who need items in a pinch. While the shipping benefit alone is why millions of people subscribe to Amazon Prime, there are many entertainment and shopping perks with this subscription.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAmazon Prime also offers a free six-month trial exclusively for college students. After that, you'll enjoy a 50% discount on membership while you're still a student.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E","padding":"double"}

Sign-up bonus

Upon approval, you're automatically granted a Get a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval..

This is a considerable offer, as most credit cards require you to spend a certain amount of money to lock in the welcome bonus. But with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, you are rewarded simply for opening your account.

Equal pay financing offer

Suppose you're making a purchase on Amazon that costs thousands of dollars. With the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, you can choose to opt out of earning rewards and participate in the special 0% APR offer instead:

  • On purchases of $50 or more, split into six equal monthly payments
  • On purchases of $250 or more, split into 12 equal monthly payments
  • On purchases of $500 or more, split into 18 equal monthly payments

If you choose the pay-over-time offer instead, you won't accrue any interest for the promotional period. The monthly payments will be charged to your statement on your Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. If you fail to make your payments within the allotted time period, you'll start to accrue interest.

While this offer may be helpful for large purchases, we recommend that you avoid this option as you'll lose the ability to earn rewards on all of your Amazon purchases.

Other card benefits

While the main draw of the card stems from its 5% rewards rate and gift card, you don't want to miss out on the other benefits of the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. As this is a Chase-issued, Visa signature card, you'll enjoy plenty of unexpected travel benefits:

When paying for your transportation with this card, you'll receive up to $500,000 in the event of accidental death or dismemberment. For legal, medical or other emergency situations, you can call the Benefits Administrator when traveling.

You'll receive up to $3,000 per passenger if you or an immediate family member has a carry-on or checked bag that is damaged or lost by a common carrier. If your bag is delayed for six or more by a common carrier, you'll receive up to $100 per day for three days.

Call 800-847-2869 in the event of a roadside emergency.

You'll receive secondary coverage on rental car insurance, protecting you against theft and collision damage.

You won't have to pay any foreign transaction fees when paying with another currency.

You'll have access to over 900 luxury hotels worldwide that offer the best rates and room upgrades and complimentary wifi, both subject to availability. You can also enjoy 24/7 concierge services to find tickets to events, make dinner reservations or any other inquiries by calling 800-953-7392.

Your new purchases are covered for 120 days against damage or theft. You can file a claim and receive reimbursement of up to $500 per item and up to $50,000 per cardholder account.

If your item comes with a U.S. manufacturer warranty under three years or less, your card will offer an additional year of coverage.

While all of these benefits likely won't be used every day, they could come in handy whether you need help with your purchase or on vacation. These perks tend to come with top-notch credit cards with annual fees, so the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card offers superb coverage overall.

The information related to Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card and Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card has been independently collected by ValuePenguin and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

How safe is it to apply for an Amazon credit card?

Yes, the Amazon.com Credit Card is safe. This card is issued by Chase on the Visa network and has standard security features such as $0 fraud liability protection and a 3-digit security code printed on the back.

What happens when you apply for Amazon credit card?

When you apply for an Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, Chase Bank will administer the approval process. If your application is instantly approved, you'll be taken to a page that includes the Cardmember Agreement, the terms of your Amazon Rewards Visa Signature account, and other important information.

Does applying for Amazon Rewards card hurt your credit?

Yes, applying for an Amazon card does hurt your credit score by a small amount. When you apply for either the Amazon.com Credit Card or the Amazon.com Store Card, you must authorize a hard pull of your credit, which will temporarily drop your credit score by 5 to 10 points.

Is it hard to get Amazon store credit card?

The credit score that you need for the Amazon.com Store Card is 640, at a minimum. That means people with fair credit or better have a shot at getting approved for this card. The better your credit score is, the higher your approval odds will be.