Let’s say you’re ordering something on Amazon, all is going well, but you don’t know when does Amazon charge you.
This can be important to know as nobody wants to be uncertain whenever placing an order online.
We’ve all used Amazon at least once in our life since it is a giant in the e-commerce market in not just the United States but all over the world.
Amazon is one of the best and largest Ecommerce platforms that sell almost everything you can imagine.
Getting back to the main question, Amazon does not charge you until your order enters the shipping state.
It also doesn’t matter which of the shipping options you choose; you are only charged once the order is processed.
Now you might have several other questions regarding different services of amazon such as amazon prime, buying from third-party sellers, or amazon pre-ordered items.
Amazon processes payments differently for different scenarios, so let’s take a detailed look at the payment schedule of Amazon. This guide will explain everything you need to know.
Amazon Does Not Charge You Right Away
We need to understand that Amazon does not charge you right away when you place an order.
This is not just with Amazon, but all credible e-commerce stores will not charge you right away.
A typical process of making an online purchase or buying something online will go like this; you select an item and enter your credit card information which will be used to charge you.
Though you will not be charged immediately, rather when your order is processed and the shipment process starts.
Amazon takes your credit card or debit card information when you place an order, but the amount is only deducted from your account once the order has been processed.
Please note that sometimes when you place an order on Amazon, your seller could be a third-party seller associated with Amazon. In such cases, Amazon is not directly responsible for charging your account, and rather it acts as a middle man.
Third-party sellers may charge you as soon as the order is placed, but you don’t have to worry too much about it as Amazon usually takes verified accounts as sellers.
There are some cases where the third-party sellers sell counterfeit items, but you can always request a refund, and Amazon will gladly help you and take action against such sellers if you can provide proof.
When Does Amazon Charge You For Pre Orders
Now that the main question of when does Amazon charge you is clear, let’s look into pre-order items that Amazon offers.
Amazon and its associated third-party sellers can offer pre-orders which gives you the option of ordering something that hasn’t arrived in the store yet.
Note that this doesn’t mean out-of-stock items, rather items that are new and will arrive in the store for the first time.
When you pre-order an item on Amazon, Amazon will ask for your payment details, such as your debit card or credit card, and will only charge you once the item is in stock and your order is due for shipment.
Regardless of the fulfillment method you chose, as long as the seller is Amazon, you’ll only be charged once the order is processed.
With pre-orders, Amazon offers a pre-order price guarantee. The pre-order price guarantee makes sure that you pay a justified amount. No matter if the product’s price goes up when it arrives in store, you still pay the amount you previously agreed for.
What Are Amazon Pre Orders?
Amazon is the largest e-commerce platform out there, and many people use it regularly for shopping all sorts of items.
Many people like looking at new arrivals or items that haven’t yet been released to stores online.
For this reason, Amazon has given its users the feature of pre-ordering items that have not yet been released to stores. This can include third-party sellers as well.
This means you’ll be able to look at items that have yet to arrive on Amazon and order them. What happens with new items is that they get sold out very quickly, especially if they’re something popular and everyone wants.
Therefore, using Amazon pre-order can save you the hassle of looking up your dream item every day or hour to check whether it has arrived.
You can order the pre-order items, and you can be guaranteed that you’ll receive them as soon as they are available in the store. Amazon will ask for your payment method as it normally does but rest easy as it will not charge you right away.
Note that Amazon will charge you only once the items have arrived in their fulfillment centers, and the shipping process starts when your order is processed.
When Does Amazon Charge You For Backorders?
We can’t call Amazon an e-commerce giant if it doesn’t provide the backordering facility.
Backorders mean that you can buy an item even if it is out of stock. As soon as the item is back in stock, Amazon will send you the item.
Backorders are usually available for Amazon device accessories as they run out very quickly.
Now you might wonder when Amazon charges you for the backorders right away or after they dispatch the items to you.
You can rest easy as Amazon will only charge you once the item is back in-store and only charge you once the item has been shipped to your location by their fulfillment centers.
Amazon might also charge you at the time of shipping in some cases.
Please keep in mind that while Amazon will not charge you right away, it will still ask for your payment details so it can charge your account whenever the item is in stock.
Your credit card details will be saved by Amazon and used only once your order is processed.
Also, keep in mind that this clarity cannot be guaranteed by third-party sellers on Amazon as they may charge you right away, so vigilance is always helpful.
Keep checking your email as Amazon will send you a mail once the item is back in-store and they are shipping it to you. This is usually when Amazon will charge your account.
Backordering is very useful as some buyers may change their minds about a certain product they ordered.
Buyers can always cancel their back-ordered item if it hasn’t shipped yet and does not have to deal with the hassle of canceling the order and getting their funds back.
What Are Amazon Backorders?
