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
Sep 24, 2013 | 2:30 pm
#2536
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/sdu...al-Regulations
IRS Reporting Regulations on Third-Party Payment Transactions
Beginning with the 2011 tax year, new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations require that U.S. third-party settlement organizations and payment processors, including Amazon Payments, file Form 1099-K to report unadjusted annual gross sales or payment volume information for customers who meet both of the following thresholds in a calendar year:
More than $20,000 in gross payment volume, and
More than 200 transactions.
IRS Reporting Regulations on Third-Party Payment Transactions
Beginning with the 2011 tax year, new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations require that U.S. third-party settlement organizations and payment processors, including Amazon Payments, file Form 1099-K to report unadjusted annual gross sales or payment volume information for customers who meet both of the following thresholds in a calendar year:
More than $20,000 in gross payment volume, and
More than 200 transactions.
Sep 25, 2013 | 12:05 pm
#2538
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 498
Sep 25, 2013 | 9:07 pm
#2540
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA, USAir
Posts: 228
Sep 25, 2013 | 11:27 pm
#2541
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NY
Posts: 233
Really? A payment processor can 1099-K you for $1, or even one cent. The law is $20,000 AND 200 transactions = mandatory 1099-K. However, they can 1099-K you for any amount [of transactions or dollar amount] they please. This has been covered since 2011 repeatedly on many forums. Do you really not believe us?
Sep 28, 2013 | 10:35 am
#2543
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA, USAir
Posts: 228
Sep 28, 2013 | 10:52 am
#2544
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
spam folder is empty, I checked.
All other email comes in no problem.
I need to claim the payment and I cannot do it w/o email verification, dam'it.
Update:
48 hours, no emails from AP.
How can I cancel the transaction? Should I call the Bezos tribe?
All other email comes in no problem.
I need to claim the payment and I cannot do it w/o email verification, dam'it.
Update:
48 hours, no emails from AP.
How can I cancel the transaction? Should I call the Bezos tribe?
Last edited by MaineCoon; Sep 29, 2013 at 7:37 pm
Sep 29, 2013 | 11:39 pm
#2547
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: BofA Preferred Rewards
Posts: 625
AP does not count as Amazon.com purchases.
Sep 29, 2013 | 11:40 pm
#2548
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: BofA Preferred Rewards
Posts: 625
It will work with Discover's promotion for online shopping. Any charge processed on the internet counts, including AP.
Sep 30, 2013 | 12:10 am
#2549
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Programs: AA, BA, UA, Spirit, Delta, PC Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Diamond, Club Carlson Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,735
Can but shouldn't. This is not an exact science, and Amazon is not consistent in how and most importantly how fast they dole out the punishment. You might luck out, but why push the envelope? Better find and throw C into the mix.
Sep 30, 2013 | 5:22 am
#2550
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA, USAir
Posts: 228
AFAIK, sharing CC and emails are the no-no's. You should try getting an AU card with a different cc# (if a business acct), or a virtual card number (Visa, YMMV).