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 30, 2013 | 9:03 am
#2806
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 152
I don't know if sending payments to the same address can be cause of account closure. I would apply for another account with a slightly different name spelling and different email. I would also avoid making payments to the same address if you can. It's also possible that using the same computer/IP was the cause of closure even though it has not been a problem for me yet, so no harm in avoiding that too.
Oct 30, 2013 | 10:21 am
#2808
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
I just use different browsers for different accounts. Does it make a difference? I doubt it. But just a little peace of mind.
Oct 30, 2013 | 11:13 am
#2810
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 920
Oct 30, 2013 | 3:20 pm
#2811
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
Oct 30, 2013 | 7:17 pm
#2813
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 209
Oct 30, 2013 | 7:33 pm
#2814
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,774
I've done 3 accounts since 2010 and triangle my payments. The only unique thing to each account is the email address and the bank account. I've stayed in contact with many people and no one has ever been shut down for having 3 accounts. Doesn't matter how you structure the payments or the number of IP addresses. Amazon could randomly select accounts from time to time to randomly review, but it's not a bad risk to take. I typically liquidate my Amex gift cards that I earned 2% back with Big Crumbs.
You do this deal at your own risk, but I think it's pretty safe to say that having 3 or fewer accounts keeps you in the clear. You shouldn't worry too much about methods to send while you are under this limit. It would be helpful if in the future a wiki was started for people to state which cards don't work and those who were shut down to state why they think they were flagged.
You will notice some people getting shut down from time to time but if they've been honest so far on Flyertalk it seems they might have just been randomly flagged for an account review. I wouldn't send more money than you are comfortable having frozen for a month or two.
Oct 30, 2013 | 7:44 pm
#2815
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
Cash advances typically do not earn points or count toward minimum spending requirements.
Oct 30, 2013 | 8:21 pm
#2816
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: IAH
Posts: 418
Oct 30, 2013 | 10:33 pm
#2817
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta Gold. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Explorist.
Posts: 1,775
Are there reports of US Bank shutting people down for MS? I've done quite a bit of MS on my flexperks and Club Carlson cards ($5k month total for several months), with no trouble so far.
Oct 30, 2013 | 11:52 pm
#2819
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX, SNA
Posts: 359
I read some reports on dansdeals that Amazon has been more aggressive in closing accounts, especially for using GCs. Has anyone had any issue this month? I went through my 3 accounts without any issues for October. Since November is just around the corner, I am wondering if I should be more cautious.