It has happened to me that while proceeding to finally place an order with Amazon, the Prime was pre-selected and I didn’t realize that but when I landed on the payment page, I was puzzled while looking at the payment total. Amazon being a brand known globally shall not be undertaking any such unethical practices to preselect options for their Prime subscription and then later it would show up on many credit’s card as Amazon Prime pmts.
When you look at the charge description, it’s not that hard to quickly make sense of it and to know where the charges are coming from. But specifically, when you know you haven’t subscribed to Amazon Prime you will definitely be bewildered and consider it as an unauthorized transaction, but it’s most likely a genuine one, initiated and processed by you, Amazon tricked you into this.
We will understand below how this happens along with many other ways under which this charge description would show up on your credit card. I have mentioned various possible scenarios below, under which you could be charged by Amazon. Understand and make sure if you have subscribed or not and know ways to cancel it to further stop seeing Amazon Prime pmts.
What Does Amazon Prime Pmts Mean?
Amazon Prime PMTS appearing on your credit card statement is definitely referring to a payment for an Amazon Prime membership or a related service.
Amazon Prime is a subscription service provided by Amazon that provides members a wide variety of benefits, like free two-day shipping on eligible items, access to streaming services like Prime Video and Prime Music, exclusive deals, and more.
The “PMTS” part of the charge description represents Payments which indicates that the transaction is a type of recurring payment for continuing your Prime membership.
The membership could be either a monthly or annual fee and this totally depends on the subscription plan you have selected. Moreover, it also represents a charge for any additional services associated with Amazon Prime, like subscriptions to individual Prime Video Channels or other related services.
What Does Amazon Prime Pmts Indicate On Credit Cards?
“Amazon Prime PMTS” indicates a charge that is associated with your Amazon Prime membership or a service related to it. This description reflects the charge for the payment for the subscription, which could be a monthly or annual fee, depending on your plan.
Sometimes, such descriptions from Amazon are also brought into use to represent charges for additional services with your Prime account, like Prime Video Channels or other Prime-related features. The “PMTS” abbreviation stands for “Payments,” representing that this is a recurring or one-time payment for your access to Amazon Prime’s benefits, like free shipping, streaming services, and exclusive deals.
If you see such a charge description appearing on your statement, you can understand it as the confirmation that Amazon has successfully billed your account for your Prime membership benefits and other related services.
How Does Amazon Prime Pmts Work?
Amazon Prime PMTS (Payments) functions as a recurring billing system for your Amazon Prime membership or related services. Below is how it operates;
- Subscription Sign-Up:
- When you sign up for Amazon Prime, you select a subscription plan, either monthly or annually. The payment method you feed in (credit card, debit card, or other) will be then linked to your Amazon account for automatic billing.
- Recurring Billing:
- Amazon charges your account/credit card with the method pre-selected for payments at the beginning of each billing cycle. If you have selected the monthly plan, you’ll be billed every month and in the case of an annual plan, you’ll be billed once a year.
- Charges on Statement:
- The charge will then appear on your credit card or bank statement as Amazon Prime PMTS, for indicating a payment for your Prime membership. This could also include charges for any other related services that you have opted for, like Prime Video Channels or other add-ons.
- Automatic Renewal:
- Your Amazon Prime membership as a type of agreement renews automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel it. Amazon makes sure to remind the subscriber before the renewal, especially for annual subscriptions, to confirm that you’re aware of the upcoming charge.
- Managing Payments:
- You can manage your subscription which includes updating payment methods, viewing billing history, or canceling the membership, through your Amazon account under the “Your Prime Membership” section.
Possibilities: Why is Amazon Prime Pmts Appearing On Credit Card
You can see Amazon Prime PMTS appearing on your credit card statement in several situations, each related to your Amazon Prime membership or services linked to it.
