MetaChat - How to get Amazon to use credit card and not gift card?

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19 February 2011

How to get Amazon to use credit card and not gift card? →[More:]So, today I went to download tax software from Amazon. I made sure I had my credit card selected for my billing option. But, when the process was done, I discover Amazon debited my gift card balance instead. WTF?

Nowhere in the purchase process was there anything referring to the gift card balance. All along, it appeared to be using my credit card, like I wanted.

Is there some double-secret method to get Amazon to not use gift card balances for a purchase? Or is this just some "we know better" thing with them?

post by: Thorzdad at: 16:38 | 7 comments

Well, to answer my own question...I got a robo-mail back from Amazon on this. Apparently, Amazon automatically applies any gift card balance to your purchase, no matter whether you want to use the gift card or not. You have no choice in the matter.

posted by Thorzdad 19 February | 20:07

Well, that sucks.

posted by deborah 19 February | 21:38

That is the dumbest thing ever.

posted by rhapsodie 19 February | 21:43

I thought there used to be an option where you could uncheck the box to use the gift card balance? I really hope they didn't get rid of that.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 February | 22:59

Here is the robo-mail Amazon sent me in response to my complaint. I've bolded the pertinent section.

Thank you for inquiring about your most recent purchase. In researching your account it appears that your Tax software was purchased with the gift card balance. I apologize if there is a gift card balance on your account it will automatically be applied and we are unable to change this.

Digital purchases on Amazon.com are immediately delivered to you electronically, and we do not offer a "Shopping Cart" ordering experience. 1-Click ordering allows us to process your payment quickly and deliver your digital items instantly.

Maybe this is because this was a digital purchase? I've never ordered a download from Amazon before, and the process is very strange and confusing, especially if you are used to the normal shopping cart checkout process. There was absolutely NO place in the truncated purchase process to select whether or not to use a gift card. To make it even more confusing, Amazon had me update my credit card information at the start of the purchase process, which, of course, made me believe they would use the credit card.

To add insult to injury, you also have to download Amazon's own download manager software in order to get your order. Something you aren't told about until after the purchase is complete. How very 1998 of them.

I also can't find any way to contact an actual CSR via email. They have a link, but all I ever get back, so far, are robo-mails.

posted by Thorzdad 20 February | 08:47

Oh yeah, for digital purchases, they don't give you a choice, they hardly even give you a chance to think about it, it's just like, POOF, YOU BOUGHT IT.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 21 February | 22:11

No kidding. That was pretty startling.
And they don't state anywhere that this is their policy with digital purchases. At least, nowhere obvious...like at the beginning of a digital purchase.

posted by Thorzdad 22 February | 06:14

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