When an Amazon payment is declined, you will receive an email asking you to try again. If your second attempt fails, the order will be canceled. However, there have been cases where payments were declined, but the order still shipped.
In this case, a payment processing error or technical glitch is usually responsible. While this can take diverse forms, it manifests predominantly via pre-authorization, especially when you split payments between a gift card and a bank card.
Did you experience this rare scenario and want to know more about what to do? This guide discusses the factors that may be responsible and the actions you need to take to protect your account and avoid any penalty.
Why Amazon Declined Payment But Still Shipped Your Order?
Here are some possible explanations regarding why Amazon may ship despite declining a payment:
1. Payment authorization delay
Amazon accepts different payment methods, and you can even split payments. Some payment methods undergo pre-authorization before an item is shipped. Amazon sometimes ships orders if pre-authorization experiences delay, especially if it involves a secondary payment option in a split payment.
This is true if they can confirm that the amount in the buyer’s account can cover the order and expect the hold to be successful. Orders get shipped when such decisions go against them, the hold is delayed, or the payment is declined.
2. Bank authorization issues
Similar to Amazon’s pre-authorization hold, some financial institutions implement holds on funds designated for Amazon orders. Unfortunately, the former may be successful, while the latter may experience an issue if you have other pre-authorizations linked to your balance.
In this case, your package may already be on its way because Amazon’s pre-authorization was successful. Customers must closely monitor their account statements because the payment can reflect eventually.
3. Billing address verification issue
Before checking out on Amazon, ensure the billing address you provided matches the address linked to your payment method. Any discrepancy may result in a declined payment during final processing.
While the chances of your order being shipped at this moment are very slim, there are instances where it occurs.
4. Manual intervention
Amazon rarely interrupts its algorithm when it comes to payment. This will only occur if fraud or any foul play is detected for an initially successful transaction. In this case, despite declining the payment, there is a big chance the order has shipped already.
5. You received a fake or phishing email
Lastly, scammers may be responsible for sending an email saying that your payment was declined, and you must provide personal information to resolve it.
This is a phishing email designed to grant access to your financial details. Customers sometimes fall for this when the original (payment) confirmation email from Amazon does not arrive promptly.
In the real sense, Amazon did not decline your payment. It was successful, and your item has already shipped.
What to Do if Amazon Declined Payment But Still Shipped?
The first step is to check the authenticity of the email you received before checking if you have sufficient funds in your balance. If you have sufficient funds on the card or gift card:
- Monitor your account: Declined payments on Amazon may be overlooked if the order is yet to ship. For shipped orders, payments may be eventually deducted by Amazon. Monitoring your account days after the incident will help you confirm if the right amount was deducted.
- Contact your bank or card issuer: File a complaint to know why your payment was declined. You will get feedback from them within a few days.
- Contact Amazon customer service: You can also contact Amazon customer service at 1-888-280-4331 and narrate your experience. Amazon will troubleshoot the transaction and provide guidance or possibly resolve the issue.
If you do not have sufficient balance in your card or gift card, you have to:
- Cancel the order: If you notice that your payment has been declined but your order is yet to ship and is yet to be canceled, you can cancel it.
- Request a cancellation from Amazon: You can also contact Amazon customer service to inform them about your experience and ask them to cancel the order. Just click the Help or Contact Us page. Please note that Amazon cannot cancel the order once it ships.
- Return the item to Amazon: While some customers get away with keeping items that arrive at their doorstep despite a declined payment, the ideal practice is to return them. You can inform Amazon about the package and schedule a return pickup or drop it at the nearest warehouse.
FAQs
How long does it take for Amazon to verify payment?
Amazon will verify your payment within 24 hours, provided you submitted accurate and complete information.
Why does Amazon keep declining your payment when you have money?
You probably provided incorrect details or have exceeded your account or credit limit. Banks generally flag or decline one-time or accumulated transactions that exceed account or credit limit.
Why does Amazon keep asking you to revise your payment method?
This may be because your payment failed, the transaction was unsuccessful, or your bank declined the payment. It is also possible that you closed or refreshed the transaction page accidentally while your bank was processing the payment.
How do you know your payment went through on Amazon?
Go to the “Payment” section of your Amazon account and tap “Overview.” A detailed record of your transactions and payments will appear.
Conclusion: Amazon Payment Declined But Still Shipped
Amazon processes millions of orders daily. This means a few payment issues are not entirely a new thing. In most cases, it is linked to a technical glitch or delay. During this delay, your item may be shipped.
Amazon may charge you later or inform you about the failed transaction if the item has shipped already. The difference between their email and a phishing email is that it will not request sensitive information. They have that already.
You can pay for the item after confirming that the initial payment was declined or return the item.
I hope you found this guide helpful. If you did, here is what to do if Amazon charges you twice.
Thanks for reading.
