How Do I Use a Promotional Balance on Amazon?

Amazon shoppers have likely noticed the “Gift Cards & Promotional Balance” section on their account page. This refers to Amazon promotional balance – extra store credit in your Amazon account that can be used towards purchases. While similar to a gift card balance, promotional balance has some unique properties and rules compared to other Amazon account features.

To use a promotional balance on Amazon, add eligible items to your cart and proceed to checkout. The promotional balance is automatically applied to the total cost of eligible items in your cart. If the balance doesn’t cover the full amount, you’ll need to pay the remainder with another payment method. Note that promotional balances cannot be used for digital content, gift cards, Prime membership fees or third-party seller items not fulfilled by Amazon.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explain everything you need to know about accumulating, tracking, and redeeming your Amazon promotional balance. You’ll learn the various ways to earn balance through gift cards, promo codes and credits. We’ll cover how to monitor your balance activity and expiration dates, so no funds go to waste. You’ll also discover what purchases are eligible and ineligible when using promotional balance during checkout.

With this guide, Amazon customers can master the ins and outs of promotional balance. You’ll understand exactly how your Amazon account balance works and how to maximize the value of gift cards, promo codes and credits. Let’s dive into the specifics on how to earn, use and manage Amazon promotional funds over time. With the right insight, you can take full advantage of promotional offers to keep your Amazon purchases discounted or even free.

What is Amazon Promotional Balance?

Amazon promotional balance refers to the amount of store credit you have in your Amazon account that can be used to purchase items on Amazon. This balance accumulates from redeeming Amazon gift cards, applying promotional claim codes, or receiving account credits. 

Amazon promotional balance functions similarly to a gift card balance – it is a monetary credit tied to your Amazon account that can be applied towards purchases on Amazon.com. When you redeem gift cards or promotional codes, the amount gets added to your account as Amazon promotional balance. This balance sits in your account until you use it to pay for items.

When you add funds to your Amazon balance by redeeming gift cards or promotional codes, the amount gets credited to your account immediately. This balance amount reflects under the “Gift Cards & Promotional Balance” section on your Amazon account. When you place an order, your Amazon promotional balance is automatically applied if eligible items are in the cart. The order total gets deducted from your gift card/promotional balance first before charging any other payment method on file.

How Can You Accumulate Amazon Promotional Balance?

There are a few different ways you can add funds and grow your Amazon promotional balance over time. The main methods are through gift cards, promotional codes and account credits.

One of the most common ways to accumulate promotional balance is by redeeming Amazon gift cards. Both physical and digital Amazon gift cards have a claim code that can be entered on Amazon.com to add the gift card amount to your account balance. For physical cards, scratch off the silver area on the back to reveal the code. For digital cards, simply copy the gift card code provided. 

Once redeemed, the full gift card amount gets credited to your Amazon balance and can be used for future purchases. This provides a great way to accumulate balance over time as you receive Amazon gift cards through gifts, rewards programs or purchasing discounted gift cards.

Online shopping deals and promotions will often provide a limited time promotional code that can be redeemed on Amazon.com for account credit. These promotional codes are typically offered by Amazon directly, or by third-party partners and affiliates. 

When you redeem an eligible promo code, the offered amount gets instantly added to your Amazon promotional balance. For example, an Amazon promotion may provide a $10 off code that boosts your account balance by $10 when redeemed. Pay attention to the specific terms of each promotional offer for details on qualifying products and other conditions.

In some cases, Amazon may directly issue an account credit your promotional balance. This can occur if you return an item and receive a refund in the form of balance instead of cash back. It may also happen if you have a customer service issue that results in a courtesy credit from Amazon.

The main thing to understand is that various credits get lumped into your general Amazon promotional balance alongside gift cards and promo codes. So account credits provide another avenue to increase your overall balance.

How Can You Use Your Amazon Promotional Balance?

Once you have accumulated Amazon promotional balance in your account, using it is simple and automatic when you place eligible orders. There are also some limitations on what purchases balance can be applied to.

