What you need to know
- Amazon now lets Prime members send gifts to people they care about using only their email address or mobile number.
- The new feature is currently available only on Amazon's mobile app, with millions of products eligible to gift.
- Only Prime members in the United States can access the new capability for now.
Alongside its early Black Friday deals announcement, Amazon is making it super easy to send gifts to family and friends. The online retail giant has announced a new way for Amazon Prime members to gift someone using only their phone number or email address.
The new method supercharges Amazon's existing capability for sending gifts. This means Prime customers don't need to enter a long line of delivery address upon checkout just to have their gifts shipped to the recipients. The process is a piece of cake if they already have their phone number or email address.
To get started, simply use Amazon's mobile app to shop as usual. According to the company, millions of products are available for gifting. After adding an item to your cart, check the "add a gift receipt for easy returns" box and proceed to checkout. Then, you must select "allow the recipient to provide their address."
Finally, enter their email address or phone number to finish the process. If the recipient also has an Amazon account, an email or text message will be sent to them. They can choose to receive the gift by providing their shipping address, or they can exchange the item for a gift card instead. Otherwise, they have the option to decline the gift entirely.
When recipients accept the gift, Amazon's mobile app adds a fun animation of virtually opening it. For the time being, the feature is available only to Prime members in the United States and works only on mobile devices, including some of the best Android phones.
Of course, you can always gift your friends even if you don't have a Prime subscription as long as you know their complete address. However, the new feature has an added convenience of using readily available information to complete the checkout process, and it comes in handy for those times when you suddenly realize you don't actually know their shipping address or simply forgot it.
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