Bottom line up front: You can earn up to 10% back on Amazon purchases by strategically combining the right credit card (5%), shopping portals (up to 4%), and Amazon programs (1%). This guide shows you exactly how to stack these rewards for maximum value on every order.
Most people think the Amazon Prime Visa earning 5% back is the best they can do. They're leaving money on the table. With the right strategy, you can nearly double that return.
Here's how to turn your Amazon spending into serious rewards that fund your next vacation.
Understanding the Three Layers of Amazon Rewards
Think of Amazon rewards like building a sandwich. You need three layers working together to maximize your return:
Layer 1: Credit Card Rewards (1-5%)Your foundation. The card you use determines your baseline earning rate.
Layer 2: Shopping Portal Bonuses (1-4%)The middle layer that most people miss. These add significant value on top of your card rewards.
Layer 3: Amazon-Specific Programs (up to 1%)The finishing touch through Amazon's own loyalty features.
Stack all three correctly, and you're earning up to 10% back. That's $100 in rewards on a $1,000 purchase instead of $50.
Layer 1: Choosing Your Best Credit Card for Amazon
Your credit card choice makes the biggest difference. Here's what actually works in 2025.
The Amazon Prime Visa: The Obvious Choice (5%)
The Amazon Prime Visa earns a straightforward 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods for Prime members. It's simple, effective, and pairs perfectly with shopping portals.
Best for: Prime members who want simplicity and automatic rewards.
The catch: You need an active Prime membership ($139/year) to get the 5% rate. Without Prime, it drops to 3%.
The Amex Gold: The Travel Points Option (4X + bonuses)
The American Express Gold Card earns 4X Membership Rewards points on U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000/year). Amazon gift cards purchased at supermarkets count.
Here's the strategy: Buy Amazon gift cards at your local grocery store with your Amex Gold. You earn 4X points (worth ~8% when transferred to airlines). Then use those gift cards for Amazon purchases while still earning shopping portal bonuses.
Best for: Travelers who value Membership Rewards points and can handle a two-step process.
Learn more: Check out our complete Amex Gold review to see if the $250 annual fee makes sense for your spending.
The Blue Cash Preferred: The Cash Back Alternative (6%)
The Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000/year). Use the same gift card strategy as above.
Best for: Cash back enthusiasts who want the highest percentage return without dealing with points transfers.
Capital One Cards: The Portal Stack Play (2-5X + portal bonuses)
Any Capital One card works here, but the Capital One Savor (4% dining/entertainment) or their various Venture cards pair exceptionally well with Capital One Shopping portal bonuses.
Why this matters: Capital One Shopping (formerly Wikibuy) offers some of the most aggressive Amazon bonuses, sometimes reaching 4-5% during promotional periods.
Layer 2: Shopping Portal Mastery
This is where the magic happens. Shopping portals pay you bonus rewards for clicking through their links before making purchases.
How Shopping Portals Work
You're probably thinking this sounds too good to be true. Here's what's actually happening:
Amazon pays affiliate commissions to these portals. The portals share part of that commission with you. It's legitimate, tracked by cookies, and completely stackable with your credit card rewards.
Top Shopping Portals for Amazon in 2025
Rakuten (1-2% cash back)The most reliable option. Rakuten offers 1-2% cash back on Amazon purchases consistently, with occasional boosts to 3-4% during major shopping events.
You can choose cash back or transfer to American Airlines miles at a 1:1 ratio. For frequent travelers, that American Airlines option is huge—those miles can book award flights on British Airways, Qatar Airways, and other oneworld partners.
Capital One Shopping (varies, up to 5%)Often offers the highest bonuses but rates fluctuate more. Worth checking every time you shop.
MyPoints (1-2%)Owned by the same company as Swagbucks, offers similar rates and can be redeemed for gift cards or travel bookings.
Delta SkyMiles Shopping (1-2 miles per dollar)Perfect if you're earning toward elite status or planning a Delta award flight. Learn more about maximizing Delta SkyMiles.
United MileagePlus Shopping (up to 2 miles per dollar)Another solid airline option. We covered the basics in our introduction to United's shopping portal.
Portal Strategy Tips
Always check multiple portals before big purchases. Rates change constantly. Install browser extensions from Rakuten and Capital One Shopping so you get alerts automatically.
Watch for multiplier events. Black Friday, Prime Day, and holiday shopping periods often bring 3-5X bonuses.
