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
May 1, 2013 | 1:01 pm
#2011
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 13,684
Mike
May 1, 2013 | 1:51 pm
#2012
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE, AA EXP MM, BA Silver, UA Gold MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Titanium, HH Dia, IHG Plat
Posts: 4,967
I've just started with Amazon Payments. I was told by CS that while there's a $1,000/month limit, the limit in payments to a single individual is $500. Any truth to that? I don't see any T&C on their website.
May 1, 2013 | 3:11 pm
#2014
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: BAEC, A*A, SW RR
Posts: 199
May 1, 2013 | 3:23 pm
#2015
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 104
May 1, 2013 | 3:30 pm
#2016
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA, BA, CX, DL, EK, F9, GA, HA, IB, JL, KE, LH, MH, NH, OS, PG, QR, RJ, SA, TG, UA, VN, WN, ZH
Posts: 927
https://payments.amazon.com/sdui/sdui/viewlimits
May 1, 2013 | 3:46 pm
#2017
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Las Vegas since 11/2023
Programs: No status anywhere anymore, it was fun while it lasted
Posts: 4,648
I have done virtually every possible combination of cards, ping-pongs, completed circles, Amex/Chase/Citi/Barclays, same card on multiple accounts, even multiple accounts in the same name. Only thing never done is the same bank account on 2+ accounts.
Never had a problem except for something that looked like a website glitch.
Going to sit in the comfy chair, lie on some soft pillows, and watch a St. Louis game. Nyah! Might even wash some dishes.
Never had a problem except for something that looked like a website glitch.
Going to sit in the comfy chair, lie on some soft pillows, and watch a St. Louis game. Nyah! Might even wash some dishes.
May 1, 2013 | 4:49 pm
#2018
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
I have done virtually every possible combination of cards, ping-pongs, completed circles, Amex/Chase/Citi/Barclays, same card on multiple accounts, even multiple accounts in the same name. Only thing never done is the same bank account on 2+ accounts.
Never had a problem except for something that looked like a website glitch.
Going to sit in the comfy chair, lie on some soft pillows, and watch a St. Louis game. Nyah! Might even wash some dishes.
Never had a problem except for something that looked like a website glitch.
Going to sit in the comfy chair, lie on some soft pillows, and watch a St. Louis game. Nyah! Might even wash some dishes.
May 1, 2013 | 8:18 pm
#2020
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 120
Originally Posted by KennyBSAT:20684017
I just wish my kids were old enough so we could play doubles. Ping pong is even more fun with 4 people!
May 2, 2013 | 7:57 am
#2022
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 353
Amazon isn't going to steal your money and eventually will most likely shut down or not make this free but use it while you can.
May 2, 2013 | 8:08 am
#2023
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,818
Chances are they'll make the recipient pay a 2.7% + .30cent trans fee just like PayPal, sooner or later. But of course hopefully much later.
May 2, 2013 | 8:08 am
#2024
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
Concerns, no. I will milk it for as long as it lasts. But we are always working on min spends for multiple cards so I usually do mix it up with random amounts on multiple cards each month.
Last edited by KennyBSAT; May 2, 2013 at 9:20 am
May 2, 2013 | 9:01 am
#2025
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: AMEX Plat, AAdvantage Gold, UA, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 963
Just a feeling here, but I would avoid Citi still for this. They are going through OK for now, but I am getting little flags that make me think they are focusing on AP now.
EG yesterday I called to ask them how I was doing towards meeting minimum spend for my AA Visa and the agent added up my spend, then said 'and $540 with Amazon Payments' I feel that they are flagging this, so might in the future, now it is flagged decide to recode it to a cash advance.
Not happening yet, but something to think about.
EG yesterday I called to ask them how I was doing towards meeting minimum spend for my AA Visa and the agent added up my spend, then said 'and $540 with Amazon Payments' I feel that they are flagging this, so might in the future, now it is flagged decide to recode it to a cash advance.
Not happening yet, but something to think about.