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 12, 2013, 9:59 am
#3063
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
I was doing A>B>C>D>E>F>A between me and missus, where I was A,C,E and she was B,D,F.
C was taken from the equation by the Bezos tribe. I am short $1K I needed for AA Citi MC req.
Have to wait.
Other 5 accounts are alive as of now.
C was taken from the equation by the Bezos tribe. I am short $1K I needed for AA Citi MC req.
Have to wait.
Other 5 accounts are alive as of now.
Dec 12, 2013, 1:21 pm
#3066
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 801
Lol! "Number 5...is...alive!!!"
Dec 12, 2013, 2:29 pm
#3068
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA, BA, CX, DL, EK, F9, GA, HA, IB, JL, KE, LH, MH, NH, OS, PG, QR, RJ, SA, TG, UA, VN, WN, ZH
Posts: 927
Dec 12, 2013, 3:06 pm
#3070
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 57
I've been doing A > B and B > A for some time now between my wife and I.
I've opened second accounts for my wife and I with separate bank accounts and will use separate credit cards, but with the same SSN.
Am going to try A1 > B1 and B1 > A1 then A2 > B2 and B2 > A2.
I've read cautionary tales on here but nothing yet to dissuade me from trying this. Will report back.
I've opened second accounts for my wife and I with separate bank accounts and will use separate credit cards, but with the same SSN.
Am going to try A1 > B1 and B1 > A1 then A2 > B2 and B2 > A2.
I've read cautionary tales on here but nothing yet to dissuade me from trying this. Will report back.
Dec 12, 2013, 3:28 pm
#3071
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
I've been doing A > B and B > A for some time now between my wife and I.
I've opened second accounts for my wife and I with separate bank accounts and will use separate credit cards, but with the same SSN.
Am going to try A1 > B1 and B1 > A1 then A2 > B2 and B2 > A2.
I've read cautionary tales on here but nothing yet to dissuade me from trying this. Will report back.
I've opened second accounts for my wife and I with separate bank accounts and will use separate credit cards, but with the same SSN.
Am going to try A1 > B1 and B1 > A1 then A2 > B2 and B2 > A2.
I've read cautionary tales on here but nothing yet to dissuade me from trying this. Will report back.
although nobody knows for sure how the Bezos headhunters operate.
Dec 12, 2013, 7:41 pm
#3073
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Also, remember about the 200K and 200. If you're sending money back to A1 all the time... It ticks away at that 200K and 200. I wouldn't suggest that for a whole year unless you really want a 1099K.
You're going to have to send in some documentation. I had to for both my own, and my girlfriends account.
Dec 12, 2013, 8:21 pm
#3074
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 198
I've been doing A>B, B>A for a long time now with no issues (B is my spouse, so same home address, same last name, but always separate credit cards and bank accounts).
I recently added an A2>B2, B2>A2 (again, separate ccs and bank accounts). No issues yet. In a month I'll push it further and go for A3/B3.
I recently added an A2>B2, B2>A2 (again, separate ccs and bank accounts). No issues yet. In a month I'll push it further and go for A3/B3.
Dec 12, 2013, 8:25 pm
#3075
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 27
I am new to Amazon Payments, just started using it this month. I have a question on how safe this set up would be.
Make 2 accounts for myself with the same name, ssn, address (my own) and different bank accounts. Send money to account B and C. B and C live in the same house but it would be different name, ssn, bank info. Then, they deposit the money in my bank account directly.
So the chain would be A1 > B, A2 > C. Then they send me a check. So they will never be sending me money through AP.
My question is how safe is it to have A1 and A2 under the same name, ssn, address, and different bank info. Should I be using different credit cards for A1 and A2 or could I use one credit card for both? Meaning is it safe to manufacture 2K spending a month on one card using A1 and A2? Or am I better off using 2 different credit cards?
Thanks!
Make 2 accounts for myself with the same name, ssn, address (my own) and different bank accounts. Send money to account B and C. B and C live in the same house but it would be different name, ssn, bank info. Then, they deposit the money in my bank account directly.
So the chain would be A1 > B, A2 > C. Then they send me a check. So they will never be sending me money through AP.
My question is how safe is it to have A1 and A2 under the same name, ssn, address, and different bank info. Should I be using different credit cards for A1 and A2 or could I use one credit card for both? Meaning is it safe to manufacture 2K spending a month on one card using A1 and A2? Or am I better off using 2 different credit cards?
Thanks!