The Money Mustache Community

Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: MacGyverIt on October 04, 2012, 02:27:09 PM

Title: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: MacGyverIt on October 04, 2012, 02:27:09 PM
I've got a Capitol One cash back card which is a pretty good deal but I've been thinking more about applying for an amazon.com VISA. Data points:

100 points = $1

Initially that low return rate turned me off until I started adding up my amazon (3x points) and drugstore (2x points) and to a lesser extent the lesser gas (2x points) purchases. I'm often called to travel for work so I could use this against my hotel, car rental and plane ticket billing (1x on all "other VISA purchases").
https://www.amazon.com/gp/cobrandcard/marketing-popup.html/ref=cobrand_ch_cbcc_pp_50_GC_mr?pr=con321&inc=50gc&ts=bxio1cq1oovr21km52zwinpm8m2kqm8&plattr=math&place=pp&imp=AUM426ODECSCR (https://www.amazon.com/gp/cobrandcard/marketing-popup.html/ref=cobrand_ch_cbcc_pp_50_GC_mr?pr=con321&inc=50gc&ts=bxio1cq1oovr21km52zwinpm8m2kqm8&plattr=math&place=pp&imp=AUM426ODECSCR)

A note on interest rates (all though I will not carry a balance): Purchase Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
13.24% for the Signature card or 18.24% or 21.24% for the Platinum card, based on your creditworthiness. These APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.
http://www.firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?pdn=pricing_and_terms&card=CWKP&page_type=appterms (http://www.firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?pdn=pricing_and_terms&card=CWKP&page_type=appterms)

(If I don't qualify for a "Signature card" I will turn them down outright, given my high FICO. Hpmh!)

Anyone else in the MMM-verse using an amazon.com card and do you get out of it what you'd expected? What are your thoughts on ROI?

- Mac
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: Leesa on October 04, 2012, 02:48:18 PM
I've had the amazon.com card for at least 3 years now, and I use it for almost everything.  I've had zero trouble with them, other than the one time I tried to set up the automatic payment function, and went ahead and paid the bill in case the feature wasn't operational yet.  The billed amount ended up being withdrawn from my bank account twice, once from my manual payment and once from the automatic payment.  THAT caused a headache...

The few times I've needed to contact customer service I've been highly pleased with the level of service received.
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: CB on October 04, 2012, 03:05:18 PM
Have been using that card for the past two years or so and have been happy.  We buy a lot of subscribe and save grocery specials from Amazon (latest deal was $5 for three 20-oz. boxes of Raisin Bran) which not only saves money but also gas driving to the store.  If you are a moderate to heavy Amazon shopper it's a great card.
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: madage on October 04, 2012, 03:17:39 PM
If you're looking for rewards for amazon.com purchases, I believe the Citi Forward card still considers amazon.com a bookstore, and it then qualifies for 5% back in ThankYou points as one of the "Entertainment" categories. I received 5% back for years on amazon purchases with this particular card. This card offers bonus back in a few other categories.

https://creditcards.citi.com/credit-cards/citi-forward/ (https://creditcards.citi.com/credit-cards/citi-forward/)
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: MacGyverIt on October 04, 2012, 08:04:25 PM
Thank you all for the input --

I've had the amazon.com card for at least 3 years now, and I use it for almost everything.  I've had zero trouble with them,
Very, very good news!

Have been using that card for the past two years or so and have been happy.  We buy a lot of subscribe and save grocery specials from Amazon (latest deal was $5 for three 20-oz. boxes of Raisin Bran) which not only saves money but also gas driving to the store.  If you are a moderate to heavy Amazon shopper it's a great card.
I'm also a Subscribe and Save user and amazon prime member so their card made some sense to me.

If you're looking for rewards for amazon.com purchases, I believe the Citi Forward card still considers amazon.com a bookstore, and it then qualifies for 5% back in ThankYou points as one of the "Entertainment" categories.
Thank you much, Madage, for pointing this out. Hopefully I'm not reading this wrong but if I'm ordering lots of amazon.com (i.e. subscribe and save or the few tv series I watch) on their card at 3 points to $100 spent, that makes a lot of sense. Am I misreading? (It happens.. :> )

Much love to the collective wisdom of MMM forums members!

- Mac
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: twinge on October 04, 2012, 08:20:44 PM
I've had the amazon.com card for I don't know, maybe 8 years? Longer? Whenever it first came out.  It's been one of my most hassle-free cards and I've racked up a lot of rewards through it.  I never carry a balance though so I don't know any of their fees/charges.  There have been a couple of occasions where my electronic payments went awry (through my own error) and I've called them and they have always rescinded late charges.
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: maryofdoom on October 04, 2012, 09:11:35 PM
I also have the Amazon Visa and I'm pretty happy with it. I got the husband on board so now when he wants to buy something significant with cash, I have him thinking "I should use the card, get the points, and give Mary the cash so she can pay the card off right away!"

I think I've gotten something like $500 in rewards since we got it three years ago. We use it for all our monthly expenses and then pay the bill in full out of my paycheck (which handily arrives once a month).
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: madage on October 05, 2012, 08:29:53 AM
Thank you much, Madage, for pointing this out. Hopefully I'm not reading this wrong but if I'm ordering lots of amazon.com (i.e. subscribe and save or the few tv series I watch) on their card at 3 points to $100 spent, that makes a lot of sense. Am I misreading? (It happens.. :> )

Mac, I'm not sure I understand your question. I'm saying you can do better with the Citi Forward card (5 points per dollar spent vs. 3) than the Amazon card. Of course, there's always the chance Citi changes their categorization and no longer considers Amazon a bookstore, but if that happens you could always then get the Amazon-branded card.
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: CB on October 05, 2012, 09:04:59 AM
The Citi Forward card does look like a great deal, I may actually consider switching from our Amazon.com card.
Title: Re: Any experience with the amazon.com card?
Post by: bombcar on October 05, 2012, 12:56:50 PM
I had it, used it for awhile, but for my usage patterns the Amtrak Guest Rewards card is a better deal, so that's my go-to card now.