Should you hold both Amazon cards?

The whole argument rests on one observation that is easy to miss when the cards are presented separately. Both Amazon 5% cards pay 5% at Amazon, on the same condition.

Row one and row two pay the same rate. One of them works everywhere and one works only at Amazon. If you hold the Prime Visa, adding the Store Card gives you a second way to earn the same 5% in a smaller set of places — which is not an improvement, it is a duplicate with a restriction.

The same logic applies to the two Chase cards. The Prime Visa pays 5% back (Chase — Prime Visa, verified 2026-08-11) where the Amazon Visa pays 3% back (Chase — Amazon Visa, verified 2026-08-11), and the mid and base tiers are the same on both. Holding both means routing every Amazon purchase to one and never using the other for anything it is better at, because there is nothing it is better at. That pairing is usually a product-change decision rather than a second-card one, which we cover on the upgrading page.

A second card is not free just because the annual fee is zero. Chase publishes $0 (Chase — Prime Visa, verified 2026-08-11) and Synchrony $0 (Yahoo Finance — Amazon Store Card review, secondary source, verified 2026-08-11), so there is no cash cost. The cost is on your credit file and in your attention.

An inquiry. FICO publishes that for most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO Scores (myFICO — credit report inquiries, verified 2026-08-19), and that hard inquiries stay on the report for up to two years, but they only affect the FICO Scores for a year (myFICO — credit report inquiries, verified 2026-08-19).

A young account. New credit is 10% (myFICO — what is in your credit score, verified 2026-08-19) of a FICO Score and length of history is 15% (myFICO — what is in your credit score, verified 2026-08-19). A new account pulls your average account age down until it matures.

A second bill. Payment history is the largest factor at 35% (myFICO — what is in your credit score, verified 2026-08-19), and two due dates is two chances to miss one. On the Prime Visa a missed minimum can trigger up to 29.99%, applied if you fail to make a minimum payment by its due date or make a payment that is returned unpaid, and it can remain in effect indefinitely (Chase — Prime Visa Pricing & Terms, verified 2026-08-13) — the full consequence chain is on the late payment page. This is a small risk for an organized person and a real one for everybody else.

One: you want more available credit, and the Store Card is what you can get. Amounts owed is 30% (myFICO — what is in your credit score, verified 2026-08-19) of a FICO Score, and it is measured as a ratio of balances to available credit. Adding a line raises the denominator, which lowers utilization at the same spending. The Store Card 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 for a thin file it may be the only additional line available. The effect is small on a $400 line but it is not nothing, and it works in the right direction — the mechanics are on the credit-building page.

Two: you want the Store Card’s financing on a specific purchase. Synchrony offers a 0% APR plan that splits an eligible purchase into equal installments — reported as 6 months on $50–$599.99 and 12 months on $600 and above (Firstcard — Amazon Visa vs Store Card, secondary source, verified 2026-08-11). Chase’s equivalent is 0% APR Equal Pay promotional financing on qualifying Amazon.com purchases of $50 or more, divided equally over 6 to 48 billing cycles, offered from time to time (Chase — Prime Visa Pricing & Terms, verified 2026-08-13) — note offered from time to time, which is not the same as always available. If you have a large Amazon purchase to spread and Chase is not offering a plan on it, the Store Card is a second route to one. The plan detail is on the Equal Monthly Payments page.

Three: you already had the Store Card and got the Prime Visa later. This is the most common real version of “holding both” and it is not really a decision at all. Closing the older account removes its history and its credit line, both of which are working for you. Since the annual fee is $0 (Yahoo Finance — Amazon Store Card review, secondary source, verified 2026-08-11), leaving it open and lightly used costs nothing — the case is made in full on the Store Card closure page.

The reason to hold two cards is to cover two different kinds of spending. Two Amazon cards cover one kind twice.

Look at where the Prime Visa is weak rather than where it is strong. It pays 2% back (Chase — Prime Visa, verified 2026-08-11) at gas stations, restaurants, and local transit and commuting (including rideshare) (Chase — Prime Visa, verified 2026-08-11), and 1% back (Chase — Prime Visa, verified 2026-08-11) on everything else. For most households “everything else” is the largest category of spending by a wide margin, and 1% is a poor rate for it.

A flat-rate card fixes exactly that. Pair the Prime Visa with a card that pays a decent rate everywhere, route Amazon and Whole Foods to the Prime Visa and everything else to the other one, and both cards are doing something the other cannot. We compare the candidates on the Freedom Unlimited page, the Savor page and the Blue Cash Everyday page.

One caution on that setup: if the second card is a Chase points card, check how its rewards redeem at Amazon before assuming they are equivalent. The differences between Chase’s currencies are set out on the page on Amazon points and Ultimate Rewards.