Nov 10, 2013, 11:26 am
Last edit by: mcdullhk88
Dead as of 10/13/14
FAQ's
Is Amazon Payments treated as a cash advance? No CC issuer has been reported as treating an AP transaction as a cash advance unless the sender selected "Payment is for Cash Advance" on the Send Money screen.
What does it mean when your payment is "pending"? Your payment will be reviewed. We are unsure whether this review is done by a human or computer. It should take less than 24 hours but is usually within minutes.
How should you describe your payment? "Goods or services" will allow you to charge with a CC and it will not be treated as a cash advance. Note: If you choose cash advance, it may be treated as such by your CC issuer; always choose Goods/Services. There is no reason to put anything in the optional description field - leave it blank.
What is the monthly limit for sending CC payments? $1,000 per calendar month per AP account
What is the monthly limit for receiving CC payments? $1,000 per calendar month per AP account
What if it is not allowing me to send/receive more than $500 or any at all? You probably have not verified your bank and/or added a CC. In order to get the full $1,000 allowance for sending and receiving you must have a bank verified AND a CC added to your account as a payment method.
Does AP qualify for special spending categories? Specifically it qualifies for Discover's (usually 4th quarter) category of online purchases but so far, not Chase's "5% CB on Amazon.com purchases." Refer to thread for other options.
Can you get shutdown? Yes.
How do you get shutdown? No one knows. Anecdotes are found throughout the thread. Some suspicious behavior that MIGHT get your AP account(s) shut down is listed below.
Which transaction is most advisable? A -> B -> C -> A (see here)
Are any fees charged during this process? No, not by Amazon Payments. If your transaction is treated as a cash advance by your card issuer--fees are possible. Beware and always double check that goods/services is selected!
Can you liquidate Amazon GC via AP? NO!
Can you liquidate other gift cards via AP? Yes. Note that you cannot liquidate the full value of a GC because amazon places a $1 hold while it verifies the validity of the GC. You can sometimes (not always) avoid the hold by entering an incorrect expiration date for the GC when adding it to your AP account, and after you have added it, go to "Edit my account settings," then to "Add edit or delete my credit cards" and edit the expiration date there.
When does the month end? It appears as if Amazon is on pacific time, so midnight PDT/PST is when the month resets.
It bears repeating that no one knows the methodology amazon uses to police AP transactions, determines which transactions violate its T&Cs, or identifies violators. However, various people in this thread and elsewhere have confirmed that their AP account(s) were shut down for the following reasons:
Additionally, we have updated the terms and conditions of our User Agreement (https://payments.amazon.com/help/Personal-Accounts/User-Agreement-Policies/User-Agreement) that apply to your use of the products and services provided by Amazon Payments. Our updated User Agreement revises certain terms (including, among other things, the elimination of person-to-person payments). Our new User Agreement will become effective on October 13, 2014, which is more than 30 days from when we first posted our updated User Agreement. By continuing to use our services after October 13, 2014, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms and conditions of our new User Agreement.
Is Amazon Payments treated as a cash advance? No CC issuer has been reported as treating an AP transaction as a cash advance unless the sender selected "Payment is for Cash Advance" on the Send Money screen.
What does it mean when your payment is "pending"? Your payment will be reviewed. We are unsure whether this review is done by a human or computer. It should take less than 24 hours but is usually within minutes.
How should you describe your payment? "Goods or services" will allow you to charge with a CC and it will not be treated as a cash advance. Note: If you choose cash advance, it may be treated as such by your CC issuer; always choose Goods/Services. There is no reason to put anything in the optional description field - leave it blank.
What is the monthly limit for sending CC payments? $1,000 per calendar month per AP account
What is the monthly limit for receiving CC payments? $1,000 per calendar month per AP account
What if it is not allowing me to send/receive more than $500 or any at all? You probably have not verified your bank and/or added a CC. In order to get the full $1,000 allowance for sending and receiving you must have a bank verified AND a CC added to your account as a payment method.
