Amazon Pay Balance – A Smarter Way to Get Rewards on Every Spend
Most people still think of Amazon Pay Balance as just a wallet to shop on Amazon. But in reality, it’s one of the most effective tool to maximize credit card rewards—especially in categories where most cards don’t give any cashback or points or give just base rewards at low rate.
From insurance premiums to utility bills to gold purchases, Amazon Pay Balance can help you turn “zero reward” spends into 10–15% valueback. Not only that, it can help you turn many third party payments into highly rewarding transactions which otherwise would give just basic rewards. Let me share how.
Example: Car Service with 15% Valueback
Recently, I paid for my Hyundai car service using Amazon Pay Balance. The service centre shared a Cashfree payment link on WhatsApp, and one of the options was Amazon Pay.
Because I load Amazon Pay Balance using credit cards that give high rewards on gift card purchases, the same payment earned me 15% valueback. That’s a category where most cards would have given just basic rewards or cashback.
Subscriptions Made Easy
Just last week, I bought an Apple App Store gift card with Amazon Pay Balance. That balance covered:
- ChatGPT Go
- YouTube Premium
- Canva, InShot, and other app subscriptions
I sometimes do the same with Google Play balance to pay for subscriptions on Android.
Instead of paying directly and getting nothing, I route it through Amazon Pay Balance and earn rewards first.
Why Amazon Pay Balance is So Useful Today
In recent years, banks have stopped giving rewards on spends like:
- Insurance premiums
- Utility bills (electricity, piped gas, water, broadband)
- Mobile and DTH recharges
- Society maintenance bills
- Travel insurance
- Gold, silver, and jewellery purchases
But many cards—including entry-level and mid-tier options like:
- ICICI Amazon Pay Credit Card
- Amex MRCC
- Amex Gold
- Amex Platinum Travel
- Axis Bank Atlas
- And many more
…still give base rewards (1–5%) on gift card purchases.
And if you’re holding super premium cards like HDFC Infinia or ICICI Emeralde Private Metal (EPM), then the game changes completely. Buying Amazon Pay gift cards with these cards and using them for everyday spends can give you 12–15% returns instead of just base rewards.
Go through “Best Credit Cards for GiftCards” section on our blog to know the cards which are highly rewarding for giftcards purchases.
How to Use Amazon Pay Gift Cards
| Step / Action | How to do it | Examples / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pick the right credit card | Choose the card that gives the highest rewards on gift-card purchases. Buy gift cards through the portal that maximizes rewards for that card. |
|
| Buy Amazon Pay Gift Cards | Purchase Amazon Pay gift cards using the selected credit card. | Load denomination(s) based on your planned spend; ensure portal used qualifies for bonus rewards. |
| Load into Amazon Pay wallet | Open the Amazon app → Amazon Pay wallet → Add gift card / redeem code → Load balance. | Use the Amazon mobile app to redeem and store the gift card balance in your Amazon Pay wallet. |
| Use via Amazon Pay app | In the Amazon Pay app or Amazon app, pay directly using your Amazon Pay balance. |
|
| Use on third-party websites & apps | At checkout, open the “Wallets” or payment options → select Amazon Pay → log in with Amazon ID/linked mobile → pay using Amazon Pay balance. | Amazon Pay appears on hundreds of merchant sites and apps; select it to spend wallet balance. |
| Why this works | Effective reward rate increases because you earn card rewards when buying the gift card, then spend that loaded balance. | The net reward on payments made via Amazon Pay can be much higher than regular card reward rates. |
Where I Personally Use Amazon Pay Balance
Here are some of the spends where Amazon Pay Balance works brilliantly for me:
- Electricity bills
- MGL piped gas bills
- Tata Play broadband
- Mobile recharges
- Urban Company services
- Society maintenance & property tax (via MyGate app)
- Daily milk supply (Dear Cows app)
- Insurance premiums (Tata AIA, ACKO, PolicyBazaar)
- Travel insurance for overseas trips
- FasTag recharges
- Uber rides
- Car servicing
- Mobile apps & subscriptions (YouTube Premium, ChatGPT Go, Canva, InShot)
- Magazines like Wealth Insight
And many more.
In fact, there are hundreds of third-party websites that include Amazon Pay Balance as an option under the “Wallets” section on their checkout pages. If you have premium cards that give you higher rewards on Amazon Pay gift cards, you can buy those gift cards, load them into your wallet, and then use that balance for payments on these sites.
How I Load Amazon Pay Balance
- ICICI Amazon Pay EPM Card
- Up to ₹36,000/month through ICICI iShop portal (using one primary + two add-on cards)
- Around 15% effective rewards after adjusting convenience fee of iShop.
- HDFC Infinia Card
- Up to ₹48,000/month through HDFC SmartBuy portal (using one primary + three add-ons)
- Around 12–13% effective rewards after adjusting convenience fee of SmartBuy.
- Entry & Mid-tier Cards (ICICI Amazon Pay, Amex MRCC, Amex Gold, Amex Platinum Travel, Axis Atlas)
- 1–5% rewards on Amazon Pay gift cards.
So no matter which category of card you hold, you can benefit. With entry-level and mid-tier cards, you at least get rewards on spends that normally give nothing. And with super premium cards, you can unlock double-digit returns.
Final Thoughts
Amazon Pay Balance is not just for shopping on Amazon—it’s a smarter payment method that ensures every spend counts.
It allows you to:
- Earn rewards on categories like insurance, utilities, travel insurance, society maintenance, and gold where most cards give zero.
- Get 1–5% rewards with entry and mid-tier cards.
- Unlock 12–15% rewards with super premium cards like HDFC Infinia and ICICI EPM.
For me, it’s one of the most effective strategies to make sure no spend goes unrewarded.
👇 Share in the comments:
- Where do you use Amazon Pay Balance?
- Which credit card do you use to load it?
- What’s the best return you’ve managed so far?
FAQs
Accordion Content
Yes, if you cross milestone spends (₹1.90L / ₹4L annually), you get excellent valueback in the form of 48,000 Reward Points and Rs.10,000 Taj Giftcard.
If no active card remains, points redemption value drop to ₹0.25/point as statement credit which you need to redeem within 30 days on your Amex card closue. Best to transfer to Marriott or redeem gift cards before closing or keep at least one Amex card active.
Not anymore. Currently, Amex instantly closes cards upon cancellation requests.
If you don’t hit reward milestones or redeem gift cards, closure may make sense. But keep one Amex card alive if you want higher redemption value.
