Amazon Amazon Prime rip-off Internet

OP says they were charged on their debit card. Terms state specifically no debit card allowed, only credit cards.

So how was the Prime membership charged successfully to begin with, if Amazon claims it wouldn't do so on a debit card?

Sounds like a screw-up on both ends, unless the card is really a credit, not a debit.

I just went to amazon, selected an item, selected amazon prime's free trial and shipping off just so I could see this screen you are talking about. When you sign up for amazon prime it says at the bottom that you agree to the terms and conditions. If you click the terms and conditions you can see what *YOU* agreed to.

Here I'll help:

"The annual membership fee for Prime is stated in the Prime section of our Help pages. For Amazon Student fees and renewal information, see applicable terms and conditions. From time to time, we may offer different membership terms, and the fees for such membership may vary. The Prime membership fee is non-refundable except as expressly set forth below. Taxes may apply on either or both of the membership fee and the reduced shipping charges for Prime.
Only credit cards are eligible for payment of your Prime membership. Do not sign up for Prime with a debit card. Also known as a "check" or "ATM" card, a debit card typically has the word "debit" printed on the face of the card. MasterCard uses a unique debit hologram above the MasterCard logo. Visa identifies its debit cards as check cards and prints the word debit above the Visa logo."

Notice that is says you must use a credit card for amazon prime. No other forms of payment are accepted. So if you had bothered to read what you were agreeing to, you would have seen that they do not accept gift cards.

Also:

" Membership Cancellation
We will refund your full membership fee if you cancel your Prime membership before you or your invitees have made any eligible purchases and before you have taken advantage of any Prime benefits, such as Prime instant videos or the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. You are not entitled to any refund if you cancel after you or your invitees have made any eligible purchases or after you have taken advantage of any Prime benefits. "

You also agreed to this when you clicked that box to accept the terms and conditions. Notice that since you placed your order with amazon prime you are ineligible for a refund.

No ripoff here. Just a consumer who did not read what they were agreeing to.