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Description
The End of Alchemy: Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global EconomySomething is wrong with our banking system. We all sense that, but Mervyn King knows it firsthand; his ten years at the helm of the Bank of England, including at the height of the financial crisis, revealed profound truths about the mechanisms of our capitalist society. In The End of Alchemy he offers us an essential work about the history and future of money and banking, the keys to modern finance. The Industrial Revolution built the foundation of
Something is wrong with our banking system. We all sense that, but Mervyn King knows it firsthand; his ten years at the helm of the Bank of England, including at the height of the financial crisis, revealed profound truths about the mechanisms of our capitalist society. In The End of Alchemy he offers us an essential work about the history and future of money and banking, the keys to modern finance.
The Industrial Revolution built the foundation of our modern capitalist age. Yet the flowering of technological innovations during that dynamic period relied on the widespread adoption of two much older ideas: the creation of paper money and the invention of banks that issued credit. We take these systems for granted today, yet at their core both ideas were revolutionary and almost magical. Common paper became as precious as gold, and risky long-term loans were transformed into safe short-term bank deposits. As King argues, this is financial alchemy--the creation of extraordinary financial powers that defy reality and common sense. Faith in these powers has led to huge benefits; the liquidity they create has fueled economic growth for two centuries now. However, they have also produced an unending string of economic disasters, from hyperinflations to banking collapses to the recent global recession and current stagnation.
How do we reconcile the potent strengths of these ideas with their inherent weaknesses? King draws on his unique experience to present fresh interpretations of these economic forces and to point the way forward for the global economy. His bold solutions cut through current overstuffed and needlessly complex legislation to provide a clear path to durable prosperity and the end of overreliance on the alchemy of our financial ancestors.
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 03/07/2017
ISBN: 9780393353570
Pages: 464
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.50w x 1.30d
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4.6 ★★★★★
Based on 2175 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
This card is awesome!
Style: Prime Visa
I’ve been using the Chase Prime Visa card for over a year, and it’s become one of my favorite credit cards, especially for anyone who regularly shops on Amazon or Whole Foods. Here’s my personal take based on firsthand experience:
### Pros:
1. **Generous Cashback on Amazon/Whole Foods Purchases**: The card offers 5% cashback on Amazon.com and Whole Foods purchases if you're a Prime member. Since I do a lot of online shopping and grocery runs there, the cashback adds up quickly. Every couple of months, I have enough cashback points to significantly reduce my bill, which is super satisfying.
2. **Solid Rewards for Everyday Spending**: Besides Amazon and Whole Foods, the card gives 2% cashback on restaurant, gas station, and drugstore purchases. I find this feature great since I often fuel up and grab meals on the go, and it's nice knowing I’m getting something back on those purchases.
3. **No Annual Fee (with Prime)**: Since I’m already paying for Amazon Prime, having no additional fee for the card is a bonus. It's like getting extra perks from Prime without paying more.
4. **Redeemable Points**: I love that the cashback can be used directly on Amazon for purchases, but I usually save my points to cover larger purchases or statement credits.
5. **Travel Perks**: While I haven’t used it extensively, the card does offer some decent travel benefits like no foreign transaction fees and access to some travel protections, which can be useful for international travel.
### Cons:
1. **Requires Amazon Prime Membership**: The biggest downside is that the card is only valuable if you're already an Amazon Prime member, which costs around $139 a year. If you’re not a frequent Amazon shopper, the perks might not justify having the card.
2. **Limited Categories for High Cashback**: Outside of Amazon and Whole Foods, the cashback categories aren’t as high (2% for gas, restaurants, etc.), so if you're looking for a broader range of high-reward categories, this card might feel limited.
3. **Amazon-Heavy Focus**: While I enjoy the Amazon-focused rewards, someone who doesn’t shop there often might find the card’s benefits less compelling. If you’re looking for more flexibility in redeeming points for travel, the Chase Sapphire line might be better suited.
### Overall Verdict:
If you’re an Amazon Prime member and do a lot of shopping on Amazon or at Whole Foods, this card is a no-brainer. The cashback rewards are generous, especially compared to other cards. However, if you’re not an Amazon or Whole Foods shopper, there are probably better options with broader rewards categories.
For me, the Chase Prime Visa has been a great addition to my wallet, primarily for its ability to consistently give me back a portion of what I’m already spending.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2024
★★★★★ 5
Great card for Amazon purchases, read the fine print people!
Style: Amazon Visa
Seems to be a lot of griping from people who don't understand how to read the fine print and use common sense. This is basically a store card/loyalty card Visa like many retailers offer. That being said, the interest rates are always high on these types of cards. Deal with it. Don't carry a balance. "Instant" credit approval is assumed if there is nothing in your account that needs reviewing. If you need the $30/$50 immediately to make your purchase, maybe you should rethink what you are buying. If you're getting this card, I'll bet you'll buy something from Amazon again and be able to use that gift card before long anyway...
Card Pros:
-1 point=$1 spent. $1 spent at amazon gives 3 points (3%). $1 spent elsewhere gives 1 point (1%). For me, I like it simple, no point-to-dollar conversions like the citi card.
-Card is by Chase. May be a pro/con here, but if you already have Chase accounts, this card will show up after a couple weeks in your chase.com online account. Easy to manage and make payments straight from your checking account.
