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I have never owned a credit card and am largely undecided about them in general. They have their pros and cons which could be easily found with a simple Google search; my question is more about the effects of doing what I want do do:
What would happen to my credit score if I applied for the card, got it along with a $30 promotion for applying for the card, and then cancelled it almost immediately, retaining $30 in Amazon credit? Is that even possible?
It might work, assuming you can instantly qualify for the credit card. I'd bet that isn't likely to happen if you have never had a credit card before though. (I extrapolate that to assume you don't have much of a credit report. I could be wrong.)
However, it is a gift card, not cash. You would at best get $30 worth of stuff and shipping from Amazon.
Net effect? Your score goes down because you applied for the card. This is also highly dependent on the time frame in which this all happens. Credit reports won't show any activity for a couple of months. So the up and down could cancel each other out if you do it too fast.
My advice, don't apply for credit you don't want or need. Certainly don't apply for credit just to get a reward or discount. The rewards and discounts are only smart if you were already making the purchase.
To expand on the question you didn't ask, it is a pretty solid decision to get a credit card, especially if you don't need one.
I suggest you join a credit union and get a credit card from there. They will have programs and better deals.
Once you have the card from your credit union, and you if you find credit cards fit your lifestyle, AND if you find you can manage credit responsibly, then feel free to find a rewards card you like (such as Amazon) and apply for it.
Yes, it is definitely possible to get the $30 or $50.. whatever they are offering; and then immediately cancel the card. It actually doesn't effect your credit score as bad as people try to say it does. Plus, your score will, after about a month, go back to what it was in my experience.
I have gotten multiple cards specifically for their sign-up bonuses. The good ones normally have some sort of required spend to go along with this, once that has been met the card normally never gets used again. I normally don't bother to cancel it, though.
Your credit rating does take a hit from the hard pull, so long as you don't do it too often it's not an issue unless you're in a position to need every last point of your credit rating.
It's rather a moot point in this case, though--you sound very credit-adverse, you almost certainly do not have a credit rating that will satisfy the issuers of cards that pay you in some fashion.
