When Does Amazon Charge You: What You Need to Know

by Laura C. Jones
13.9K views

Amazon is one of the most popular eCommerce stores that operate in different parts of the globe, allowing you to shop from anywhere. This store offers several options for purchasing items, such as Subscribe and Save, Backorders, Amazon Prime Membership fees, and Pre-orders. But the most important question is: When does Amazon charge you? This article discusses everything you need to know about Amazon charges.

When Does Amazon Charge You?

With such a wide range of purchasing options to choose from, it is important to know when and how you get charged on Amazon. Once you know how and when you will be charged for each purchase, you can plan things out and avoid last-minute surprises.

When Does Amazon Charge You for Pre-Orders?

The pre-order option allows you to place an order an item in advance. So, the item is delivered to you the moment it is available in stock. This option also allows you to order items that are not out yet. When you preorder an item on Amazon, you will only be charged when the item is released from the store or delivered to your location.

Sometimes Amazon will charge you a few days before shipping the item. However, it is important to mention that you will be required to key in the details of your card when you are placing your pre-order. Then the card will stay on file without being charged until the item is released or shipped to your location.

How Does Amazon Pre-Order Work?

The main difference between the Amazon pre-order option and other purchasing options is that you don’t get the item right away because it’s not in stock yet. You will receive updates from Amazon, informing you when the item you’ve pre-order will be delivered. The good thing about this option is that you can manage or cancel the order if the release date changes.

Another benefit of purchasing items on pre-order is that you enjoy the lowest prices because Amazon guarantees you the lowest price as long as your item is marked with a Pre-Order Price Guarantee. This means that you will still get your item at a lower price, even if the price goes up once the product is released.

When Does Amazon Charge for Backordered Items?

Amazon will charge you for back-ordered items once the items have been delivered to your location. Still, you will be required to provide Amazon with the details of your card when placing a backorder but you won’t be charged until the item has been delivered.

How Does Amazon Backorder Work?

The Amazon back-ordering option allows you to place an order on an item that is temporarily out of stock. Sometimes sellers on Amazon have products that are temporarily out of stock. Amazon allows them to list the products provided they will be back in stock within 30 days.

When a product is on backorder, it will show when you attempt to order it. You will also be told when the item will be back in stock. But if the seller hasn’t indicated when the item will be restocked, you won’t be able to place a backorder.

Amazon will keep you informed of your order, including any changes in the date for restocking the item and when it will be delivered. Once you have confirmed the receipt of the item, your card will be charged.

When Does Amazon Charge You for Prime Membership?

Generally, Amazon has two billing options: annually and monthly. If you are on Amazon Prime Membership, you are required to pay $12.99 per month (including taxes) or $119 per year (inclusive of taxes). Paying the annual fee will help you to save money all through the year, but even the monthly option works just fine.

Students can enjoy a 6-month free trial of Amazon Prime; after which they will be required to pay $6.49 per month or $59 per year. But you have to indicate when you intend to graduate. After graduation, your Prime membership will change to regular. The good thing is that you have the liberty to pause or end your Prime membership whenever you want.

When you pause your membership, you will temporarily lose the benefits that come with the membership, but you won’t get billed. And if you end your membership before you enjoy any of the benefits offered, you have an opportunity to request a refund.

One of the benefits of pausing your Prime membership is that you will still have access to Amazon Photo, which offers you unrestricted storage for your images.

This means that when you pause your membership for some time, you will still find your photos where you left them.

When Does Amazon Charge You for Subscribe and Save?

The Subscribe and Save option helps you to save money when you order items on Amazon, especially if you are a regular purchaser. So, if you are going to be ordering important items from the store regularly, like cleaning products, pet food, or food supplements, you should use this option.

Amazon offers two different prices for these items: One-time order price and Subscribe and Save price. In most cases, the Subscribe and Save price is lower than the One-time Order price. Overall, adding products to your Subscribe and Save list will help you save money. For instance, if you have enough products in your subscription, you can save up to 15% on each item.

Before each delivery, the store will send you an email reminding you of the items that are about to be delivered to you, their prices, and any applicable discounts. Amazon will give you some time to check the prices and make any changes to your order if necessary before the items are delivered.

You also have the liberty to cancel your subscription whenever you want or delay the delivery to the next cycle if you don’t need the items at the moment. Amazon will charge you for Subscribe and Save order once the items have been delivered.

Does Amazon Charge You Right Away?

If you place an order for items sold by Amazon with your credit card, you won’t be charged right away. The store will wait until your order enters the shipping process to charge your card. But if you are purchasing from a third-party seller, the seller might charge your card right away.

There are two reasons why Amazon doesn’t charge your card immediately after placing an order. First, your order may have been placed accidentally. Therefore, Amazon will put the items on hold for about an hour to allow you to cancel the order if it was accidental.

The second reason is that you could be having several orders that are pending in the queue. If this is the case, the system will charge your card for only the items that have been shipped.

How Do I Know If Amazon Charged Me Yet?

Amazon allows you to view all your transactions so that you can know when and how much you have been charged. It also allows you to filter your transactions by the type of activity (means of payment), sent or received, and credit or debit transactions. However, it is important to understand that Amazon doesn’t show you if the payment has gone through successfully.

Instead, it shows you the item’s unique tracking ID number under Order History. This ID number enables you to know where your consignment is and if it has already been shipped. But when you can know if your order has gone through by checking the status of the order in your account.

Just log in to your account (Amazon Pay) and check your account’s activity. This includes checking your recent transactions at the top of the page. Here, you will find the transaction date, vendor, status of the order, and amount.

You can also know if the order was successful by clicking on the links labeled “Successful”, “Declined”, or “Refunded”. Filter your transactions by dates to get a more accurate answer. Also, click on “Details” to see your transaction ID number and mode of payment.

Sometimes you will find different statuses for a single order on your Account Activity and View Order Details pages. For instance, you might find the status on your Account Activity reading Open while the status on the View Order Details page reads Completed. This means that the payment is completed, but the order remains open until no more charges are possible.

And if statuses on the two pages read Closed and Completed respectively, it means that your order is closed and all payments are complete.

How Long Does It Take to Process a Payment on Amazon?

Normally, Amazon will take between one and three days to process a payment. The apparent delay is due to the various steps that each transaction has to go through to get from your bank account to Amazon’s or vendor’s bank account. If you are a new seller on Amazon, you have to wait for 30 days for your first payment to be processed.

The type of seller account you hold also determines the time it takes for your payments to be processed. Also, you have to mark your orders as dispatched once they’ve been delivered. Otherwise, you won’t be paid by Amazon.

In Summary

Now that you know when does Amazon charge you for an order, you should be able to plan your orders and finances properly to avoid surprises. You should also choose the perfect buying option so that you can save some money on each order.