Don't leave your portal session open too long. Make your purchase within 24 hours of clicking through. Cookies can expire or get confused if you browse too long.
One portal per purchase. Never click through multiple portals for the same purchase. You'll confuse the tracking and likely get nothing.
Layer 3: Amazon-Specific Programs
These final touches add small but meaningful boosts to your total rewards.
Amazon's Subscribe & Save (5-15% discount)
Not technically rewards, but Subscribe & Save stacks with everything else. You get 5% off each subscription item, or 15% off when you have 5+ subscriptions delivering in the same month.
The trick: Subscribe to items you actually need regularly (coffee, toiletries, pet supplies). Cancel subscriptions after delivery if plans change. There's no penalty.
Amazon Prime Store Card (5% back)
This is different from the Amazon Prime Visa. The Store Card is a store-only credit card that offers 5% back but can only be used at Amazon and Whole Foods.
Skip this one. The regular Amazon Prime Visa offers the same 5% with far more flexibility.
Amazon Trade-In Program
Trade in old electronics, books, and video games for Amazon gift card credit. Not exactly "rewards," but it's essentially free Amazon money.
Pro tip: Check trade-in values before selling items elsewhere. Amazon's offers aren't always competitive, but sometimes they beat eBay after you factor in selling fees and shipping.
Real-World Stacking Examples
Let's look at how this actually works with real purchases.
Example 1: $500 Amazon Electronics Purchase (Conservative Strategy)
You're buying a new laptop for $500. Here's how to maximize your return with a simple approach.
Credit card: Amazon Prime Visa earning 5% back = $25Shopping portal: Rakuten earning 1% = $5
Subscribe & Save: Not applicable for electronics
Total return: 6% = $30 in rewards
This is the easiest strategy—just click through Rakuten before checking out with your Prime Visa. Takes 30 seconds, earns an extra $5.
Example 2: $1,000 Holiday Shopping (Aggressive Strategy)
You're doing $1,000 in holiday shopping and want maximum rewards. Time to get strategic.
Credit card: Buy $1,000 in Amazon gift cards at your local grocery store using the Amex Gold. Earn 4X Membership Rewards = 4,000 points (worth approximately $80 when transferred to airline partners)Shopping portal: Capital One Shopping during a 4X promotional event = 4,000 miles or $40 cash backSubscribe & Save: Not used in this example
Total return: Approximately 12% = $120 in combined rewards
Yes, this requires buying gift cards first. But for holiday shopping you've already planned, that extra $40-50 in rewards is worth five minutes at the grocery store.
Example 3: $200 Regular Shopping (Balanced Approach)
Monthly household essentials—paper towels, toiletries, pet food—add up to $200.
Credit card: Amazon Prime Visa earning 5% = $10Shopping portal: Delta SkyMiles Shopping earning 2 miles per dollar = 400 SkyMiles (worth approximately $8)Subscribe & Save: 15% discount on all items (5+ subscriptions) = $30 saved
Effective return: Approximately 24% when factoring in the Subscribe & Save discount = $48 total
This is the sweet spot. Items you'd buy anyway, delivered automatically, earning rewards on top of significant discounts.
Common Stacking Mistakes to Avoid
Forgetting to click through the portal. This is the #1 mistake. Set a reminder or install browser extensions.
Using the wrong payment method. Gift cards can sometimes break portal tracking. When possible, use your credit card directly.
Not meeting minimum purchase requirements. Some portal bonuses require $25+ purchases. Check the terms.
Combining too many programs. Amazon's tracking systems can get confused if you use both Subscribe & Save AND digital coupons AND portal bonuses on the same item. Keep it simple when possible.
Returning items. Portal rewards typically get clawed back on returns. That's fair, but plan accordingly.
The Amazon Gift Card Strategy (Advanced)
Here's a controversial take: Sometimes it's worth buying Amazon gift cards at a discount and sacrificing portal bonuses.
Where to buy discounted Amazon gift cards:
- Grocery stores during 4X/6X credit card promotions
- Cashback portal offers on gift card purchases
- Gift card resale sites (though savings have decreased recently)
When this makes sense: If you can buy $1,000 in Amazon gift cards at 8% rewards (Amex Gold at supermarkets), that beats the 6% you'd get from the Prime Visa plus a 1% portal bonus.
When to skip it: For most everyday purchases, the convenience of direct earning beats the gift card hassle.
