Rewards and financing for Amazon-only spending #CashNews.co

If you’re a frequent Amazon.com shopper, finding a credit card with rewards on your regular spending can be an easy way to save.

Among the different co-branded credit card options the online giant offers, the Amazon Store Card is designed specifically for purchases with Amazon. With it, you can qualify for financing deals and even earn rewards on the Amazon items you buy — but you should understand all the conditions of this card before you apply.

Here’s what to know about the Amazon Store Card, its limitations, and how it may help you save while building credit.

• Annual fee: $0

• Welcome offer: Get a $10 Amazon gift card after approval

• Rewards:

• More details: The Amazon Store Card offers promotional financing on your Amazon purchases, even if you’re not a Prime member. There are two financing options with different monthly payment requirements. If you apply and aren’t eligible for the Amazon Store Card, you’ll be automatically considered for the Amazon Secured Card, which can help you build credit until you qualify to switch to the Store Card.

This card has a very high 29.99% variable APR (though if you’re approved for the secured version, the variable APR is just 10.00%).

It also comes with promotional financing options for Amazon purchases totaling over $50. You’ll see your options at checkout if your purchase is eligible for promotional financing.

With this financing option, you’ll make equal payments toward a purchase worth $50 or more over a 6, 12-, or 24-month period. The period you’re offered will depend on your purchase amount:

Monthly payments equal your purchase price divided by the number of months in your plan. As long as you make them on time and pay off the purchase in full within the promotional period, you’ll pay 0% APR. If you don’t make a monthly payment on time, you’ll incura late fee.

Say you make a $200 purchase and qualify for a 6-month equal payment plan. As long as you complete each $33.33 monthly payment over that time, you’ll pay no interest and pay your purchase off in full by the end of the 6 months.

Under this plan, you’re only required to make minimum payments at 0% APR over the plan period of 6, 12, or 24 months. Again, your eligibility depends on your purchase amounts, though eligible amounts are higher under this plan:

While you’ll only owe the minimum monthly payment, you must pay off the entire balance in full by the end of your plan to avoid interest charges. If you have any remaining balance when your promotional period ends, you’ll owe interest on it going back to the purchase date.

In other words, say you make a $650 purchase and opt into a 12-month plan, but only pay off $100 of it over that time. When your plan ends, you’ll take on the full 12 months of interest owed on the entire $650 balance at your card’s regular APR, plus any new interest until you pay it off.

This is a major consequence for opting into promotional financing if you can’t pay your purchase in full by the end of the financing period. Not only will the remaining balance begin accruing interest, but you’ll also owe interest on your entire balance going back to the purchase date — which can add a significant amount to your overall amount due.

Even with promotional financing, it’s smart to charge only what you can afford to pay off to any credit card. In other words, try to use your card like a debit card. This can help you avoid costly interest charges and long-lasting credit card debt.

The Amazon Store Card has no annual fee, but you will need an Amazon Prime membership to earn 5% rewards. Currently, Prime membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year.

Once you’re approved for the Amazon Store Card, you’ll get a $10 Amazon gift card. The gift card amount is automatically added to your Amazon wallet.

This card does not offer an introductory 0% APR offer, but you can opt into promotional financing on eligible purchases.

If you’re approved for the Amazon Store Card and you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can earn 5% back on Amazon.com purchases.

You must choose either 5% rewards or promotional financing for each eligible purchase. If you have a large purchase coming up that you’d like to pay off over time using a financing plan, you won’t earn the 5% rewards on it.

If you’re approved for the Amazon Prime Store Card version of this card, meaning you have an eligible Prime membership, you can earn 5% rewards. These rewards apply to purchases you make with your card at Amazon.com when you don’t opt into a promotional financing plan.

You can redeem the rewards you earn with your card for eligible Amazon.com purchases or for statement credits.

There aren’t many added benefits to this card at all, outside of the potential financing or rewards options. If you’re looking for more ongoing benefits, you may want to consider a general cash-back or rewards credit card.

