Using Whispernet w/o a credit card

SteGar · 03-31-2009, 01:23 PM

Hi guys,

I am looking into getting myself the Kindle 2 even though I am not a US resident. I have posted before in a different thread that I will do this with a US Amazon account and that I will use gift certificates to purchase books and/or subscriptions and use the usb cable to download to the Kindle. This part is pretty much taken care of.

The beauty is that I have to travel to the US about 6 to 8 times a year and while there I will try to benefit from the Whispernet functionality. This being said, when I do this, will I be able to charge any purchase to my Amazon account (evidently the one to which the Kindle will be registered with) in which there will be a positive balance (i.e. before I leave for the US I will drop 50$ in the account).

Does the Kindle store ask you how you want to pay when you make a purchase (i.e. a question like : do you want to charge this to your credit card on record or to your account ?).

I ask because I am aware of the whole "one click" function when you buy from Amazon.

Anyone can shed some light on this rather simple (yet very long...sorry..) query.

Stegar

Elsi · 03-31-2009, 01:27 PM

All Kindle purchases *must* be funded with your 1-click settings. If you have a balance (from a gift certificate) on the account, your purchase price will be deducted from that balance. If you do not have a GC balance, the purchase price will be charged to the credit card you have identified as your 1-click funding source. You are *not* prompted to choose how you want to pay for your purchase.

SteGar · 03-31-2009, 03:54 PM

Since the account will not have a credit card attached to it, it will automatically go to the gift certificate account. That's excellent !

I just need to maintain a sufficient balance, which shouldn't be too difficult. Perfect !

Thanks a lot Elsi.

susan_cassidy · 03-31-2009, 06:45 PM

I think you have to have a credit card as backup. On the Kindle Support page, it says: "To successfully purchase digital content from the Amazon Kindle Store, the 1-Click payment method listed on the Manage Your Kindle page must be a credit or debit card issued by a U.S. Bank with a U.S. billing address."

SteGar · 03-31-2009, 09:03 PM

Thanks for the post.

I guess I'll see when I register, but I have read a few forums on the issue and more than one was mentioning that you can work around the US issued credit card. In one case it was said that you could opt out of the1 click, but I am not sure that's if it isn't only for the shopping through Amazon.com.

I appreciate the input and will investigate more !!

Mike L · 04-06-2009, 08:50 AM

Susan,

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

On the Kindle Support page, it says: "To successfully purchase digital content from the Amazon Kindle Store, the 1-Click payment method listed on the Manage Your Kindle page must be a credit or debit card issued by a U.S. Bank with a U.S. billing address."

That's not in line with my experience.

I have a debit card listed against my 1-Click settings, but the address to which the card is registered is not a US address. I do have a US address as my default 1-Click address, but that is not the same as the debit card address.

I purchase content via 1-Click using the positive balance on my gift card account.

SteGar · 04-06-2009, 01:15 PM

Great input Mike.

When you say a debit card, you mean a bank card that you use with a PIN and that deduct the attached account automatically (we have this here in Canada and it is called Interac).

So you put that card number when you registered for the 1click payment method, but you if you are outside of the US (and I see that you live in Edinburg) you must purchase uniquely from the amazon.com site (i.e. not with whispernet). I agree with you that when you purchase from the internet you can avoid the 1click process.

What I want to do is use whispernet when I am in the US (i.e. 6 to 8 times a year). Then I fear that I might not be able to get it to withdraw from my GC account...

Have you tried through your kindle while in the US ?

Thanks !

Mike L · 04-07-2009, 09:43 AM

Hi SteGar,

Firstly ... yes, the debit card is a bank card that immediately debits from your bank account (as opposed to a credit card, where you pay monthly or whatever). But I don't think there's any significant difference between a debit and a credit card as far as purchasing from Amazon is concerned.

To be honest, I don't remember whether I entered the card number before or after I registered for 1-Click. I do remember that I was obliged to enter an address for 1-Click, but I think it accepted the 1-Click registration before I entered the card number (not sure about that).

You can enter any address, in any country, and you can enter as many as addresses you like, but only one of them gets assigned to 1-Click. When you try to purchase an e-book via 1-Click, at that point it checks the country and denies the purchase of the 1-Click address is non-US.

You're right that I have to purchase via the Internet (because I'm outside Whispernet range), but I disagree when you say I can avoid the 1-Click process. When buying Kindle books on the Amazon web site, 1-Click is the only option. (Is that your experience too?)

I don't think you'll have any problem with buying Kindle books when you're in the States. If you have a gift card balance, it will use that balance without asking you. As far as I can see, that works the same both on the Internet and Whispernet.

I haven't tried using my Kindle in the US, but will no doubt do so at some point. I'll report back.

One issue I've noticed is that, although I registered the Kindle via the Amazon website, the Kindle itself doesn't know it's registered to me (which is obvious really, as it has no way of communicating with the rest of the world). I'm assuming I'll be able to fix that next time I'm in the US.

