Amazon Business Prime American Express Card Review

With the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card, you can choose between earning 5% cash back or receiving a 90-day financing term on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market on the first $120,000 in purchases per calendar year.

This is one of the highest cash back rates currently available on Amazon-related purchases. Plus, you’ll get a solid ongoing rate at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers.

But while there’s no annual fee with this card, you are required to have an eligible Amazon Prime membership. So if you’re an existing Prime member, you can get a lot of value on the Amazon purchases you’re already making — or if you find yourself in need of short-term financing, the 90-day term may be helpful.

But if you want more flexibility on where you can earn a high cash back rate or a longer 0% intro APR on purchases, you should look at other business credit cards.

• High rewards rate on Amazon purchases

  If you opt to earn rewards instead of 90-day financing, you’ll get 5% cash back on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market on the first $120,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1% back on those purchases.

  This is one of the best cash back rates you can currently earn on Amazon-related purchases. In fact, if you max out the $120,000 annual spending cap, you’ll earn $6,000 back — which will more than make up for your Amazon Prime membership fee each year.

  Just know that if you choose the 90-day interest-free financing option for a purchase, you won’t qualify for the 5% cash back rate.

• Rewards on non-Amazon purchases

  This card also lets you earn a solid, ongoing rate of 2% Back at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers. 1% Back on other purchases.. While it is possible to earn a higher rewards rate on those purchases from a different card, this rate is on par for a $0-annual fee business card.

  You can redeem your rewards for eligible purchases at Amazon.com and Amazon.com/Business or use them toward charges on your billing statement.

• Welcome offer

  Although not overly generous, the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card comes with an easy-to-earn welcome offer that can help offset the cost of your Amazon purchases. Eligible Prime Members get a $125 Amazon Gift Card upon approval for the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card.

• No annual fee

  This card charges no annual fee; however, you will be required to pay a Prime membership fee in order to earn rewards or take advantage of the 90-day pricing term.

  If you don’t already have Prime membership, you may want to consider a business credit card that charges a $0 annual fee and offers a comparable cash back rate, like the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card.

• No foreign transaction fees

  Some cards charge fees ranging from 3% to 5% of the amount of each purchase when you use it to make purchases outside the U.S., but this card does not.

• 5% cash back rate limited to Amazon purchases

  This card only lets you earn the highest cash back rate on Amazon-related purchases. So if you incur the majority of your business expenses at other retailers, you’ll be better off with a card that offers up to 5% back on those purchases, like the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card.

• Cap on 5% earning rate

  The Amazon Business Prime American Express Card limits the amount of rewards you can earn at the 5% rate to the first $120,000 in eligible purchases each calendar year. Any purchases you make after reaching that threshold will only get you 1% back.

• Short interest-free periods

  If your business has a fluctuating cash flow and sometimes carries a balance, a card that offers an interest-free period on purchases can be helpful. But while the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card provides the option to pay off eligible purchases over 90 days without incurring interest charges, that’s not a long time period. Plus, you only qualify for this offer if you forgo earning 5% cash back with Amazon.

  Instead, you may want to opt for a business credit card with a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months or longer. The U.S. Bank Business Platinum Card, for example, provides a 0% intro APR on purchases for 18 billing cycles, then a 17.24% to 26.24% APR applies.

• Prime membership required

  This card requires you to have an eligible Prime membership to earn the highest cash back rate and 90-day financing terms.

  Amazon does offer a business card option for non-Prime members — the Amazon Business American Express Card. This card offers the same earning rate at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and on wireless telephone services purchased from the U.S. as the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card. However, it comes with a lower 3% back rate or 60-day term on eligible Amazon-related purchases.

Amazon Business Prime American Express Card vs. Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

 
If you make the majority of your purchases outside of Amazon, or you plan to carry a balance on your card from month to month, the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card may be a better option.

The $0-annual-fee card lets you earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn. There’s also a valuable sign-up bonus that lets you earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.

You can redeem those rewards for cash, gift cards or travel. You can also use points to pay for products or services, or transfer them to a Chase Ultimate Rewards® card to redeem for travel at a more valuable rate.

Plus, if you need to make a large business purchase and pay it off over time, the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card offers a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months. After that, a 17.99% - 25.99% Variable APR will apply.

Amazon Business Prime American Express Card vs. The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express

 
If you prefer a simple approach to earning business rewards, you may want to consider The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express. You’ll earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply. If you max out the $50,000 annual spend cap, you can get $1,000 back each year.

Similar to the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card, this card has no annual fee annual fee and offers an intro APR of 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening. After that, an 17.74% - 25.74% variable APR applies.

If your business spends a substantial amount each year on Amazon-related purchases at Amazon Business, Amazon Web Services, Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card can be a great way to manage your cash flow and earn a generous rewards rate on those purchases.

But if you want more flexibility in where you can earn and redeem your rewards, as well as a year-long interest-free period on purchases, the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card is a better choice. Or, if you prefer a flat-rate card with no bonus categories to keep track of, The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express could work better for you.