Amazon has a lot of options when placing items that can confuse a newbie buyer who doesn’t know the terms of online shopping. One such term is back-ordering.
Whenever an item runs out of stock on Amazon, you’ll either see the option that it is out of stock, or you’ll see an option by the name of backorder.
In back-ordering, whenever an item runs out of stock, Amazon will allow you to place your order, and as soon as the item is back in stock, your order will be shipped.
This is really useful because some stores on Amazon want a way to let their consumers know that even if the item is out of stock, they can still order it and get it as soon as their stock is filled again.
For backorders, Amazon charges you only when the item is in stock. It is shipped to your location. Keep in mind that third-party sellers may charge you as soon as the order is placed, regardless of whether it is in stock or not, but this isn’t the case with good third-party sellers.
When Does Amazon Charge You For Amazon Prime?
If you regularly use Amazon for shopping, then you will be glad to know that Amazon provides a better experience for its regular customers. Amazon Primes offers discounts on items and other benefits such as movies, songs, and games.
Since Amazon Prime is a monthly subscription, Amazon charges you a monthly subscription fee for this service. Your account will be charged at the time of purchase.
This means that your credit account is charged as soon as you buy Amazon Prime subscription, and you will be charged each month unless you cancel the service.
Amazon Prime includes a lot of benefits, and for example, you can get special discounts on items and fast deliveries. It also remits any additional costs that occur, such as delivery fees.
What Is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a monthly or yearly subscription plan that Amazon offers. Well, you might ask, why should you get Amazon Prime?
The reason is that Amazon Prime includes a lot of benefits that you wouldn’t get with a normal Amazon shopping account. These Benefits include:
- Special discounts on Amazon items.
- You can stream thousands of movies and series.
- You can get your favorite video game through Amazon Prime.
- You can listen to your favorite songs on Amazon without having to pay an individual price.
- You are eligible to receive fast delivery and no delivery charges on certain orders.
We can see that Amazon Prime has a lot to offer but always keep in mind whether you need it or not.
For example, if you don’t regularly buy on Amazon and have Netflix and Spotify, you don’t really need Amazon Prime.
However, if you regularly buy on Amazon, then you should choose Amazon prime as it can save you costs of deliveries in the long run. It also helps that you get unlimited entertainment, so it is a win-win situation.
You can get this service by buying it on Amazon using your preferred payment method.
How Does Amazon Charge You For Subscribe And Save?
Amazon has a really nice feature called Subscribe & Save that lets you subscribe to items that you regularly purchase.
Let’s say that you shop on Amazon for some items weekly or monthly, such as Amazon Fresh groceries; you should avail this option as it will automatically deliver the order on the date that you buy it yourself.
Amazon offers discounts on items bought through Subscribe And Save, which is another benefit of this option.
Amazon charges for Subscribe And Pay when the items are dispatched to your location and your order is processed. It doesn’t charge you beforehand.
Amazon also sends you a reminder email a few days early before your delivery date to ensure that you still want the item, and if you don’t want it, you can always cancel it or not respond to the mail to simply receive the item.
What Is Amazon Subscribe And Save?
Amazon Subscribe and Save is a plan to allow users of Amazon to automatically buy items after a certain period of time on discount. We all shop on Amazon for some specific items, weekly or monthly, and these items can include food, supplements, cleaners, or other household stuff.
In order to save us the hassle of ordering these items again and again, “Save And Subscribe” comes to the rescue as you select an item on the Amazon store; Amazon will automatically deliver it to you.
This feature of Amazon also gives you discounts on items, and you can avail up to 15% discount maximum on an item.
For example, a one-time order price is a bit higher than items bought through this subscription.
Amazon does not offer “subscribe and save” on all products rather only on some eligible products.
You’ll be shown the subscribe and save button if a product falls under its category, which can be used to avail this opportunity.
You can use any Amazon payment method to purchase this subscription.
Cancel Amazon Subscribe & Save
Canceling your “Subscribe and Save” subscription is very simple. Simply go to your Amazon account and look for the “manage subscriptions” option.
Under this option, you’ll find products for which you’ve opted to use “Subscribe And Save.” Click on the product and cancel your subscription.
Change Amazon Subscribe & Save Schedule
To change the schedule of your “Subscribe & Save,” simply follow the following steps:
- Go to your amazon account and proceed to the “manage subscriptions” section.
- Navigate to the delivery tab, where you will see auto-deliveries, and these will be underlined with the color blue.
- Find The frequency link and click on it. Now you’ll be able to change the frequency as well as schedule.
Amazon Third-Party Sellers May Charge You Earlier
We’ve discussed in detail when Amazon charges you, and we’ve stated that Amazon doesn’t charge you right away; instead, it waits for some time and then charges you only when the order is processed.