The below-mentioned scenarios are to provide you a comprehensive understanding of why you might have been charged and are seeing Amazon Prime PMTS on your statement, helping you identify them as legitimate charges and manage your subscriptions more effectively. Below is a broader explanation of the scenarios;
- Ongoing Membership Payments:
- If you have an active Amazon Prime membership, you will be billed regularly either monthly or annually and this depends on your subscription plan. This charge makes sure that you continue receiving Prime benefits, like free shipping, access to Prime Video, and more.
- Add-Ons and Extra Services:
- Amazon Prime also offers additional services, like Prime Video Channels (subscriptions to specific channels within Prime Video), Prime Music Unlimited, or Kindle Unlimited. If you have subscribed to any of these add-ons, they might have been bundled with the Amazon Prime PMTS charge on your statement.
- Gifting or Sharing Prime:
- If you have purchased an Amazon Prime membership for gifting someone else or are part of an Amazon Household in which you share Prime benefits with family members, then as a primary account holder you will see the charge on your statement.
- Accidental Sign-Up or Unintentional Renewal:
- It’s quite common and has been mostly reported to accidentally sign up for Prime, especially during the checkout process on Amazon. In case this has happened, or if you have forgotten to cancel a free trial, the charge will appear on your statement when the subscription starts or renews.
- Updating Payment Methods:
- If your payment method has expired or was declined and you have updated it, Amazon might charge you immediately and will try covering any pending or missed payments, resulting in the “Amazon Prime PMTS” charge.
How Could Amazon Prime Pmts Appear On Credit Cards?
Amazon or its payment platform decides on charge descriptions by making use of a standardized format that includes brief codes and terms to clearly identify the nature/type of transaction, like a subscription or a one-time payment.
These descriptions often contain abbreviations for the transaction type (like “PMTS” for payments), merchant details (such as “SEA” for Seattle), and many times some extra/additional codes for indicating the nature of the charge.
The aim is to provide clear and enough information to their customers to recognize the charge while keeping the description concise and in compliance with the laws and regulations.
Below are some of the charge descriptions for Amazon Prime Pmts charges;
- AMZNPRM-PMT 5643****2109 SEA-US BMC/CPE
- PRIME-PMTS 7482****1357 SEA-V-INTL/BILL
- AMZNP-VIDSVC 0193****4827 SEA-TXN/PMTS
- PRME-PMT/SUB 8594****6721 SEA-TRX/SRVC
- AMZN-PRMTRNL 3765****9084 SEA-WA AUTH
- AMZN-PRIME 2345****6789 SEA-PMT/CARD
- AMZPMTS-0056 4321****9876 SEA-MBR/REQ
- PRIME-SUB 9876****5432 SEA-PYMT/NEW
- AMZN-VID-PMT 4567****8901 SEA-INTL/SRVC
- AMZ-PRM-TRX 5678****1234 SEA-PMT-AUTH
- PRIME-PAY 6789****2345 SEA-TRXN/CHK
- AMZN-SVC-PMT 7890****3456 SEA-PYMNT/GEN
- AMZ-PRIME-BILL 8901****4567 SEA-REC/PMT
- PRIME-PMTX 9012****5678 SEA-SUB/CHARGE
- AMZ-PRIME-04 0123****6789 SEA-PTMT/DTA
- AMZN-PMTS 3456****7890 SEA-BILL/PMT
- PRIME-BILL 4567****8901 SEA-TRX/PMTS
- AMZN-SUB-PMT 5678****9012 SEA-PYMT-AUTH
- AMZ-VID-PAY 6789****0123 SEA-CHARGE/GEN
- PRIME-MBR-PMT 7890****1234 SEA-SUB/PROC
- AMZN-PRME 8901****2345 SEA-BILL/REQ
- AMZ-PMT-05 9012****3456 SEA-TRX/SVC
- PRIME-PAYMT 0123****4567 SEA-PYMT/INTL
- AMZN-PMNT 1234****5678 SEA-TRXN/PROC
- AMZ-PRIME-09 2345****6789 SEA-INTL/BILL
- PRIME-PMT-SVC 3456****7890 SEA-REQ/PMT
- AMZN-SUB-TRX 4567****8901 SEA-CHRG/GEN
- AMZ-VIDS-PLN 5678****9012 SEA-TRXN/PMT
- PRIME-CHARGE 6789****0123 SEA-SUB/AUTH
- AMZN-TRX-PMT 7890****1234 SEA-PYMT/REQ
Some Common Charge Descriptions And Their Type As Listed By Amazon?