The Amazon Store Card can be a good option for frequent Amazon shoppers, but it has a lot of limitations.

One major drawback is the inability to use your Amazon Store Card anywhere besides Amazon. If you shop with Amazon a lot, you can get a lot more flexibility and potential rewards from the Amazon Visa or Prime Visa. Both of these are open-loop cards you can use anywhere — unlike the Amazon Store card.

Still, there may be a few cases in which this card is a smart option for some users. If you’re trying to build credit but also want to limit how much you charge to a credit card, you could use the Amazon Store Card for Amazon.com essentials without any temptation to spend elsewhere. Plus, 5% rewards for Prime members can add up to a solid return over time.

As long as you stay on top of payments, the Amazon Store Card financing options can also be useful for making large purchases and paying them off over several months. If you do opt into a plan though, it’s imperative to pay down your purchase as much as possible before the plan period ends if you want to avoid high interest charges.

Alternatively, the secured version of the card may help you build credit if you have a poor credit score or no credit at all. Your payments are reported to the credit bureaus, and you may have the option to convert to the regular Amazon Store Card after 12 months of building credit.

If you can’t get approved for the unsecured Amazon Store Card, you’ll automatically be considered for the Amazon Secured Card. This card requires a minimum upfront deposit of $100, though you can deposit up to the amount you’re approved for (maximum $1,000). This deposit is refundable if you close your account or if, after 12 months of using the card, you qualify to change to the Amazon Store Card.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the different versions:

• Secured card option: If you’re working on building credit, the option to get approved for an Amazon Secured Card can be a big help. Plus, with the potential to move to the regular version after 12 months, you’ll have an added incentive to practice good credit habits that can improve your score.

• Rewards at Amazon: If you’re a Prime member, you can get up to 5% back on your Amazon purchases with this card (if you don’t opt into special financing). Depending on how much you regularly spend with Amazon, that could add up to substantial savings over time.

• Closed-loop retail card: Unlike most credit cards, you can only use the Amazon Store Card on Amazon purchases. If you want a more flexible option that you can swipe anywhere that accepts credit cards, look for more general cards with rewards or benefits that suit your spending.

• Risky financing plans: Special financing options can help you save money on interest if you need more time to pay off a purchase, but there’s always risk involved. If you’re unable to pay your purchase in full by the end of your 6-, 12-, or 24-month plan, you’ll pay your card’s regular APR on the remaining balance. Plus, you may take on interest going back to the beginning of the plan, which can greatly increase the amount you’ll owe overall.

The Amazon Store Card is a type of retail card known as a “closed-loop” card. This means you can only use it for purchases with Amazon. That includes purchases at Amazon.com, Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, Audible, AWS, Alexa Skills, and your Amazon Prime membership cost.

You cannot use your Amazon Store Card or Amazon Secured Card for non-Amazon spending.

If you’re looking for a more flexible credit card with rewards specific to Amazon, you may want to see if you can qualify for the Amazon Visa or Prime Visa cards. Both are issued by Chase, and you can use them anywhere Visa cards are accepted.

• Online: Use this Sychrony Bank page to manage your Amazon Store Card account and make a payment.

• Phone: You can make a payment by phone, but may pay a fee to do so. There are different numbers for contacting Synchrony about your card payments depending on which one you have —

• Mail: You can pay your bill by mail using a check from your bank or money order. You’ll need to include your account number on the check and send it to the address below —

Amazon Credit Card PO Box 71711

Philadelphia, PA 19176-1711

The Amazon Store Card (as well as the secured card version) is issued by Synchrony Bank. Here’s how to contact the issuer if you have any questions or issues:

• Online chat is available 24/7 after logging into your account. You can also send a secure email to a representative by choosing “messages” within your online account.

• Phone number: 1-866-419-4096

• Amazon Store Card login page

As a retail card, the Amazon Store Card limits where and how you spend your money. If you want to get great rewards on your spending with some added flexibility, compare the cash-back credit cards below:

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

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