Amazon might sell you a Kindle on an interest-free payment plan – GigaOM

3 hours ago Jun. 10, 2014 – 2:17 PM PDT

Amazon is now offering selected customers the ability to purchase either a Kindle or a Kindle Fire on a interest-free payment plan. Here's how it works:

You pay off the Kindle over five months, with 20 percent of the purchase price due each installment. For the $ 69 Kindle, for instance, that means five payments of $ 13.80, with any applicable shipping and taxes added to the first payment. What happens if you don't pay the device off? Well, the last time Amazon ran this type of promotion, with the Kindle HDX (a much more expensive device) shortly before Christmas, it threatened to cut off access to Amazon services if the device wasn't paid off in full.

Recently, Amazon's been trying out a program which lets selected customers try a Fire TV for 30 days before paying. It also has been working with carriers like Ting so customers can pay their service bill through Amazon Payments. Combined with this payment plan, it looks like Amazon now has a quiver of promotional tools to get over last-minute hesitation and get devices into customer's hands, which could all be utilized when Amazon launches its first smartphone later this week.

There's no credit check needed for this promotion. Presumably, Amazon knows you're likely good for it based on your account history, or it doesn't care because Kindle owners spend more on Amazon products and services. However, it seems silly to offer credit to buy Amazon's least expensive Kindle devices. If someone would rather pay off a $ 69 device over five payments, how likely are they to purchase a ton of $ 10 ebooks?

Because it's another one of Amazon's targeted promotions, the deal isn't available to everyone — I personally can't take advantage of it — but you can check here to see if you're eligible.

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