Due to the sheer size of Amazon, it’s to be expected that sometimes things won’t go as smoothly as they should do.
However, that doesn’t mean to say that you should just put up with it when things don’t go to plan – though you may sometimes find Amazon not working, they are a highly reputable company which makes millions of pounds a year, you deserve something if they mess up.
While some companies will provide you with money as compensation or some freebies, Amazon have decided to go down the route of ‘courtesy credit’.
In this article, we are going to explain exactly what this courtesy credit is, how to get it and how to use it once you have it. Let’s get started.
What is courtesy credit on Amazon? – In a nutshell
As mentioned earlier, courtesy credit on Amazon is what the company gives to customers who have experienced issues with orders.
The courtesy credit is added to the account in question and is then typically eligible to be used on any items sold and shipped from Amazon directly.
The amount of courtesy credit you receive will depend entirely on the grievance that you’ve suffered, meaning that you may be entitled to either a large amount of credit or a small amount.
You are most likely to receive confirmation of the credit being given to your via email, however, there are various ways in which you can submit a complaint via Amazon – more on that later.
You may also get promotional credits depending on the time of year, which may be gifted if you opt for no rush delivery. An Amazon promotional credit is the same as a courtesy credit.
How to obtain courtesy credit from Amazon
If you have experienced a negative experience using Amazon and feel that you are entitled to courtesy credit then you need to get in touch with Amazon directly in order to get the ball rolling.
There are multiple ways in which you can do this, including:
- Live support via the Amazon website
- Phone call
Whichever method you use, it’s important that you have all relevant details to hand because you may well be asked for information such as transaction numbers or reference numbers.
Any proof of your negative experience will also come in handy, as you’ll likely be asked this to get your Amazon courtesy credit.
After you’ve spoken to customer service about your grievance, you’ll likely be given your Amazon courtesy credit immediately – though it can take a few minutes to appear.
How to use courtesy credit on Amazon
It’s all well and good being issued courtesy credit by Amazon, however, you obviously need to know how to use it once you have it.
First of all, you should check just how much courtesy credit is on your account so you know what sort of items you could purchase with it. To do this, takes the following steps:
- Log in to your Amazon account via a web browser.
- Select your account name on the top right hand side of the screen.
- Select ‘your gift card balance’.
- If you have courtesy credit, it will appear here. If you can’t see any mention of courtesy credit on this page then it means that you don’t have any.
Once you’ve established how much credit you have to play with, you can go about attempting to use it.
The good news on this front is that providing you have courtesy credit on your account then that amount will automatically come off your bill when it comes to checkout.
It is worth noting that this Amazon courtesy credit balance will only come off if you are purchasing items sold and shipped by Amazon.
Prime courtesy credit cannot be used on third party sales, which can be a little annoying as you’re restricted on a future purchase.
The good thing is that you should be able to check your gift card balance without redeeming it, meaning you don’t need to spend your balance to know how much you’ve got left.
Amazon courtesy credit – A Prime incentive
Just in case you needed another reason to subscribe to Amazon Prime, users of Amazon’s premium service are able to nab courtesy credit without having to experience any shoddiness.
This can be done by optionally giving Amazon a couple of extra days to deliver your parcel when it comes to placing an order.
The reason why this option is only available to Prime customers is because one of the main selling points of Amazon Prime is ‘next day delivery’ so if you’re forgoing that privilege then Amazon dish out some courtesy credit.
It is worth noting that the credit obtained via this method is minimal so don’t be expecting £100 each time you allow Amazon an extra day to deliver your parcel!
In order for Prime users to receive this credit they will need to select the ‘slower shipping method’ when it comes to the checkout stage of making a purchase.
This could also appear as ‘free no-rush shipping’.
Conclusion
We hope that through this article you now have a greater understanding of what Amazon courtesy credit is, how you go about obtaining it and how you can use it once you have it.
If you do have courtesy credits already built up in your account, then this will often automatically apply for you at checkout.
If you have any further questions in regards to Amazon courtesy credit, or anything else Amazon-related, then their support team are on hand 24/7 to help you out.
