Anyone use Amazon.com Visa Rewards Credit Card?

[aigel]

I have had a single credit union credit card for many years. It has 1% cash back on all purchases. No fees. The interest rate is relatively low but that does not matter, as I pay it off monthly.

I am also an avid Amazon shopper. Over 50% of consumer goods I buy that are not grocery / local essentials are bought at Amazon.

Amazon has a rewards credit card that offers 3% cash back on amazon.com filled orders, 2% on gas and restaurant bills and 1% on the remaining purchases. I have read reviews and there appears nothing in the fine print that makes this a bad deal. There is no annual fee but the interest rate is high and the 3% don't apply to other vendors working through amazon, which is all fine.

Any of you use this Amazon card? Any input? It would be a big step for me to start a second credit card, but definitely worth it for the much increased rewards. It would amount to hundreds of dollars a year, definitely worth the hassle.

Thanks!

G

[flipper35]

So far it has worked out well for us but we haven't had it for a great length of time but we bought my wife some upgrades for her computer with the rewards. We do quite a bit of shopping at Amazon which helps.

We had a Discover card for a while, but got rid of it because of the hassle. The Amazon card is a Visa and accepted just about everywhere.

[porsche4life]

My mom uses hers for just about everything. Gets plenty of cash back several times a year. It's perfect for avid Amazon shoppers!

If you aren't getting 2-3 points per dollar through some program you are getting shafted. If you have to spend the money, why not be getting some back? I use hotel and airline credit cards all the time. Saves us money on travel!

[Icemaster]

Chase Sapphire card links with Amazon and lets you use the card points for purchases thru Amazon. Example - $200 monitor costs 2000 points. Use it as one of my business expense cards; I get a lot of points, so I get a lot of free stuff.

It's a better deal IMHO.

[wildthing]

Had it for 9 years now. 3x for every dollar at Amazon, 1x for everything else. Most bang for your buck if you spend a lot on Amazon.

[motion]

Originally Posted by wildthing

Most bang for your buck if you spend a lot on Amazon.

OK, so if you spend $1,000 a month at Amazon, you get $30 back. I doubt most people spend $1000 a month at Amazon. Even if they did, $30 is paltry. There are many, many better ways to get better bang for your buck with credit cards.

Yesterday, I received an offer from Ritz Carlton for their credit card. Spend $3,000 on the card and get 2 free Ritz Carlton nights. That could be worth $1,000 or more right there.

Tons of great offers out there. Lots of blogs on the subject, too.

[gprsh924]

Originally Posted by motion

OK, so if you spend $1,000 a month at Amazon, you get $30 back. I doubt most people spend $1000 a month at Amazon. Even if they did, $30 is paltry. There are many, many better ways to get better bang for your buck with credit cards.

Yesterday, I received an offer from Ritz Carlton for their credit card. Spend $3,000 on the card and get 2 free Ritz Carlton nights. That could be worth $1,000 or more right there.

Tons of great offers out there. Lots of blogs on the subject, too.

This.

Look at airline or hotel cards. Travel rewards can usually net you a much higher cash value than cash back. I signed up for the American Airlines World Elite card. Among the many other benefits, I got 100k miles after spending $10k. That was good for $10k business class flight to Spain for my honeymoon this year.

If the interest rates on a CC are coming into play, you're doing it wrong.

[wildthing]

There are forums and websites dedicated to getting max points on cards, might want to check them out if that's your goal.

Note though that every application for credit dings your score so don't go applying if you are planning for large purchases on credit in the next year.

[dennis in se pa]

Citibank = 1% on purchase, 1% on payment. Unlimited on everything

[aigel]

Originally Posted by wildthing

There are forums and websites dedicated to getting max points on cards, might want to check them out if that's your goal.

Not my goal at all. I want something simple, like what I have now. Spend $, get $ or equivalent at Amazon. I don't need points at Ritz Carlton or try to upgrade flights. I do not fly for pleasure either. I have had frequent flyer programs and barely was able to stay on top of them to get my rewards paid out.

My thought is that I am at 1% cash back now and I can be a few hundred bucks more with this card on amazon, it would be bad to miss it. I was just looking for input if this particular card is any good ... not to optimize my credit card benefits in terms of total payout.

Thanks!

G

[rusnak]

If I could charge VISA rewards card users more for their purchases, I would. Instead, I think we have to raise prices to cover the "rewards" shopper chargebacks on everyone. It comes from somewhere, just not me.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by rusnak

If I could charge VISA rewards card users more for their purchases, I would. Instead, I think we have to raise prices to cover the "rewards" shopper chargebacks on everyone. It comes from somewhere, just not me.

Interesting point. Of course I don't want to cover for others rewards.

G

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by rusnak

If I could charge VISA rewards card users more for their purchases, I would. Instead, I think we have to raise prices to cover the "rewards" shopper chargebacks on everyone. It comes from somewhere, just not me.

Actually some store refuse the high yielding reward card

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

Actually some store refuse the high yielding reward card

That's really not a good solution. Those customers will still spend large amounts, but you have to find a way to ding them for it. Trust me, Amazon is not giving out free ANYTHING. You're paying for it. For me, it's around 8% of the CC purchases, which in addition to the merchant fee. So we raise our prices 5% to cover the rewards thing. CC is around 50%.

[Holger]

^this
Nothing is free, not even the "free" Ritz Carlton nights. We all pay for it some way.

I refuse to use any cash-back cards, like PayBack and such.