What is Amazon Prime Charge On Credit Card

Amazon is one of the world’s most recognised ecommerce and with its Prime program, the customers have been provided with various exclusive benefits and offers which are unmatchable. But can Amazon force its Prime program on users and this could be the reason behind the Amazon Prime charge on your credit card, the answer is yes. 

This happened with me last year, when I selected a few items and proceeded to buy, while placing the order I observed the total is quite higher than what I had thought of. I tapped back to check if any of the items had changed the price, but nothing was like that. It was only after I slightly scrolled down the screen and saw that the monthly subscriptions of Amazon Prime were already checked and this was the cause for the raised amount.

FTC has also filed a lawsuit against Amazon for tricking their customers this way. I have in this post mentioned all the possible reasons for these charges to appear on your credit card, check and verify.

What Does Amazon Prime Charge Mean?

An Amazon Prime charge on your credit card shall signify a payment for your Amazon Prime membership. This subscription service provides various benefits like expedited shipping, access to Prime Video and Music, and many exclusive deals.

If you have been a long-time member, you’ll most likely encounter such renewal charges. Also, if you’ve opted for a monthly plan, then also recurring charges will appear on your statement. You must also know that Amazon might also charge your card for one-time purchases or transactions that you made via Amazon Pay. 

What Does Amazon Prime Charge Indicate? 

An Amazon Prime charge on your credit card implies a payment for your Amazon Prime membership. This subscription service provides a multitude of benefits, including but not limited to:

• Free and fast shipping: Enjoy expedited delivery on eligible items.
• Access to Prime Video: Stream thousands of movies and TV shows.
• Prime Music: Listen to a vast library of ad-free music.
• Exclusive deals and discounts: Benefit from special offers and early access to products.

However, you should also understand that not all charges on your card related to Amazon are for your Prime membership always. Other potential charges include;

• One-time purchases: Any products or services you purchase from Amazon.
• Amazon Pay transactions: Purchases made on other websites using your Amazon account as a payment method.

However, there have been numerous cases reported of customers being subscribed to Prime membership without their knowledge. To address these complaints FTC filed a lawsuit against Amazon, which says that the company has violated the law by enrolling people in its Amazon Prime subscription service without their permission, continuing to charge them, and making it hard to cancel.

The FTC says the company has made use of a series of hurdles which are usually known as “dark patterns”, which makes it hard for their customers to understand that they have been enrolled in Prime subscription.

These dark patterns also created trouble for people to cancel their Prime subscriptions by making searches about the right place to cancel online, and then clicking through complicated extra pages to cancel.

Many of the customers have called Amazon’s customer service, but they were only referred back to the website to cancel which brings them back to zero and makes the process even more frustrating.

Possibilities: Why is Amazon Prime Charge On My Credit Card

Amazon have listed some of the possibilities that could incur Amazon Prime charge on your credit card;

From your Desktop, visit your Amazon account and click on “Your Account” in the Accounts and Lists dropdown. Select “Your Payments” and then click the “Transaction” tab.

From your mobile device, visit your Amazon account and click on “Your Account”, scroll down to “Your Payments” and select the top tab “Transactions”.

Below are common scenarios for unknown charges:

• An Amazon Prime yearly subscription was renewed.
• Your bank has placed an authorization hold for some recently canceled or changed orders. When you place an order, Amazon confirms the validity of the payment method with the issuing bank. Your bank reserves the funds until the transaction processes or the authorization expires, but this isn’t an actual charge. If you later cancel your order, the authorization is removed from your account as per the policies of your bank. 
• An order was placed by a family member, friend, or co-worker who has access to your card number.
• Additional cards are linked with the credit or debit account.
• A back-ordered or pre-ordered item shipped.
• A gift order shipped.
• An order placed outside Amazon.com using Amazon Pay. Amazon Pay orders begin with ‘P01’ and are followed by 14 digits. Check your Amazon Pay Account for your order history. For detailed information on the Amazon Pay transactions, see the Amazon Pay Help pages.
• A large order has been split into multiple shipments or sent to multiple shipping addresses. This will then appear on your statement as separate charges.

Some scenarios for incurring charges directly;

1. Subscription Fee

• Monthly Subscription: If you have subscribed for a monthly Amazon Prime Video, the charge will then appear each month and might be listed as “AMZN*PRIME VIDEO” or similar.
• Annual Subscription: If you opted for an annual subscription, the charge will then appear once a year and might show up as “AMZN*PRIME VIDEO YEARLY.”

2. Amazon Prime Membership

• Amazon Prime Membership: If you’re also a member of Amazon Prime including Prime Video, your credit card in this scenario will then be charged for the annual or monthly Prime membership and could be listed as “AMZN*PRIME” or “AMZN PRIME.”

3. Rental or Purchase of Content

• Rentals: If you have rented a movie or TV show on Prime Video, the charge will then appear as a one-time fee and might be listed as “AMZN*RENTAL” or similar.
• Purchases: If you have bought digital content (movies, TV shows) on Prime Video, this will result in a charge for the purchase and could appear as “AMZN*PURCHASE.”

