The hidden cost of online shopping 'free' postage!

If you've spotted a £47.97 charge or similar on your bank statement or credit card bill with the words "Prime Member Fee" next to it and don't know where it's from, then it's likely you've inadvertently signed up for online retailer's paid service such as Amazon's One Month free trial of Amazon Prime.

Check back to see if you bought something from Amazon in the months prior to the charge. If at the time you ticked to get "free" delivery then by doing so you were taking up the free trial. If you're unsure check your past emails, you should have received reminder emails letting you know the trial was ending and how to cancel if you wished.

Once the month's up the annual fee is £47.98 so that sum will have been taken from your account. To ensure you don't pay a penny you need to cancel the service. 

Provided you or any registered guests on the membership haven't made any eligible purchases then you can cancel at any time once the trial's finished and the full amount will be refunded.

To cancel, the quickest and easiest way is to go to the "Prime Settings" section of your Amazon account page and click the "Cancel membership" button. If you'd prefer to speak to someone in person to do it you can call Amazon's freephone customer service number on 0800 496 1081.

The refund should be in your account within two days.

If you're still within the trial period and want to cancel just click the "do not upgrade" button in your account's Prime Settings.

Read the full independant advice at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/