Amazon brings cash option for the unbanked to UK

Amazon has brought a service that lets people top up their accounts by handing over cash at the physical locations of partner retailers to the UK.

To use Amazon Top Up, shoppers visit the Amazon site or app and request a barcode that they can either receive via text message or print off.

The shoppers can then visit one of thousands of stores and petrol stations with PayPoint points and show the barcode to an employee, hand over cash, and have the funds added to their Amazon accounts within seconds.

The free service – which launched in the US in April – is aimed at people who may want to shop online but are unbanked and so have limited options beyond cash.