Some big changes are on the way if you have a credit card with Amazon, so it may well be time to log into your account if you haven’t for a while.
Because annoyingly the changes may not have gone out on email or by post, but are instead lingering in your online inbox.
Essentially you’ll likely need to get a new credit card if you’re a current user.
The process is pretty simple, and you should be pre-approved, but if you don’t actively apply in the next couple of months, your account will be closed.
Here’s what you need to know.
Why your Amazon credit card will stop working later this year
Up to now, NewDay has been the credit card partner for Amazon.
It’s one of a handful of reward credit cards around – you accumulate points that then get turned into Amazon vouchers.
But that’s set to change from 11 November this year, when the partnership will end.
Amazon will be launching a new credit card* but it hasn’t announced details of this yet.
NewDay, meanwhile, will be launching something called Pulse.
NewDay’s new cashback credit card
Pulse is a new cashback credit card from NewDay, and is completely separate from Amazon.
It’s designed specifically for existing customers, and is a Mastercard.
There’s no annual fee and you’ll be able to earn up to £150 of cashback a year (more below).
And because you’re an existing customer, there’s no formal application and no credit check required.
You’ll be able to carry over your outstanding balance, existing interest rate and credit limit.
Even your card number and pin, account number, and direct debit instructions will be transferred over.
However, you will have to download the new Pulse app to manage your account and you will need to update the card on file with Amazon – and anywhere else you have recurring payments with – as well as things like Google and ApplePay.
You should also read the credit agreement as some details will have changed.
And if your Amazon credit card was in credit, you’ll have to apply for a refund through NewDay.
Once you receive your new card, you’ll need to activate it within 90 days.
So how do you get a Pulse card?
Some customers will automatically be sent the card while others must opt-in.
If you need to opt in, you’ll need to call NewDay and then enter your account number; it’s an automated line charged at the normal rate.
You should have all the details in a message on your account – look for the inbox in your app or when you login to your account online.
It’s best to double check here as the deadline and number might be different for you – in most cases you’ll need to opt in by 11 November.
You might not be offered the Pulse card at all actually if you’ve missed payments.
If you don’t want the Pulse card, you don’t need to do anything – your Amazon credit card will simply stop working and you won’t get a new card. Or if you automatically receive one and you don’t activate it, the card will stop working after 90 days.
You’ll still need to pay off any outstanding balance of course.
What happens to all the points you’ve already accrued?
The aforementioned message will also set out the last day you can use your Amazon credit card.
Up until then, you’ll continue to earn points in the usual way.
Once your Amazon credit card account is closed, any points you’ve collected will be converted into a gift card and loaded onto your Amazon account.
How switching to Pulse will affect your credit record
If you decide not to switch to Pulse, you’ll still need to pay off any outstanding balance.
Once this is done and your account is closed, it will show as a settled account on your credit file – in other words, it won’t affect your credit score.
Although obviously if you miss any payments, your credit score will be negatively impacted.
When you apply for Pulse, NewDay won’t run any credit checks as you’re an existing customer so that won’t show up as a search on your credit file, unlike when you apply for a credit card with a new provider.
How cashback will work on Pulse
I’m really excited about the fact that Pulse is dispensing with the whole collecting points thing – they will reward you with cold hard cash.
You’ll get 0.25% cashback on almost all expenditure, which is actually one of the best rates out there for cashback credit cards.
The only exclusions are for things like cash transactions, money transfers, balance transfers, travellers’ cheques, travel money and foreign currency, money orders, unauthorised or fraudulent transactions, as well as any fees, charges or interest.
To calculate your cashback, NewDay will work out 0.25% of each transaction then add them up at the end of the statement month (this might differ from the calendar month) and credit it to your account.
The cashback is rounded down to the nearest £1 – any surplus is carried over to the following month.
Basically it works as a monthly discount on your bill, rather than an annual rebate like Amex and Barclaycard.
And if you don’t earn anything in a month, you won’t get anything.
If you return stuff, you might see a deduction to your cashback.
There are a couple of things to note.
There’s an annual cap of £150, although you’d have to spend a lot of money to earn that.
In some cases it might take NewDay up to 60 days to credit your cashback.
If you miss payments or go over your credit limit, you won’t receive cashback at all that month.
And if you decide to close your account, you’ll immediately stop earning cashback, and lose any cashback you’ve already earned but that hasn’t been credited to your account yet.
Is it worth getting the Pulse card?
I think so.
The cashback rate is remarkably good and there’s minimal fuss to apply – you also don’t need to go through additional credit checks.
NewDay’s apps aren’t the most flashy, but that’s the only thing that I would hold against them.
