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 11, 2013, 5:44 am
#1801
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: SkyMiles Gold, AA Plat, UA Gold
Posts: 92
The real reason to read the entire thread is cause not only will you get your answer but you will learn about 10 other things along the way. Reading these threads all the way thru is the best way to learn this game. Anyone who isn't willing to put in that amount of time/effort probably isn't cut out for this. This "hobby" takes a huge amount of time and energy to do it properly.
Mar 11, 2013, 5:47 am
#1802
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: CHA/TYS
Programs: The Mac Daddy of Heimlich County (and low-ball status)
Posts: 2,868
The real reason to read the entire thread is cause not only will you get your answer but you will learn about 10 other things along the way. Reading these threads all the way thru is the best way to learn this game. Anyone who isn't willing to put in that amount of time/effort probably isn't cut out for this. This "hobby" takes a huge amount of time and energy to do it properly.
Mar 11, 2013, 2:28 pm
#1807
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Michigan
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 503
Are there any restrictions for using AP for myself AND my wife? I've been using AP for well over a year for minimum spends, bonus miles, etc. but I never registered my wife for her own account. Does it matter that we share an address and bank account? Also, if I send my parents $1k/month (which they return via our local shared bank), can she send an additional $1k to them as well, or would it be safer to send it to someone else? Just wondering what the limitations are with adding her as a 2nd household AP account, if I do everything almost identically...
Mar 11, 2013, 2:30 pm
#1808
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NY
Posts: 233
Are there any restrictions for using AP for myself AND my wife? I've been using AP for well over a year for minimum spends, bonus miles, etc. but I never registered my wife for her own account. Does it matter that we share an address and bank account? Also, if I send my parents $1k/month (which they return via our local shared bank), can she send an additional $1k to them as well, or would it be safer to send it to someone else? Just wondering what the limitations are with adding her as a 2nd household AP account, if I do everything almost identically...
Mar 11, 2013, 2:41 pm
#1809
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: New York Metropolitan Area 45 km from JFK
Programs: UA,AA,AS,BA
Posts: 4,607
Where is Brooklyn ?
Read Thread from beginning and/or Google like everyone else.
Well said.
Read Thread from beginning and/or Google like everyone else.
The real reason to read the entire thread is cause not only will you get your answer but you will learn about 10 other things along the way. Reading these threads all the way thru is the best way to learn this game. Anyone who isn't willing to put in that amount of time/effort probably isn't cut out for this. This "hobby" takes a huge amount of time and energy to do it properly.
Mar 11, 2013, 2:44 pm
#1810
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Are there any restrictions for using AP for myself AND my wife? I've been using AP for well over a year for minimum spends, bonus miles, etc. but I never registered my wife for her own account. Does it matter that we share an address and bank account? Also, if I send my parents $1k/month (which they return via our local shared bank), can she send an additional $1k to them as well, or would it be safer to send it to someone else? Just wondering what the limitations are with adding her as a 2nd household AP account, if I do everything almost identically...
Mar 11, 2013, 2:48 pm
#1811
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Michigan
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 503
Mar 11, 2013, 3:02 pm
#1812
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 301
Mar 11, 2013, 3:06 pm
#1813
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Michigan
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 503
Mar 11, 2013, 3:13 pm
#1814
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Anaheim Hills, CA
Programs: UA 1K, 1.3mm
Posts: 918
Mar 11, 2013, 3:48 pm
#1815
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: texas
Posts: 85
Also, there is a Wiki, but it's super general and not nearly as big as it could/needs to be.