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
Jan 2, 2014 | 4:40 pm
#3181
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA, USAir
Posts: 228
Just got a potentially targeted offer from Citi AA gold card, 2 miles per $ spent on online purchases. Not sure if this qualifies for AP transactions so though I'd ask this group. Details follow:
Enroll now and when you use your Citi® Gold / AAdvantage® card for eligible purchases, the AAdvantage® miles are on the web!
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: Once your enrollment is complete, you will earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on online purchases through 03/31/14. Earn up to 2,500 AAdvantage® bonus miles
Enroll now and when you use your Citi® Gold / AAdvantage® card for eligible purchases, the AAdvantage® miles are on the web!
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: Once your enrollment is complete, you will earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on online purchases through 03/31/14. Earn up to 2,500 AAdvantage® bonus miles
Jan 2, 2014 | 6:52 pm
#3185
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Born and raised in South Carolina, now in New York City.
Posts: 534
Three of my accounts got shut down. They all had real ss# but i was using credit cards with different names and they all had the same bank account. I never had a problem until this month. Is it possible to wait for a while and open a new account for the same person or any way to unfreeze an account? Feel free to PM if it's safer. Thanks!
Jan 3, 2014 | 12:55 am
#3191
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 267
Three of my accounts got shut down. They all had real ss# but i was using credit cards with different names and they all had the same bank account. I never had a problem until this month. Is it possible to wait for a while and open a new account for the same person or any way to unfreeze an account? Feel free to PM if it's safer. Thanks!
So now I'm in the same boat with no AP. AP was a nice arrow in my quiver and I would really like to regain it. I don't mind waiting however long it takes. If anyone has any experience regaining a favorable relationship with AP after a situatin like this, I would be really grateful for a PM with tips and pointers.
Jan 3, 2014 | 7:18 am
#3192
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,506
Anyone had issues using Discover virtual account numbers? I created one but payment is failing. Looks like card details are good as I see the $1 pending hold on the card, but every payment fails. Trying to use the "same" card across a couple of accounts
Jan 3, 2014 | 7:52 am
#3193
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: AA Gold, US Silver, Starwood Gold, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 345
Jan 3, 2014 | 8:09 am
#3194
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Jan 3, 2014 | 8:31 am
#3195
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 64
A week ago, I hit the $15 off $150 OM AMEX deal pretty hard. As a result, one of my AP accounts went down very fast. Now checking my other AP accounts, they suspended all of them. I guess they looked into everyone I send money to and noticed those people also send me money.
So now I'm in the same boat with no AP. AP was a nice arrow in my quiver and I would really like to regain it. I don't mind waiting however long it takes. If anyone has any experience regaining a favorable relationship with AP after a situatin like this, I would be really grateful for a PM with tips and pointers.
So now I'm in the same boat with no AP. AP was a nice arrow in my quiver and I would really like to regain it. I don't mind waiting however long it takes. If anyone has any experience regaining a favorable relationship with AP after a situatin like this, I would be really grateful for a PM with tips and pointers.
Also as above if anybody has info on how to regain accounts please PM.