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 25, 2013, 12:40 pm
#2942
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Nov 25, 2013, 1:54 pm
#2943
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 510
What's the need for using Visa GCs for AP when you can use a credit card on AP and earn points?
Nov 25, 2013, 2:33 pm
#2944
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: DEN
Programs: SPG Gold; HH Diamond
Posts: 223
Nov 25, 2013, 2:49 pm
#2945
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: In the heart of the Evil Empire
Programs: AA LT Gold, Starwood Gold, Hertz Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Plat., BFD
Posts: 113
DO AP's taken straight from credit cards count as purchases or with some issuers are they counted as a CA?
Nov 25, 2013, 6:12 pm
#2947
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Nov 25, 2013, 9:19 pm
#2948
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 699
Where you could run into issues would be if you're based here in the US, use a US IP for one account, then complete the transfer using an outside US based IP. That could also throw up a red flag. Best practice may be like some others are doing with home/work PCs or using smartphone (airplane mode on/off method) to perform the transfers. I've been doing that for some time without any issues, but then again who knows what triggers a shutdown.
Nov 26, 2013, 11:33 am
#2949
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
I only have 2 accts (one of my sister.). I log into my acct. Send money to my sister's acct. Log out. Log into her acct. Withdraw money and log out. All within the same browser window. No issues yet.
Dec 1, 2013, 3:50 pm
#2951
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 33
I had 2 amazon payment accounts under my SSN. I got this e-mail below stating that my accounts are closed. I still see that my other account is open. Now, my question is would there be any issue if I use the open account to send/receive money.
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Best regards,
Florence G.
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Best regards,
Florence G.
Dec 1, 2013, 3:52 pm
#2952
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
I had 2 amazon payment accounts under my SSN. I got this e-mail below stating that my accounts are closed. I still see that my other account is open. Now, my question is would there be any issue if I use the open account to send/receive money.
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Best regards,
Florence G.
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have opened multiple accounts.
Amazon WebPay has a combined sending and receiving limit of $1000 per month per user. Multiple accounts opened to potentially enhance this limit will be closed.
All pending transactions have been canceled and your Amazon Payments accounts closed.
We appreciate your compliance with this matter and thank you for your interest in Amazon Payments.
Best regards,
Florence G.
Dec 1, 2013, 4:04 pm
#2955
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 33
I dont know what that I did wrong. I have 2 separate bank accounts (same name). Different credit cards (again same name). It seems completely random.
However, my question is can I now use the other account without causing the receiving account to be shut down as well.
However, my question is can I now use the other account without causing the receiving account to be shut down as well.