How to keep track of your Amazon spending?
Online shopping, particularly on platforms like Amazon, has become a daily routine for many. However, keeping track of spending can be challenging. Here, we explore various methods to monitor your Amazon expenditure, including credit card statement review, using a Chrome extension or examining digital wallets. Despite recent changes in data access policies by Amazon, there are still effective ways to manage your online spending.
Privacy protection initiative and its impact
In March 2023, Amazon eliminated the feature that allowed users to download their entire order history in a CSV file, which had been the default way to track their spending on the platform. Previously found under the Accounts settings page, the "Download Order Reports" feature provided a spreadsheet of your complete order history. Since 2019, Amazon has been restricting third-party access to shopping data as part of its privacy protection initiative, making it challenging to see how much you've spent.
Utilizing Chrome extension for spending tracking
Despite Amazon's restrictions, the Chrome extension "Amazon Order History Reporter" can access Amazon data. This extension can be installed from the Google extension store on any Chromium-based browser. After installation and logging into your Amazon account, simply click on the extension. Users can now select a date range to view and download a spreadsheet of their orders, providing a comprehensive view of multiple years' worth of purchases.
Digital wallets: An alternative for managing expenditure
Digital wallets offer another method to monitor Amazon spending. Nearly half of the adults use mobile or digital wallets like Google Wallet for payments. Google Wallet allows users to view their past month of spending with Amazon, and adjust date ranges to see monthly totals. Open the wallet, tap the search magnifying glass, enter 'Shopping,' and tap the Businesses tab in the search results to see the spending.
Monitoring via bank statements
For those who use a credit or debit card for all their Amazon shopping, bank statements can be a useful tool to track spending. Most banks allow customers to download statements from their website and sort them by date range and merchant. This method can provide an overview of your Amazon purchases over a specified period. Simply search for Amazon or sort alphabetically, and then add up your spending.
Manual tracking of Amazon spending: A last resort
When other methods are not feasible, Amazon spending can be manually tracked item-by-item using either the web or mobile app. Although this method is labor-intensive and less user-friendly on mobile devices, it can provide valuable insight into past purchases and potentially influence future shopping decisions.
Instructions for Business accounts
For those with an Amazon Business account, expenses can be tracked from the Settings menu. Amazon provides a detailed business analytics page where total spending by quarter can be checked. The platform also displays company spend by categories and annual spend comparison, offering a comprehensive view of business-related expenditures. Go to Amazon on the web, expand your account and select Business Analytics. Now check your 'Total spend,' or expand the 'Time Period' menu to check your previous expenses.
