How to get a 10% return on your Amazon purchases
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. If you’re among the more than 200 million Amazon Prime members in the U.S., chances are you spend a significant amount with the online retail giant. We’ve dug into the best cards for Amazon purchases, including cards that earn up to …
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
If you’re among the more than 200 million Amazon Prime members in the U.S., chances are you spend a significant amount with the online retail giant.
We’ve dug into the best cards for Amazon purchases, including cards that earn up to 5% cash back on your purchases — and that’s before factoring in any American Express Offers or other special Amazon promotions.
The secret to earning the most points on Amazon purchases is gift cards. While very few credit cards offer Amazon as a bonus category, some offer high category bonuses at places that sell Amazon gift cards, such as grocery stores, gas stations and office supply stores.
Earning up to 5 points per dollar on Amazon purchases
One of the best cards for purchasing gift cards is the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. On the surface, the card earns 5% cash back at office supply stores on the first $25,000 in spending each account year.
However, the return jumps to roughly 10% if you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. Then, you can convert your cash back to transferable Ultimate Rewards points, which are worth 2.05 cents apiece according to TPG’s February 2025 valuations.
With this method, you could buy an Amazon gift card at Staples or OfficeMax and earn 5 points per dollar spent for an effective 10% back. Then, you can use that gift card like cash at Amazon.
If it’s American Express Membership Rewards points you’re after, or you aren’t eligible for a business card, you might want to consider the American Express® Gold Card.
The Amex Gold offers 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar after that). Four points per dollar spent means an effective 8% return since TPG values Amex points at 2 cents apiece as of February 2025.
There’s also the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Card from American Express, which could be a good option if you’re already a cardmember (since this card is no longer available to new applicants).
It earns 3 points per dollar spent on up to $6,000 per calendar year at U.S. supermarkets, then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter. But what makes this card stand out is that it offers a 50% points bonus if you use it more than 30 times in one month. That means you could be earning as many as 4.5 points per dollar spent at grocery stores, which equates to a 9% return according to our valuations.
Finally, there’s also the no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Flex®, which offers 5% back (or 5 points per dollar spent when paired with an Ultimate Rewards-earning card) on rotating categories on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter you activate. In the past, these categories have included grocery stores and Amazon.
When grocery stores aren’t an active 5% quarterly category, the Freedom Flex still earns 3% back (or 3 points per dollar with an eligible Ultimate Rewards-earning card) on groceries.
The information for the Amex EveryDay Preferred has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: The best credit cards for purchasing gift cards
Something to keep in mind
There are many options for maximizing your Amazon gift card purchases. However, there’s one important caveat to keep in mind. Although all of the cards mentioned offer purchase protection, the coverage does not apply when purchasing an item with a gift card instead of a credit card. So, you may want to avoid using gift cards on certain purchases.
You also can’t return gift cards, but this shouldn’t be much of an issue if you order from Amazon frequently anyway. Plus, you can use your Amazon gift cards to buy gift cards at many other third-party retailers like Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and Airbnb.
It’s a good idea to avoid buying a large number of gift cards when you’re trying to hit a welcome bonus. This behavior can be a red flag to credit issuers and may result in your account being reviewed or even the loss of your welcome bonus. The issuer may also limit your ability to earn welcome bonuses on future cards you apply for.
Every issuer has different terms for their welcome bonuses, so make sure to check the terms of your card’s welcome offer.
Related: The best credit cards for online shopping
Bottom line
A little time and effort can go a long way. An effective 10% return on Amazon purchases is pretty much as good as it gets, though it’s important not to forget the trade-off between earning points and getting purchase protection.
