What is Amazon Digital Charge?
If you’re wondering, “What is Amazon Digital Charge?” don’t worry. This is simply the cost paid for Amazon’s online services and products. There are a few names for it that you may see listed on your payment statements, such as AMZN MKTP, AMZN DIGITAL CHARGE, or similar variations. Depending on which services you use these payments may be automatic, though some you will have to deliberately purchase.
Though the concept is very simple, Amazon digital services have a lot of categories, which will affect your fees, dues, and even payment period. We’ll go over all the ins and outs of all these types of services so you can decide which ones might be worth your while and what to expect from them.
Overview of the Amazon Digital Charge
Once you purchase digital content, the charge will show on your bank or credit card statement. Here is an example of how it may look:
The key word here being, “AMZN,” or “Amazon.” Keep in mind, not all digital services are subscription based. Sometimes you’ll have a single purchase, such as an app, a particular ebook or video, etc. If you don’t use Amazon very often and forget about this purchase, it can be jarring to see the charge on your account so pay attention to your orders so they don’t catch you by surprise.
Also keep in mind there are a lot of scammers out there who will claim your Amazon account was hacked, that you have fraudulent charges, or that you were somehow compromised. You may get texts, emails, or even phone calls regarding this. Remember, the worst thing you can do is respond directly to these claims. That’s how they trick you, manipulating you into giving up important information such as your account numbers. Instead, look into your charges and account yourself, being sure to use valid phone numbers and web addresses that YOU find on your own. Following any links or phone numbers the scammer gives you will not end well.
Usually, you can tell immediately if their claims are false. Check your debit, credit, and bank accounts to see if there are unfamiliar charges. Everything look good? It’s most likely a scam call then. That’s why it’s so important to be on top of your Amazon account and bank statements. Being able to recognize routine and correct charges vs unfamiliar ones helps keep you protected. If you’re ever concerned about suspicious or fraudulent claims towards your account, here’s Amazon’s “Report something suspicious,” page.
What is the Amazon Digital content?
Amazon digital content comes in many forms. Here’s an overview of the most common ones:
Apps and Games:
There are a host of applications and games available to purchase through Amazon that can be used on your phone or mobile device. Many of these will be one time purchases whereas others may be recurring. Here’s a link to Amazon’s bestselling apps.
Amazon Prime:
Amazon Prime might be the most popular digital charge most people sign up for. It’s a subscription membership that gives members extra benefits and services, for a monthly or annually recurring fee. These perks include:
- Prime Video membership
- Twitch Prime benefits
- Free and expedited shipping to applicable items from Amazon’s main site
- Extra savings at Whole Foods Markets
- Early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.com
- Access to Amazon Music streaming
- Various deals and discounts on shopping
- Prime Reading
Amazon Prime Video:
If you already are an Amazon Prime member, this is an included benefit already. Otherwise, you can purchase this digital service separately. It gives you access to online movie and television streaming with both original content and many of your favorite films and TV shows, ad free, for the most part.
Speaking of Prime Video, here’s how to watch Prime from anywhere.
Kindle Unlimited
If you’re already an Amazon Prime member, you get to access Prime Reading, which is an ebook service. There are a few thousand titles to peruse with Prime Reading, but Kindle Unlimited offers titles in the millions. That’s why so many readers pay for Kindle Unlimited subscriptions, as it vastly expands their digital library, even if it means paying extra.
Amazon Kids+
This is a digital subscription for children ages 3-12 with books, games, videos, and other content designed for kids. All the heavy hitting entities are represented, including Disney, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Marvel, and PBS Kids. There’s a parent dashboard for controls and customization, and it’s available on multiple mobile devices, like Fire tablets and Android and iOS systems.
Amazon Audible:
Like Kindle Unlimited, this does not come with Prime membership. Rather, it’s a separate Amazon digital service that opens up a world of podcasts, audio performing arts (like comedy), and, of course, tons of audio books. This is great for anyone who loves to listen to books on their commute or while doing dishes, etc., but it’s also a really great alternative for the visually impaired too.
Amazon Music Unlimited:
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get Amazon Music free. This gives you ad-free songs, podcasts, playlists, and stations at no extra cost. Fun fact, I did not know about the no-ad podcasts and I’ve now happily added all my true crime podcasts to my Amazon Music playlists. Now I can do dishes and listen to true crime without interruptions!
Do note, there is a difference between Amazon Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. Unlimited requires a monthly subscription. In return you get better sound quality and a bigger catalogue of music.
If you love music but don’t use Amazon, here are top trusted sites for free music downloads.
Amazon Luna:
This is a subscription based digital service for gaming. It allows you to game on devices like Windows PC, Mac, Fire TV, Fire Tablets, Chromebooks, iOS and Android devices, and more. It utilizes a Luna Controller that works directly from the cloud so you don’t need specific gaming consoles.
Amazon Photos:
This Amazon digital service is free to Prime members, giving them unlimited full-resolution photo storage, secure back ups, access across devices, and discounts on shipping when you order prints. There are additional storage plans for a small monthly fee, if desired. It’s worth noting that Amazon Drive, which was a similar service but with documents too, is ending later this year so that Amazon can focus on their photos service instead.
Amazon Digital Charge Prices
The charges for Amazon digital services vary. We’ll break down the fees for these subscription services so you get an idea of how they all stack against each other. Please note, prices are listed in USD.
Amazon Prime:
Amazon Prime membership can be paid monthly or annually. The monthly fee is $14.99 whereas the annual fee is $139 per year. Keep in mind that prices do sometimes increase. Also, if you have a trial or temporarily free membership, you’ll automatically be charged for the next membership period. This means if you are doing a trial period and don’t like it, you’ll want to cancel subscription services before you get charged. Also be aware that, depending on where you live, you may be subject to additional taxes.
