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 8, 2013, 8:06 am
#2656
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 120
I have heard of people buying 10 $0.15 Amazon gift cards to hit the minimum transactions for their rewards checking accounts. Not sure if that works for all accounts though.
Oct 8, 2013, 8:12 am
#2657
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: MSP
Posts: 330
Mine (GLCU) has now instituted a min $ amt as well, so it won't work for me. But I could send 10 $10 rent checks to my landlord (gf).
Oct 11, 2013, 7:21 am
#2659
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: USA
Programs: All major programs
Posts: 1,403
You can call their online support. Else u can just use the Amazon GC. They don't seem to expire.
Oct 11, 2013, 12:52 pm
#2660
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 510
I've been doing MS since quite some time & plan to dive into Amazon Payments.
After going through all posts & getting to know all patterns, it isn't clear what's the need for A>B>A? Why is B transferring the money back to A? Isn't A>B and B depositing the money in their bank account the preferred approach?
After going through all posts & getting to know all patterns, it isn't clear what's the need for A>B>A? Why is B transferring the money back to A? Isn't A>B and B depositing the money in their bank account the preferred approach?
Oct 11, 2013, 1:02 pm
#2661
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: USA
Programs: All major programs
Posts: 1,403
I've been doing MS since quite some time & plan to dive into Amazon Payments.
After going through all posts & getting to know all patterns, it isn't clear what's the need for A>B>A? Why is B transferring the money back to A? Isn't A>B and B depositing the money in their bank account the preferred approach?
After going through all posts & getting to know all patterns, it isn't clear what's the need for A>B>A? Why is B transferring the money back to A? Isn't A>B and B depositing the money in their bank account the preferred approach?
.
Oct 11, 2013, 1:17 pm
#2663
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
No. All money arriving in B's AP account should immediately hit the road for his bank account. Then B may be able to send money using B's credit card to A. Shutdown reports for this game of ping-pong are few and far between, but they do exist.
Oct 11, 2013, 1:42 pm
#2664
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 510
Oct 12, 2013, 9:26 am
#2665
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Data: my brother and his wife were doing the A>B>A route for about 8-9 mths and both were shut down for this about 1.5yrs ago. I'm guessing AMZ does random audits from time to time. So best to stay under the radar and not do anything too obvious.
Oct 12, 2013, 9:09 pm
#2666
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA, USAir
Posts: 228
What is your take on how long payments stay in 'pending' status?
I recall one poster stating that he does in small amounts so that they are virtually instantly paid, rather than sitting in pending status for a few hours.
I suppose the very long pending status can be risky since it may be reviewed by a CSR.
My accounts are fairly new so I'm trying to stay under the radar as best as I can. I did 2 payments for each account and stayed under $500 in the first month. Seems like the length of it being in pending still varies from instant to about ~4 hours.
btw, I am doing A>B, C>D then B>C, D>A, where A&C are my acct, same SSN, different emails and cc, different IP addys; B&D are my wifes with same condition.
I recall one poster stating that he does in small amounts so that they are virtually instantly paid, rather than sitting in pending status for a few hours.
I suppose the very long pending status can be risky since it may be reviewed by a CSR.
My accounts are fairly new so I'm trying to stay under the radar as best as I can. I did 2 payments for each account and stayed under $500 in the first month. Seems like the length of it being in pending still varies from instant to about ~4 hours.
btw, I am doing A>B, C>D then B>C, D>A, where A&C are my acct, same SSN, different emails and cc, different IP addys; B&D are my wifes with same condition.
Oct 12, 2013, 10:02 pm
#2667
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: LAX, SIN, CGK
Programs: UA, AA EXP
Posts: 201
What is your take on how long payments stay in 'pending' status?
I recall one poster stating that he does in small amounts so that they are virtually instantly paid, rather than sitting in pending status for a few hours.
I suppose the very long pending status can be risky since it may be reviewed by a CSR.
My accounts are fairly new so I'm trying to stay under the radar as best as I can. I did 2 payments for each account and stayed under $500 in the first month. Seems like the length of it being in pending still varies from instant to about ~4 hours.
btw, I am doing A>B, C>D then B>C, D>A, where A&C are my acct, same SSN, different emails and cc, different IP addys; B&D are my wifes with same condition.
I recall one poster stating that he does in small amounts so that they are virtually instantly paid, rather than sitting in pending status for a few hours.
I suppose the very long pending status can be risky since it may be reviewed by a CSR.
My accounts are fairly new so I'm trying to stay under the radar as best as I can. I did 2 payments for each account and stayed under $500 in the first month. Seems like the length of it being in pending still varies from instant to about ~4 hours.
btw, I am doing A>B, C>D then B>C, D>A, where A&C are my acct, same SSN, different emails and cc, different IP addys; B&D are my wifes with same condition.
Oct 12, 2013, 10:20 pm
#2668
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 250
Seems like there's one report in FWF not getting his 5% with his Discover from Amazon payments. Can anyone confirm? My statement closes in 10 days so not able to confirm till then.
Edit: just noticed another report of someone getting their 5% for Amazon payments.
Edit: just noticed another report of someone getting their 5% for Amazon payments.
Last edited by Gammachu; Oct 12, 2013 at 10:49 pm
Oct 12, 2013, 11:24 pm
#2669
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NY
Posts: 233
That guy said his transaction posted two days prior to statement cut. Per Discover reps, the transaction must post at least five days prior to statement cut date. Otherwise, the cash back will post on the next statement.