-No annual fee.
-Redeem points at any time for anything sold by Amazon. Yes there is fine print, marketplace purchases can't be funded with points, neither can subscribe and save. Boo hoo. Read the terms and you won't have to post 1 star reviews whining about what's explained in the fine print you didn't bother reading before handing over all your personal information. :)
Card Cons:
-Interest rate is high. As stated above, these types of cards always have high rates. My condolences if you are under the assumption that a 13%+ rate is a good rate.
Bottom line- read the card's terms and conditions before applying, understand the rewards and how to use them, pay your bills on time, and you'll wind up with some nice rewards points to use on something fun from Amazon.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2012
★★★★★ 5
VERY IMPRESSED. ONE OF MY FAVORITE CREDIT CARDS
Style: Prime Visa
After reading through well over 150 customer reviews, I was extremely hesitant about applying for the Chase Amazon Prime Visa Rewards card. I have been an avid Amazon customer for over 15 years... So, I am definitely a person that would greatly benefit from having/using an Amazon credit card that offers 5% cash back and interest free payment plans on Amazon.com purchases. Even so, and even though I knew that my credit score was more than high enough; I still chose to hold off on applying for the card for several years.
The main reason I hesitated was because there were so many negative reviews on here. Specifically, the ones written by people (who claimed to have good credit) stating that the only reason they got denied was because they had more than 2 or 3 hard inquiries within the past year. Some of them even said that they were initially approved and then later received a denial letter. After reading countless reviews like that, I figured that there was no way I would qualify/get approved.
That was how I felt up until 2 months ago. On July 1st, I finally decided that the potential reward was worth the risk. So I applied and was instantly approved! The $200 promotional Amazon store credit was immediately added to my account! The card was also automatically added as my default method of payment as well. It was super exciting! I am so glad that I decided to take the risk and apply that day.
I honestly expected Chase to either deny me, require more time to make their decision, or change their mind after the fact... I expected this for 2 main reasons: #1 because my credit score was not the greatest at the time when I applied (due to my utilization rate=over 40%). #2 I knew that I had at least 5-6 recent hard inquiries that had all occurred within the last year.
POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT I FEEL ARE WORTH MENTIONING:
Chase was very generous with the amount of time that they automatically allowed me between the date of my initial purchase and the due date (when my first payment was due). For whatever reason, Chase allotted me a total of 54 days! My first purchase occurred on July 1st. My first payment was due on/by August 25th! 54 days is wayyyyy longer than I have ever had with any of my other credit cards. So much so, that it's caused me to wonder if Chase does this to ensure that the customer has received their physical card in time. (There were several negative reviews where people said that they were forced to pay their first statement after the initial due date (subject to late fees and derogatory remarks in their credit history) because of the fact that it took well over a month for them to finally receive their physical card.) I can only attest to my personal experience, which I fortunately received my physical card within 11 business days (which means that I actually received it 3 days earlier than what I was told to expect.)
Chase makes it simple and easy to understand/know how much of the total balance needs to be paid in order for you to avoid any interest charges/fees. I have felt burdened in the past anytime I've used a card to make both promotional period 0% interest purchases as well as regular purchases. That's because some card company's tend to be vague when it comes to letting you know the exact amount to pay to avoid paying interest (surprising, right? lol). Chase lists both the total statement balance as well as the minimum balance you have to pay to avoid any interest charges.
I am satisfied with the way the cash back balance rewards system works. It would be nice if Chase would allow customers to earn some level of cash back incentives on purchases that are classified as no interest special financing for a pre-determined promotional period purchases... Even if customers didn't receive the full 5% cash back percentage...
This card can be used anywhere that VISA is accepted! It even offers 3% cash back incentive for gas station purchases while also offering other cash back incentives as well. I think that this is such a great feature that I did not expect!
This is the longest review that I have ever written. I took the time to write all of this because I know that there are other people out there (who have read the reviews and thus are hesitant like I once was).
Thank you for taking the time to read my novel.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2022
★★★★★ 5
Easy to use cash back and reconcile charges to purchases.
Style: Prime Visa
The Prime Visa is a great way to get 5% cash back on your purchases. Chase makes it easy to have it sent to the bank of your choice or you can apply against future purchases with Amazon. Amazon and Chase also make it easy to reconcile your transactions with Amazon and charges to Chase card. If you have a question on your chase card you can look on line realtime, select the greater than symbol> and it will take you to the transaction in Amazons Orders and Returns so you can see the charges were for. High Five for both companies.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Great Card With Strong Rewards — Minor Durability Issue
Style: Prime Visa
I’ve really enjoyed the Amazon Prime Visa Credit Card overall. The rewards structure is genuinely useful — getting 5% back on Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and Chase Travel purchases adds up fast, and the 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit is a nice everyday boost. The fact that there’s no annual fee or foreign transaction fees makes it even better, especially for a card tied to a Prime membership.
My only complaint, and the reason for four stars instead of five, is that the chip stopped working after about a year of regular use. The card still works with tap and swipe, but it’s inconvenient when a terminal requires chip-only transactions.
Aside from that hiccup, it’s been a great rewards card and definitely worth having if you’re a frequent Amazon or Whole Foods shopper.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2026