Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Amazon Prime Visa Card [Detailed Comparison]

If you’re looking for a Visa credit card that can be used anywhere, you’ll find an endless selection of available cards. If you’re a frequent traveler or an avid Amazon.com shopper, the field of desirable options could narrow quickly.

You would want a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, for example. Plus, the card you select should earn well on your specific spending mix.

Redemption options, travel benefits, and shopping benefits may also be priorities.

Fortunately, there are 2 popular cards that fit these preferences perfectly. The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card and the Amazon Prime Visa Card are 2 dynamic cards that are at the forefront of our agenda today.

We’ll compare how these cards earn rewards, your options at redemption time, and the protections and benefits that come with each card.

If you’re either a traveler or an Amazon.com shopper, or both, you’ll want to read on.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Amazon Prime Visa Card — Overview

We’re going to cover all the key benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amazon Prime Visa card in detail shortly.

However, if you’re in a hurry and want a quick overview, we’ve provided that for you here:

Feature or Benefit	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	Amazon Prime Visa Card
Welcome Offer	Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.	Get a $100 (or more) Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
Earning	5x points on travel via the Chase travel portal 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025) 5x points on Lyft rides (through March 2025) 3x points for online grocery purchases, dining, and select streaming services 2x points on all other travel 1x points on all other purchases	5% cash-back on Amazon.com and Amazon Fresh purchases 5% cash-back at Whole Foods Market 5% cash-back on travel via the Chase travel portal with an eligible Prime membership 2% cash-back on gas stations, local transit, commuting, and dining 1% cash-back on all other purchases
Redemption Options	Redeem for travel via the Chase travel portal for 1.25 cents each Transfer to airline and hotel partners to purchase award flights or free hotel nights Cash-back (statement credit/direct deposit/check), Pay Yourself Back, gift cards, online shopping with select retailers, charitable contributions	Redeem points for Amazon purchases for 1 cent each Redeem for cash-back (statement credit/direct deposit), gift cards, travel
Travel Protections and Benefits	Primary auto rental collision damage waiver Roadside dispatch Baggage delay insurance Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance Trip delay reimbursement Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits $50 annual hotel credit when booked via the Chase travel portal Travel and emergency assistance services No foreign transaction fees	Secondary auto rental collision damage waiver Roadside dispatch Baggage delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits Travel and emergency assistance services No foreign transaction fees
Shopping Protections and Benefits	Purchase protection Extended warranty Complimentary DoorDash DashPass for a minimum of 1 year when you activate by December 31, 2024 Complimentary Instacart+ membership if you activate by July 31, 2024; plus, Instacart+ members earn up to $15 in statement credits each quarter through July 2024 $10 monthly Gopuff statement credit runs through December 31, 2023. Chase Offers Shop through Chase Visa Signature shopping benefits	Purchase protection Extended warranty 10% cash-back or more on special rotating Amazon categories and items Pay over time without interest on Amazon purchases of $50 or more; purchases do not qualify for 5% cash-back Chase Offers  Visa Signature shopping benefits
Annual Fees and Authorized Users	Annual fee of $95 No charge to add authorized users	Annual fee of $0; Amazon Prime Membership required No charge to add authorized users

The Value of a Welcome Bonus Offer

When you’re approved for either the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Amazon Prime Visa card, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a welcome offer.

While welcome offers vary, you’ll find the most current ones in the following card snapshots:

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Amazon Prime Visa Card

Bottom Line:

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amazon Prime Visa card come with a welcome bonus that can be earned once you meet minimum spend requirements after card approval. However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card normally comes with a bonus that can exceed $1,000 in value, which can be substantially more than a common welcome offer for the Amazon Prime Visa card.

Earning Potential

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns flexible Ultimate Rewards points while the Amazon Prime Visa card earns Amazon points that can be used for Amazon purchases, cash-back, and more.

While both cards earn rewards on every purchase you make, bonus-earning categories will ultimately determine the level of rewards you’ll earn on your own specific spending mix.

Keep in mind your highest spending categories, and how those expenses would be rewarded, as we review the earning categories for our featured cards.

Earning Category	Chase Sapphire Preferred Card	Amazon Prime Visa Card
Travel	5x points on travel purchased via the Chase travel portal 5x points on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025 2x points on all other travel	5% cash-back on travel purchased via the Chase travel portal (with eligible Amazon Prime membership) 1% cash-back on all other travel
Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods	1x points on Amazon.com and Whole Foods 3x points on Amazon Fresh grocery purchases online	5% cash-back with eligible Amazon Prime membership
Dining	3x points	2% cash-back
Gas Stations, Drugstores	1x points	2% cash-back (gas) 1% cash-back (drugstores)
Transit and Commuting	2x points under travel expenses 1x points all other transit and commuting	2% cash-back
Online Grocery Purchases, Select Streaming Services	3x points	1% cash-back
All Other Purchases	1x points	1% cash-back
Additional Earnings	10% bonus points at each card anniversary, based on total purchases	10% cash-back, or more, on select rotating category Amazon purchases

If you’re a frequent traveler, you’re going to fare well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. The card offers elevated earnings on travel purchases and on everyday expenses such as dining, online groceries, and select streaming services.

