An oddity in Amazon CC charges

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cathy63

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I was putting categories on my Amazon transactions in Quicken today, and I came across this interesting way that they processed my CC on a recent order.

I ordered 3 items:
Item 1 - $14.99 with a $3.00 lightning deal
Item 2 - $104.22
Item 3 - $32.00

Invoice totals:
Item(s) Subtotal: $151.21
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Lightning Deal: -$3.00
---
Total before tax: $148.21
Sales Tax: $10.56
Rewards Points: -$22.91
---
Total for This Shipment: $135.86

So far that's all good. Then I scroll to the bottom of the invoice and see this.

Credit Card Transactions:
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $23.56
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $65.83
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $46.47

Everything adds up and I was charged the correct amount in the end, but I am puzzled about why the would break this into 3 random amounts that don't even relate to the individual item prices. Everything I know about credit card processing says that doing this should actually cost them more than processing a single transaction. All 3 items shipped together and arrived in the same box.
 
I have this happen a lot on multiple items in an order, going back at least a year. I have to go back through the charges, figure out where they coincide with the items that are shipping and have shipped, then keep track in the end to make sure everything adds up correctly.

It's a PITA, but I'll take the bit of due diligence it requires for the price breaks.
 
cathy63 said:
I was putting categories on my Amazon transactions in Quicken today, and I came across this interesting way that they processed my CC on a recent order.

I ordered 3 items:
Item 1 - $14.99 with a $3.00 lightning deal
Item 2 - $104.22
Item 3 - $32.00

Invoice totals:
Item(s) Subtotal: $151.21
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Lightning Deal: -$3.00
---
Total before tax: $148.21
Sales Tax: $10.56
Rewards Points: -$22.91
---
Total for This Shipment: $135.86

So far that's all good. Then I scroll to the bottom of the invoice and see this.

Credit Card Transactions:
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $23.56
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $65.83
Amazon.com Visa Signature ending in xxxx: July 13, 2017: $46.47

Everything adds up and I was charged the correct amount in the end, but I am puzzled about why the would break this into 3 random amounts that don't even relate to the individual item prices. Everything I know about credit card processing says that doing this should actually cost them more than processing a single transaction. All 3 items shipped together and arrived in the same box.
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Because they were shipped separately, and they only charge your card when they ship something.
 
audreyh1 said:
Because they were shipped separately, and they only charge your card when they ship something.
Click to expand...

But look at the numbers more closely. What did they ship, part of item 2, and then item 1 and part of item 3, and so on?
 
It could be because of different sales tax rates?
I know on receipts in Illinois, food is separated from other items due to different sales tax rates from other items and some items are not taxed at all (magazines, newspapers).

Since the different amounts don't correspond to the items, this most likely is not it but it sounded good when I first started typing :)
 
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Being an Amazon branded card, I was sorta hoping that the CC records/statement would have the description of what I bought at Amazon. I guess that's asking too much. So I still have to go back and cross reference to validate. And yes, I've seen the same weirdness as OP with the amounts, which makes the validation a bit more time consuming.
 
I have had this happen as well. However it has always corresponded to how they ship, at least it has for me.

Note the OP says all items shipped together in same box, so that was apparently not the reason for the OP.

And yes, matching up items with CC charges is a pain. Cant beat the convenience of AMZN however. imagine the hassle of running around to brick and mortar places to get what we buy on AMZN, assuming one could even find it all in stock.
 
Retiired said:
It could be because of different sales tax rates?
I know on receipts in Illinois, food is separated from other items due to different sales tax rates from other items and some items are not taxed at all (magazines, newspapers).

Since the different amounts don't correspond to the items, this most likely is not it but it sounded good when I first started typing :)
Click to expand...

No, that's not it. These are computer accessories. Sales tax is the same percentage on everything.
 
Years ago Amazon included an invoice with the shipment, and then you had a handy record of the transaction. That ended around the time Amazon got sloppy and began mixing up the invoices. I sometimes got someone else's invoice with my shipment. At the Amazon site you can print your own invoice for previous orders.
 
mamadogmamacat said:
I have had this happen as well. However it has always corresponded to how they ship, at least it has for me.

Note the OP says all items shipped together in same box, so that was apparently not the reason for the OP.

And yes, matching up items with CC charges is a pain. Cant beat the convenience of AMZN however. imagine the hassle of running around to brick and mortar places to get what we buy on AMZN, assuming one could even find it all in stock.
Click to expand...

The credit card issuers have merchant agreements that prohibit most merchants from charging before a non-custom item is shipped. That's why if Amazon (or any other ecommerce system) splits an order and ships from multiple warehouses or on multiple dates you'll get one charge per shipment. When I saw three charges, I immediately thought that they charged the items separately; but then I looked at the amounts and couldn't make sense of why they would do this. I'm sure Amazon has some reason, but I doubt I'll ever know it.
 
Nope. Everything shipped together and arrived in a single box.

Also, if they had charged me for shipping items separately, the amounts charged would have matched the item prices (plus tax), which is definitely not the case here.
 
My hunch is that the items came initially from different suppliers even though they were shipped to you in one box. Unsure why that would matter unless it is an internal method of tracking the chargeback.
 
I just wish they'd break out the multiple charges at the time I place the order, so I know what to look for on my credit card statement.

I actually print out (to .pdf, not to paper) a copy of the invoice when I order, and it frequently doesn't match the charges. Very frustrating.

I'd be OK with charging the card when I order, rather than when it ships. I'm not going to pay until the due date anyway, and if there's a problem I can always dispute the charge later.
 
cathy63 said:
Nope. Everything shipped together and arrived in a single box.

Also, if they had charged me for shipping items separately, the amounts charged would have matched the item prices (plus tax), which is definitely not the case here.
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You could always email or chat with Amazon to determine the reason. I've found them to be very responsive.
 
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