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
Mar 7, 2013, 8:59 am
#1786
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Problematic - yes. There is a good chance many of the accounts will be closed. This presents a challenge when the closed account(s) contain a balance. However, the internal controls over there are also problematic - closed accounts do not kill the customer relationship. You can have multiple closed accounts and multiple open accounts concurrently. Hence my references to Marie Laveau - a customer killed (even repeatedly killed) can continue to walk the Jungle as a zombie, conducting business as (un)usual.
However, the jungle remains a dangerous place to walk, even for zombies as CNNMoney reports - the danger is no longer just from Cardinal Fang, but from being hit by his zombie car:
The Japanese automaker Subaru is recalling nearly 50,000 zombie-vehicles because they run the risk of starting themselves, without human intervention. Subaru said the recall applies to Legacy, Outback, Impreza and Crosstek models produced from 2010 to 2013.
The affected Subarus contain an automatic transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter. If the remote engine starter is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
However, the jungle remains a dangerous place to walk, even for zombies as CNNMoney reports - the danger is no longer just from Cardinal Fang, but from being hit by his zombie car:
The Japanese automaker Subaru is recalling nearly 50,000 zombie-vehicles because they run the risk of starting themselves, without human intervention. Subaru said the recall applies to Legacy, Outback, Impreza and Crosstek models produced from 2010 to 2013.
The affected Subarus contain an automatic transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter. If the remote engine starter is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Last edited by AlohaDaveKennedy; Mar 7, 2013 at 1:56 pm
Mar 8, 2013, 8:19 pm
#1787
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 13
Sorry if this was asked before. I just quickly read through the first and last 10 pages out of the total 120. I am trying to open 3 APs and play the A->B->C->A trick. Is it going to work if all A, B, C are under the same address? Not sure how it works out between husband and wife that have the same last name, I guess it (i.e. same address and last name) doesn't matter? Thanks.
Mar 9, 2013, 10:25 am
#1792
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Gold
Posts: 95
In all honesty, he is right in that you should read and/or search the thread.
This is a community that works when members contribute, learn, and decipher information which often involves a bit of legwork. If you simply want spoonfed answers on every issue you encounter, you're going to want to visit blogs instead (who often get their information from FT).
In addition, there are many fine deals and earning opportunities that are not posted or discussed on FT, but instead over PM and private message boards because they don't want the deal killed and because too many people want spoon-fed information with instant gratification.
Bottom line: please expect a minimal level of effort to understand deals while visiting thread to thread.
Mar 10, 2013, 11:33 pm
#1797
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: SNA/LAX
Programs: AA, SPG, UA
Posts: 102
How to get account unlocked
My AP account got locked because I did not provide the Ssn before 12/31/2012.
So how can I have it unlocked ?
Sorry, if it as asked before, but I could not find an answer for it.
Thanks.
So how can I have it unlocked ?
Sorry, if it as asked before, but I could not find an answer for it.
Thanks.
Mar 11, 2013, 12:03 am
#1798
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: texas
Posts: 85
On one hand, the "calendar month" question HAS been asked enough where you could easily see it if you went through just a random 10 pages out of the 120...
on the other hand, the search function here is terrible and it's high time ppl chilled with the "use the search function" responses a little.
on the other hand, the search function here is terrible and it's high time ppl chilled with the "use the search function" responses a little.
Mar 11, 2013, 1:01 am
#1799
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 25
Trying to read entire thread but it is super long but not as long as the BB thread. Lots of great info in here though. Almost there on page 60 now. If people read a few pages they could answer most of there question like "Is the $1000 per month for a calendar month or # of days?" or even just a few posts back.
Mar 11, 2013, 1:05 am
#1800
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 25
From what I have read if you provide it now it should get unlocked but I don't know if things have changed.