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
Feb 27, 2012 | 3:26 pm
#197
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 327
Mar 1, 2012 | 10:39 am
#202
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 41
Mar 1, 2012 | 1:12 pm
#203
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
"Cardinal Fang," "The Spanish Inquisition," "the redbirds" are all codewords for the auditors, fraud examiners, loss prevention, risk management and etc. professionals paid to watch over the faithful (anyone doing business with the businesses they protect) and cull the heretics (all of you guyz). They tend to develop the internal controls, policies and procedures that we profitably analyse for weaknesses, omissions and degradation over time.
Our federal friends dunna like to see money pressed and starched because terrorists, drug lords and the occasional CIA operation can get funded that way. Oops, my bad - blackbirds don't exist, so I don't know any, and even if they did, or I did, they certainly never ran anything called Air America and, even if they did, they never had a frequent flyer program. Or did they?
It is true that some of us run black ops and some of us run public ops. Keeping under the radar is wise, but even redbirds occasionally catch redbirds who know how to play limbo at a professional level. And blackbirds even catch other blackbirds, like that bird Katia Zatuliveter.eek:
Astro is right to ask we operate invisibly, like busy little financial termites.
But just don't go chewing on my company...
Our federal friends dunna like to see money pressed and starched because terrorists, drug lords and the occasional CIA operation can get funded that way. Oops, my bad - blackbirds don't exist, so I don't know any, and even if they did, or I did, they certainly never ran anything called Air America and, even if they did, they never had a frequent flyer program. Or did they?
It is true that some of us run black ops and some of us run public ops. Keeping under the radar is wise, but even redbirds occasionally catch redbirds who know how to play limbo at a professional level. And blackbirds even catch other blackbirds, like that bird Katia Zatuliveter.eek:
Astro is right to ask we operate invisibly, like busy little financial termites.
But just don't go chewing on my company...
What the heck are you talking about?? These people have mentioned nothing about getting shut down by their credit card. "Cardinal Fang" and "Spanish Inquisition" are these your code words for American Express?
There are people who do not know how to stay under the radar like Marathon Man making 8 amazon payment accounts and then there are people who know how to stay under the radar. One will find with most deals if you stay under the radar... overall you will get more out of a deal then going overboard from the beginning and getting banned.
AZ payments has been going on for awhile now and I think it has a fighting chance of continuing if:
1) People limit discussion on the boards.
2) Stay under the radar.. If you don't know how to stay under the radar PM someone and ask.
3) Don't get greedy. If it's working don't try and go beyond the limits.
4) If you get banned don't call Amazon. I don't think there has been one person who I've talked to or who has posted on here that was able to get a reversal from Amazon after getting shut down. If you get shut down move on! I wouldn't waste my time begging or asking why I got banned. Move on to Serve, Venmo, etc...
I hate to quote a blogger, but there are people like MommyPoints who don't use these payment services because of what has happened to people like AlohaDaveKennedy. If you have the financial info to get you out of a financial review great! But if you don't, just remember that getting 50k from Amazon payments is not nearly as easy as getting 50k from a credit card sign up.
There are people who do not know how to stay under the radar like Marathon Man making 8 amazon payment accounts and then there are people who know how to stay under the radar. One will find with most deals if you stay under the radar... overall you will get more out of a deal then going overboard from the beginning and getting banned.
AZ payments has been going on for awhile now and I think it has a fighting chance of continuing if:
1) People limit discussion on the boards.
2) Stay under the radar.. If you don't know how to stay under the radar PM someone and ask.
3) Don't get greedy. If it's working don't try and go beyond the limits.
4) If you get banned don't call Amazon. I don't think there has been one person who I've talked to or who has posted on here that was able to get a reversal from Amazon after getting shut down. If you get shut down move on! I wouldn't waste my time begging or asking why I got banned. Move on to Serve, Venmo, etc...
I hate to quote a blogger, but there are people like MommyPoints who don't use these payment services because of what has happened to people like AlohaDaveKennedy. If you have the financial info to get you out of a financial review great! But if you don't, just remember that getting 50k from Amazon payments is not nearly as easy as getting 50k from a credit card sign up.
Mar 20, 2012 | 11:08 pm
#204
Join Date: May 2009
Location: TPA Bay area
Posts: 506
2 short questions--
I send my daughter, 19 and in college, $875- every month to cover her rent, food/sundries, and gas. I have been doing this through PayPal but I am open to other options. BTW, I already receive small payments through AP when I re-sell daughter's textbooks at the end of the semester.
1) Can I use AP instead of PP? Daughter has her own Amazon account with an .edu address so she gets Prime for free.
2) Should I use my Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire and will this be considered a cash advance? Or is there an alternate way to do this which gives me some kind of perk? I've got plenty of cash in hand, it's just a matter of getting it to daughter and a Green Dot Money Card is not the answer!
...thanks, and I do read my PMs.
1) Can I use AP instead of PP? Daughter has her own Amazon account with an .edu address so she gets Prime for free.
2) Should I use my Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire and will this be considered a cash advance? Or is there an alternate way to do this which gives me some kind of perk? I've got plenty of cash in hand, it's just a matter of getting it to daughter and a Green Dot Money Card is not the answer!
...thanks, and I do read my PMs.
Last edited by elizadoo; Mar 20, 2012 at 11:13 pm
Mar 21, 2012 | 1:49 am
#205
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 97
I send my daughter, 19 and in college, $875- every month to cover her rent, food/sundries, and gas. I have been doing this through PayPal but I am open to other options. BTW, I already receive small payments through AP when I re-sell daughter's textbooks at the end of the semester.
