By Waiting to get your money back for a return can be a frustrating process depending on the company you bought from. For some Amazon customers, that wait time appeared to have no end in sight until this spring. The e-commerce company has recently been issuing refunds for some purchases made as far back as 2018—catching many by surprise. Keep reading to learn more about these unexpected Amazon refunds, what it means for customers, and why the company’s refund policy is under fire.
Why are old Amazon refunds being issued?
The customers who have been receiving these unexpected refunds may be wondering why the money is just now being credited back to them. According to the company, it was due to a closer look at their finances.
“Following a recent internal review, we identified a very small subset of returns where we issued a refund without the payment completing, or where we could not verify that the correct item had been sent back to us so no refund was issued,” Amazon spokesperson Maxine Tagay shared in a statement sent to USA Today.
No further information was provided about why those refunds never cleared or why they were not sent in the proper timeline.
In most cases, items purchased on Amazon can be returned within 30 days of delivery. After that, you’re supposed to receive your refund within a specific time frame depending on what you’re getting back.
- 2-3 hours: Amazon.com Gift Card
- 3-5 business days: Credit Card
- Up to 5 business days: Shop with Rewards Points
- Up to 10 business days: Debit card, Checking account, EBT Card, Cash
- Up to 30 days: Prepaid credit card
However, Amazon does state on its website that the company may “require additional information and documentation (such as a government-issued photo identification) during the processing of a return to help determine whether to provide a refund/replacement.”
What impacted customers are saying about the Amazon refunds
Though Amazon has not revealed the total amount being sent or how many customers are receiving these overdue refunds, some people have spoken up online about their experiences.
“$1,798.81 is being credited to me today in 2025 after 7 years,” a LinkedIn user posted. “I’m probably not the only customer who has experienced this, but isn’t that crazy!? 7 years to pay out a return?”
A customer posted on X earlier this month that they received a refund that was four years late. The $417 purchase was initially made in April 2021.
Yet another person found themselves the recipient of another large Amazon reimbursement after the company’s internal review.
“Amazing, received over $1,000 in refunds for a few Amazon returns many years ago where there was a glitch of some kind in processing…” they posted on X.
While others have shared smaller amounts, most appear pleasantly surprised and confused by the out-of-the-blue refund.
What should Amazon customers do to get the refund?
Wondering if you’re one of the customers who should be getting an overdue refund? Amazon has said it will reach out to anyone impacted and issue the refunds automatically.
“There is no action required from customers to receive the refunds, and we have fixed the payment issue and made process changes to more promptly contact customers about unresolved returns going forward,” Tagay told The Verge.
Those same customers received emails from the company acknowledging the refund delay and any other must-know information about resolving the return. Since so much time has passed for many of these purchases, Amazon decided to just issue complete returns in support of the customers.
For help with other returns, you can use the online chat on the Amazon customer service page or call 1-888-280-4331 to speak to a representative.
Another issue being revealed with Amazon refunds
This isn’t the only problem the company has been encountering when it comes to returns. A class-action lawsuit has been filed in federal court that accused the company of failing to honor its return policies.
The filed complaint alleges that Amazon failed to issue due refunds to those who followed the 30-day return policy. In some cases, the company allegedly reversed instant refunds, meaning customers were still charged for items they no longer have.
The court has not yet certified the class, however, which is necessary before any other customers can be included in the suit. If this happens, anyone who returned an Amazon purchase on time (and in proper condition) but never got their money back could qualify for part of the payout.
