What is Amazon digital services? 2025 Guide for Shoppers & E-commerce Sellers

If you’ve ever seen a mysterious charge on your credit card labeled Amazon Digital Services and asked “what is Amazon digital service?”, you’re not alone. This label typically means you purchased or subscribed to digital content on Amazon. It could be a Kindle e-book, a streaming video rental, a new app, or a subscription like Kindle Unlimited. Put simply, if you ask “what is Amazon digital service?”, the answer is that it’s just Amazon’s term for these digital purchases.

What is Amazon digital service?

Amazon Digital Services is essentially Amazon’s platform for selling digital content. In practical terms, it covers any non-physical purchase on Amazon: e-books, music, videos, apps, games, and subscription services. For example, if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited or rent a movie, that fee will show up as Amazon Digital Services on your statement. The term itself isn’t a separate product – it’s an umbrella label

It overlaps with Amazon Prime since Prime includes digital benefits (Prime Video, Prime Music, etc.), but they aren’t the same. Prime is a paid membership bundle (shipping + streaming + other perks). By contrast, Amazon Digital Services refers to any digital goods or subscriptions you pay for, whether you’re a Prime member or not. (One source even describes Amazon Digital Services LLC as Amazon’s “digital media arm” offering Prime Video, Kindle Unlimited, and Amazon Music.)

Feature	Amazon Digital Services Charge	Amazon Prime
What it means	Charges for digital content purchases (ebooks, videos, apps, subscriptions)	Membership fee (shipping + streaming + deals)
Example	Buying a Kindle book or a Prime Video channel subscription	Paying $139/year (US) for Prime membership
Statement label	Often appears as “Amazon Digital Services” or AMZN DIGITAL	Appears as “Amazon Prime” or AMZN PRIME on statements
Cancelation	Cancel individual subscriptions or purchases to stop fees	Cancel your Prime membership in your account to end renewals

What is sold by Amazon Digital Services?

Amazon Digital Services encompasses all non-tangible items on Amazon. These include:

• E-books & Magazines (Kindle Store): Digital books and magazines read on Kindle devices or apps.
  
• Video Content: Prime Video movies, TV shows, and channel subscriptions (like HBO or Paramount+ added via Amazon).
  
• Music: Digital music tracks, albums, and streaming plans (Prime Music or Music Unlimited).
  
• Apps & Games: Mobile apps from the Amazon Appstore and in-app purchases.

• Cloud Storage: Amazon Drive cloud storage and Amazon Photos storage plans.
  
• Audiobooks: Audible audiobooks and Audible subscription plans.
  
• Digital Subscriptions: Services like Kindle Unlimited, Audible, and Amazon Kids+ (premium content subscriptions).
  
• Other Digital Content: Digital magazine subscriptions, software downloads, and gift cards delivered electronically.

In short, anything you buy on Amazon that downloads or streams (no shipping box needed) is covered by Amazon Digital Services. It’s helpful to check your Your Digital Orders or Memberships & Subscriptions page to see exactly what you’ve bought.

Why do I get charged for Amazon Digital Services?

Seeing an Amazon Digital Services charge means you (or someone on your account) bought or renewed a digital item. Common reasons include:

• Subscription Renewals: Monthly or annual fees for subscriptions (e.g. Kindle Unlimited, Music Unlimited, magazine or app subscriptions) auto-bill each period.
  
• Content Purchases: One-time purchases, like a Kindle e-book, movie rental, software download, or a Prime Video add-on channel.
  
• In-App Purchases: Buying virtual items within an Amazon Appstore app.

• Prime Add-ons: Subscribing to a Prime Video channel (HBO, Showtime, etc.) through Amazon.
  
• Family/Household Use: A family member’s purchase if they use your payment method.

For example, some customers noticed a “Digital Services” charge that turned out to be for a third-party channel (like Paramount+) on their Amazon account. In any case, the charge appears because Amazon doesn’t separately bill your credit card each time you use a purchased item – it just bills subscriptions or purchases when they happen, all under “Digital Services”.

Imaginative Tip: Treat your Amazon digital subscriptions like TV channels. If you’re no longer watching one, switch (cancel) it before the next billing cycle, and pick up a different show (service) you’ll enjoy.

