Prime Paycode
Enabled cash-paying customers in Mexico to access Prime by designing Paycode flows that bridged offline payments with recurring digital subscriptions.
Organization
Amazon - Prime
Team
UX Designer
Product Manager
Technical Product Manager
Software Developer Engineer
UX Researcher
Role
UX Designer
Timeline
10-18 Months (segmented)
The Customer Problem
In cash-preferred markets, many non-Prime customers couldn’t join because they lacked access to traditional payment methods. They needed a simple, familiar way to pay with cash or local financial apps. Once enrolled, they also expected a clear and consistent experience to renew, update, or cancel their membership without confusion or extra steps.
Project Context
Prior to this project, Amazon had already implemented several alternative payment methods beyond standard digital card transactions. For example, a system called PayCode was used, allowing customers to pay for purchases using cash at participating retail locations or financial services such as Western Union.
Cash for Prime leverages the same underlying technology as PayCode and offers a similar customer experience. This alignment helps ensure a consistent and seamless process for customers when signing up for or renewing their Prime membership.
Design Process
Discovery & Contextual Research
Part of the discovery process was familiarizing myself with existing Paycode (and Pix) experience and the flows that have been defined by the Checkout and Payment teams at Amazon. I had to also conduct further research into the difference in Prime experience Amazon Mexico (and Amazon Brazil) as different marketplaces have different frameworks, programs, and benefits. This meant asking my product partners and international point of contacts a number of questions to better understand the any limitation or nuances that needed to be taken into consideration for the payment experience.
Global Quantitative Research
To better define the customer experience for cash-preferred users, our research team partnered with the product team to conduct international studies focused on exploring alternative financial and payment solutions for both Prime and non-Prime members. This initiative was carried out as a parallel effort, allowing design work to continue uninterrupted while research provided critical insights to inform future product decisions.
Customer Journey
The project was structured into multiple phases, from P0 to P2. During the early P0 and P1 stages, our focus was on defining the end-to-end customer experience, including acquisition, renewal, and membership extension. Cancellation and account management parameters were still under development by the product and engineering teams. These initial phases primarily addressed the early to mid stages of the Prime member lifecycle.
Acquisition
The acquisition phase centered on guiding customers through the Prime sign-up process, tailored to different customer segments and how they might pay for Prime using cash or another payment application.
Renewal
The renewal experience was designed to support cash-preferred customers by enabling them to make periodic membership payments either in-store using cash or through localized financial applications.
Extension
Extension introduced a new customer experience tailored for cash-preferred customers, allowing them to make prepayments toward their Prime membership. This approach helped reduce the need for multiple periodic cash transactions, offering greater convenience and flexibility.
Storyboard
To communicate the physical experience clearly to our leaders and partners, my UX Manager and I created a storyboard that illustrated the customer journey—from initial discovery and sign-up, to in-store payment and becoming a Prime member. We later repurposed this same storyboard framework to map out the renewal experience, incorporating key touchpoints such as notifications and the pending period between code generation and payment.
Customer Segments
Customer acquisition is segmented based on the type of sign-up offer and the specific touchpoint through which the customer initiates their Prime membership.
Each customer type had unique needs and required a tailored journey and experience to address specific nuances.
Checkout- Free Trial
A customer at checkout who is eligible for a free 30-day trial is presented with the opportunity to sign up for Prime at no initial cost.
Checkout - Hard Offer
A customer at checkout that is offered the opportunity to sign up for Prime but isn’t eligible for a free trial offer.
Prime page - Free Trial
A customer visiting the Prime landing page who is eligible for a 30-day free trial is presented with the option to sign up for Prime immediately.
Prime page - Hard Offer
A customer visiting the Prime landing page who is not eligible for a free trial is presented with standard membership sign-up options.
User Flow
As part of my design process, I create user flow diagrams to map out the customer journey. This helps visualize the various interaction paths and touchpoints, identify key decision moments, and uncover edge cases or potential return loops that may require additional design consideration.
Studies?
Due to a tight timeline and the logistical complexity of conducting usability studies in international markets, particularly with cash-preferred customers, we were unable to perform usability testing prior to development. As a result, we prioritized development and launching a functional MVP and planned for additional ideation and refinement post-launch, informed by data gathered through acquisition channels and Weblab experiments.
Wireframes
Once a define flow and journey were created, I drafted up some lo-fi wireframes that outline the mobile experience during the acquisition, and renewal stages. A number of rounds of ideations occurred with the PM and TPM as we identified specific tech challenges and delta customer scenarios. We additionally had to push out some experiences to later stages to meet our development timelines.
Challenges
We recognized that customers could generate a barcode but might delay their visit to a store to complete payment. This introduced complexity around timing, grace periods, and membership status. To address this, we outlined multiple scenarios covering when barcodes would be issued (e.g., three days prior, on the due date) and what would happen if a customer missed the payment window, including a three-day grace period.
Other Challenges
Fraud Prevention
To prevent abuse of free trials when using cash payments, we introduced an additional layer of customer verification during the Prime sign-up process, prior to generating a barcode.
Changing Plans
In Phase 0, we encountered billing challenges, particularly around crediting customers or adjusting their plans mid-cycle. To address this, we introduced credit and advance stacking mechanisms as part of our Phase 1 and Phase 2 post-launch strategy.
Technical Challenge
Since the payment system was owned by multiple teams and built on a complex backend infrastructure, it was challenging to identify integration opportunities within existing frameworks. This complexity required close cross-team coordination to align on feasible solutions.
Mobile to Desktop
Mobile designs were adapted for larger desktop formats to ensure a seamless and consistent customer experience across devices. This was especially important for managing Prime memberships paid with cash, as data indicated that customers were more likely to perform account management tasks on larger screens such as desktop or tablet.
Impact and Learnings
Impact
These payment solutions enabled broader reach by accommodating customers without traditional banking access, and extended to Prime Video–only memberships managed by the Prime Video team.
The new framework enables faster onboarding of payment methods, reducing complexity and improving time-to-market for future emerging market launches.
Learnings
This project expanded my perspective on how financial behaviors and payment preferences vary significantly across regions. While some countries are rapidly modernizing with digital banking and contactless payments, others continue to rely heavily on cash due to cultural norms, limited access, or a lack of trust in formal banking institutions.
It also deepened my understanding of the technical infrastructure behind global payment systems, especially the constraints that come with integrating new functionality into legacy systems. Navigating these challenges required creative, systems-level thinking and a willingness to explore multiple feasible pathways.
Interested in this project?
If you are interested in learning more about this project and my design process, please feel free to contact me.