Several customer accounts for the Amazon Visa Card will be closed by November 30, 2023. Those directly affected should redeem any existing Amazon points beforehand, as they will otherwise expire completely. Due to the three notification waves by Landesbank Berlin, the respective termination deadlines vary significantly.
Those who were just informed this month about the impending termination of the Amazon Visa Card need not redeem points in November 2023 – this group of customers can still use the Amazon Visa Card until March 26, 2024, in any case.
However, for those included in the second notification wave in September 2023, they can use the Amazon Visa Card until March 26, 2024, only if they have unconditionally and without cost requested the contract documents for the bank’s selected successor product for the Amazon Visa Card, called Visa Card Extra, distributed by Berliner Sparkasse.
Those who missed this step will have their Amazon Visa Card customer account closed by November 30, 2023, and this group of individuals should definitely redeem their Amazon points beforehand. For those already informed during the first notification wave in July 2023 about the end of the Amazon Visa Card, they can continue using the Amazon Visa Card until November 30, 2023, only if they requested the contract documents for the Visa Card Extra.
Visa Card Extra costs 19.99 euros per year
For those informed in July 2023 about the end of the Amazon Visa Card and who signed the contract for Visa Card Extra and sent it back to Berliner Sparkasse by the deadline of November 15, 2023, can also use the Amazon Visa Card until March 26, 2024. This group of customers will then have to pay an annual fee of 19.99 euros for the Visa Card Extra. This might be beneficial if substantial purchases are made using the Amazon Visa Card until March 2024 to earn more than 20 euros in Amazon points.
Even for those who have signed the contract for Visa Card Extra, it’s advisable to redeem the Amazon points before November 30, 2023, as a precaution. Because if, for instance, the contract hasn’t reached Berliner Sparkasse, the Amazon Visa Card account will be closed this November.
No information is provided on the individual validity period of the Amazon Visa Card
“If approvals are not effective, for instance, due to handwritten notes in the documents or missing signatures, in these cases, we will contact the customers separately,” said a spokeswoman for Landesbank Berlin when queried by Golem.de.
However, owners of the Amazon Visa Card from the first notification wave have no way to check the status with Berliner Sparkasse. “No acknowledgment of receipt is sent,” says Landesbank Berlin. There is also no information in the customer account of the Amazon Visa Card about how long the card remains usable.
Those who wish to redeem Amazon points by November 30, 2023, and don’t plan to make further purchases on Amazon during this time, can purchase a digital Amazon voucher with the points. This way, the points can be redeemed at a later time, even if the Amazon Visa Card no longer exists.
Visa Card Extra has many disadvantages
Even for those who ordered the Visa Card Extra, it’s better not to use it. A major drawback of the Visa Card Extra is that the bank only offers partial payment for the credit card when used for shopping, resulting in immediate interest charges currently at over 18% effective annual interest rate. This can only be avoided by depositing a balance into the card account. With the previous Amazon Visa Card, partial payment could be avoided without having to transfer money to the card account.
Moreover, all the unique features of the Amazon Visa Card, available for Prime subscribers without an annual fee, are absent with Visa Card Extra. This also applies to a partner card. Additionally, the Amazon Visa Card provided bonus points for purchases at retailers, online shops, or directly on Amazon.
The termination of the Amazon Visa Card can have a negative impact on the Schufa score. Because customers cannot prevent the termination of the Amazon Visa Card, and for Schufa, it doesn’t matter whether a credit card is terminated by the customer or the bank.
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