3 reasons why the Amazon Card is on my 2020 wish list
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I’m a fan of combining the power of cash back and travel cards as part of a credit card strategy, but I’ve definitely been more focused on travel rewards than cash back — especially when it comes to the cards I’ve added to my wallet since I started traveling more the past two years.
That being said, there is one cash-back card I’m seriously considering applying for this year: the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. Here are three reasons this card has managed to land at the top of my 2020 wish list.
5% on Amazon
I’m not going to lie — I spend a lot on Amazon.
I’m a huge book nerd, and I order a lot of new releases on Amazon if I can’t find them at my favorite local bookstore. I also buy most of my skincare routine from Amazon, along with travel accessories, home decor, kitchen essentials and more. Plus, I have a Prime Membership for shipping and Prime Video.
Yet I don’t currently have a card that earns bonus rewards on Amazon spending. It’s one of the largest holes in my current card strategy. Since Amazon isn’t a common spending category (aside from the occasional rotating category), the Amazon Card earning 5% back year-round on Amazon purchases (plus Whole Foods) is a solid option.
And if that wasn’t enough incentive, I’m also considering buying an iPad Pro on Amazon. With this card, I could earn an easy $50 off that purchase alone.
No annual fee
The card doesn’t charge an annual fee, which makes it a low-risk application for me. Aside from the fact that you have to be a Prime member (for which I pay the $119 annual fee regardless), it doesn’t cost me any money year after year to keep this card in my wallet.
If it turns out that I don’t really use it much, or if I decide that I’d rather get points on Amazon than cash back, I can always put it in the sock drawer. The fact that it won’t cost me any money in annual fees means the potential disadvantages to getting the card are limited.
Related reading: Best no-annual-fee credit cards of 2020
I’m still under 5/24
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa is a Chase card, subject to the issuer’s unpublished 5/24 rule. This means that in order to apply and be realistically approved for the card, I need to get it before I’m over 5/24.
Right now, I am under 5/24, but that may not be the case by next year depending on if any of the cards on my current long-term wish list offer any solid bonuses at the end of 2020 or into 2021. If I’m hoping to add this card to my wallet, now is a good time.
Related reading: The best ways to use your Chase 5/24 slots
Bottom line
At TPG, we’re generally proponents of earning transferable points wherever possible — but there are plenty of cash back credit cards out there that make great additions to anyone’s credit card strategy. And with so many people choosing to forgo travel in 2020, cash back is a more appealing redemption option than ever.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa checks a lot of boxes for me — it covers a spending category I currently don’t earn bonus rewards with, it’s low-risk and low-cost and I’m still eligible to apply since I’m under 5/24.
Featured image by Eric Helgas/ The Points Guy
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the 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.