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
Dec 11, 2013 | 3:29 pm
#3046
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 291
You may want to recheck the info that was entered for the card you are trying to use. I have only seen "payment failed" when information such as the date was not correct, but it has always said it right away... not just afterwards by email.
Dec 11, 2013 | 7:48 pm
#3049
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 115
How many accts do you still have left. I was considering opening up a few more accounts between myself and my girlfriend, but read that some people had all their accts shut down, not just one. Haven't needed more accts up until now, but may try.
Dec 11, 2013 | 8:06 pm
#3050
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
What were you using as the funding source? If using a $100 GC they may have done the $1.00 authorization when you registered the card with AP. If so, you need to wait for that to fall off before you can use the entire $100. There is a workaround when first entering future GC's.
Dec 11, 2013 | 8:38 pm
#3051
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Marriott Gold, Amex PR Gold, Hertz Gold, Delta Silver
Posts: 95
What were you using as the funding source? If using a $100 GC they may have done the $1.00 authorization when you registered the card with AP. If so, you need to wait for that to fall off before you can use the entire $100. There is a workaround when first entering future GC's.
Dec 11, 2013 | 8:47 pm
#3052
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 252
I've read the last 5 pages, and couldn't find anyone asking this specific question:
I recently applied for a credit card that needs 3k spent in the first 3 months. I added an authorized user to that card. I don't want to use my card (the main one) in my AP account. That account is already busy meeting another CC spend requirement.
Can I add the AU card to the other AP account I have? The AU CC name matches the other AP account. Or does AP look at the name of the "owner" of that credit card, causing a mismatch?
I recently applied for a credit card that needs 3k spent in the first 3 months. I added an authorized user to that card. I don't want to use my card (the main one) in my AP account. That account is already busy meeting another CC spend requirement.
Can I add the AU card to the other AP account I have? The AU CC name matches the other AP account. Or does AP look at the name of the "owner" of that credit card, causing a mismatch?
Dec 11, 2013 | 9:03 pm
#3053
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
Dec 11, 2013 | 9:14 pm
#3054
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: AA, UAL
Posts: 545
I've read the last 5 pages, and couldn't find anyone asking this specific question:
I recently applied for a credit card that needs 3k spent in the first 3 months. I added an authorized user to that card. I don't want to use my card (the main one) in my AP account. That account is already busy meeting another CC spend requirement.
Can I add the AU card to the other AP account I have? The AU CC name matches the other AP account. Or does AP look at the name of the "owner" of that credit card, causing a mismatch?
I recently applied for a credit card that needs 3k spent in the first 3 months. I added an authorized user to that card. I don't want to use my card (the main one) in my AP account. That account is already busy meeting another CC spend requirement.
Can I add the AU card to the other AP account I have? The AU CC name matches the other AP account. Or does AP look at the name of the "owner" of that credit card, causing a mismatch?
Cheers!
Dec 11, 2013 | 9:21 pm
#3055
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: The Empire State
Programs: CO (RIP), US (RIP), Amtrak. Lots of CC programs.
Posts: 442
Dec 12, 2013 | 3:54 am
#3056
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Somewhere above the Mason-Dixon
Programs: DL Ham Samich
Posts: 1,698
With an Amex biz card, any idea about many employees with their own employee card numbers and bank accounts and never completing the loop?
Can AP tell that the different cards are somehow linked?
Can AP tell that the different cards are somehow linked?
Dec 12, 2013 | 7:02 am
#3058
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 77