Have you ever looked at your bank or credit card statement and noticed a strange charge labeled “AMAZON MKTPLACE PMTS AMZN.COM/BILL WA”? In this blog post, we’ll explain what this charge means, reveal the company responsible for it, discuss other possible descriptions for such transactions, and show you how to locate the related receipts.
This will help you confirm that the transaction is genuine and not fraudulent.
Comparing Amazon and Amazon Marketplace: What’s the Difference?
Consider Amazon and Amazon Marketplace as two distinct parts of Amazon’s business. They are connected, yet each operates separately. Here are the main differences between them:
Amazon
Amazon.com is the main online shopping site run by Amazon. It sells a variety of products directly from its stock to consumers. Amazon handles stock control, order processing, customer support, and returns for its own products.
Additionally, Amazon provides subscription services such as Amazon Prime, Amazon Music, Amazon Video, and Amazon Kindle, among others. The company makes money through selling products, subscription charges, and other services.
Amazon Marketplace:
Amazon Marketplace is a part of Amazon.com where third-party sellers can sell their items next to Amazon’s own products.
It offers a place for both individual and business sellers to connect with many customers without creating their own online stores.
These third-party sellers can list new and used items and decide their own prices.
Amazon Marketplace takes care of handling payments and often helps with shipping through services like Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
Sellers using Amazon Marketplace have to pay different fees to Amazon, such as referral fees and, if they use FBA, fees for fulfillment.
Amazon Marketplace greatly increases the variety of products on Amazon.com, making it a more complete online shopping site.
In brief, Amazon directly sells items to customers, handles its own stock, and provides various services and subscriptions.
Meanwhile, Amazon Marketplace serves as a platform for outside sellers to offer their products on Amazon’s site, using Amazon’s customers and facilities in return for fees. Together, these elements make Amazon one of the biggest and most varied online marketplaces globally.
How to Recognize Charges from Amazon
Amazon charges on your credit card can show up in different ways, depending on what you bought and how it was processed. Here are some typical descriptions you might find for Amazon charges:
- AMZN Digital: This description appears for digital buys, like e-books, music, movies, or software from Amazon.
- AMZN: Amazon often uses this shorter form of its name for transactions.
- AMZN Prime Membership: If you’re an Amazon Prime member, the fee for your yearly or monthly membership might show up with this description.
- AMZN Mktp US: This description is usually for purchases made through Amazon Marketplace, showing that Amazon’s marketplace processed the transaction.
- AMAZON or Amazon.com: This common description is used for direct purchases from the Amazon website.
- AMZN Prime Video: This description is used for charges linked to Amazon Prime Video, the streaming service.
- AWS Amazon Web Services: If you use Amazon Web Services for cloud computing or hosting, charges will be listed with this description.
- AMZN Kindle: You might see this for charges linked to Kindle e-books or Kindle devices.
- AMZN Appstore: This might be used if you buy from Amazon’s app store for Android devices.
- AMZN Fresh: This is used for Amazon Fresh, Amazon’s grocery delivery service.
- AMZN Mktp CA: Similar to “AMZN Mktp US,” this appears for Amazon Marketplace purchases in Canada.
- AmazonSmile: If you shop through AmazonSmile, some of your payment supports a charity, and this descriptor may show up.
- AMZN Digital Services: This is used for various Amazon digital services, like downloads and subscriptions.
- AMZN Payments: This is sometimes used for payment-related transactions.
- AMZN Music: This is for transactions involving Amazon Music, the streaming service.
The description on your credit card statement might differ, and these are just typical examples. If you have a question about a charge, check your Amazon account’s order history or contact Amazon’s customer support for help. Always monitor your credit card statements to make sure all charges are correct.
Spot fraud quickly!
SimplyWise will compare your transactions to your bank/credit card activity and confirm them.
If your bank reports transactions that SimplyWise does not recognize, they will be flagged with an alert (!) icon. If you still don’t recognize these charges after checking, it’s time to contact your bank!
