2026.3 Update: Cardholders should have all received an email by now: on August 14, 2026, the issuer of this card will switch from American Express to U.S. Bank. This change is likely a mixed bag. On the one hand, some people have been shutdown by AmEx or are tight on their AmEx credit card slots, so having the Amazon card moved away from AmEx could actually be a positive. On the other hand, U.S. Bank is generally known for being more difficult when it comes to approvals, so some people may no longer be able to get approved for this card.
2020.10 Update: Reminder: the cap of 5% cashback is now effective. Also, based on recent data points, AmEx now only allow you to hold one of this card at a time, therefore you can’t increase the cap by holding multiple of this card.
2020.6 Update: The offer is now $125. Effective Oct.1, you will earn 5% or 3% Back only on the first $120,000 in purchases each calendar year, 1% Back thereafter.
Application Link
Benefits
- $125 offer: earn a $125 Amazon Gift Card upon approval (The offer is $100 for non-Prime members)
- Earn 5% cashback at Amazon, Whole Foods, Amazon Business, and AWS if you are an Amazon Prime member (3% if not), 2% cashback at restaurants and gas stations (1% if not), 1% cashback on all other purchases. In order to get the 5%, you need to use your own Amazon account. Student Prime membership and trial prime membership counts as well.
- You can choose to get an extra 90 days interest free on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership, instead of 5% cashback.
- No foreign transaction fee.
- No annual fee.
Disadvantages
- Thought it appears to be a no annual fee card, actually you need to remember that Prime Membership costs you some money every year.
- You will earn 5% or 3% Back only on the first $120,000 in purchases each calendar year, 1% Back thereafter.
- AmEx only allow you to hold one of this card at a time, therefore you can’t increase the cap by holding multiple of this card.
Recommended Application Time
- You can only get the welcome bonus once in a lifetime, so be sure to apply when the historical highest offer appears.
- AmEx doesn’t care about the number of hard pulls.
- You can try to apply for it when you have a credit history of 6 months.
Only one AmEx credit card can be approved in a day. This rule does not apply to charge cards, you can be approved for one credit card and multiple charge cards in the day.Multiple cards approved in the same day will only have one Hard Pull.- Only 2 AmEx credit cards can be approved within 90 days, but again, this rule does not apply to charge cards.
- You can keep at most 5 AmEx credit cards, not including charge cards.
Summary
The $225 sign-up bonus is decent and made better by no annual fee + no foreign transaction fees. If you spend a lot of money on Amazon, and are already an Amazon Prime member, it is a decent card with 5% cashback. The benefits of this card are very similar to Chase Amazon Prime personal card. You should choose one based on which bank you like better, though remember that holding this card will occupy one of your five Amex credit card slots.
Related Credit Cards
After Applying
- Click here to check AmEx application status.
- AmEx reconsideration backdoor number: 877-399-3083. The “real” backdoor number of Amex is well protected. Different from Chase, the representatives from this AmEx reconsideration backdoor number only have the right to help you submit requests.
Historical Offers Chart
Application Link
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