Amazon holiday hack: Get a $150 gift card and up to 25 percent cash back

Rick Broida
·Executive commerce editor, tech
·6 min read

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Amazon Prime subscribers can score a $150 gift card when signing up for Amazon's Prime Rewards Visa Card. Non-subscribers can get $75 with the Prime Signature Visa (pictured). Either way: free money!
What will you buy with all this sweet, sweet free money? (Photo: Getty)

Need some extra cash to buy holiday gifts? What if I told you you could score $150 in Amazon credit with just a few clicks?

You'd probably say there were strings attached. Sort of yes, but also sort of no: If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber (non-subscribers, keep reading), you can get a $150 gift card when you sign up for the Prime Rewards Visa Card. Assuming you qualify, approval happens in about the time it takes to read this paragraph — and the gift card is provided instantly, meaning you now have $150 to spend on anything Amazon sells.

Apply now

This is a no-annual-fee Visa, so there's literally zero cost to you. And there are benefits beyond the gift card: You get 5 percent back on nearly all Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, 2 percent back on restaurants and gas and 1 percent on just about everything else.

Amazon also runs Prime Card exclusives from time to time, with up to 25 percent back (in the form of Amazon credit, which is processed after your purchase) on select items. Right now, for example, you can get 10% back on some already-discounted electronics:

OK, but what if you don't have the aforementioned Amazon Prime subscription? There's still a gift-card option when you apply for the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, though it's $100 instead of $200. And while that card does offer cash back, it doesn't qualify for the bonus exclusives.

Amazon Prime subscribers can score a $150 gift card when signing up for Amazon's Prime Rewards Visa Card. Non-subscribers can get $75 with the Prime Signature Visa (pictured). Either way: free money!
Amazon Prime subscribers can score a $150 gift card when signing up for Amazon's Prime Rewards Visa Card. Non-subscribers can get $75 with the Prime Signature Visa (pictured). Either way: free money! (Photo: Amazon)

Speaking of Prime, I think it's worth the $119 price of admission, at least for most folks. In addition to fast shipping (meaning two-day, one-day and sometimes even same-day) on most products, you get a boatload of media: Prime movies and TV shows, a different batch of PC games every month, a modest but diverse music library, a rotating selection of e-books and so on.

So here's a thought: If you sign up for a subscription now, then grab the Prime Rewards Visa, you'd be paying $119 and receiving $150 — meaning this gift card more than covers the cost of the subscription.

Newcomers can sign up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial, though I don't know if you can also get the Prime Rewards Visa as part of that trial or you have to be a full-fledged paying subscriber. My guess is it's the latter.

My question to you: What will you buy with all that sweet, sweet free money? Here are just a few ideas:

TV deals:

Headphones and earbud deals:

Smartphone and tablet deals:

Video game deals:

Smart home deals:

Vacuum deals:

Fashion deals:

Kitchen deals:

Beauty deals:

Bedding deals:

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