Amazon’s Shop with Points program allows you to pay for items with reward points, the most common being the Amazon Rewards Visa Card points. You can even use these points to pay an order partially, with the remaining amount covered by a credit card.
However, a careless mistake or change of mind may result in you returning the item and requesting for refund, which can get quite complicated. Don’t worry, because we’ve laid out everything you need to know about how Amazon refunds reward points!
Does Amazon Refund Reward Points?
Yes, Amazon refunds any reward points applied in a purchase if you request for refund. This includes paying for a purchase partially with reward points, and even subscriptions to Amazon Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Music Unlimited.
This is because through Amazon’s Shop with Points program, Amazon treats your reward points the same as any payment method. In other words, you can shop, buy gifts, and have your points refunded.
What Happens To Amazon Points When You Cancel?
You’ll have an option to send a refund request after you cancel an order. If the seller approves your refund request, Amazon will automatically reimburse the expended points into your account.
Generally, Amazon will refund your points within 48 hours, provided that you canceled the order before it’s dispatched. Amazon also refunds points that are used to pay for an order partially, with the remaining amount paid to your credit card.
Is My Order Eligible For A Refund?
Amazon automatically refunds your order as long as you cancel it before it ships. You can still return an order and request a refund after delivery. However, Amazon does not accept returns of every product or orders by third-party sellers.
Below, we’ve curated a list of products not returnable to Amazon. Regardless, the return policy varies from seller to seller and from product to product. To be safe, always check if your specific order is refundable in Your Orders when you select Return or Replace Item.
If your item falls within Amazon’s refund policy, a message will display indicating that your order is refundable. If it isn’t, then the message won’t appear at all.
List of products not returnable to Amazon:
- Gift cards
- Prepaid game cards
- Organic products such as live insects and groceries
- Software and online subscriptions after they’ve been accessed
- Products categorized as hazardous materials (e.g., flammable liquids)
- Computer laptops, desktops, and Kindles exceeding 30 days after delivery
Items not purchasable via Shop with Points
While most products from Amazon are refundable, not all of them are purchasable via reward points, let alone being refunded. You can’t use Amazon reward points to purchase the following items:
- Kindle eBooks
- Pre-order items
- Digital downloads
- Amazon Music songs
- Amazon Appstore Apps
- Subscribe & Save items
- Items ordered using Buy Now
- Prime Memberships through TD Bank Rewards
Note: While you can’t purchase individual Kindle or Amazon Music titles, you can use points to purchase Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions and request a refund for them.
How Long Does It Take Amazon To Refund Points?
The refund time varies depending on which Amazon reward points you use. Generally, Amazon will refund the points back into your account within 5 business days after processing the request. However, the refund request itself can take up to 30 days to process, depending on the card’s issuer.
What Happens To Points or Cashback Earned When You Cancel?
Unfortunately, you don’t get to keep any points or cashback earned in a purchase when you cancel an order. Amazon will deduct any rewards or cashback gained if your refund request is successful.
What Happens To Amazon Points In Unfulfilled Orders?
If your order remains unfulfilled for 30 days, Amazon will automatically reimburse the reward points back into your account.
How To Request Refund For Amazon Reward Points?
You can request a refund for Amazon reward points through Amazon’s website or by contacting customer service over the phone.
Steps To Request A Refund For Amazon Points
- Enter the Amazon website and sign in to your account
- Place your cursor on the Accounts & Lists tab at the top-right corner
- Select Your Orders from the drop-down menu
- Locate the order that you’d like a refund
- Select Problem with order
- Select the relevant problem from the list
- Select Request refund
- Provide the reason for the refund and other comments in the text box
- Select Submit
If you’ve followed the above steps, then you’ve successfully placed a refund request. It can take Amazon anywhere from 1 week to 30 days to review your refund request. Upon successful review, it can take up to 5 business days for the points to appear in your account.
How To Request Refund For Amazon Points Over The Phone
Should you prefer to request a refund over the phone, you can contact Amazon’s customer service by dialing 1-888-280-4331 (toll-free number) or 1-206-922-0880 (international number).
While contacting Amazon by phone allows you to explain your situation in greater detail and solve your problem immediately, Amazon may put your number in a queue. When that happens, an agent will call you back whenever they’re available.
Moreover, you must prepare a mobile phone that is paired to your Amazon account because you’ll receive a verification code that you must key into the Amazon app.
How To Check The Progress Of Your Amazon Refund
You can quickly check the progress of your refund request on Amazon’s website. Here’s how you can check the status of your refund request online:
- Sign in to your account
- Select Returns & Orders at the top-right corner
- At the side of the relevant order, select View Return/Refund Status
If you have further questions about the status of your refund request, you can always contact Amazon’s customer service at 1-888-280-4331. However, you must ready a mobile phone that’s linked to your Amazon account. The customer service agent will send that mobile phone a verification code via text message.
Additional Resources
Amazon has an extensive and user-friendly help library about its returns and refunds policy, COVID-19 restrictions, updated holiday policies, and so on. Their knowledge database details the returns policy for every product category should you require more information about your specific purchase.
Resources about Amazon’s policies:
Additional resources:
- How to change payment method in Amazon after purchase
- Does Amazon accept Apple Pay?
- What to do if Amazon delivered the wrong item
- What to do if Amazon delivered an empty package
- What if Amazon delivered to the wrong address
- Does Amazon cover stolen packages?
Conclusion…
Thanks to Amazon’s Shop with Points program, you can use reward points for purchases and refunds just as you would with other payment methods. When purchasing via Amazon points, you can cancel and refund any item as long as it hasn’t been dispatched.
If you cancel an order before it’s shipped, Amazon automatically refunds your reward points within 48 hours. After the item has been deliver, you can still request a refund and the points will be reflected in your account in no more than 5 business days. However, the refund request processing can take anywhere from 1 week to 30 days, depending on the seller.
Have you ever encountered any issues when requesting a refund or know of any secret tips when shopping via Amazon’s Shop with Points? Let us know in the comments below!