What is the difference between the Amazon Store Card and the Amazon Secured Card?

They are two versions of the same closed-loop Synchrony product. The secured version asks for a refundable security deposit, which is what makes it reachable for applicants the unsecured version declines.

Is the Amazon Secured Card deposit refundable?

A security deposit on a secured card is refundable in principle, returned when the account is closed in good standing or when the issuer converts it to an unsecured account. Confirm the current terms with Synchrony before you deposit.

Does the Amazon Secured Card earn 5% back?

The secured card is reported to carry the same closed-loop rewards structure, with the 5% rate conditional on an eligible Prime membership in the same way as the standard Store Card.

Does a secured card help build credit?

A secured card builds history the same way any credit account does, by reporting payment behavior. The deposit changes the issuer's risk, not how the account is reported.

Amazon Store Card

Amazon Store Card vs Amazon Secured Card

Same closed-loop card, same 5% with Prime. One asks for a refundable security deposit; that is close to the whole difference.

The short answer

Store Card or Secured Card?

They are the same closed-loop card from the same issuer. The secured version asks for a refundable security deposit, and that deposit is what makes it reachable when the unsecured version is not. If you can be approved without a deposit, there is no reason to put one down.

The difference

One product, two front doors

Both cards are issued by Synchrony Bank (Yahoo Finance — Amazon Store Card review, secondary source, verified 2026-08-11), both are closed-loop, and both are usable for Amazon purchases only — Amazon.com, Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, Audible, AWS, Alexa Skills, and your Amazon Prime membership charge (Yahoo Finance — Amazon Store Card review, secondary source, verified 2026-08-11). The rewards structure is reported to be the same, with the 5% rate conditional on an eligible Prime membership in both cases.

	Amazon Store Card	Amazon Secured Card
Issuer	Synchrony Bank	Synchrony Bank
Where it works	Amazon and Amazon-owned services	Amazon and Amazon-owned services
Security deposit	None	Required, refundable
Annual fee	$0	None reported
Rewards with eligible Prime	5% at Amazon	5% at Amazon, as reported
Who it is aimed at	Fair credit	Thin or rebuilding credit
Builds credit history	Yes	Yes

Source: Yahoo Finance — Amazon Store Card review · verified 2026-08-11 Includes figures confirmed against a corroborating source because the issuer’s own page could not be reached.

The gap between those two columns is genuinely narrow, which is the point. A secured card is not a lesser product with worse terms — it is the same product with collateral attached so the issuer can say yes to someone it would otherwise decline.

How a deposit works

What you are actually agreeing to

You place a refundable deposit with the issuer. It typically sets or backs your credit limit, and it is not spent — it sits with the bank as security. It is returned when the account closes in good standing, or when the issuer decides the account no longer needs it.

Two things to be clear about before you put money down:

It is your money, and it is tied up. A deposit is not a fee, but it is cash you cannot spend for as long as the account is secured. If that money is needed elsewhere, a secured card is the wrong move this month.
The deposit does not build credit. Paying does. The account reports payment history like any other, and that history is the entire reason to open it. A secured card that sits unused reports very little.

Deposit amounts, limit rules and the conditions for getting the money back are set by Synchrony and are the kind of terms that change. Our tooling could not reach Synchrony’s own pages for this build, so we have deliberately not published specific deposit figures rather than repeat a number we could not confirm. Read the terms at application. That is our standing policy on unverifiable numbers.

Which one

Choosing between them

Apply for the unsecured Store Card first. It is reported as more accessible on fair credit, with starting limits commonly around $400 (Firstcard — Amazon Visa vs Store Card, secondary source, verified 2026-08-11), so it is worth an application before you consider tying up cash. If it is approved, the secured version has nothing to offer you.

Consider the secured version if that application is declined for a thin file. A short history is the case a secured card is designed for, and the deposit is refundable rather than spent.

Think harder if the decline was for delinquencies or high existing balances. Those are not problems a new account fixes, and an additional card can make the second one worse. There is no version of this page that ends with “so open a card anyway”.

Where the answer is no

Skip this if…

You would be approved without a deposit
Then do not place one. The two cards do the same thing at Amazon.
The deposit money is needed elsewhere
A refundable deposit is still cash you cannot use. Building credit is a long game and it will still be there next quarter.
You are rebuilding after missed payments rather than starting out
A closed-loop card at a high APR is not the tool for that. Reducing existing balances moves the needle further than opening another account.
You want a card you can use anywhere
Neither version leaves Amazon. General-purpose secured cards exist and work on the normal networks — this is not that.

See the current Amazon Store Card offer Read the worth-it breakdown

#ad Both versions are issued by Synchrony and usable at Amazon only. Deposit terms are set by the issuer and shown at application. We earn a flat fee if you sign up through this link, at no cost to you. How we’re paid.

Common questions

What is the difference between the Amazon Store Card and the Amazon Secured Card?: They are two versions of the same closed-loop Synchrony product. The secured version asks for a refundable security deposit, which is what makes it reachable for applicants the unsecured version declines.
Is the Amazon Secured Card deposit refundable?: A security deposit on a secured card is refundable in principle, returned when the account is closed in good standing or when the issuer converts it to an unsecured account. Confirm the current terms with Synchrony before you deposit.
Does the Amazon Secured Card earn 5% back?: The secured card is reported to carry the same closed-loop rewards structure, with the 5% rate conditional on an eligible Prime membership in the same way as the standard Store Card.
Does a secured card help build credit?: A secured card builds history the same way any credit account does, by reporting payment behavior. The deposit changes the issuer's risk, not how the account is reported.

How to apply for the Amazon Store Card — the application both versions run through
If the Prime Visa said no — how most people end up on this page in the first place
The difference between every Amazon card — all four products, in plain words

Written by Stephen V. — An enthusiast who's genuinely into this. I read the terms, compile the published rates, and do the math. No lab coat, no credentials, no test lab.

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Last verified: 2026-08-11