Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Amazon parts with Bill Me Later
On Dec. 30, 2008, Amazon.com informed its customers it was cutting off Bill Me Later as a payment option as of Dec. 31. The move was a result of eBay Inc.'s purchase of BML in October for $945 million.
Amazon's statement offered no explanation; it simply said, "Bill Me Later will no longer be accepted as a payment method on Amazon. However, all sales and orders processed with Bill Me Later prior to the sunset date will continue to be processed." More than 1,000 online stores, catalogs and travel sites currently offer BML as a payment method.
Amazon purchased 10 percent of BML in 2007 and launched it as a payment option on its site in July. When eBay announced it was acquiring BML in October, the company said that, while it could not speak for Amazon, it expected to continue to have a long relationship with Amazon.
"We think Bill Me Later provided a valuable service to shoppers on Amazon.com, and we would welcome the chance to work with Amazon.com in the future," said a BML spokesman. "And based on the change of control, Amazon exercised their right in deciding to discontinue offering us as a payments option."
In addition to its acquisition of BML, eBay said in October 2008 that it also expects to add the PayPal merchant services platform in 2009
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