You’ve filled your Amazon cart with everything you need, but when you go to check out, you realize you don’t want to put the entire amount on one card. Maybe you want to split the cost between a personal card and a business card, or perhaps you’re trying to maximize rewards points. This leads to the common question: can you use two different payment methods for a single Amazon order?
The short answer is yes, but with a specific catch. Amazon does allow you to split your payment, but it’s not as straightforward as selecting two credit cards at the checkout screen. Let’s look at how it actually works.
How Splitting Payments on Amazon Works
Amazon’s system is designed to accept a combination of one major payment method, like a credit or debit card, and one secondary method. The secondary method is typically an Amazon gift card balance or a promotional discount. Unfortunately, you cannot directly split the cost between two major credit or debit cards in a single transaction. The system requires one primary card to cover the majority of the balance.
Your Strategy for Using Two Cards
While you can’t use two cards at the exact same moment, there is a clever workaround. You can purchase an Amazon gift card with your first credit card and then apply that gift card balance to your order. At checkout, you would use your gift card balance for a portion of the payment and then charge the remaining amount to your second credit card. This method effectively allows you to split the cost across two different funding sources.
A Few Helpful Tips to Keep in Mind
If you decide to use the gift card method, remember that gift card balances are applied first by default. You also can’t use more than one gift card in a single transaction, but any balance you have is automatically combined in your account. Always double-check that you’ve redeemed the gift card code correctly and that the full balance is available before you finalize your purchase.
So, while the process isn’t as direct as selecting two cards from your wallet, with a little planning, you can successfully divide a large Amazon purchase between two different payment sources. This flexibility can be a great help for managing your budget or maximizing your credit card rewards on your next big order.
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