If your spending mix consists mostly of Amazon.com purchases, Whole Foods, and everyday purchases such as dining, gas stations, and transit/commuting, that mix will earn more with the Amazon Prime Visa card.

Bottom Line:

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns well on travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services. The Amazon Prime Visa card ensures Amazon, Chase travel portal, and select everyday purchases such as Whole Foods, dining, gas stations, drug stores, and transit/commuting, receive elevated earnings.

Redemption Options

When it’s time to redeem your hard-earned rewards, it’s good to have options. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is known for its flexibility at redemption time and for the potential value you could receive when redeeming points for travel with airline and hotel partners.

The Amazon Prime Visa card also offers choices at redemption time but at a fixed value.

Let’s look at your options when it’s time to redeem the rewards earned on either of our featured cards.

Redemption Options	Chase Sapphire Preferred Card	Amazon Prime Visa Card
Travel	Redeem points for 1.25 cents each for travel via the Chase travel portal Transfer points to airline and hotel partners to purchase award tickets or free hotel nights for potentially greater value Redeem for a statement credit of 1 cent per point for previous travel purchases	Redeem points for 1 cent each for travel via the Chase travel portal Redeem points for 1 cent each for a statement credit for previous travel purchases
Amazon Purchases	Redeem points at checkout for 0.8 cents each	Redeem cash-back points at checkout for 1 cent each
Additional Redemption Options	Statement credit, Pay Yourself Back, gift cards, shopping with select retailers, cash, charitable contributions	Statement credit, gift cards, cash

Redeeming Ultimate Rewards points earned on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card by transferring to airline or hotel partners can result in the best value for those rewards.

Amazon points earned on the Amazon Prime Visa card have a fixed value of 1 cent each which results in rewards redeemed for Amazon purchases at checkout, a statement credit, or a direct deposit of equal value.

While you can redeem Amazon points for travel via Chase and Ultimate Rewards points for shopping at Amazon, neither of these options is recommended.

Amazon points have a fixed value of 1 cent each, so if redeeming for travel, a statement credit to wipe out any previous travel purchase would make more sense.

And, while you could use Chase Ultimate Rewards to shop at Amazon, you’ll receive a poor value of less than 1 cent each for your points.

Bottom Line:

The best potential value for Ultimate Rewards points is to transfer to airline or hotel partners and redeem them for award tickets or free hotel nights. The best potential value for Amazon points is for Amazon purchases or cash-back.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Earning and redeeming rewards may be the key reasons we select and use a particular credit card but travel protections and benefits can add significant value to cardholders.

Travel protections and benefits can give you peace of mind during your travels, provide assistance if something should go wrong, and even save you money.

Here are the key protections and benefits you’ll find on both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amazon Prime Visa card:

• Car Rental Insurance — Reserve and pay for your entire car rental with your card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, and receive coverage for damage and theft. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes with primary car rental insurance while the Amazon Prime Visa card comes with secondary coverage. Primary coverage means that you do not have to file a claim with any other applicable insurance before card coverage kicks in.
• Roadside Dispatch — Receive access to 1-call assistance when stranded roadside in the U.S. and pay just 1 pre-negotiated fee for a service call. Services include limited towing, standard winching, jumpstart, lockout services, emergency fuel, and flat tire changing with an inflated spare. Services over and above those covered will be billed to your card.
• Baggage Delay Insurance — If your baggage is delayed 6 hours or more, you could receive up to $100 per day reimbursement for eligible expenses. There is a maximum of 5 days ($500) with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and 3 days ($300) with the Amazon Prime Visa card.
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement — If your luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged, you could receive up to $3,000 per covered person, per trip.
• Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection Benefits — Book your stay via the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection website using your card. You can enjoy several perks upon availability, including an upgraded room and late checkout, complimentary breakfast for 2, complimentary Wi-Fi, a $25 food/beverage credit, and VIP treatment.
• Travel and Emergency Services — Receive 24/7 assistance during your travels for emergency transportation, medical/legal services, translation services, and more.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — When selecting a card to take with you on your international journey, you’ll want a card that doesn’t incur foreign transaction fees. Neither of our featured cards charges these fees.

