Learn About Amazon Account Security Updates

Understanding Your Amazon Account Password and Authentication

Your Amazon account password serves as the first line of defense against unauthorized access. Creating and maintaining a strong password is one of the most fundamental steps you can take to protect your account. Amazon passwords should contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. A strong password typically contains at least 8 characters, though longer passwords offer additional protection. Avoid using information that can be easily guessed, such as birthdays, names of family members, or sequential numbers.

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Amazon allows you to change your password at any time through your account settings. To do this, you navigate to your account menu, select "Login & security," and choose "Edit password." You'll need to enter your current password before creating a new one. Many security experts recommend changing your password periodically—every three to six months—as a preventive measure. This practice becomes especially important if you've shared your password with someone else, used the same password on multiple websites, or suspect any unusual account activity.

Beyond passwords, Amazon offers two-factor authentication (2FA), a security feature that requires a second form of verification when logging in. This second factor can be a code sent to your phone via SMS text message, generated by an authenticator app, or provided through other verification methods. Even if someone obtains your password, they cannot access your account without this second authentication factor. Setting up 2FA involves going to your account settings, selecting "Login & security," and choosing "Two-Step Verification" to add an additional verification method to your account.

Login alerts provide another layer of security awareness. When you enable login notifications, Amazon sends you alerts whenever someone logs into your account from an unrecognized device or location. These alerts typically arrive via email or text message, depending on your preferences. By receiving these notifications, you can quickly identify if someone has gained unauthorized access and take corrective action. You can review and manage these notification preferences in your account settings under "Login & security," where you'll find options to choose which devices and locations should trigger alerts.

Practical takeaway: Create a strong password unique to Amazon, enable two-factor authentication using an authenticator app or phone number, and turn on login alerts to monitor account access. Review and update these settings at least twice per year or whenever you suspect unusual activity.

Managing Your Personal and Browsing Information

Amazon collects various types of information about your account activity, including your search history, items you've viewed but not purchased, categories you browse frequently, and patterns in your shopping behavior. This information helps Amazon provide product recommendations and personalized shopping experiences. However, you have options to control how much of this data is collected and stored. Understanding these privacy controls allows you to decide what information you want Amazon to retain about your online behavior.

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Your Alexa and Amazon shopping history tracks every item you've searched for, viewed, or asked Alexa about. Amazon maintains this history to provide recommendations and to help you quickly find items you've previously considered. You can view your entire shopping history by navigating to "Returns, orders & settings" and then "Your orders." From there, you can remove individual items from your history or clear your entire search history. Removing items from your history doesn't prevent you from purchasing them again; it simply tells Amazon not to use that information for future recommendations.

Amazon Alexa devices collect voice recordings of your commands and queries. These recordings are stored in your Alexa app history. You can listen to these recordings, delete them individually, or delete your entire voice history through the Alexa app settings. Some users choose to regularly delete voice history as a privacy practice. Additionally, you can manage Alexa's microphone and camera settings on individual devices, turning off recording capabilities when you're not using voice commands.

Amazon also allows you to adjust advertising preferences. When you visit Amazon.com or other websites, Amazon tracks your browsing patterns to show you targeted advertisements. You can modify these advertising preferences in your account settings under "Ads & shopping preferences." Here, you can view categories Amazon thinks you're interested in and remove any categories you don't want to see advertised. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising, though you'll still see advertisements—they simply won't be tailored to your specific interests.

When you use Amazon Prime Video, the platform collects information about which shows and movies you watch, pause, or skip. This information helps Prime Video suggest content you might enjoy. You can manage your watch history and remove specific titles or clear your entire viewing history. This doesn't delete shows you've actually purchased, only the record that you watched them.

Practical takeaway: Regularly review your shopping history, voice history if you use Alexa devices, and watch history for Prime Video. Adjust your advertising preferences to limit interest-based ads, and delete information you don't want Amazon using for recommendations or personalization. These actions can be completed quarterly as part of your account maintenance routine.

Updating Payment Methods and Billing Information

Your payment method is central to your Amazon account, as it's used for every purchase you make. Amazon accepts various forms of payment, including credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, and Amazon gift cards. Over time, credit card expiration dates change, you might switch banks, or you may want to use a different payment method for security reasons. Amazon allows you to add multiple payment methods to your account and designate which one is your default for purchases.

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To add a new payment method, you navigate to "Your Account," select "Your payments," and choose "Add a payment method." You'll enter the card or payment information, including the cardholder name, card number, expiration date, and security code. Amazon uses encryption technology to protect this information during transmission and storage. Once added, you can use this payment method for any purchase, and you can set it as your default payment method so future purchases automatically use this card unless you select a different one at checkout.

Removing an expired card or a payment method you no longer use is straightforward. In your "Your payments" section, you'll see all saved payment methods. You can delete any payment method you're no longer using. However, you must keep at least one valid payment method on your account if you want to continue making purchases. If you've used a specific payment method for recurring subscriptions (such as Amazon Prime or Prime Video), removing that card might affect those subscriptions unless you update the subscription to use a different payment method.

Your billing address is the address associated with your payment method. This address appears on your credit card statement and must match the address your bank has on file. Amazon verifies that your billing address matches your payment method information as a fraud prevention measure. If you move or change your billing address, update this information in your account settings under "Your Account" and then "Your addresses." You can edit your existing billing address or add a new one. It's important to keep this information current to avoid payment processing issues.

Amazon also allows you to view your billing history and account statements. You can access invoices and order receipts through your account, which show the payment method used, the amount charged, and the date of the transaction. These records are maintained for your reference and can be downloaded or printed as needed. If you notice any unauthorized charges or billing errors, you can report these through your account settings, and Amazon will investigate the matter.

Practical takeaway: Review your saved payment methods every six months, removing any expired cards or methods you no longer use. Ensure your billing address matches your current financial institution's records, and download or print your billing statements annually for your records. If you notice unfamiliar charges, report them to Amazon immediately through your account dashboard.

Managing Devices and Connected Applications

Amazon accounts can be accessed from multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and smart home devices. Each device that connects to your account is tracked and logged in Amazon's security settings. This information allows you to see which devices are currently using your account and gives you the ability to remove access from any device you no longer use or don't recognize. If you've lent a device to someone, sold an older device, or suspect unauthorized access, you can remotely log out of that device without needing the device itself.

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To view your connected devices, you access your "Login & security" settings and look for a section called "Devices" or "Recognized devices." This list displays all devices that have logged into your account, along with information about the device type, the approximate location of the last login, and the date of last activity. If you see a device you don't recognize, you can select it and choose to remove or deregister it. Removing a device prevents it from accessing your account unless it logs in again with your correct credentials.

When you install the Amazon shopping app on your phone