Amazon Secured Card Review: A Good Credit-Building Card With an Extremely Low APR

The Amazon Secured Card is an excellent card for people who love to shop at Amazon but are new to credit or rebuilding their credit score. The $0-annual-fee card offers 2% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership.

You’ll also get access to free credit-tracking tools to monitor your progress in building credit. After 12 months of responsible usage, you may be eligible to convert your card to a store card that earns 5% rewards on Amazon purchases.

But while this card provides some beneficial credit-building tools and an extremely low APR, the rewards value is low compared to other cards. If you’re looking to maximize rewards without having to upgrade to an unsecured card, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card or U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card may be a better choice.

Looking for a secured credit card that earns rewards outside of Amazon? See our list of best secured credit cards.

• Annual fee: $0
• Sign-up bonus: N/A
• Rewards: 2% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership
• Regular purchase APR: 10.00% non-variable
• Security deposit: Minimum $100, up to $1,000
• Foreign transaction fee: N/A
• Other benefits: Free credit-tracking tools, Regular account reviews and Reports your credit history to the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion)
• Recommended credit: Limited / Poor

• Cash back rewards on Amazon purchases

  Amazon Secured Card holders can earn 2% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership — making it one of the best cards for Amazon purchases. Rewards can be redeemed for eligible Amazon.com purchases or for statement credit.

  With the Amazon Secured Card, you’ll earn 2% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership — making it a good choice if you regularly shop at Amazon. Rewards can be redeemed for eligible Amazon.com purchases or for statement credits.

  While not all secured credit cards offer rewards programs, there are a few that offer cash back on all of your purchases (if Amazon isn’t your top spending category). For example, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card lets you earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically.

  And the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card offers 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery, 2X at grocery stores, grocery delivery, streaming services, gas stations and EV charging stations, 1X on all other purchases.

  Tip: The Amazon Secured Card offers the chance to upgrade to the Amazon Prime Store Card after 12 months of responsibly using your card to build your credit. With the Amazon Prime Store Card, Prime cardholders can earn 5% back at Amazon.com.

• Low $100 minimum deposit required

  Once you’re approved for the Amazon Secured Card, you’ll be required to submit a security deposit — which will serve as your line of credit — ranging from $100 up to the amount you’re approved for (maximum of $1,000). That’s an ideal minimum deposit requirement if you don’t want to submit a large amount upfront. Typically, secured credit card minimum deposits start at around $200.

  You’ll receive your security deposit back if you pay off your balance and close your account, or if you convert to an unsecured Amazon credit card.

  Learn more about how secured credit cards work.

• Extremely low APR

  The Amazon Secured Card comes with an extremely low 10.00% non-variable APR. This is one of the lowest APRs among secured credit cards. In fact, according to a recent LendingTree study, the average APR for secured credit cards was 23.4% as of August 2024. See how the APRs of other secured cards that also offer rewards compare to that of the Amazon Secured Card:

  Credit card	Regular Purchase APR
  Discover it® Secured Credit Card	27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024
  U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card	29.49%
  Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card (see rates & fees)	29.99% (Variable)
  Amazon Secured Card	10.00% non-variable

  Tip: When trying to establish or build credit, it’s best to pay your credit card balance in full each month. Along with allowing you to avoid interest charges, this can help keep your balance from getting out of hand. Learn more about why you should pay off your credit card each month.

• Limited fees

  This card has a $0 annual fee and a maximum late payment fee of up to $5, which is a good deal for a secured credit card. According to a LendingTree study, nearly 1 in 3 secured cards charge an annual fee — including one as high as $50.

  That said, you will need a Prime membership to earn rewards with this card, which starts at $14.99 a month or $139 a year (or $7.49 per month or $69 per year for students).

  Tip: Although the Amazon Secured Card comes with a very low late payment fee, it’s extremely important that you pay your bill on time each month. That’s because payment history is the most important factor making up your credit score. To help avoid late or missed payments, you can set up due-date reminders and/or autopay.