Maximizing Amazon Spending for Travel
If you're using The Points Party strategies to fund travel, Amazon spending is a goldmine you can't ignore.
Best Cards for Converting Amazon Purchases to Flights
For domestic flights: Amazon Prime Visa earning 5% cash back, which you can use to offset travel costs, combined with Rakuten earning American Airlines miles for the portal bonus.
For international business class: Amex Gold earning Membership Rewards through the grocery store gift card method. Transfer those points to ANA, Singapore Airlines, or Air France/KLM for premium cabin redemptions.
For maximum flexibility: Cards earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points give you the most transfer partner options. Learn more in our guide to maximizing Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Portal-to-Miles Strategy
Several shopping portals let you earn airline miles instead of cash back. This is huge if you're working toward a specific redemption.
Example: Earning 2 American Airlines miles per dollar through Rakuten on a $2,000 Amazon purchase gets you 4,000 miles. That's enough for a domestic one-way flight during off-peak dates.
Learn more about maximizing airline miles in our complete guide to airline partner awards.
Tracking Your Amazon Rewards
You're stacking three different reward sources. Don't lose track of what you've earned.
Set up a simple spreadsheet with these columns:
- Purchase date
- Amount spent
- Credit card used
- Portal used
- Expected rewards
- Actual rewards posted
Check portal accounts monthly. Most portals post rewards 30-90 days after purchase. If something's missing, file a claim immediately.
Screenshot your purchases. If there's ever a dispute, you'll need proof you clicked through the portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stack Subscribe & Save discounts with shopping portal bonuses?
Yes! Subscribe & Save is a discount (not a reward), so it stacks with everything else. This is one of the easiest ways to boost your effective return.
Do Amazon Prime Day deals work with shopping portals?
Usually yes, but portal rates sometimes drop during major sale events. Check rates before assuming you'll get the standard bonus.
Will I lose portal rewards if I return an item?
Almost always, yes. The portal will claw back rewards on returned purchases. This is standard across all shopping portals.
Can I use multiple shopping portals for different items in one order?
No. One portal per shopping session. The last portal you clicked through gets credit for the entire order.
Do shopping portals work with Amazon gift card purchases?
Generally no. Most portals exclude gift cards from earning rewards. However, buying Amazon gift cards at grocery stores with the right credit card does work.
Is it worth opening a new credit card just for Amazon rewards?
Maybe. If you spend $5,000+ annually on Amazon, the Amazon Prime Visa could earn you $250/year in rewards. For most people, that justifies a card slot in your wallet. Just make sure you understand the financial risks of points and miles strategy before opening new accounts.
What's the absolute maximum I can earn on Amazon purchases?
Realistically, 10-12% when you combine the best credit card (5-8%), aggressive portal bonuses (3-4%), and Subscribe & Save discounts (5-15%). Claims of 15%+ typically involve special promotional periods or one-time bonuses that aren't sustainable.
Your Amazon Stacking Action Plan
Ready to start earning more on every Amazon purchase? Here's your 30-minute setup checklist:
Step 1: Sign up for Rakuten and Capital One Shopping. Install their browser extensions.
Step 2: Get the right credit card. For most people, that's the Amazon Prime Visa. For travel rewards enthusiasts, consider the Amex Gold.
Step 3: Set up Subscribe & Save for items you buy regularly. Start with 5+ subscriptions to hit the 15% discount threshold.
Step 4: Create a simple tracking system. Even a notes app on your phone works.
Step 5: Make your next Amazon purchase through a shopping portal. See how easy it is to add that bonus layer.
The best part? Once you set this up, it becomes automatic. You're earning more on purchases you were making anyway.
The Bottom Line
Stacking Amazon rewards isn't complicated—it just requires a system. Choose your best credit card, always shop through a portal, and take advantage of Subscribe & Save when it makes sense.
That simple three-step process can turn a $3,000 annual Amazon spend into $180-300 in rewards instead of $50. Over a decade, that's enough to fund multiple international flights or several luxury hotel stays.
The question isn't whether reward stacking works. It's whether you're going to leave that money on the table or put it toward your next adventure.
Looking for more ways to maximize your everyday spending? Check out our guide on the best credit cards for families or learn how to use airline shopping portals for even more earning opportunities.
Note: Credit card offers and portal bonuses change frequently. We update this guide regularly, but always verify current offers before applying. See our article on the best credit card bonus offers for the latest deals.
