With the holidays right around the corner, online shopping is in full swing. With time to order gifts dwindling, the need for a quick checkout process is high.
Luckily, adding to your cart and sending your order on its way is easier than ever nowadays, thanks in part to tools like PayPal checkout that pre-fill information for you.
Now, Amazon is entering the mix, debuting its new “Buy With Prime” payment feature just in time for stocking stuffing season.
[Related:Why You Should Start Your Holiday Shopping Early This Year]
What is Buy With Prime?
Amazon Buy With Prime is a new checkout product available for Prime members. Integrated with select retailers including Casely, Wyze, HydraLyte, Sherpani and Carbone, the Buy With Prime button enables you to checkout with the information already linked to their Amazon accounts, including your preferred delivery address and payment method.
Managing purchases outside of Amazon is a first for the company, but according to Jordan Gilberti, senior lead planner at the financial services company Facet, it’s a natural extension of their offerings.
“It feels like Amazon has been spreading through tentacles into every business under the sun these days. To those that have been paying attention, the new Buy With Prime program should come as no surprise,” Gilberti said in an email.
How Does Buy With Prime Differ from Similar ‘Pay Now’ Buttons?
Other payment services, including PayPal and Venmo, have offered similar expedited checkout buttons on select retailer sites for some time now. But according to Gilberti, Amazon’s Buy With Prime is a little different — and more extensive.
“Amazon has a much more vast infrastructure, and while Paypal/Venmo are more centered around making payments easier, Buy With Prime goes a step further with making the shipping, logistics of delivery and customer service more seamless as well,” Gilberti said.
[Related:Buy These 6 Things Early This Holiday Season]
All of these services can help pre-populate shipping and payment information. The biggest difference is that when you use Buy With Prime, Amazon takes over the delivery and return process for your product. That means you can liaise with Amazon customer service for any issues instead of going back to the original seller.
Will Buy With Prime Ease Your Holiday Shopping?
In many ways, Amazon Buy With Prime can make shopping online easier, especially if you visit multiple stores. Rather than you having to input the same shipping and payment information, the service pre-populates it for you. Perhaps the only downside is that right now, there is a limited number of retailers that participate in the program but as more retailers participate the program will expand.
“It could also make the delivery and customer service aspect of your purchase more seamless and in tune with what you are used to with Amazon,” Gilberti said.
On the flip side, consider if a faster checkout process could make it easier to indulge in impulse spending. Even though you can quickly add a product to your cart and have it on its way to you, take the time to ensure it is a purchase you can afford and actually want to make. Gilberti recommends leaving items in your cart for a day or two to mull them over.
[Read: Inside the Psychology of Overspending and How to Stop.]
“As online purchasing becomes more and more seamless, the importance of having a proper financial plan that steers your dollars towards the things you truly value becomes an essential part of your well-being,” he said.
Prioritize Information Security When Shopping Online
One important thing to remember when shopping online: Protecting your information is critical. You should always be careful when saving your payment and shipping information with any retailer, even one as large as Amazon. Make sure you trust both the payment service and the retailer you’re purchasing from before entering your personal data.
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What to Know About Amazon’s ‘Buy With Prime’ for Holiday Shopping originally appeared on usnews.com