Amazon provides various services and products and to maintain clarity and transparency they make use of a similar and standardized format for charge descriptions to make sure that they convey the correct information. Below is a comprehensive table that contains some common product/service charge descriptions from Amazon;
| Descriptor | Type of Charge |
| AMZ*Prime Shipping Club amzn.com/billAMAZON PRIME*A1B2C3D4Eamzn.com/bill | Charges related to Amazon Prime |
| Amazon.com*PMT SVC 866-749-7545AMZ*(Company Name – e.g., Build, Age of Learning, ABC Mouse, etc.)amzn pmts (checkout)amzn.com/pmts, Kickstarter | Charges related to an Amazon Pay order |
| Amazon.comAMZN.COM/BILLAmazon BookstorePOS AmazonAmazon MerchandiseAMAZON MKTPLACE PMTSAMZN Mktp US *A1B2C3D4E | Charges related to an Amazon.com purchase |
| Amazon Digital Svcs amzn.com/billVideo on Demand | Charges related to an Amazon Digital Service:MP3sKindle booksApp downloadsVideo downloadsSoftware or game downloadsKindle Special Offers Opt-out Fees |
| AmazonFreshamzn.com/fresh | Charges related to an Amazon Fresh order |
| Amazon Retail LLC | Charges related to an Amazon Books purchase |
How To Verify Amazon Prime Pmts Charge Description?
When you see Amazon Prime PMTS charges on your statement, and you are unsure below is what you can do next;
- Verify Your Subscription:
- Review your Amazon account and confirm whether you have an active Prime membership or any associated services. Search for details about your subscription, renewal dates, and payment history.
- Review Recent Transactions:
- Check your recent activities and purchases and ensure if you signed up for or used any Amazon Prime services, add-ons, or trials that are responsible for the charge.
- Check for Shared Accounts:
- In case you are part of an Amazon Household or shared account, verify with other members in case if the charge relates to someone else using the same Prime membership.
- Review Email Confirmations:
- Search the confirmation emails from Amazon notifying you regarding subscription renewals, trial conversions, or new services. These emails often provide information and details about the charge.
- Manage Your Subscription:
- Go to the “Your Prime Membership” section on Amazon’s website or app to manage your subscription, update payment methods, or cancel if needed.
- Contact Amazon Support:
- If you’re still unsure about the charge and strongly believe that it’s because of an error, contact Amazon Customer Service for further clarification and assistance.
- Monitor Your Statements:
- Closely watch and monitor your future statements and make sure that there are no unexpected or duplicate charges.
How To Stop Amazon Prime Pmts?
To stop Amazon Prime pmts, the only way out is to cancel your Amazon Prime membership, below are steps on how to do that;
To cancel your Amazon Prime membership, follow these steps;
- Sign In to Your Amazon Account:
- Go to the Amazon website and log in to your account.
- Access Your Prime Membership:
- Hover the cursor over “Accounts & Lists” at the top right corner of the page, then select “Your Prime Membership” from the dropdown menu.
- Go to Membership Management:
- On the Prime Membership page, look for the section titled “Manage Membership” and click on “End Membership.”
- Review Cancellation Information:
- This page will display Amazon prime’s information about the benefits you’ll lose upon cancellation and offer options to either continue or proceed with the cancellation.
- Confirm Cancellation:
- Follow the simple on-screen prompts to confirm your cancellation. You may also be asked to select a reason for cancellation or provide feedback.
