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
Mar 25, 2014, 6:03 pm
#3827
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Mar 25, 2014, 7:30 pm
#3830
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Mar 25, 2014, 7:32 pm
#3831
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: DL DM Hub Captive, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, PC Plat, and other stuff.
Posts: 904
This is a travel community. Compared to a statement credit, you don't think you can get a WAY better value out of your URs by redeeming for a transcontinental 1st class ticket?
Mar 25, 2014, 8:17 pm
#3832
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 260
There are many miles junkies out there but not everyone actually travels, so rather than waste the miles it's still better to get something out of it than let the miles expire or sit idle and devaluation with time.
Mar 25, 2014, 10:29 pm
#3833
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: Jose Cuervo Gold, Bud Light Platinum, Schwab 401K, VW Bug 2MM
Posts: 1,103
hopefully the poster meant best value cash equivalent. To most of us, converting to a cash equivalent is a terrible waste. Then again that poster is a n00b, so who knows.
Mar 25, 2014, 11:49 pm
#3834
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,406
Say 5k points gives $50GC
5k points also gives $50 statement credit.
Where is the most bang for your buck?
Secondly, sometime there is sale on GC.
I once got a ticket to oz on United worth $10,576 (full fare - urgent trip) but spent 80k miles. UR can be sent to United too. 80k points would give me $800. So I gained $10,576 - $800.
Yeah this is travel community.
Last edited by sciconf; Mar 26, 2014 at 11:33 am
Mar 26, 2014, 4:14 am
#3835
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,638
it was speculation only, and no one could confirm the connection.
Mar 26, 2014, 11:52 am
#3837
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 19
Has anyone had success paying with AMFT? I've been trying to transfer $500 and then $499 for a few days but it keeps failing. This is my first time using amazon payments. I've read through a few threads but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. The receiving accounts shows the failed transfers and says it could be due to email or phone number not being verified. But I checked my emails and show that bank and email was verified so I'm quite confused.
Mar 26, 2014, 12:01 pm
#3838
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
Has anyone had success paying with AMFT? I've been trying to transfer $500 and then $499 for a few days but it keeps failing. This is my first time using amazon payments. I've read through a few threads but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. The receiving accounts shows the failed transfers and says it could be due to email or phone number not being verified. But I checked my emails and show that bank and email was verified so I'm quite confused.
Mar 26, 2014, 1:08 pm
#3839
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,207
Why "most bang for your buck"?
Say 5k points gives $50GC
5k points also gives $50 statement credit.
Where is the most bang for your buck?
Secondly, sometime there is sale on GC.
I once got a ticket to oz on United worth $10,576 (full fare - urgent trip) but spent 80k miles. UR can be sent to United too. 80k points would give me $800. So I gained $10,576 - $800.
Yeah this is travel community.
Say 5k points gives $50GC
5k points also gives $50 statement credit.
Where is the most bang for your buck?
Secondly, sometime there is sale on GC.
I once got a ticket to oz on United worth $10,576 (full fare - urgent trip) but spent 80k miles. UR can be sent to United too. 80k points would give me $800. So I gained $10,576 - $800.
Yeah this is travel community.
Mar 26, 2014, 2:00 pm
#3840
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 19
Also some other points, BB was my funding bank acct for the sending acct. I just closed that acct the other day to switch to serve..might that be it? are they constantly pinging the accounts to make sure all information is true at all times? Also the receiving acct has no credit card attached to it...is that a problem?