SteGar · 04-07-2009, 10:11 PM

Mike thanks for the post.

FYI when you are in your Amazon account, go to your settings, you have the 1click section. Go to the top right part of this section and you can turn the 1click off.

In any event, I should get my kindle this week... can't wait !

Elsi · 04-07-2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteGar

Mike thanks for the post.

FYI when you are in your Amazon account, go to your settings, you have the 1click section. Go to the top right part of this section and you can turn the 1click off.

In any event, I should get my kindle this week... can't wait !

While you can turn 1-Click off for normal, non-Kindle purchases, there is no alternative to 1-Click for Kindle purchases. I have 1-click turned off and when viewing normal (non-digital) products, there's a button on the page saying "Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering." But when I view Kindle books, I see the "Buy now with 1-Click" button in orange on the page.

SteGar · 04-08-2009, 01:49 PM

Thanks Elsi.

But did you input a credit card when you registered with the 1click payment and if so, how does it go to your account balance without going to the credit card for payment?? Does it go there if there is a balance in your Amazon account ??

Obviously I seem to be pushing this think a little bit far, but since I am non-US resident, I want to measure the pros and cons of buying the Kindle. This whole issue of the US bank issued credit card and the 1click falls in the cons categorie and I need to be sure that I will be able to buy ebooks and magazines without having too much trouble.

Thank you for helping out !

Mike L · 04-08-2009, 02:14 PM

SteGar,

I understand your caution. I can only say that I went through the same worries. But I decided to go ahead with getting a Kindle, and am delighted I did. It was a bit of a hassle to deal with the obstacles, but you soon get past them.

The main points to keep in mind:

If you buy the device through a third-party, make sure they deregister it before the send it to you.
You'll need a US address to purchase content for the Kindle, but you'll never need to use that address to receive physical merchandise.
You won't need a US credit card if you use gift vouchers to pay for your Kindle content.

Mike

Elsi · 04-09-2009, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteGar

But did you input a credit card when you registered with the 1click payment and if so, how does it go to your account balance without going to the credit card for payment?? Does it go there if there is a balance in your Amazon account ??

Obviously I seem to be pushing this think a little bit far, but since I am non-US resident, I want to measure the pros and cons of buying the Kindle. This whole issue of the US bank issued credit card and the 1click falls in the cons categorie and I need to be sure that I will be able to buy ebooks and magazines without having too much trouble.

Yes -- my 1-Click settings contain a credit card. However, even though I have purchased over 40 ebooks, 2 pounds of licorice, and 5 paper books since 1 January, there have been no charges made to my card. I received a gift card in December and applied it to my account. All my 1-Click purchases come from the positive balance on my account (funded by the gift card) and for regular purchases, I can choose to have the funds deducted from the gift card balance or charged to a credit card.

I have read differing accounts on whether or not you must have a credit card on a US Bank. I do know that your shipping address in your 1-Click settings must be a US address. You might look in the other threads where people from outside the US talk about their own experiences -- you can ask them directly how they set up their account.

SteGar · 04-09-2009, 09:22 PM

thanks both of you.

I just placed the order... and you are right Elsi. As long as there is a balance in your account, the payment is taken from there automatically.

And don't worry, I had it delivered to my sister in law who lives in the States. She visiting next week, so only one week to wait !

Keep you all posted !

pking36330 · 04-09-2009, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elsi

...even though I have purchased over 40 ebooks, 2 pounds of licorice, and 5 paper books since 1 January, there have been no charges made to my card. I received a gift card in December ...

Wow, what a Gift Card! I'd say you won at that Dirty Santa party. Say...you're the one that wins a door-prize at EVERY event you go to aren't you. I didn't know they made gift cards that BIG. Don't tell my kids!

03-31-2009, 01:23 PM	#1
SteGar Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 174 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Kindle 2	Using Whispernet w/o a credit card Hi guys, I am looking into getting myself the Kindle 2 even though I am not a US resident. I have posted before in a different thread that I will do this with a US Amazon account and that I will use gift certificates to purchase books and/or subscriptions and use the usb cable to download to the Kindle. This part is pretty much taken care of. The beauty is that I have to travel to the US about 6 to 8 times a year and while there I will try to benefit from the Whispernet functionality. This being said, when I do this, will I be able to charge any purchase to my Amazon account (evidently the one to which the Kindle will be registered with) in which there will be a positive balance (i.e. before I leave for the US I will drop 50$ in the account). Does the Kindle store ask you how you want to pay when you make a purchase (i.e. a question like : do you want to charge this to your credit card on record or to your account ?). I ask because I am aware of the whole "one click" function when you buy from Amazon. Anyone can shed some light on this rather simple (yet very long...sorry..) query. Stegar

04-08-2009, 02:14 PM	#12
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	SteGar, I understand your caution. I can only say that I went through the same worries. But I decided to go ahead with getting a Kindle, and am delighted I did. It was a bit of a hassle to deal with the obstacles, but you soon get past them. The main points to keep in mind: If you buy the device through a third-party, make sure they deregister it before the send it to you. You'll need a US address to purchase content for the Kindle, but you'll never need to use that address to receive physical merchandise. You won't need a US credit card if you use gift vouchers to pay for your Kindle content. Mike

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03-31-2009, 01:27 PM	#2
Elsi Wizard Posts: 2,366 Karma: 12000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas, USA Device: Kindle; Sony PRS 505; Blackberry 8700C	All Kindle purchases must be funded with your 1-click settings. If you have a balance (from a gift certificate) on the account, your purchase price will be deducted from that balance. If you do not have a GC balance, the purchase price will be charged to the credit card you have identified as your 1-click funding source. You are not prompted to choose how you want to pay for your purchase.

