Amazon Accepting Cash Payments At Oxxo Stores

Amazon will now accept cash payments at Mexico’s most popular chain corner store, Oxxo, the companies announced on Monday (April 1).

Reuters reported the partnership will allow Amazon to reach the millions of unbanked customers in the country (estimated to be at 60 percent) who deal solely in cash.

There are almost 18,000 Oxxo stores all over Mexico. Amazon started accepting cash payments in many convenience stores, including 7-Eleven, in 2017.

The service, which is called Amazon Cash, allows Amazon customers in Mexico to deposit between 100 and 5,000 pesos ($5 through $260) per online transaction, with a daily limit of 10,000 pesos. Amazon said it would reimburse a 12-peso commission per transaction.

The two companies already had a previous relationship based on package pickup in 3,000 stores. The service was created to facilitate package delivery in areas where it can be complicated.

In other Amazon news, the company announced on March 28 that it is expanding its Austin Tech Hub and will be creating 800 new tech jobs. In a press release, Amazon said the jobs will be in the areas of software and hardware engineering, research science and cloud computing. Amazon said that since it opened its Austin Tech Hub, it has created more than 22,000 full-time jobs in Texas and has invested more than $7 billion in the state, including on infrastructure and compensation to workers.

“In the last four years, we have created more than 1,000 jobs in Austin,” said Terry Leeper, general manager of Amazon’s Austin Tech Hub, in the press release. “With a strong pool of technical talent in Austin and a dynamic quality of life, we are excited to continue to expand and create more opportunity in this vibrant city.”

The addition of jobs in Texas comes a few weeks after Amazon pulled out of creating its second headquarters, partly in New York City. Citing opposition from local lawmakers, Amazon said it would not move forward with its plans.

Unlike local lawmakers in New York, Gary Farmer, chair of Opportunity Austin of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, said he was pleased that Amazon’s investment in Austin continues to grow. “This expanding presence is indicative of our region’s ability to provide creative and innovative talent. We’re proud to call Amazon a partner in our efforts to achieve regional prosperity,” he said in the press release.