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 23, 2014 | 4:51 pm
#3346
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
Actually it has also been beaten to death as well that we don't know exactly what criteria Amazon uses to determine when accounts are suspended. Therefore we can't rule out that having multiple accounts via same SSN couldn't be part of the reason or at least a factor. Of course having multiple accounts with same SSN wouldn't trigger suspension right away just like nothing is right away or else that would be nuts. However doing it consistently month after month is when you establish a pattern so my point is over time it could be a contributing factor.
I thought it was clear from the beginning, no?
Jan 23, 2014 | 5:26 pm
#3347
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,615
Look at the post below and tell me if your response can look confusing.
From your post
Originally Posted by ericdabbs View Post
But are you using multiple Amazon accounts with the same SSN (I assume yours)? I am curious if Amazon looks for that. Its hard to figure out what some people get suspended but sometimes the small details make the difference.
But are you using multiple Amazon accounts with the same SSN (I assume yours)? I am curious if Amazon looks for that. Its hard to figure out what some people get suspended but sometimes the small details make the difference.
It's been beaten to death on this thread.
No, using the same SSN is not the trigger for the suspension, at least not right away.
Jan 23, 2014 | 6:12 pm
#3348
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
??? I was asking you if you were using multiple AP accounts with the same SSN and you said "Of course". Maybe I am not reading it correctly or you were trying to answer a different question.
Look at the post below and tell me if your response can look confusing.
From your post
Of course.
It's been beaten to death on this thread.
No, using the same SSN is not the trigger for the suspension, at least not right away.
Look at the post below and tell me if your response can look confusing.
From your post
Of course.
It's been beaten to death on this thread.
No, using the same SSN is not the trigger for the suspension, at least not right away.
If you are using different ssns for the different accounts, you have nothing to fear from the Bezos tribe, you are not having multiple AP accounts, the entire point of this conversation is moot.
don't know what is unclear to you here.
Jan 23, 2014 | 9:56 pm
#3350
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
Jan 23, 2014 | 11:06 pm
#3352
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
Fact of the matter is they are losing $30 on every $1K transaction.
There is no way they are going to unseat PayPal.
So..enjoy it guys and gals while it lasts..until the next Amazon audit..
Jan 24, 2014 | 4:52 am
#3353
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,410
Bottom line is I know this won't last forever, but it's a great free resource, so use and abuse it!
Jan 24, 2014 | 7:59 am
#3354
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 175
This is majority of the reason that I have made multiple accounts in my SSN. It won't last for long so I'd rather get a couple thousand out every month before it's gone for good. If I get shutdown, then I just use my boyfriend's account (and possibly make multiple), and work from there.
Bottom line is I know this won't last forever, but it's a great free resource, so use and abuse it!
Bottom line is I know this won't last forever, but it's a great free resource, so use and abuse it!
Jan 24, 2014 | 10:22 am
#3355
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
This is misleading. In the spirit of United and all mileage and points devaluers who bring forth frequent flyers program "enhancements," AP customers are simply providing "enhancement" to AP's business. Bring on the audits - banks and airlines and organizations like AP have nothing to hide, right? Ha, ha, ha!
Jan 24, 2014 | 10:45 am
#3356
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,410
I'm not paranoid, I have many accounts under my own SSN, but I don't expect it to last forever, so might as well keep my boyfriend's accounts clean and ready to use (he still gets about $2k in and out a month anyway). As of the multiple accounts now, I use and abuse them as expressed earlier. If a shutdown happens, it does and I move on!
Jan 24, 2014 | 11:11 am
#3358
Join Date: May 2000
Location: I see palm trees....
Posts: 414
