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 17, 2014 | 6:06 am
#3287
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA, USAir
Posts: 228
Mortgage Question
I am planning to get a refinance done on one of my rental properties next month. I recall that loan officers/banks question every transaction over a certain amount (let's say $500). I believe I have a $1000 AP that hit my bank account and that statement would most likely be submitted (yes, now I keep my withdrawals low).
What do you think is the best explanation for a loan officer looking at AP deposits. Not only would he ask about the $1000, but other smaller ones that show up in my other accounts would need a 'blanket' explanation what AP is all about.
What do you think is the best explanation for a loan officer looking at AP deposits. Not only would he ask about the $1000, but other smaller ones that show up in my other accounts would need a 'blanket' explanation what AP is all about.
Jan 17, 2014 | 11:50 pm
#3291
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Nomad
Programs: AS MVPG75k, SQ Gold
Posts: 182
Although, for the 3 times I've worked with an LO, they generally care about income vs. expenses, so they likely won't care about the nitty gritty details. All they really care about is that your $1k/month out and $1k/month in are stable and won't become $2k out and $0 in.
Jan 18, 2014 | 3:33 am
#3292
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3
Waiting Time for Amazon Payments
Hello FTer's.
Suppose I am MSing with Friend A and Friend B, with $300 transferring among us and $0 in our amazon accounts.
Scenario: Suppose Friend A sends me $300 at this second. Being the "middle person" - how long should I wait to withdraw the $300 into my personal banking account, then send a new $300 to Friend B with my rewards card?
I don't wanna raise suspicions ._.
Suppose I am MSing with Friend A and Friend B, with $300 transferring among us and $0 in our amazon accounts.
Scenario: Suppose Friend A sends me $300 at this second. Being the "middle person" - how long should I wait to withdraw the $300 into my personal banking account, then send a new $300 to Friend B with my rewards card?
I don't wanna raise suspicions ._.
Jan 18, 2014 | 3:56 am
#3293
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Since you're new, there is this thread.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...tart-here.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...tart-here.html
Last edited by tcook052; Jan 18, 2014 at 6:45 am
Jan 18, 2014 | 4:40 am
#3295
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Shanghai
Programs: BAEC (Gold), PC (Plat), HH (Gold), MR (Gold)
Posts: 2,732
Having read the thread, if you still have a question then post a reply to the thread rather than creating a new one. Flyertalk would be an unusable mess if every question were created as a new thread.
Hopefully these pointers help, and you will enjoy using Flyertalk.
Jan 18, 2014 | 4:40 am
#3296
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
I also forgot to mention. If you're worried about risk and raising suspicions, MS'ing isn't for you.
There is no science to AP. Most of us do not wait in-between sending funds. That's just CC debt just sitting there in an account.
There is no science to AP. Most of us do not wait in-between sending funds. That's just CC debt just sitting there in an account.
Jan 18, 2014 | 7:02 am
#3297
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3
I want a second's opinion before I do an instant withdrawal then pay another friend right away.
Jan 18, 2014 | 11:19 am
#3300
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887