4. Add-Ons or Premium Channels

• Premium Channels: If you have subscribed to some of the additional premium channels in Prime Video, such as HBO or Showtime, the charges will then appear separately.
• Add-Ons: Any additional services or add-ons purchased in Prime Video, like movie bundles or special features, will show up as separate charges.

5. Free Trial Conversion

• Trial Period: If you have signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime Video and it has converted into a paid subscription, the charge will then appear after the trial period ends.

6. Family or Shared Accounts

• Shared Subscriptions: If you have shared an Amazon Prime Video account with family or friends, and if they make purchases or rentals, the charges will then appear on your credit card if you are the account holder.

7. Error or Fraudulent Charges

• Mistaken Charges: Rare but possible that charges may appear due to billing errors or mistakes. 
• Fraudulent Charges: There are high chances of this one, specifically if you can’t relate to the charge and there is no information followed. Your credit card might be compromised or amazon Prime account might also be accessed unauthorizedly for making purchases within the platform.

How Do Amazon Prime Charges Appear On Credit Cards?

Apart from the description you are seeing, there could be many other patterns, which depend upon the location mode of transaction and the type of purchase;

1. AMZN*PRIME VIDEO MONTHLY 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
2. AMZN*PRIME YEARLY 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
3. AMZN*RENT MOVIE TITLE 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
4. AMZN*BUY MOVIE TITLE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
5. AMZN*PREMIUM HBO 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
6. AMZN*ADD-ON MOVIE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
7. AMZN*VIDEO TRIAL CONVERT 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
8. AMZN*FAMILY PRIME 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
9. AMZN*BUY TV SERIES 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
10. AMZN*PREMIUM ADD-ON 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
11. AMZN*ONE-TIME RENTAL 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
12. AMZN*MOVIE BUNDLE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
13. AMZN*RENEW SUBSCRIPTION 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
14. AMZN*ADD CONTENT 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
15. AMZN*SEASON PASS 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
16. AMZN*SHOW PURCHASE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
17. AMZN*EXTENDED TRIAL 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
18. AMZN*BUNDLE PURCHASE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
19. AMZN*GIFT SUBSCRIPTION 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
20. AMZN*IN-APP PURCHASE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
21. AMZN*UPGRADE SUBSCRIPTION 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
22. AMZN*ADD-ON SUB 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
23. AMZN*FEATURE UNLOCK 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
24. AMZN*RENTAL HD MOVIE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
25. AMZN*RENT TV SERIES 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
26. AMZN*CONTENT RENTAL 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
27. AMZN*DIGITAL DOWNLOAD 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
28. AMZN*STREAMING FEE 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA
29. AMZN*SPECIAL FEATURE 1234****5678 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
30. AMZN*PREMIUM CONTENT 1234****5678 SEATTLE, WA

How To Avoid Unwanted Services?

It’s not until, I scrolled down the screen I understood that why I was being charged more than expected, there are many tricks that even reputed companies like Amazon adopt to make you buy their services, understand below some signs of this;

• Watch what goes into your shopping cart. Even if your cart is empty and leave the site without purchasing anything, you still could have been enrolled in a subscription service.
• Watch for pre-checked boxes. They may sign you up for a product or service.
• Carefully review your order before completing a transaction. If the order value is increased than what is expected, this simply implies that something has been added that you don’t know, check the items and make sure to remove any you don’t need.
• Always check for any pre-selected items or services, before you tap on proceed to pay. Many such services are pre selected and are not usually displayed right in front of you, so that you don’t pay attention and pay directly.
• Always look for auto-renewals and what amount you are being charged and spot any difference.

How To Report Unauthorized Amazon Prime Charges?

Below is simple and easy way to report unauthorized charges directly to the 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

1. Sign in using your Amazon credentials.
2. Click Check your Amazon Pay orders
3. On the Amazon Pay Activity page, look for the corresponding order or transaction, and then click Details & Support.
4. 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 merchant’s 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

1. Sign in using your Amazon credentials.
2. Click Check your Amazon Pay orders.
3. 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:
   1. Where’s my stuff
   2. Item damaged or defective
   3. Item received too late
   4. Request return, refund, or cancellation
   5. Request Invoice
   6. Was overcharged for item
4. To contact Amazon Pay buyer support, choose one of the following problem types from the drop-down menu:
   1. Other Amazon Pay issue
   2. Had a problem with a payment method
   3. 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 matching 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;

1. Sign in using your Amazon credentials.
2. Click Check your Amazon Pay orders.
3. On Your Amazon Pay Activity, find the appropriate order or transaction, and then click Details & Support.
4. 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.