03-31-2009, 03:54 PM	#3
SteGar Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 174 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Kindle 2	Since the account will not have a credit card attached to it, it will automatically go to the gift certificate account. That's excellent ! I just need to maintain a sufficient balance, which shouldn't be too difficult. Perfect ! Thanks a lot Elsi.

03-31-2009, 06:45 PM	#4
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	I think you have to have a credit card as backup. On the Kindle Support page, it says: "To successfully purchase digital content from the Amazon Kindle Store, the 1-Click payment method listed on the Manage Your Kindle page must be a credit or debit card issued by a U.S. Bank with a U.S. billing address."

03-31-2009, 09:03 PM	#5
SteGar Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 174 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Kindle 2	Thanks for the post. I guess I'll see when I register, but I have read a few forums on the issue and more than one was mentioning that you can work around the US issued credit card. In one case it was said that you could opt out of the1 click, but I am not sure that's if it isn't only for the shopping through Amazon.com. I appreciate the input and will investigate more !!

04-06-2009, 01:15 PM	#7
SteGar Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 174 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Kindle 2	Great input Mike. When you say a debit card, you mean a bank card that you use with a PIN and that deduct the attached account automatically (we have this here in Canada and it is called Interac). So you put that card number when you registered for the 1click payment method, but you if you are outside of the US (and I see that you live in Edinburg) you must purchase uniquely from the amazon.com site (i.e. not with whispernet). I agree with you that when you purchase from the internet you can avoid the 1click process. What I want to do is use whispernet when I am in the US (i.e. 6 to 8 times a year). Then I fear that I might not be able to get it to withdraw from my GC account... Have you tried through your kindle while in the US ? Thanks !

04-07-2009, 09:43 AM	#8
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	Hi SteGar, Firstly ... yes, the debit card is a bank card that immediately debits from your bank account (as opposed to a credit card, where you pay monthly or whatever). But I don't think there's any significant difference between a debit and a credit card as far as purchasing from Amazon is concerned. To be honest, I don't remember whether I entered the card number before or after I registered for 1-Click. I do remember that I was obliged to enter an address for 1-Click, but I think it accepted the 1-Click registration before I entered the card number (not sure about that). You can enter any address, in any country, and you can enter as many as addresses you like, but only one of them gets assigned to 1-Click. When you try to purchase an e-book via 1-Click, at that point it checks the country and denies the purchase of the 1-Click address is non-US. You're right that I have to purchase via the Internet (because I'm outside Whispernet range), but I disagree when you say I can avoid the 1-Click process. When buying Kindle books on the Amazon web site, 1-Click is the only option. (Is that your experience too?) I don't think you'll have any problem with buying Kindle books when you're in the States. If you have a gift card balance, it will use that balance without asking you. As far as I can see, that works the same both on the Internet and Whispernet. I haven't tried using my Kindle in the US, but will no doubt do so at some point. I'll report back. One issue I've noticed is that, although I registered the Kindle via the Amazon website, the Kindle itself doesn't know it's registered to me (which is obvious really, as it has no way of communicating with the rest of the world). I'm assuming I'll be able to fix that next time I'm in the US.

04-07-2009, 10:11 PM	#9
SteGar Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 174 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Kindle 2	Mike thanks for the post. FYI when you are in your Amazon account, go to your settings, you have the 1click section. Go to the top right part of this section and you can turn the 1click off. In any event, I should get my kindle this week... can't wait !

04-08-2009, 01:49 PM	#11
SteGar Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 174 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Kindle 2	Thanks Elsi. But did you input a credit card when you registered with the 1click payment and if so, how does it go to your account balance without going to the credit card for payment?? Does it go there if there is a balance in your Amazon account ?? Obviously I seem to be pushing this think a little bit far, but since I am non-US resident, I want to measure the pros and cons of buying the Kindle. This whole issue of the US bank issued credit card and the 1click falls in the cons categorie and I need to be sure that I will be able to buy ebooks and magazines without having too much trouble. Thank you for helping out !

04-09-2009, 09:22 PM	#14
SteGar Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 174 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Kindle 2	thanks both of you. I just placed the order... and you are right Elsi. As long as there is a balance in your account, the payment is taken from there automatically. And don't worry, I had it delivered to my sister in law who lives in the States. She visiting next week, so only one week to wait ! Keep you all posted !

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