Amazon Courtesy Credit (What Does It Mean + Other FAQs)

At Amazon, Prime members who are experiencing difficulties with their orders or have filed a complaint and want may be offered a courtesy credit.

This guide covers how Amazon courtesy credits work, how to redeem them, and other helpful information shoppers need, so keep reading to see what I learned!

What Is Amazon Courtesy Credit In 2024?

A courtesy credit from Amazon is a particular type of credit given by the company to shoppers after experiencing hardships or filing complaints. These credits differ from gift card balances or promo code discounts, and have unique requirements, unlike refunds, as they can only be used for digital items or Amazon products. Typical digital credits are $1.50 in 2024.

To learn more about Amazon courtesy credits, who is eligible to receive them, how they can be used, and more, keep reading for more interesting facts!

Who Can Claim a Courtesy Credit From Amazon?

Amazon offers courtesy credits to Prime members who are experiencing difficulties with their orders, or file complaints due to situations like shipment delays.

In order to be eligible to claim this credit, the customer must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a Prime member
  • The item must be eligible for a return
  • There must be some issue that prevents the customer from returning the item

How Can Customers Get a Courtesy Credit From Amazon?

Several options are available for Amazon Prime members to receive a courtesy credit, including choosing a slower shipping method and filing a dispute with the company.

1. Choosing a Slower Shipping Method

Even though Amazon Prime members are eligible to receive expedited 1-2 day shipping, they often receive a courtesy credit by forgoing this option.

Sometimes, shoppers have the opportunity to choose “Free No Rush” shipping during check out.

When selecting this option, Amazon will give the Prime member a $1.50 digital credit that can be applied for music downloads, games, videos, apps, or e-Books.

In fact, these credits accumulate, so you can often get eBooks free of charge!

However, these credits have an expiration date, so refer to the confirmation email to see how long the credit will last.

2. File a Dispute with Amazon

Another way Amazon Prime members can be issued courtesy credits is to file a dispute with the company.

For example, say you ordered gloves from Amazon. Due to weather issues, the package was delayed, so Amazon issued you a courtesy credit.

Even though you eventually received the box, you were given credit in good faith, since you have been a Prime member for years, and the error was not your fault.

When filing a dispute, allow 48 hours after the intended delivery date before contacting Amazon.

Is There a Limit to How Often Customers Can Request a Courtesy Credit?

Is There a Limit to How Often Customers Can Request a Courtesy Credit?

Although there is no limit to the number of courtesy credits that can be requested, be aware that approval is at the discretion of Amazon.

Therefore, not all requests will be approved.

Does an Amazon Customer Receive a Courtesy Credit Once an Order Is Canceled?

A customer will not receive a courtesy credit once their order is canceled. Amazon will provide a refund for eligible items when an order is returned.

Do Amazon Courtesy Credits Expire?

When shoppers receive Amazon courtesy credits, they will be sent an email detailing when the credit expires.

How Can Amazon Courtesy Credits Be Used?

Unlike gift cards, courtesy credits cannot be applied towards purchases of just any item on Amazon.

In most cases, courtesy credits are limited to items either shipped or sold by Amazon and digital items.

Therefore before courtesy credits can be redeemed, the shopper must first read the confirmation email to determine the type of products it can be used to purchase.

1. Digital Credits

For items that have digital credits, shoppers can use them towards purchases of the following Amazon items/ services:

  • Apps
  • Kindle e-Books and magazines
  • Prime tv shows and movie purchases or rentals
  • Prime music downloads

2. Sold or Shipped by Amazon

If the credit says that it can be applied to items shipped or sold by Amazon, this requires a bit more work.

In this case, the easiest way to locate items is to enter “ Sold by Amazon” in the search bar on the website.

When this is done, all items that pull up in the search will be items sold directly from Amazon.

However, if you have a specific item in mind, you can verify that it’s sold or shipped by Amazon on the product description page.

All eligible items will have “Ships from Amazon.com” or “Sold by Amazon.com” under the image.

When an eligible digital or Amazon item is ordered, any available credits automatically apply to the purchase.

However, if the shopper would instead use the credits for another purchase, they can simply deselect the credit amount, which will remain on their account for future use.

How Can Shoppers Check the Balance of Their Amazon Courtesy Credits?

Checking digital credits balances on Amazon can be difficult.

Although Amazon has a handy dashboard that breaks down digital awards by the date they expire, it is nearly impossible to find.

For your convenience, follow this link and bookmark it, so you will always know what your digital courtesy credit balance is.

To know more, you can also read our posts on where you can use your Amazon gift card, if Amazon accepts Sezzle, and if Amazon accepts PayPal.

Conclusion

When shopping for a product on Amazon, shoppers can receive a courtesy credit if they face certain hardships or file a complaint. 

Customers who meet the eligibility criteria for the courtesy credit will be eligible to receive a one-time credit for digital items or products shipped or sold by Amazon.

Photo of author

Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

Leave a Comment