In addition to the travel protections and benefits listed above, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has these additional distinct features:

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance and Trip Delay Reimbursement — You could receive up to $10,000 per person, and up to $20,000 per covered trip, if your trip needs to be canceled or is disrupted for a covered reason. If your trip is delayed over 12 hours, you could receive up to $100 per day, up to $500, for eligible expense reimbursement, with a limit of 1 claim each year.
• $50 Annual Hotel Credit — Book your hotel via the Chase travel portal and receive a $50 statement credit each year.

Bottom Line:

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amazon Prime Visa card come with key travel protections and benefits including car rental insurance, roadside dispatch, baggage delay insurance, Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits, and no foreign transaction fees. The Chase Sapphire Preferred has the additional benefits of primary car rental insurance versus secondary, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and an annual $50 hotel credit.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections can provide coverage if something should go wrong with an eligible purchase you’ve made with your card. Shopping benefits can save you money, add convenience, or help you earn additional rewards on your purchases.

Here are the protections you’ll find on both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amazon Prime Visa card:

• Purchase Protection — Purchase an eligible item with your card and receive protection against theft and accidental damage. Both cards cover items for up to 120 days from the purchase date, up to $500 per eligible item, and up to $50,000 per card account.
• Extended Warranty — For eligible items, purchased with either card, manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less will be extended 1 additional year.
• Chase Offers — Sign in to your Chase online card account and select from cash-back offers at select retailers. Add the offers you like to your card, make the associated purchase, and receive cash-back as a statement credit.
• Visa Signature Shopping Benefits — Visa Signature shopping benefits vary but normally you’ll find car rental, hotel, and golf discounts as well as a free trial Shipt delivery membership.

You’ll find these additional benefits on each individual card:

Amazon Prime Visa Card

• 10% Cash-back or More on Select Amazon Purchases — Receive elevated cash-back when using your card to purchase items from a special rotating categories list published by Amazon.
• Pay Over Time for Amazon Purchases — If your Amazon.com purchase is $50 or more, you can choose to pay for that purchase over time for 6 to 12 months at 0% APR. After the 0% promo, a variable APR of 18.99% to 26.99% will apply. If you select this option, you will not earn 5% cash-back on the purchase.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• DoorDash DashPass — Receive a 1-year complimentary membership that includes free delivery and reduced fees. Activate by December 31, 2024.
• Instacart+ Benefits — Receive a complimentary 6-month membership and up to $15 in credits each quarter. Activate by July 31, 2024.
• Gopuff Credit — Receive up to $10 credits each month for Gopuff purchases, through December 31, 2023.
• Shop through Chase — Earn additional rewards when you use the Chase shopping portal to make purchases with your favorite retailers and service providers.

Bottom Line:

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amazon Prime Visa card come with key shopping protections such as purchase protection and extended warranty coverage. You’ll find additional benefits on the Chase Sapphire Preferred with DoorDash, Instacart+, Gopuff, and shopping offers via Chase. A key shopping benefit with the Amazon Prime Visa card is the elevated cash-back offers for Amazon Prime rotating category items.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has an annual fee of $95, which is actually on the low end for a travel rewards credit card with so many protections and benefits.

The Amazon Prime Visa card has a $0 annual fee, but you must be an Amazon Prime member to earn 5% cash-back.

Neither card charges a fee to add an authorized user.

Everything Else You Need To Know

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amazon Prime Visa card are Visa Signature cards issued by Chase. Before applying for either card, you’ll want to review Chase’s 5/24 rule which can affect card approvals.

You will need to have an Amazon Prime membership to be approved for the Amazon Prime Visa card.

To qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Amazon Prime Visa card it’s recommended to have a good to excellent credit score. A good credit score is generally considered 670 to 739 and an excellent score is considered 740 to 850.

In order to utilize the Shop With Points option and to take advantage of any Amazon promotions, you must first link your eligible credit card to your Amazon account.

The benefit descriptions in this article have been abbreviated and not all features and benefits are listed. The Guide to Benefits for each card is the official source for full descriptions and the applicable terms and conditions.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is geared toward the frequent traveler while the Amazon Prime Visa card serves the frequent Amazon.com shopper.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the better overall card for earning flexible rewards, having high-value potential at redemption time, and its collection of travel/shopping protections and benefits. Plus, the card comes with a generous welcome offer that is difficult to ignore, all for just a $95 annual fee.

If you’re not a traveler, you shop frequently at Amazon.com, and have an Amazon Prime membership, a case could be made for the Amazon Prime Visa card, especially with a $0 annual fee.

Before you apply for either card, be sure to review the Chase 5/24 rule mentioned above.