1) Can I use AP instead of PP? Daughter has her own Amazon account with an .edu address so she gets Prime for free.
2) Should I use my Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire and will this be considered a cash advance? Or is there an alternate way to do this which gives me some kind of perk? I've got plenty of cash in hand, it's just a matter of getting it to daughter and a Green Dot Money Card is not the answer!
...thanks, and I do read my PMs.
1) Can I use AP instead of PP? Daughter has her own Amazon account with an .edu address so she gets Prime for free.
2) Should I use my Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire and will this be considered a cash advance? Or is there an alternate way to do this which gives me some kind of perk? I've got plenty of cash in hand, it's just a matter of getting it to daughter and a Green Dot Money Card is not the answer!
...thanks, and I do read my PMs.
Mar 21, 2012 | 11:15 am
#207
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, TY, UR, UA, US, WN, MR, SPG
Posts: 1,453
So, I owe my dad a student loan debt of about $9K. I've been paying him via bank transfer $500 monthly (free), but obviously not getting rewarded for this. We both use amazon all the time, but I haven't ever used Amazon payments (although I have an account set up). It's prompting me for my SSN, which I don't really have a problem providing. Do they want it for tax reasons or for anti-fraud reasons?
If I pay with my Citi AA card, and he simply transfers into his bank account, are there any service/% fees involved? I handle a lot of my Dad's finances, and he's okay with whatever as long as there are no fees or interest involved in anything :P
Lastly, if I continue my one-way $500/mo transfer to my Dad, with no looping or anything like that, that's a perfectly legitimate use of the service, correct? I should have no issues, even though we have the same last name?
Thanks for any help!
-roki
If I pay with my Citi AA card, and he simply transfers into his bank account, are there any service/% fees involved? I handle a lot of my Dad's finances, and he's okay with whatever as long as there are no fees or interest involved in anything :P
Lastly, if I continue my one-way $500/mo transfer to my Dad, with no looping or anything like that, that's a perfectly legitimate use of the service, correct? I should have no issues, even though we have the same last name?
Thanks for any help!
-roki
Mar 21, 2012 | 11:18 am
#208
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 645
So, I owe my dad a student loan debt of about $9K. I've been paying him via bank transfer $500 monthly (free), but obviously not getting rewarded for this. We both use amazon all the time, but I haven't ever used Amazon payments (although I have an account set up). It's prompting me for my SSN, which I don't really have a problem providing. Do they want it for tax reasons or for anti-fraud reasons?
If I pay with my Citi AA card, and he simply transfers into his bank account, are there any service/% fees involved? I handle a lot of my Dad's finances, and he's okay with whatever as long as there are no fees or interest involved in anything :P
Lastly, if I continue my one-way $500/mo transfer to my Dad, with no looping or anything like that, that's a perfectly legitimate use of the service, correct? I should have no issues, even though we have the same last name?
Thanks for any help!
-roki
If I pay with my Citi AA card, and he simply transfers into his bank account, are there any service/% fees involved? I handle a lot of my Dad's finances, and he's okay with whatever as long as there are no fees or interest involved in anything :P
Lastly, if I continue my one-way $500/mo transfer to my Dad, with no looping or anything like that, that's a perfectly legitimate use of the service, correct? I should have no issues, even though we have the same last name?
Thanks for any help!
-roki
Sounds like an entirely legitimate use. I don't think there is an inherent problem with having the same last name.
Mar 21, 2012 | 11:19 am
#209
Join Date: May 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 1,389
So, I owe my dad a student loan debt of about $9K. I've been paying him via bank transfer $500 monthly (free), but obviously not getting rewarded for this. We both use amazon all the time, but I haven't ever used Amazon payments (although I have an account set up). It's prompting me for my SSN, which I don't really have a problem providing. Do they want it for tax reasons or for anti-fraud reasons?
If I pay with my Citi AA card, and he simply transfers into his bank account, are there any service/% fees involved? I handle a lot of my Dad's finances, and he's okay with whatever as long as there are no fees or interest involved in anything :P
Lastly, if I continue my one-way $500/mo transfer to my Dad, with no looping or anything like that, that's a perfectly legitimate use of the service, correct? I should have no issues, even though we have the same last name?
Thanks for any help!
-roki
If I pay with my Citi AA card, and he simply transfers into his bank account, are there any service/% fees involved? I handle a lot of my Dad's finances, and he's okay with whatever as long as there are no fees or interest involved in anything :P
Lastly, if I continue my one-way $500/mo transfer to my Dad, with no looping or anything like that, that's a perfectly legitimate use of the service, correct? I should have no issues, even though we have the same last name?
Thanks for any help!
-roki
As for providing the SSN, see here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200663310
Mar 21, 2012 | 11:26 am
#210
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, TY, UR, UA, US, WN, MR, SPG
Posts: 1,453
Thanks for the quick replies!
Yeah, it definitely wouldn't be anywhere near $20K or 200 transactions yearly. It would be 24 transactions tops and I doubt it would be over $6K annual. That's just 6K points (or more, since I usually have 1.5x/2x offers riding on one of my cards at any given moment) I wouldn't otherwise get.
Sounds good to me!
-roki
Yeah, it definitely wouldn't be anywhere near $20K or 200 transactions yearly. It would be 24 transactions tops and I doubt it would be over $6K annual. That's just 6K points (or more, since I usually have 1.5x/2x offers riding on one of my cards at any given moment) I wouldn't otherwise get.
Sounds good to me!
-roki