Does AP qualify for special spending categories? Specifically it qualifies for Discover's (usually 4th quarter) category of online purchases but so far, not Chase's "5% CB on Amazon.com purchases." Refer to thread for other options.
Can you get shutdown? Yes.
How do you get shutdown? No one knows. Anecdotes are found throughout the thread. Some suspicious behavior that MIGHT get your AP account(s) shut down is listed below.
Which transaction is most advisable? A -> B -> C -> A (see here)
Are any fees charged during this process? No, not by Amazon Payments. If your transaction is treated as a cash advance by your card issuer--fees are possible. Beware and always double check that goods/services is selected!
Can you liquidate Amazon GC via AP? NO!
Can you liquidate other gift cards via AP? Yes. Note that you cannot liquidate the full value of a GC because amazon places a $1 hold while it verifies the validity of the GC. You can sometimes (not always) avoid the hold by entering an incorrect expiration date for the GC when adding it to your AP account, and after you have added it, go to "Edit my account settings," then to "Add edit or delete my credit cards" and edit the expiration date there.
When does the month end? It appears as if Amazon is on pacific time, so midnight PDT/PST is when the month resets.
It bears repeating that no one knows the methodology amazon uses to police AP transactions, determines which transactions violate its T&Cs, or identifies violators. However, various people in this thread and elsewhere have confirmed that their AP account(s) were shut down for the following reasons:
- Associating one credit card number with more than one AP account (Be Careful if authorized user card has the same number as the primary card holder - in some instances the CC numbers are completely different)
- Associating one bank account with more than one AP account
Amazon Payments
Jan 29, 2013, 12:57 pm
#1582
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: MGM
Programs: United Silver, PC Plat/Amb, HH Dmnd
Posts: 805
Andyandy
Jan 29, 2013, 1:45 pm
#1583
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
Trying to get a sense of whether Amazon gets antsy about withdrawals. For example, would A->B -> Solo checking account of B raise flags? Is it only when B then turns around and does a transfer (through AP) to A that there is potential problem? I've read through some recent posted and tried searching, just looking for a few data points. PM if so desired.
Jan 29, 2013, 1:54 pm
#1584
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Manchester,UK and NYC
Programs: One Pass, BAEC, AA
Posts: 708
I may have done something "above the radar" today - I used AP for ........dare I say it........an actual purchase on Amazon.
No problems this month doing A>B where both are same SS number and slightly different first name (david and dave). Been doing this for quite some time.
No problems this month doing A>B where both are same SS number and slightly different first name (david and dave). Been doing this for quite some time.
^
Jan 30, 2013, 6:44 am
#1586
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,417
So is the consensus still that it's too risky to use "duplicate" AP accounts? I have a second account (same name) that I haven't touched this month. It seems a shame to let that $1000 limit just go to waste, but if the odds of getting "shut down" are high, it's probably the right thing to do.
Jan 30, 2013, 6:55 am
#1587
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Definitely risky. I still intend to play hide and seek in the jungle (even with multiple closed accounts, I still have many to play with), but Cardinal Fang is holding about $500 of my funds from closed accounts which might be better used over in KIVA. 
So is the consensus still that it's too risky to use "duplicate" AP accounts? I have a second account (same name) that I haven't touched this month. It seems a shame to let that $1000 limit just go to waste, but if the odds of getting "shut down" are high, it's probably the right thing to do.
Jan 30, 2013, 8:42 am
#1588
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 162
I may have done something "above the radar" today - I used AP for ........dare I say it........an actual purchase on Amazon.
No problems this month doing A>B where both are same SS number and slightly different first name (david and dave). Been doing this for quite some time.
No problems this month doing A>B where both are same SS number and slightly different first name (david and dave). Been doing this for quite some time.
Jan 30, 2013, 10:00 am
#1589
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,417
Thanks. But spending only $1000/month in gift cards on my Ink card feels like a huge missed opportunity. I know some folks trudge into CVS with their OD-bought gift cards and try to buy Vanilla Reloads for Bluebird, but I honestly don't think that would fly in my hometown. Any other way I could safely turn OD gift cards back into cash?