While two-factor authentication (2FA) isn’t officially available on Amazon UK, there is a very simple way of enabling the feature and making sure that your account benefits from that extra layer of security.
To enable 2FA for your non-US Amazon account, follow the steps below:
- Go to https://www.amazon.com and sign in using your Amazon UK credentials.
- Navigate to Your Account and locate the Change Account Settings link under Settings.
- You may be prompted for credentials again, but after you authenticate, you will be presented with a number of settings. Click Edit next to Advanced Security Settings.
- Read the information on the two-step verification page and click Get Started.
- Now you need to make a choice between enabling 2FA using SMS text messages or an authenticator app. Let’s consider each option’s features:
- SMS text message:
- Doesn’t require a smartphone or extra software, making it very easy to use and manage.
- It is only available on a single device. If you lose your phone you may be left without access to your Amazon account until you can get a replacement SIM.
- Requires cell reception to work.
- Authenticator app (Authy):
- It is not dependent on cell reception or a connection to the internet.
- You can generate codes from multiple devices without relying on your phone.
- Recovering Authy itself, if you only had it on a single device, is likely to rely on SMS verification as well.
- Amazon uses SMS texts as it’s backup code verification method in case you lose access to your app!
- SMS text message:
- We will go with Authy for this example, although SMS on its own can be just as good in most cases. Click on the Authenticator app option.
- Scan the displayed QR code into Authy and type the token that the app displays back in Amazon.
- You will now be asked to enter your backup phone number; any country is allowed. Proceed through the form, verifying your number with the code you’ll receive via SMS.
- Agree to the caveat and you’re finished!
TL;DR: Enable 2FA under Advanced Security Settings on Amazon.com and it will work for the UK site.