Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Amazon Cash turns your useless paper bills into Amazon store credit

By Kyle Wiggers Published October 5, 2021

If you’ve ever wished you could pay for goods and services on Amazon in cash, good news: Now you can. On Monday, the internet retailer launched Amazon Cash, a new service that allows customers to add hard-earned dollars to their account at participating brick-and-mortar retailers.

If you stop in a CVS Pharmacy, Speedway, Sheetz, Kum & Co, G&W Fresh Market, Family Fare Supermarket, VG’s Grocery, or the one of the other more than 10,000 participating retailers, you’ll be able to take advantage by heading to a register. Once you’ve pulled up Amazon Cash by navigating to Amazon.com/cash or searching for “amazon cash” (without quotes) in the Amazon mobile app, you’ll get a reusable bar code that can be added to the Wallet app on iOS or as a home screen shortcut on Android. Hand the cashier the bar code and the amount of cash you want to deposit (between $15 and $500 in a single transaction), and you’re good to go.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Money added via Amazon Cash is available as soon as you checkout at the register — you’ll be alerted with an email, text, and push notification. There aren’t any fees, and the funds can be used anywhere on Amazon’s site. You can check your balance by heading to the Manage Gift Card section of the Amazon mobile app.

Recommended Videos

Previously, adding cash to an Amazon balance wasn’t easy. You’d have to buy an Amazon Gift Card in a designated amount or add cash to a prepaid balance card.

Amazon’s after a demographic that’s wary of forking debit and credit card information over online. As many as 85 percent of all transactions globally (and 40 percent in the United States) are carried out in cash, particularly transactions involving small amounts of money. And according to researchers at IDC, so-called “cash customers” account for 27 percent of consumers.

The retailer’s not the first to target the market. In April 2016, PayPal added the ability to deposit cash at CVS, Rite Aid, and 7-Eleven locations via the mobile app for Android and iOS. Unlike Amazon, though, PayPal charged a $4 deposit fee for the privilege.

Explore Amazon Cash

Former Staff Writer

Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…

Topics

Phones

I picked four wireless chargers so you can stop making your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch fight over one dorm outlet

The best back-to-school wireless chargers for dorm desks, study spaces, and travel

Computer, Electronics, Laptop

A dorm-room desk can disappear surprisingly quickly beneath a laptop charger, phone cable, Apple Watch puck, and the growing collection of adapters required to power them all. Add textbooks and other academic materials, and finding enough room to study becomes the first assignment of the semester.

A wireless charging stand can consolidate several of those cables into one station. It also gives your phone a dedicated place to sit, which helps when you are checking the time or watching a lecture. Every charger here still needs one connection to the wall. So finding a peripheral that works with all of your gadgets isn't just convenient, it's smart. I picked four models ranging from an inexpensive two-device stand to a fast 25W wireless charger capable of powering an entire Apple setup.

Phones

Your backpack needs one of these power banks before classes start

I picked 4 power banks that can survive your longest day on campus

Anker Nano 3-in-1 10,000mAh portable power bank for iPhone.

Finding an empty outlet on campus can require more patience than registering for a popular class. Common spaces like libraries or lecture halls rarely have sockets in the right places. So a good power bank gives you far more freedom. It gives you the option to choose the quiet corner of the library, work outside between classes, or even finish an assignment without worrying about your laptop's battery.

The right model depends on what you carry, since a phone needs far less power than a MacBook or gaming laptop. I picked four Anker power banks that cover everything from everyday phone charging to running several demanding devices at once.

Phones

The Minimal Phone 2 looks dramatically better than the original, and I’m genuinely here for it

Plastic is out, metal is in, and Minimal Phone 2's renders suggest the digital detox phone concept finally has the hardware to match its ambition.

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

I've been following the Minimal Phone since its initial crowdfunding days. The first iteration had the right idea trapped inside the wrong body, I’d say. Plastic build, no 5G, an underwhelming camera, and e-paper ghosting that frustrated early adopters; all these issues kept the phone from reaching a wider audience.

Now, founder Armen Youssefian has posted what appears to be a 360-degree render of the Minimal Phone 2 on X, and from what I can see, the team has done its homework.