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
Oct 4, 2013, 12:52 pm
#2626
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 128
Well, I would suggest in the future if you wanted some help with questions not to be too critical for someone trying to explain in all trying to help you. As comments that are "extra useless" to you might be helpful to others.
Just as a data: my brothers Amz acct was shut down about 1.5 yrs ago along with his wife for transfers A>B>A. So shutdowns do happen.
Which was why I advise against it and adding an additional member (C) into the mix. But then guess this is "useless" info.
Yes, its very YMMV but better to be on the safe side, but to each their own.
Cheers
Just as a data: my brothers Amz acct was shut down about 1.5 yrs ago along with his wife for transfers A>B>A. So shutdowns do happen.
Which was why I advise against it and adding an additional member (C) into the mix. But then guess this is "useless" info.
Yes, its very YMMV but better to be on the safe side, but to each their own.
Cheers
Have a totally awesome day and great weekend Sharka. Please continue to educate me when I don't know the answer, I do appreciate it.
Oct 4, 2013, 10:41 pm
#2629
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Don't panic just yet. Having read your post I just try sending as I also have a Citi AA link to Amz. Sent $500 to sister as a test and it said the usual pending but then went thru. No problems yet.
Suggest you double check ,maybe exceeded your max send in a month
Oct 5, 2013, 6:48 am
#2631
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 161
"We're very sorry, but we're having trouble doing what you just asked us to do" I've been getting this message for the past two days when I try to add funding from a new credit card. Has anyone successfully added a new card in the last few days? Seems like a long IT outage for someone like Amazon.
Thanks
Thanks
Oct 5, 2013, 4:18 pm
#2634
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 142
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We have verified the details provided by you and are glad to inform that we have activated your Amazon Payments account.
We apologize for any resulting inconvenience. Thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Sincerely,
Account Specialist
Amazon Payments
We have verified the details provided by you and are glad to inform that we have activated your Amazon Payments account.
We apologize for any resulting inconvenience. Thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Sincerely,
Account Specialist
Amazon Payments
Oct 5, 2013, 7:18 pm
#2636
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 142
Folks, I think their should be a PSA about using the Citi AA card. Been using AP for months between me and the wife, but adding and using the AA card triggered the account closure (luckily, was reinstated today). I'm sticking to beans or GC for MS on this one, and I'd caution fellow FT's to do the same (seeing as others here have issues as well).
Last edited by ccohen322; Oct 5, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Oct 5, 2013, 7:58 pm
#2637
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 50
Apologies if this is answered somewhere in this thread. I looked for awhile and didn't see an answer.
Has anyone had experience using A ---> B, B depositing into bank account (with A and B both being different people)? Does this raise red flags with Amazon?
Has anyone had experience using A ---> B, B depositing into bank account (with A and B both being different people)? Does this raise red flags with Amazon?
Oct 5, 2013, 8:21 pm
#2638
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 81
People commented on this same question only 20 posts ago. . .
Oct 5, 2013, 8:44 pm
#2639
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Oct 5, 2013, 8:47 pm
#2640
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
No, I checked, I am inside my limits.
Most likely Citi AA refused the transaction. It is a new card.