How do I stop Amazon Digital Services charge?

To stop unwanted charges, cancel the relevant digital subscriptions or purchases on your account:

Log In to Your Amazon Account: Go to Account & Lists > Account.

Find Memberships & Subscriptions: Under Your Account, click Memberships & Subscriptions. (You may also check Your Digital Subscriptions or Manage Your Content and Devices.)

Cancel or Manage: Locate the service (Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Music, Prime Video channels, etc.) and click Manage Subscription or Cancel. Follow the prompts to cancel.

Verify: You should see a confirmation that the subscription will end. You won’t be billed again after the current period.

If you don’t see the subscription listed, double-check Digital Orders or Your Payments for one-click purchases. You can also disable 1-Click purchasing in Your Account settings to prevent accidental buys. Amazon requires cancellation before the next billing date to avoid the next fee. Once canceled, you may still use the service until the end of the paid term, but you won’t be charged afterward.

Where to find Amazon Digital Services charge

You can find details of these charges within Amazon:

• Your Payments (Transactions): Go to Account & Lists > Account > Your Payments > Transactions. You’ll see all charges (digital and physical) with dates and descriptions. This helps match the amount on your bank statement.
  
• Your Orders – Digital Orders: Check Your Orders and select Digital Orders to view ebooks, video purchases, and app downloads.

• Memberships & Subscriptions: This page lists active subscriptions; you can see which ones are billed monthly or yearly.
  
• Email Receipts: Amazon emails receipts for each purchase. Searching your email for “Amazon Digital Services” or the charge amount may show what it was for.

If something still doesn’t match, it might be a pending authorization. Amazon’s help suggests checking Digital Orders and payment methods if there’s a problem. You can also contact Amazon Customer Service with the transaction date and amount – they can trace the charge to the exact order or subscription.

Amazon Digital Services Fee (sellers)

For global sellers, there’s a separate concept: Amazon now charges a Digital Services Fee on cross-border sales to cover new digital-services taxes (DST) in countries like the UK, France, Canada, etc.. This is NOT the same as the buyer’s digital service charge. It’s a fee added to your selling account if you sell to those countries (generally, U.S. sellers selling in the U.S. won’t see it). It’s a seller-side tax issue, not a charge on a customer’s purchase.

If you sell internationally, tools like Wisersell can help manage multi-market complexities. Explore Wisersell’s homepage and Amazon integration page to streamline cross-border selling and tax compliance.

FAQs

What is Amazon digital service? A: It’s Amazon’s term for any digital content or subscription you buy on their platform. This includes e-books, music, videos, apps, and similar non-physical products.

Why does Amazon charge me under “Amazon Digital Services” instead of “Amazon Prime”? A: “Amazon Digital Services” is just a billing label for digital purchases. Your Prime membership fee shows as “Amazon Prime,” but extras (e-books, videos, etc.) are billed as Digital Services.

I didn’t make this charge – is it fraud? A: First, review Your Digital Orders and email receipts. It might have been an auto-renewal or family member’s purchase. If it truly wasn’t authorized, secure your account (change your password, enable two-factor authentication) and contact Amazon or your bank.

How do I unsubscribe from Amazon digital content? A: Go to Account > Memberships & Subscriptions (or Your Digital Subscriptions), find the service, and cancel it. You can also manage one-time purchases in Your Orders.

What if I see an “AMZN DIGITAL” charge on my bank statement? A: That’s an abbreviation for Amazon Digital Services. It indicates a purchase of digital content (sometimes from Amazon’s marketplace for digital goods). Check your Amazon account for recent digital orders or contact Support with the date/amount.

Are there taxes on Amazon digital services? A: Taxes vary by location. For example, Florida applies a communications tax on certain video rentals. Amazon applies sales tax or digital-services tax as required by law in each state or country.

How can international sellers avoid surprises with these fees? A: If you sell globally, tools like Wisersell can help calculate and include extra fees (like the DST mentioned above) in your pricing. Wisersell’s platform integrates with Amazon to handle cross-border taxes and fees automatically.