The main way to use promotional balance is purchasing physical products sold directly by Amazon. When checking out, the order total is automatically deducted from your gift card/promotional balance if you have enough funds. If the balance does not cover the full order, you just pay the remainder with another payment method.

Your Amazon promotional balance is always applied first before charging your connected payment method. This ensures you maximize the use of available balance before being charged out-of-pocket. There is no way to selectively use or not use promotional balance when placing an order.

While promotional balance can be used on most physical items sold on Amazon, there are some limitations:

• Balance cannot be used to purchase ebooks, digital movies, music or apps. Digital content must be paid for with a valid payment method.
• Balance cannot be used to purchase other gift cards or reload funds on Amazon accounts. 
• Balance cannot be used to pay for Prime membership fees.
• Balance cannot be applied to third-party seller items unless fulfilled by Amazon. 

So when shopping on Amazon, double check that the items in your cart are eligible to be paid for using promotional balance. Any purchases outside of physical goods shipped and sold by Amazon will require another form of payment.

How to Redeem an Amazon Promotional Code

Redeeming an Amazon promotional code or claim code is easy and adds the advertised credit to your account balance instantly. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

Steps to Redeem Amazon Promotional Code

1. Add an eligible item sold by Amazon to your shopping cart. Promotional codes only work on select Amazon-sold items.
2. Proceed to checkout until you reach the “Review your order” page.
3. Under payment method, locate the “Gift Cards & Promotional Codes” section.
4. Enter your promotional code and click “Apply”. Be sure to enter the code exactly as provided.
5. The promotional balance will now display under “Gift Cards & Promo Balance.” Complete checkout as usual.

Once redeemed at checkout, the promotional code balance immediately gets added to your Amazon account under “Gift cards and promotional balance”. This newly added amount will now be available to apply towards future purchases on Amazon.

The key things to remember are that promo codes must be entered precisely, can only be used once, and are tied to specific purchase terms and conditions. As long as you redeem at checkout on a qualifying order, the promotion balance will be credited as Amazon promotional balance.

How to Manage Your Amazon Promotional Balance

Your available Amazon promotional balance is displayed on your account, but you may want to actively track, manage and monitor your balance over time.

Your current promotional balance is always visible under “Gift cards & promotional balance” when signed into your Amazon account. However, to monitor your balance activity:

• View your Order History – This shows past orders where promotional balance was applied.
• Activate balance notifications – Enable notifications under Your Account > Manage Payment Settings to receive alerts when your balance changes.
• Gift card balance never expires. It remains valid until used.
• Promotional code credits typically expire within a short period, usually 30-90 days.
• Courtesy credits for refunds/returns expire after 180 days per Amazon policy.

Since different balance types expire at different times, you need to check the valid dates:

• Gift card balance – Remains active until fully redeemed
• Promotional codes – The expiration date is visible when you redeem the code
• Account credits – Can be viewed under Your Account > Gift cards & promotional balance. This section displays expiration dates for credits.

Set calendar alerts for any expiring promotional codes or courtesy credits to ensure you use them in time.

What Happens When Your Amazon Promotional Balance Expires?

If part of your Amazon promotional balance expires before use, here is what happens:

• Gift card balance never expires. However, promotional codes and account credits have set expiration timeframes.
• When promotional codes or credits expire, the funds are permanently forfeited. The expired amount is deducted from your account balance.
• You cannot recover or reinstate expired promotional balance. The funds are no longer valid or usable on Amazon.

To avoid losing promotional balance, be sure to:

• Use promotional codes immediately to get the value added to your balance.
• Note expiration dates for any promotional codes or courtesy credits.
• Set calendar reminders for expiring balances and use in time. 
• Track your balance activity and changes using your Order History and enabled notifications.
• If you cannot use expiring balance, consider gifting it to someone else to transfer the funds.

With promotional codes often expiring in 30-90 days, keep close tabs on your expirations dates and redemption windows. Monitor your Amazon balance activity regularly and use your credits responsibly to maximize the value of promotional offers.

Frequently Asked Questions