To make it easier for shoppers to pay with cash, Amazon PayCode is rolling out today in the United States. The option enables customers to select Amazon PayCode at checkout and pay in cash at one of 15,000 Western Union locations, according to an announcement.
“We’re constantly innovating to improve the shopping experience on behalf of our customers, and are proud to expand Amazon PayCode to customers in the U.S.,” Ben Volk, director, payments at Amazon, said in the announcement. “Customers have told us they love the convenience of paying in cash. Together with Western Union, we’re able to offer customers more shopping choices, enabling them to pay for their online purchases in a way that is convenient for them.”
With “Amazon PayCode,” shoppers choose the payment option at checkout to get an Amazon PayCode (QR code and a number) that is referenced when paying in cash at over 15,000 Western Union agent locations. Shoppers have 24 hours following the time that the order is placed to make a payment. If a return occurs, shoppers will get a cash refund at a participating Western Union agent location for orders made via Amazon PayCode once a return is received.
Western Union, Consumer Money Transfer President Khalid Fellahi said in the announcement, “As one of the world’s largest digital and physical money movers, we’re innovating our service to give customers more access and choice.” Fellahi continued, “We’re embracing the complexity of a world where cash and digital payments are likely to coexist far into the future. We are providing easy solutions for customers who want access to the convenience of online shopping but prefer to pay in-person.”
In separate news, Amazon Cash, which enables customers to load cash into their Amazon Balance for making online Amazon purchases, is now available in more than 100,000 cash-loading locations around the country. Amazon Cash lets shoppers visit participating locations to load between $5 and $500 in cash to their Amazon Balance, which they can then use to make future purchases in Amazon’s online store.