Amazon Payments Unauthorized Transaction Policy

As per the Amazon “This policy only applies to unauthorized or erroneous transactions or activities involving your Amazon Payments Account (“Payments Account”) and any balances you hold or bank accounts registered with us. This policy does not apply to transactions involving credit cards. Please refer to Questions about your transaction? for inquiries regarding a credit card transaction or any dispute that you may have with a seller that has used our payments service”.

Customer’s Liability for Unauthorized Transactions

Understand below before you raise a dispute for unauthorized transactions you believe are from Amazon;

• Amazon says that “In no event should you disclose to anyone your password, security questions, or any other credentials used to access your Payments Account (“Credentials”). You should contact us AT ONCE if you believe your Credentials have been lost, stolen or otherwise compromised by anyone, or if you believe that a transaction has been or may be made using your Payments Account without your permission involving your balance or registered bank account (an “Unauthorized Transaction”).
• Amazon says that “Under federal law, your liability for Unauthorized Transactions is determined by how quickly you report it to us. If you tell us within two (2) Business Days (as defined below) after you learn of the compromise of your Credentials, you can lose no more than $50 if someone used your Credentials without your permission. If you do NOT tell us within two (2) Business Days after you learn of the compromise of your Credentials, and we can prove we could have stopped someone from using your Credentials without your permission if you had told us, you could lose as much as $500”.
• Amazon says that ‘In addition, you must inform us of any Unauthorized Transaction that appears in the transaction history in your Payments Account within 60 calendar days from the date we either (1) sent a notice to you that your account statement is available or (2) you otherwise learned of the Unauthorized Transaction by accessing your account history on our site or from your bank. If you do not inform us within 60 calendar days, you may not get back any money that you lost after the 60-day period and prior to your notice to us if we can prove that we could have stopped someone from taking the money if you had told us within such time period. If a good reason (such as a long trip or hospital stay) prevented you from telling us, we will extend the time periods accordingly”.

In Case of Errors or Unauthorized Transactions

If you have hard reasons to believe that your transaction history in your Payments Account, any confirmation for a transaction, and/or any transaction initiated through the Service is in error or is unauthorized, and you seek more information, you must contact Amazon as soon as possible by calling (866) 216-1075 or writing them at

Transaction Disputes
Amazon Payments, Inc.
P.O. Box 81226
Seattle, WA 98108-1226

While reporting an error or Unauthorized Transaction, make sure you include the following information:

• Your name, phone number, and the e-mail address associated with your Payments Account;
• A description of the error or transaction in question, and a clear explanation of why you believe it is an error or why you need more information.
• The dollar amount of the suspected error.
• The transaction date and associated transaction i.d from your Payments Account history, bank account statement, or e-mail confirmation.
• Your telephone number, preferably the one linked with the Amazon account.
• The name and telephone number of your bank if the error is relating to a transfer to or from your bank account using your Payments Account.

Key Points of Unauthorized Transactions in Amazon account;

• Amazon attempts to determine whether an error occurred within ten Business Days 
• If they need more time, however, they may take up to forty-five days (or ninety (90) days for transactions outside of the United States) to investigate your complaint or question. 
• If the above is scenario, and your inquiry or complaint involve any amounts in question relating to the balance in your Payments Account, Amazon may provisionally credit your Payments Account for the amount you believe is in error, so that you will have the use of the money during the time it takes us to complete our investigation. 
• If Amazon asks you to put your complaint or question in writing and if there is no reply within ten (10) Business Days, Amazon may not then grant provisional credit of the disputed amount. 
• You will be informed of the results of their investigation within three Business Days after its completion.
• On determination of no error, Amazon will send you a written explanation, and you shall in this scenario authorize Amazon to debit your Payments Account for the amount of the provisional credit. 

Liability for Errors In Transactions

Amazon shall correct any processing errors that have occurred with your Payment Account. In case they do not complete a Transaction to or from your Payments Account on time or in the correct amount, Amazon will be liable for certain losses or damages caused by their failure as the law may impose in such cases. Understand below some of the key factors;

• If you do not have enough money in your Payments Account or the bank account that you have linked under your Payments Account to make the transfer.
• Funds in your Payments Account or bank account are subject to legal processes or other obligations that restrict transfer.
• If the transfer has exceeded an allowed credit or withdrawal limit.
• During any downtime like terminal or system, including website or services, or other announced technical malfunction you initiated the payment;
• Natural calamities such as floods, fires, power outages, and mechanical or system failures, prevent the transfer or cause the loss or delay of your payment instructions in transmission over the Internet or mobile communications system.
• Other exceptions are allowed by law or provided in Amazon’s agreement with you.

Conclusion

Amazon is reputed and it’s for a reason, they take every measure possible to address every issue raised by their customers. They value privacy and the concerns that many customers might have with them and to address this they have designed specific policies that are quite comprehensive involve less amount of time to process and are hassle-free.

The trick to enroll customers in their Prime program was taken notice of by the FTC and the U.S. government has downloaded various instructions to the company to make the amendments.

Frequently Asked Questions

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