- Check for Confirmation:
- After confirming, you should receive a confirmation email from Amazon which is an acknowledgement receipt for the cancellation request for your Prime membership.
- Verify Cancellation:
- Return to the “Your Prime Membership” page and make sure that the status shows as canceled and this will stop further charges.
How To Report Unauthorized Amazon Prime Charges?
Below is a simple and easy way to report unauthorized charges directly to Amazon, follow the simple steps;
Check Your Orders and Subscriptions:
- Log in to your Amazon account.
- Go to “Your Orders” and review recent orders to make sure there are no unexpected purchases.
- Check “Manage Your Subscriptions” to see if any subscriptions were started without your knowledge.
Review Payment Methods:
- Go to “Your Account” and then “Payment options” to review the recent transactions on your saved payment methods.
Contact Amazon Support:
- Go to the Amazon help page and select “Contact Us.”
- Choose the issue related to “Unauthorized Charges.”
- Follow the prompts to chat with or call an Amazon representative. Explain the issue and request a refund for the unauthorized charge.
Transaction Disputes For Amazon Charges
In case you have been charged wrongly or more than what you have been shown from Amazon, you can raise a dispute, follow the steps below;
With Merchant
Contact a merchant via email
- Sign in using your Amazon credentials.
- Click Check your Amazon Pay orders
- On the Amazon Pay Activity page, look for the corresponding order or transaction, and then click Details & Support.
- To send the merchant an email with your details of the problem that occurred, click their email address under Business details.
Make sure to include below details in our email for quick action:
- Order details, including the merchants and the Amazon Pay order reference and a list of the items you purchased.
- The cost of each item in the order
- Shipment details
- A detailed description of the problem with your order
- Your preferred resolution for the problem
Contact merchant through Amazon Pay
- Sign in using your Amazon credentials.
- Click Check your Amazon Pay orders.
- On the Amazon Pay Activity page, find the corresponding order or transaction, and then click Details & Support.
Choose one of the following problem types from the drop-down menu:- Where’s my stuff
- Item damaged or defective
- Item received too late
- Request return, refund, or cancellation
- Request Invoice
- Was overcharged for an item
- To contact Amazon Pay buyer support, choose one of the following problem types from the drop-down menu:
- Other Amazon Pay issue
- Had a problem with a payment method
- Report fraud or misuse
Dispute a transaction
With Amazon
If the issue can’t be resolved with the merchant, you can also dispute the transaction with Amazon Pay.
A transaction might be disputed for various reasons. Below are some examples:
- The amount you were charged is not match the amount displayed at checkout or in the confirmation email
- You didn’t receive an item
- The item you received was different than described.
If your request meets any of the above criteria, you might be able to submit a dispute for the transaction. Follow these steps;
- Sign in using your Amazon credentials.
- Click Check your Amazon Pay orders.
- On Your Amazon Pay Activity, find the appropriate order or transaction, and then click Details & Support.
- To file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, choose File an A-to-Z Guarantee claim from the drop-down menu.
You’ll be prompted to enter the following information information to dispute the transaction:
- Date of transaction
- Amount of transaction
- Order/Transaction ID
- Description of the problem
After you have completed the online dispute form, your dispute will be sent to the Amazon Pay investigations team for review and it can take up to 45 business days before they reach a conclusion. During this time, Amazon might contact you for some additional information about the situation.
Conclusion
The federal laws in the US have taken notice of this and have also warned Amazon to avoid adopting such unethical practices which include tricking the user with pre-selected options for selling their Prime memberships, but it doesn’t seem that has affected the e-commerce giant much.
In another case scenario, you might have subscribed to it for a quarter or a month and later have forgotten to cancel and it’s now renewing, this case is more specific if your Amazon Prime is bundled with your network service provider like cellular or wi-fi services.
Also Read – What is Cpe/Bmc Charge On Credit Card