• Good credit-building features

  Secured credit cards are often the best choice if you have poor or limited credit and want to build your credit score. Along with being easier to get approved for than traditional credit cards, and they often offer helpful credit-building tools and paths to graduate to an unsecured card.

  Credit-building features
  Our rating: 4 out of 5 stars

  • Regular account reviews: After 12 months of responsible use, you may be eligible to get your deposit back and upgrade to the Amazon Prime Store Card.
  • Credit reporting to the three major credit bureaus: Since this card reports your credit activity to the major credit bureaus, you can boost your credit score by making on-time payments and keeping your credit utilization ratio low.
  • Free credit score access: Get access to TransUnion CreditView™ Dashboard to track your credit score.
  Learn more about how to build credit with a credit card.

• Requires Prime membership

  Anyone can apply for the Amazon Secured Card; however, if you want to earn rewards on the purchases you make using the card, you must have an Amazon Prime membership.

  While a Prime membership provides benefits like free shipping and access to Prime Video, the $139 annual or $14.99 monthly cost (or $69 annual or $7.49 monthly cost for students) may be too much for people focused on building their credit. But if you already have a Prime membership, this card might be a good addition. Outside of the Prime membership, there’s no annual fee to own the card.

• Can only be used to make purchases at Amazon.com

  Unlike the majority of rewards credit cards — which allow you to make purchases using the card everywhere you shop — the Amazon Secured Card can only be used at Amazon.com and Amazon physical stores, like Whole Foods Market.

  If you don’t want to be limited to only earning rewards on Amazon purchases, you may be better off with a card that offers cash back on every purchase, like the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card.

• Low maximum credit limit

  While the Amazon Secured Card provides the opportunity to submit a low security deposit of just $100, the maximum credit line is only $1,000. If you need more purchasing power than that, you may want to consider a secured credit card with a higher credit limit.

  For example, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card offers a credit limit ranging from $200 to $2,500. While the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card has a credit limit ranging from $300 to $5,000.

Amazon Secured Card vs. Discover it^® Secured Credit Card

If you want the opportunity to earn cash back on every purchase, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card may be a better fit. You’ll earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically. Discover will also match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year for new cardholders.

With the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card, you’ll be eligible to convert to an unsecured card after just seven months, versus the 12 months required for the Amazon Secured Card. There’s also a $0 annual fee — with no additional membership fees required to earn rewards.

One downside of the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card is that the minimum security deposit is $200, which may be harder to come up with for some people. Additionally, the card charges a 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024, which is much higher than the Amazon Secured Card. That said, if you want to consolidate existing high-interest debt, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card offers a 10.99% Intro APR for 6 months on balance transfers, then a 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

Amazon Secured Card vs. U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card is another secured card option that offers a much higher rewards rate on a variety of purchases. You can earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery, 2X at grocery stores, grocery delivery, streaming services, gas stations and EV charging stations, 1X on all other purchases. You’ll also get a $15 annual credit on streaming purchases.

Plus, the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card offers one of the highest credit limits among secured cards of up to $5,000. But, you’ll be required to put down at least $300 as a security deposit, which is higher than that of the Amazon Secured Card.

Amazon Secured Card vs. Amazon Prime Store Card

If you have fair credit, you may be eligible to apply for the Amazon Prime Store Card, which offers a higher rewards rate for Prime members. Prime cardholders can earn 5% back at Amazon.com. Plus, you’ll get a $10 Amazon Gift Card upon approval.

The Amazon Prime Store Card also gives you the option to either earn 5% cash back or take advantage of promotional financing on your purchases. But like the Amazon Secured Card, you’ll need a Prime membership to earn rewards and you can only use this card for Amazon purchases.

If you frequently make purchases at Amazon and are looking to build your credit, you may want to consider the Amazon Secured Card. In addition to offering 2% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and more, with an eligible Prime membership, the card provides great tools to build credit.

But, while this secured card offers rewards on Amazon purchases, it can’t be used to pay for purchases at non-Amazon stores. It also offers lower rewards value than other secured cards. Because of that, you may be better off with the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card or U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card.