How to earn up to 25% cash back on Amazon

Amazon offers a little-known benefit to Amazon cardholders with an Amazon Prime membership: up to 25 percent cash back on select Amazon purchases. This benefit, known as Prime Card Bonus Deals, allows eligible Amazon Prime cardholders to get 10 percent back or more on select products or categories.

Below, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Amazon’s Prime card bonus deals, from how to determine if you’re eligible to qualifying products and how exactly the deal is applied.

How can you earn up to 25% cash back?

Anyone with an eligible Amazon credit card can earn up to 25 percent cash back via Prime Card Bonus Deals.

Currently, three Amazon credit cards are eligible for up to 25 percent cash back on select items: the Prime Visa, the Amazon Prime Store Card* and the Amazon Prime Secured Card*. All three cards carry no annual fee, but you’ll need to have an Amazon Prime membership, which currently costs $139 per year.

Usually, the Prime card bonus is 10 percent to 15 percent back on select products or categories. However, at different times, the discount can increase to upwards of 25 percent for a limited time. The timing often coincides with the holiday shopping season, so be sure to regularly check Amazon’s Prime card bonus deals for items eligible for up to 25 percent cash back.

How is the up to 25% back deal applied?

The higher cash back rate of 10 to 25 percent back includes the 5 percent cash back you’d normally earn on Amazon purchases with the Prime Visa or the Amazon Prime Store Card. As such, you won’t earn additional cash back beyond the maximum 25 percent.

So, for example, if you see a deal for 15 percent back on a Sony TV, you’ll earn 15 percent cash back total on that purchase with your eligible credit card, not 15 percent cash back plus the 5 percent cash back you’d normally earn with your card on Amazon purchases.

Which items are eligible for up to 25% cash back?

Select items listed on Amazon’s promotion page qualify for up to 25 percent cash back. Categories typically include electronics, office supply products, toys, beauty products, kitchen appliances, furniture and more. The electronics category can be particularly valuable, with discounts frequently offered on select phones, laptops, tablets and more. In the home and kitchen category, you can enjoy discounts on essential household appliances — past items have included Breville espresso machines and Vitamix blenders — and select furniture items.

Considering the cost of some of these products, up to 25 percent off can translate to substantial savings. Plus, many of these products are already on sale, making the Amazon Prime card bonus deals even more attractive.

To qualify for this discount, the item you purchase must be sold and shipped by Amazon and paid for with an eligible card. The bonus cash back rewards will be posted to your account within a week of the transaction and be available to use within one to two billing cycles.

Best credit cards for Prime card bonus deals

Prime Visa

If you want to earn rewards on purchases made outside of Amazon, the Prime Visa card is the best of the three eligible card options. This card offers 5 percent cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership and 2 percent cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare). All other purchases earn 1 percent cash back. Plus, as a welcome offer for new cardholders, this rewards credit card offers a $100 Amazon gift card upon approval.

If you’re already a Prime member and do a lot of shopping on Amazon, this card is a good pick to maximize your Amazon purchases with 5 percent cash back. The additional Prime card deals on an array of items are simply icing on the cake for those who know they’ll be clicking “Buy Now” on a regular basis.

Amazon Prime Store Card

The Amazon Prime Store Card also earns 5 percent cash back on Amazon purchases. As a welcome offer, this card comes with a $60 Amazon gift card upon approval. Unlike the Prime Visa, the Prime Store card can only be used at Amazon and Amazon-owned businesses (other terms apply). If you have a fair-to-good credit score, the Prime Store card may be the best option of these three.

Amazon Prime Secured Card

If you need to build your credit and have an Amazon Prime account, the Amazon Prime Secured Card is worth considering. You’ll earn 2 percent cash back on Amazon purchases with this card, which is a good rate for a secured credit card.

In the event you’ll need to carry a balance, this card also includes a low fixed APR of 10 percent, among other benefits. However, keep in mind that this card is also a closed-loop store credit card, so you can only use it for Amazon spending.

The bottom line

Amazon’s Prime card bonus of up to 25 percent on select items is a great way to get extra discounts on upcoming purchases. The online mega retailer is already a deal hotspot, and these offers can help you save even more than you already will with an eligible Amazon credit card. To score a bonus deal, make sure to regularly check Amazon’s Prime card bonus deals page for limited-time promotions that offer up to 25 percent back.

*All information about the Amazon Prime Store Card and Amazon Prime Secured Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.