However, you should also note that Amazon is not the only seller on the Amazon platform. It also allows an individual seller to operate on their platform and sell stuff.
Amazon Business requires sellers to pay a selling fee which is used to enhance the quality of the marketplace. Amazon Business is a great initiative that allows small sellers to grow on the largest e-commerce platform.
There are three types of products on Amazon.
- Items sold by Amazon,
- Items sold by Third-Party sellers but delivered by Amazon.
- Items sold by Third-Party sellers and delivered by Third-party couriers.
We can’t guarantee when do the third-party sellers charge your account. In some cases, third-party sellers charge your account right away when you place an order.
Please note that most third-party sellers on Amazon are verified and credible, but some people sell counterfeit or low-quality items. This is one reason why they charge you right away.
Keep in mind that any Amazon payment is securely made, so your funds are always safe.
A professional seller will never sell any counterfeit items on Amazon’s platform.
How To Spot Third Party Sellers On Amazon
When buying on the Amazon marketplace, it is very easy to spot if the seller is a third-party. When browsing on a product page, look for the “sold by” options.
This can be found under the “add to cart” button. If it says anything other than Amazon, then the product is sold by a third-party seller.
Also, note that not all third-party sellers should be avoided. Most of them provide top-notch service and products, which is why Amazon allows them on their platform.
You can always refer to their ratings or even shoot them a mail to communicate with them to get an idea of their service.
Brand Name And Seller Name Are Different
Amazon offers thousands of products on its platform, and it is easy to confuse the brand name and the seller name. Keep in mind that these two are different and do not mean the same thing.
For example, let’s say you are browsing items by Apple as the brand. It doesn’t mean that the item you will order is sold by Apple. Always look for the “sold by” option to know who the seller is.
How Long Does Amazon Take To Charge A Payment?
When does amazon charge you depends on how long it takes for them to process the order.
Amazon usually adds a small delay of a few hours before processing your order.
During this period, Amazon will send you a confirmation email along with details of your purchase.
This is to ensure that if the customer changes their mind, they can always cancel it before any funds are transferred anywhere. Many e-commerce stores nowadays are adopting this strategy which is really great.
What used to happen in the past was that people would place orders and be immediately charged the amount.
Sometimes the sellers may not have the adequate amount of items that someone might have purchased, or the seller doesn’t deliver to a specific area.
In such scenarios, it becomes very time-consuming to refund the buyer, and it also becomes a problem for the buyer.
That is why amazon adds this small delay before processing your order, so you are 100% sure you want the item, and that Amazon can check whether they’ll be able to successfully deliver your order.
If all goes well, your credit account will be charged the amount of the item that you bought in a few hours. Only in rare scenarios does
Amazon charges you after a day, and this occurs because your order couldn’t be processed earlier.
How Can I Tell If Amazon Charged Me?
Let’s say you placed your order on Amazon and even received the confirmation mail from Amazon, how would you know if Amazon charged you?
This is pretty simple. After you receive the email from Amazon indicating that they have processed your order, you should check your balance.
At this stage, the amount from your account will usually have been deducted, but in rare scenarios, Amazon charges the amount when your order is in transit.
So keep a lookout on your order’s tracking, and when you see it with the delivery courier, check your balance, and it can be guaranteed that your account was charged the sales price.
Another way to know whether Amazon charged you is if you have enabled transaction alerts on your debit card. So whenever a purchase is made, you’ll receive a text message from your bank telling you that a certain amount was deducted.
Conclusion – When Does Amazon Charge You
We’ve discussed in detail when does amazon charge you, and we’ve found that Amazon only charges you once your order is under processing.
You are only charged once the order starts shipping, no matter which payment method you use, such as debit, credit, or a gift card.
Please be aware that Amazon has third-party sellers, and some of them charge you right after you place an order, regardless of whether your order was processed or not.
Amazon offers a number of services such as backorders and Amazon Prime. Backorder is a feature where you are able to buy an item that is out of stock but will soon be back in store.
This allows you to save yourself from the hassle of having to look up your favorite product to check if it is back in stock or not.
Your account is only charged once the item is back in stock and your order is processed.
With Amazon Prime, you are charged monthly or yearly, depending on which plan you choose. Amazon Prime offers a variety of discounts on items as well as free delivery.
It also includes movies, games, and songs, which you can enjoy anytime you want.
We also discussed that not all Amazon items are sold by Amazon itself. Rather there are third-party sellers.
Brand name and seller name are different and do not mean that if you are buying a branded item, you are buying it from the brand itself.
If you have any problems regarding early charges at the Amazon online marketplace, you can always contact their customer service.
We hope we were able to help you understand how and when does amazon charge you. Now that you have a clear understanding of it, we hope you enjoy your shopping spree on Amazon. We also have a detailed guide on payment revision needed.
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