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
#2267
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: whatever comes with CCs
Posts: 1,082
To save him a trip to my bank could he add my bank account (a savings account different from my checking account linked to my own AP account. The savings account can apparently accept ACH transfers) to his AP account and transfer the money directly into that? If so, would it raise any red flags?
#2269
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA EXP/LT PLT
Posts: 1,467
I have the CC registered at my AP account and I used it once.
My wife is AU of the CC and the card # is the same as mine.
If I delete the CC from my AP account, is it risky that my wife use the CC at AP sending $ to me?
My wife is AU of the CC and the card # is the same as mine.
If I delete the CC from my AP account, is it risky that my wife use the CC at AP sending $ to me?
#2270
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Yes, if a Citi have her manufacture a virtual card number. Else, your card is stolen and needs to be reissued with a new number.
#2272
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 322
One of my accounts bit the dust after a failed payment.
--------------------------------------
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Sincerely,
--------------------------------------
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Sincerely,
#2273
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
#2277
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Do hope no funds were trapped by the Bezos tribe of headhunters over there in the jungle. Watch those other accounts and be careful of getting funds trapped - took over 6 months for the tribe to release my captive dollars and even then they still have $2.00 of my money on their altar with a picture of Steve Jobs and a sacrificed goat.
One of my accounts bit the dust after a failed payment.
--------------------------------------
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Sincerely,
--------------------------------------
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Sincerely,
#2279
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 76
Do hope no funds were trapped by the Bezos tribe of headhunters over there in the jungle. Watch those other accounts and be careful of getting funds trapped - took over 6 months for the tribe to release my captive dollars and even then they still have $2.00 of my money on their altar with a picture of Steve Jobs and a sacrificed goat.