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
Nov 4, 2013, 8:04 am
#2851
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
Nov 5, 2013, 6:51 am
#2853
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
Nov 5, 2013, 10:36 am
#2856
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: MPC, Marriott, Hyatt
Posts: 407
I have never had a single issue with Amazon Payments but today I sent funds from my wife to myself (different bank accounts) and it didn't go through instantly like it usually does.
Odd thing is the transaction doesn't show up in my activity at all (not pending, simply nothing). I thought maybe I didn't hit send or confirm at the end but when I tried to send the funds again, it said I had sent too much for this month already (meaning it must have gone through).
Hope it's just a fluke.
Odd thing is the transaction doesn't show up in my activity at all (not pending, simply nothing). I thought maybe I didn't hit send or confirm at the end but when I tried to send the funds again, it said I had sent too much for this month already (meaning it must have gone through).
Hope it's just a fluke.
I guess I just have to give up a month of AP on that account.
(Or do you think it is worth while to contact Amazon support? I was thinking that I'd rather not have them take a look at my transaction history. :P)
Nov 5, 2013, 11:49 am
#2857
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 66
I would like to dip my toes into the world of MS and figure AP is the easiest way to start.
I've read some of the pages here but haven't found the answer.
Will creating 2 AP in my name and SSN (different bank accounts and credit cards) draw attention and get my accounts shut down? I would rather not get my wife involved.
I've read some of the pages here but haven't found the answer.
Will creating 2 AP in my name and SSN (different bank accounts and credit cards) draw attention and get my accounts shut down? I would rather not get my wife involved.
Nov 5, 2013, 12:25 pm
#2858
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Meh - not the easiest way to start. What airline miles are you trying to acquire?
I would like to dip my toes into the world of MS and figure AP is the easiest way to start.
I've read some of the pages here but haven't found the answer.
Will creating 2 AP in my name and SSN (different bank accounts and credit cards) draw attention and get my accounts shut down? I would rather not get my wife involved.
I've read some of the pages here but haven't found the answer.
Will creating 2 AP in my name and SSN (different bank accounts and credit cards) draw attention and get my accounts shut down? I would rather not get my wife involved.
Nov 5, 2013, 1:42 pm
#2859
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,066
Nov 5, 2013, 2:44 pm
#2861
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
Nov 5, 2013, 3:04 pm
#2863
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 66
A wiki would have been useful for FAQs. It's not exactly efficient to wade though the ever-growing (190+) pages of this thread hoping to find a particular morsel of information.
Last edited by MileageAddict; Nov 6, 2013 at 6:14 pm Reason: personal attack removed
Nov 5, 2013, 3:06 pm
#2864
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 66