Bottom line: Amazon is clearly hoping to reach customers that typically prefer to shop at local brick-and-mortar stores or those who don't have bank accounts for whatever reason. Some of these same customers, however, may also not have a photo ID which is required by Western Union to pay for your order.
Amazon shoppers in the US can now place an order and pay for their purchase with cash, giving buyers even more options at checkout.
When checking out with Amazon PayCode, you'll receive a QR code and a number. Simply take these to one of 15,000 Western Union locations across the country within 24 hours of placing your order and you'll be able to pay for your purchase in cash. The service, which is already offered in 19 countries around the globe, incurs no additional fee.
In the event of a return, customers will be able to pick up a cash refund at Western Union once Amazon has received the item back.
Ben Volk, director of payments at Amazon, said customers have told them they love the convenience of paying in cash. While that may be true in some circumstances, it's hard to see how online purchases fall into that category. If anything, it's adding more friction to the buying process for the vast majority of shoppers.
Masthead credit: cash payment by Africa Studio