5 ms·

If only there were a way to stop the surprise billing once it starts. A friend created an AWS account with a new email address for a one-off side project, and

by eqmvii 5y ago

If only there were a way to stop the surprise billing once it starts. A friend created an AWS account with a new email address for a one-off side project, and wound up locked out of both the email account and the AWS account. But AWS has the credit card, so a 25 cent mystery charge appears every month. AWS support is completely useless despite years of attempts at escalation, and of course the credit card company can't stop the automatic payments. The "solution" from both AWS and the credit card company is to... dispute the charge every month. Forever.

laegooose 5y ago
That's a lot of worries about 3$ per year.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- Quikinterp 5y ago
  I think it's the premise rather than the cost that matters. I'd be scared that $3 turns into $300 or something
  - Ekaros 5y ago
    Or everyone starts doing it. That will quickly add up. Just think of revenue they could get from millions of users for providing no service at all...
nijave 5y ago
Report the card as stolen so it's reissued with a new number :)
- e9 5y ago
  I did that and next month new unapproved charge again. What happened is they auto updates stolen card with Postmates and then told me to contact Postmates but I don’t have account with them. I basically now have to cancel credit card every month. I’m just gonna have to figure out how to get new one.
  - pan69 5y ago
    This is because issuing a new card doesn't invalidate the digital token associated with your card. E.g. if you have something like Google Pay, issuing a new card, Google Pay will keep working even though your card details have changed. You need to contact your card provider and get them to delete/renew the digital token.
heavyset_go 5y ago
It's an absurd solution, but they can cancel the card and get a new one, and that will stop AWS from being able to bill them.
- ProAm 5y ago
  This is a good way to go to collections (at least in the US) and have your credit rating harmed. Probably not for .25c but everyone who says just to cancel a card to stop annoying bills is not a good answer.
  - heavyset_go 5y ago
    I've done exactly what I suggested and I've never had a bill sent to collections. YMMV, of course.
  - mindslight 5y ago
    In general you have a point (eg don't try to "cancel" your gym membership by using a throwaway card), but as long as you have the right to cancel the contract and you notify the business of such (eg certified mail, in the worst case), then you're in the clear. It sounds like AWS support had already been notified, so revoking the payment channel is totally applicable in this scenario.
- judge2020 5y ago
  Maybe, however Visa has "account updater" which is an API so that companies with saved payment methods can update them to a new number once the old expires or is replaced. They might need to close their bank account if the bank participates in this. https://developer.visa.com/capabilities/vau https://developer.visa.com/capabilities/vau
  - indymike 5y ago
    This feature can be turned off.
- ickyforce 5y ago
  My card expired and now I'm getting every month a notice that my AWS account is going to be suspended. It's been 2 years...
pan69 5y ago
I had a similar thing recently. As I understand it, AWS uses a digital token for your added a credit card. Contact your card provider to renew/rotate/delete the digital token that is attached to your card. That should stop charges. Doing that obviously might impact other services for which you use that card so you might need to re-add your card to those services.
- shampine 5y ago
  Generally tokenization is done by some vault or processor. I don't know how Amazon operates internally, due to their scale means it's probably all in house. But Visa does have token representations and they do also have visa account updater (which keeps visa/merchants in sync for saved instruments .. e.g. Netflix). I've never seen the token implemented, generally just some vault (Braintree, Spreedly, etc). And if you are typing in a 15/16 digit number it's likely being vaulted/tokenized but not by the issuer but by the merchant/processor.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
stephenhuey 5y ago
Stripe provides virtual cards so I use a separate one for each online service and can delete a card at a moment’s notice.

by eqmvii 5y ago

laegooose 5y ago

That's a lot of worries about 3$ per year.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Quikinterp 5y ago
I think it's the premise rather than the cost that matters. I'd be scared that $3 turns into $300 or something
- Ekaros 5y ago
  Or everyone starts doing it. That will quickly add up. Just think of revenue they could get from millions of users for providing no service at all...

nijave 5y ago

Report the card as stolen so it's reissued with a new number :)

e9 5y ago
I did that and next month new unapproved charge again. What happened is they auto updates stolen card with Postmates and then told me to contact Postmates but I don’t have account with them. I basically now have to cancel credit card every month. I’m just gonna have to figure out how to get new one.
- pan69 5y ago
  This is because issuing a new card doesn't invalidate the digital token associated with your card. E.g. if you have something like Google Pay, issuing a new card, Google Pay will keep working even though your card details have changed. You need to contact your card provider and get them to delete/renew the digital token.

heavyset_go 5y ago

It's an absurd solution, but they can cancel the card and get a new one, and that will stop AWS from being able to bill them.

ProAm 5y ago
This is a good way to go to collections (at least in the US) and have your credit rating harmed. Probably not for .25c but everyone who says just to cancel a card to stop annoying bills is not a good answer.
- heavyset_go 5y ago
  I've done exactly what I suggested and I've never had a bill sent to collections. YMMV, of course.
- mindslight 5y ago
  In general you have a point (eg don't try to "cancel" your gym membership by using a throwaway card), but as long as you have the right to cancel the contract and you notify the business of such (eg certified mail, in the worst case), then you're in the clear. It sounds like AWS support had already been notified, so revoking the payment channel is totally applicable in this scenario.
judge2020 5y ago
Maybe, however Visa has "account updater" which is an API so that companies with saved payment methods can update them to a new number once the old expires or is replaced. They might need to close their bank account if the bank participates in this. https://developer.visa.com/capabilities/vau https://developer.visa.com/capabilities/vau
- indymike 5y ago
  This feature can be turned off.
ickyforce 5y ago
My card expired and now I'm getting every month a notice that my AWS account is going to be suspended. It's been 2 years...

pan69 5y ago

I had a similar thing recently. As I understand it, AWS uses a digital token for your added a credit card. Contact your card provider to renew/rotate/delete the digital token that is attached to your card. That should stop charges. Doing that obviously might impact other services for which you use that card so you might need to re-add your card to those services.

shampine 5y ago
Generally tokenization is done by some vault or processor. I don't know how Amazon operates internally, due to their scale means it's probably all in house. But Visa does have token representations and they do also have visa account updater (which keeps visa/merchants in sync for saved instruments .. e.g. Netflix). I've never seen the token implemented, generally just some vault (Braintree, Spreedly, etc). And if you are typing in a 15/16 digit number it's likely being vaulted/tokenized but not by the issuer but by the merchant/processor.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

stephenhuey 5y ago

Stripe provides virtual cards so I use a separate one for each online service and can delete a card at a moment’s notice.