Having an outdated or unnecessary credit card saved in your Amazon account can create headaches at checkout or pose security risks. Fortunately, Amazon makes it easy to delete saved cards when needed. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the quick 5-step process to remove a credit card from Amazon.
Why Remove A Card From Amazon?
Before jumping into the how-to, it helps to understand some of the top reasons you may want to delete a saved credit card from Amazon:
The Card is Expired
Keeping expired cards on file will prevent you from selecting that payment method at checkout. And if that card is set as your default, checkout will become frustrating when that declined payment triggers errors each time. Removing these outdated cards declutters your account and ensures smoother transactions.
You Have Security Concerns
If your card details were potentially compromised elsewhere or you want to minimize the number of services with access for any reason, deleting the cards from Amazon reduces potential vulnerability.
You Closed The Credit Card Account
Similarly, if you fully closed a credit card account, you certainly want to purge those invalid card details from your Amazon account and all other online profiles.
You‘re Removing An Authorized User
Finally, if you previously allowed an ex-spouse, former roommate, or other user access to temporarily use your Amazon account and saved payment method, revoking that access fully involves removing their access to your stored financial details.
While Amazon Pay and stored cards provide convenience, remain alert to when saved payment data presents security risks or checkout headaches. Removing invalid, outdated, or unnecessary credit cards periodically helps avoid issues.
Step-By-Step Guide To Delete A Credit Card From Amazon
Without further ado, here is the quick 5-step process to remove a credit card from your Amazon account:
Step 1: Access Your Amazon Account Dashboard
First, log into Amazon.com on either desktop or mobile and access your account dashboard. You can quickly access your account details by clicking the dropdown menu next to your name in the top right corner:
This will expand a menu allowing you to click "Account" to navigate to your dashboard.
Step 2: Visit Your Payment Options
From your account dashboard, click "Your Payments" to view your Amazon payment methods and transaction history:
Here you can see payment options like bank accounts, Amazon gift cards, and credit/debit cards on file.
Step 3: Select The Card To Delete
Under "Payment Methods", click to select the credit or debit card you wish to remove from Amazon. This will bring up details on that specific card.
So if your Visa card expired or you want to remove a previous roommate‘s card, select the relevant card here.
Step 4: Click To Remove
With the card details opened, click the "Remove" button to delete that credit card from your Amazon account.
Amazon will then prompt you to confirm this removal.
Step 5: Confirm Deletion
Finally, confirm again that you indeed wish to remove that card from your account record.
Once you accept, Amazon will process that card removal and you‘ll see a "successfully removed" confirmation. With that, you‘ve now deleted that selected credit card from your Amazon Payment Options.
For a visual demonstration, check out this quick video walking through removing a card from Amazon:
https://youtube.com/embed/ABC123
And that‘s all there is to it! Just 5 simple steps to declutter expired or unwanted cards from your Amazon account payment methods.
Key Questions About Managing Cards On Amazon
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about removing cards from Amazon and managing your payment options:
How Many Cards Can I Have On Amazon?
You can save an unlimited number of debit cards, credit cards, bank accounts and gift cards to your Amazon account. However, note that each one stored exposes that card number to potential compromise, so limit saved cards based on your personal security comfort level.
Can Someone Else Use My Card on Amazon?
Yes, when adding an authorized user on your Amazon Household, Family Library, Amazon Teen profiles, or just sharing your login, others can use your saved payment methods for purchases. You can restrict permissions or of course remove cards after their use to prevent unwanted charges.
Can I Temporarily Lock My Card on Amazon?
Rather than fully removing a card, you can alternatively choose to lock or unlock a payment method as needed right from your Amazon account dashboard. Just toggle the lock icon to block charges without deleting that card outright.
Can I Use Visa Gift Cards on Amazon?
Yes, Amazon accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express gift cards to pay for eligible purchases (with some exceptions like buying other gift cards). When the gift card balance reaches zero, just remove that expired card from your Amazon wallet.
What is Amazon Pay?
Amazon Pay allows you to use the credit cards, bank accounts, and payment data stored in your Amazon account to checkout quickly on external sites supporting Amazon Pay, like when shopping on Reddit. It serves as a convenient digital wallet spanning much of your online shopping.
The Convenience And Risks Of Stored Payments
Saving frequently used payment sources like credit and debit cards to your Amazon account makes checkout a breeze thanks to Amazon Pay. However, understand the security tradeoffs of storing your financial data on Amazon servers and reliably prune any outdated or unnecessary cards. Follow this guide to easily remove credit cards from Amazon when rotating stolen card numbers, closing accounts, or tidying up your account dashboard. Revisit your saved payment methods quarterly to limit your points of exposure while still enjoying the convenience Amazon Pay provides.
