What Is a "WWW" Charge on My Bank Statement?

A 'WWW' prefix on a bank statement charge usually means the transaction was made online — the merchant name following WWW is the website or business that charged you.

Plain-English explanation

Some older merchant payment setups or certain bank formats prefix online transactions with 'WWW' to indicate a web purchase. The actual merchant name comes after WWW. For example, 'WWW AMAZON COM' means an Amazon.com purchase. This is a display artifact of certain bank statement formats, not a company called 'WWW'.

Most common reasons this appears

• Online purchase at a website that uses an older payment descriptor format
• Subscription renewal from a web-based service
• Any e-commerce transaction where the bank adds WWW as a prefix

How to verify this charge

• Read the full descriptor: the company name comes after WWW.
• Search your email for orders or subscriptions from that company.
• Visit the company's website and check your account order history.

When to be concerned

• No company name follows WWW — just a random string.
• Company name after WWW is completely unfamiliar.
• You haven't made any online purchases recently.

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