Boosting Amazon Balances Via Amazon Cash

Amazon announced today (April 3) that it has launched Amazon Cash, which allows users to add cash to their Amazon account balances at physical locations — more than 10,000 of them — across the United States.

The company said, in announcing the debut of the free service, that initial participating locations will include CVS Pharmacy, Kum & Go, D&W Fresh Market, Speedway, Sheetz, Family Fare and VG’s Grocery. Amazon also said that new partners will be added “every month.”

In describing Amazon Cash, the eCommerce giant said that users can boost their balances by visiting the participating locations, present their Amazon Cash balance barcode (available at Amazon.com/cash, for downloading to mobile devices or printing, to be presented physically at the point of sale) to scan and pay the amount desired to be accrued to the Amazon account balance. This “purchases and automatically claims” an Amazon.com gift card for their balance.

The additional funds are available in real time and then can be used to buy goods and content on Amazon’s flagship site. The dollar amount that can be loaded in a single transaction ranges from $15 to $500, and Amazon also noted that daily limits may be imposed on a retailer-by-retailer basis.

In addition, cash cannot be pulled out from an Amazon account balance during these in-store transactions.