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
Apr 18, 2014 | 1:10 pm
#3961
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: SPG Platinum, Marriott LT Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Platinum Pro, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 215
I cant answer your question, but basically you are in the situation where you'll have to pay the CC fee to amazon to meet your spend since you're overextended? I think this is a cautionary tale that reminds us not to bite off more than we can safely chew when signing up for cards.
Apr 18, 2014 | 1:13 pm
#3962
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: SPG Platinum, Marriott LT Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Platinum Pro, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 215
Serve has nothing to do with AP. I just wanted to double check that the 20k limit + 200 transaction limit is product specific (AP, Serve, Bluebird, Netspend...etc), meaning that the limit is based on product/service, not SSN. So me loading Serve online won't be combined with my AP activity.
Apr 18, 2014 | 1:14 pm
#3963
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: Hilton-Gold
Posts: 728
Apr 18, 2014 | 6:48 pm
#3965
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,436
I tried to add Serve to my AP account as a bank. I entered in the routing and account numbers and the 2 small deposits came today. I tried to verify the account on AP, entered the amount of the deposits, and the city of birth-- but it said that it could not verify the account. I tried it again and again, and now when I try to verify, I have to enter in the routing and account numbers again, driver's license number, but it then says that AP can't send the deposits to my bank. Anybody else have trouble adding Serve as a bank account to AP?
Apr 19, 2014 | 1:12 pm
#3967
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 117
I have an AP account that hasn't been used for a few years. I plan to set up a new AP for my gf, wait a few days, send $400, wait a few more days, and then send $600.
Would it be best to have her send this back to my AP account to cash out or just have her cash them out into Chase and then send me the money back with Chase Quickpay?
Would it be best to have her send this back to my AP account to cash out or just have her cash them out into Chase and then send me the money back with Chase Quickpay?
Apr 19, 2014 | 1:52 pm
#3968
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
I have an AP account that hasn't been used for a few years. I plan to set up a new AP for my gf, wait a few days, send $400, wait a few more days, and then send $600.
Would it be best to have her send this back to my AP account to cash out or just have her cash them out into Chase and then send me the money back with Chase Quickpay?
Would it be best to have her send this back to my AP account to cash out or just have her cash them out into Chase and then send me the money back with Chase Quickpay?
It is one of the shut down reasons in the Wiki. so it more advisable to throw an extra person into the mix.
Apr 19, 2014 | 1:59 pm
#3969
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Dont think it will work as bank accts have to be different.
Also dont think it will work as you are both NUDE
Apr 19, 2014 | 2:04 pm
#3970
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Yes and No, as some have no trouble but I have personally known a few people (family members) that was shut down for this reason, so you do run a risk. Planning to use Amz for a long time then play it safe and go with A-B-C-A
Apr 19, 2014 | 2:23 pm
#3972
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Not 100% sure but think that should work. Only issue some people have reported was to be cautious about using the SAME computer for the transaction among different people as they "maybe" tracking down via IP address
Apr 19, 2014 | 3:20 pm
#3973
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 117
We both have separate bank accounts.
Apr 19, 2014 | 4:06 pm
#3974
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,436
I've heard of the IP address thing before. But is it so inconceivable that one roommate pay another for his share of the rent?
Apr 19, 2014 | 5:01 pm
#3975
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,615
I don't think A-B-C-A is the only foolproof way. We don't know the criteria.