Retailers and shoppers around the world are no strangers to Amazon, one of the biggest global tech and retail companies that continues to grow significantly every year.
If you enjoy shopping online, then chances are you’ve checked out Amazon at least once or twice. In case you were surprised by unexpected fees, you may be wondering what are unknown charges from Amazon for?
I took a look at the most common FAQs about unknown Amazon charges and here’s what I can confirm for you!
What Are Unknown Charges From Amazon In [currentyear]?
Unknown charges on Amazon could be from gift orders, purchases made by family and friends with access to your account, or recurring subscriptions like Amazon Prime. Sometimes your bank may place an authorization hold on changed or canceled orders, which will be removed in line with your bank policies. You can check for unknown charges under account payments and transactions.
If you want to learn more about unknown Amazon charges and what you can do about them, keep reading for the full scoop.
How To View Amazon Account Charges?
One thing to watch out for wherever you shop online is unexpected charges. Despite Amazon’s strict safety and security measures, sometimes you may still see unknown charges on your account, so it’s good to be aware and monitor your account regularly.
To view Amazon account charges, including Amazon digital service charges and gift orders, simply navigate to your account, then payments and the transactions tab on desktop or mobile.
When your transactions pop up, you should see the date, payment method, total, and order number for each.
It will also say Amazon.com, AMZN Mktp US, or another Amazon Marketplace site depending on how and where your order was fulfilled.
You can click on the order number to view the order details and confirm what the charges are from, whether it be a one-off order or a recurring subscription.
Reading through your transactions should help you better understand any unknown charges from Amazon appearing in your bank account, but if you still have questions, you can contact Amazon directly to further investigate.
What Are Unknown Amazon Charges For?
There are many possible reasons for unknown Amazon charges, especially with regular Amazon shoppers who may have one-click orders or recurring deliveries on and forget about them.
According to Amazon, one of the most common reasons for unknown charges is the renewal of a yearly subscription to Amazon Prime.
You may have missed emails reminding you of the upcoming renewal, so it’s best to check the Manage Your Prime Membership page on Amazon just to be safe.
Video streaming is another possible scenario for unknown charges on Amazon, as you or someone in your household may have taken advantage of Amazon’s digital streaming services without remembering the cost factor.
Speaking of household use, you may also see unknown charges from Amazon if someone with access to your debit/credit card information placed an Amazon order.
That’s why Amazon recommends you check with your family, friends, co-workers, or anyone else who knows your account details before jumping to conclusions about unknown charges.
These surprise charges could also arise from additional cards linked to your bank account, or item shipping for pre-orders, back-orders, or gift purchases.
Also, if you split an order into several shipments or have it sent to multiple addresses, it will appear as separate charges on your statement.
Amazon Pay could be responsible for unknown Amazon charges too. If you place an order on another website using Amazon Pay, it will appear with “P01” followed by a 14-digit number.
You can view Amazon Pay transactions in your overall account history and get in touch with Amazon if anything seems amiss.
What Is An Amazon Bank Hold?
Many Amazon shoppers also notice unexpected charges as the result of their bank’s authorization hold.
If you’re not familiar with an authorization hold, it’s often applied to changed or canceled orders. Once you place your order, Amazon contacts the bank to validate the payment method, and the bank retains the funds until the transaction clears or the authorization period expires.
Keep in mind a bank hold isn’t a charge, just a hold on your account, and it should disappear from your online banking record within a few days.
However, if you cancel or change an Amazon order, it’s possible a hold will appear on your account in line with your bank policies.
This isn’t anything to stress about as your bank will clear up the hold, and you can always contact the financial institution to see how long authorizations last for online orders.
If you think you’ve had a bank hold on an Amazon purchase for too long or you wonder if it’s from something else, you may want to get in touch with Amazon customer service.
What Are Amazon Digital Service Charges?
Amazon digital service charges are another possible reason for unknown charges on your account, typically listed as “AMZN Digital Charge” on your transactions.
All of Amazon’s digital services will appear as this charge, whether it’s direct services like Amazon Kindle or associated apps such as Hulu and Starz.
For example, Amazon Kindle Unlimited costs $9.99 a month, which will be listed as AMZN Digital Charge within your account payments.
If someone used your account to buy a book, movie, or mobile game from Amazon, it’s likely you’ll see digital service charges, too.
That’s why it’s important to set up double authorization for Amazon payment methods, which prevents accidental or unnecessary purchases commonly made by young kids.
Don’t forget to check the auto-renewal options on Amazon digital services, as well as any digital business solutions you may have signed up for through Amazon.
Knowing how to report unauthorized activity is important for all online activity, but especially shopping on Amazon as the site is so vast and widely known, including to potential fraudsters.
Remember that Amazon needs permission to charge your card, so most of the time, unknown charges are the result of subscriptions or purchases you simply forgot about.
In case something seems fraudulent, you will want to let Amazon and your bank know right away.
If it seems like someone has accessed your account without permission or hacked your credit card details, start by changing your Amazon password right away.
Next, check your account details to figure out what cards have been compromised and what orders aren’t yours.
Provide this information to Amazon customer service via email, and also tell your bank so the card can be blocked and you can protect your finances.
Between Amazon and your bank, you should hopefully be able to reach a resolution on the disputed charges that weren’t made by you.
To know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Amazon accepts Sezzle, Amazon tax refund, and if Amazon accepts PayPal.
Conclusion
Realistically, most people will order something off Amazon at one point or another, as the e-commerce giant remains the most popular place to shop online.
The good news about shopping online through Amazon is that the company prides itself on being a highly secure platform for online shopping and digital services. After all, Amazon is the most convenient way to order must-have items for your home or work in many cases.
This means you can count on Amazon’s stringent safety and security measures to protect your online payments and activity, however, it’s still important to monitor your account for any unexpected charges.
In the event you find an unknown charge on your Amazon account, consider the possible reasons for it, such as automatic Prime renewal or an order by someone who has your card details, such as a partner or child.
If you’ve gone through Amazon’s list of unknown charges and what they may be from, and you feel like it’s a case of fraudulent activity, then you can contact Amazon customer service through your account.