If you’re a student you can get quite a discount on your Amazon Prime subscription. Only $7.49 monthly or $69.00 a year. You may also qualify for subscriber savings if you are in select government assistance programs, such as Medicaid or EBT. Here’s a link to see if you qualify for Prime Access.
Amazon Prime Video:
If you’re already a Prime member, Prime Video is included in your subscription. Purchasing this service for non prime members is currently $8.99 monthly.
Kindle Unlimited:
The Kindle Unlimited service costs $11.99 per month plus taxes as applicable. If you’re new to Kindle, you can try it free for 30 days. You can also cancel at any time. Be aware that, currently, Kindle Unlimited is only available on Amazon.com to US based customers. If you live outside of that area you’ll likely gain access through your local Amazon marketplace. They are also expanding Kindle to other countries, as there are still many where Kindle is not available.
Amazon Kids+ :
If you already have a Prime subscription, you can get a one month free trial of Kids +, after which the monthly cost is $4.99. The annual fee for Prime members is $48.00. If you don’t have Prime, the yearly subscription is actually $79.00, or $7.99 monthly.
Audible:
Of all the Amazon digital services, Audible is one of the more complex, pricing wise. There are several different tiers of plans and a 30 day free trial. Also, remember that credits allow you to buy any audio book or selection in the catalog, regardless of price. Here are the tiers:
Audible Plus: $7.95 per month for a wide selection of audio content.
Audible Premium Plus: $14.95 per month for the same content as Audible Plus, as well as one additional title per month selected from a wider selection of bestsellers and new releases, which you get to keep.
Audible Premium Plus- 2 credits: $22.95 per month. Same as Premium Plus but with an additional credit per month.
Audible Premium Plus- Annual- 12 credits: $149.50 a year. Includes the Premium Plus catalogue plus 12 credits a year.
Audible Premium Plus-Annual-24 credits: $229.50 a year. Includes Premium Plus catalogue plus 24 credits a year
Amazon Music Unlimited:
If you already have Prime, you can get Music Unlimited for $8.99 a month, or $89.00 a year. Otherwise, you pay $10.99 a month. Students are eligible for a discount of 50%.
Amazon Luna:
If you have Prime, you get free access to a rotating selection of games. There are bundles you can purchase as well. Luna+ is $9.99 a month and includes a large and varied selection of games across multiple genres. Ubisoft+ ($17.99 monthly) gives access to titles created by Ubisoft, such as the Assassin’s Creed games and Far Cry franchises. New games are added frequently. Jackbox Games is $4.99 a month, and gives subscribers access to various Jackbox co-op party games.
Amazon Photos:
Photo storage is free for Prime users, but if they want to purchase a larger video storage plan, here are the ones available:
100 GB of HD Video: $1.99 a month, $19.99 a year.
1 TB of HD Video: $6.99 a month, $59.99 a year.
2 TB of HD Video: $11.99 a month, $119.98 a year.
After that, the plans go up by a terabyte, the cost going to annual only and ranging from $179.97 all the way up to $1799.70 a year for 30 TB of storage.
How to dispute an Amazon Digital Charge
Now that we’ve answered, “What is Amazon digital charge?” we’ll answer, “How do I dispute a charge?” Because Amazon is such a massive entity, it can be overwhelming when you need to contact them over disputes. Here are the steps to help you through the process of how to cancel Amazon digital charges.
Prevention
Ideally, you’ll avoid an unnecessary digital service charge to begin with. Here’s how:
- Keep your contact information up to date
- Remember to cancel any digital services you no longer need, including trial periods that are ending.
- Disable one-click checkout if you’re worried about your kids buying things behind your back or you have a troublesome cat that likes to walk across your keyboard when you’re not looking. Yes, this really does happen to people.
- Be careful where you use your debit and credit cards so the info doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
- Check that your bank statements are accurate on a regular basis. It’s easier to address problems right away, rather than not noticing them for months.
Access your Amazon Transaction History
To see if everything looks correct, you’ll want to keep an eye on your transactions. Here’s how:
- Log in to your Amazon account and go to the account section
- Go to “Your Payments”
- From there, you can access your recent transactions, looking through each one to be sure that they are accurate.
- You can also go to your account to access “Memberships and Subscriptions.” Once you click on that, it will list these items. To the right of the screen there are options to cancel your subscriptions if you desire.[file:memberships; alt:Memberships and subscriptions section]
How to dispute a charge
There are lots of reasons to dispute charges on your Amazon digital account. Sometimes they were supposed to cancel a subscription but didn’t, maybe your card got compromised, etc. In the case of an actual dispute, your best bet is to contact Amazon customer service. You may or may not get your refund, Amazon has the final say, but usually you will find this route helpful. Here are the steps:
- Log into your Amazon account
- Click Your orders
- Click Digital Orders
- You’ll see your listed digital transactions and subscriptions
- Click Order Details
- From there you can request a refund or contact customer support to talk to a representative
Final thoughts
So what is Amazon digital charge? It’s any of the fees you get from the numerous digital subscription services that Amazon has to offer. As you can see, there are so many different platforms and content that it’s really easy to get overwhelmed and forget where your money is going. Just be sure to keep track of your Amazon digital bill, keep your eyes open for if and when subscription prices go up, and realize that maybe you don’t need to subscribe to everything under the sun. Those fees add up. If you’re trying to budget, try to only purchase the services you’ll actually use. I know what I’m talking about too. I love books but I haven’t used my Kindle in over two years. And yet I stubbornly keep paying for it. Every month.
If you decide you’re sick of Amazon, overall? Here’s how to delete your Amazon account.
