Abe.

I recently discovered that you can't pay with your checking account anymore on Amazon.com. It worked really well for me because I don't use an ATM card, and paying with my checking account information was very convenient.

Does anyone know why Amazon stopped doing this, and if they are going to bring it back? I mostly buy imports through marketplace sellers, so I didn't really buy anything straight through Amazon. Maybe they are going to start taking PayPal soon?


Thanks.

DVD Josh

I would imagine that fraud played a large role.

taronga

I'm upset about this too. I'm trying to get my credit card balance down, and this was a handy alternative payment option.

amd555

everyone has debit/atm cards with a mastercard or visa or amex logo, which you could use on amazon or elsewhere. Identity theft is easy, and if you throw out a check in into the trash and some steals it,that could real hurt your accounts

Pistol Pete

Convenience aside paying Amazon by giving them your checking account number is a phenomenally stupid thing to do. Use a debit card if you must. The credit and, to a lesser extent, debit card systems have worked out a set of consumer protections that are superior to when you allow the vendor to draft your account. Actually there is almost no protection at all when you give anyone direct access to your account.

Why do you think the Nigerian scammers are so eager to obtain that information?

calhoun07

Bingo. The problem is that those online places cannot verify if your account number is correct, only if the routing number is correct. You could have had a routing number of a box of checks you closed out ten years ago and get your dog to hit the numbers on your ten key pad on your keyboard so any random number came up as your account number and they would have sent you the product before they got notice back from the bank that you gave them a bogus account number.

mhg83

I was just visiting amazon.com wanting to purchase some books. Everything was going fine until i went through checkout. They stated that I couldn't order from some of the vendors because they didn't accept checks or money orders (I have a checking account set up).

I went through all of the books again with different vendors this time and was still left with the same message! I've had no problems in the past with using my checking account on Amazon and I know my bank account has enough funds. Have all the vendors on the site decided to decline checks? Has anyone here experianced any problems similar to this?

thanks.

DVD Polizei

Just use your debit card which is associated with your bank account (has to have the visa symbol on it). You don't have to use a credit card exclusively. It's the same thing. And actually, you might get 1% cash back with your purchases versus absolutely none when paid via EFT Check.

eglenntemp

When I contacted Amazon about this, they said it was discontinued due to 'problems with their processing company'.

I imagine the check-cashing-entity went belly-up pretty quick, particularly if they promised Amazon they'd handle the bad transactions...

taronga

I received a letter today from Certegy Check Services informing me that my information was "misappropriated" by an ex-employee and sold to a data broker.

Yikes. I'm off to place a fraud alert on my account.

DVDFreaker

Damn that sucks, hope everything will get worked out!

Abe.

I got the same letter... does this really have something to do with Amazon?