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 21, 2014, 4:15 pm
#3991
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Apr 21, 2014, 8:00 pm
#3992
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
Apr 21, 2014, 8:02 pm
#3993
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: OC/LAX
Posts: 376
"Your Amazon Payments account has a lifetime limit of 10 bank account payment methods (there is no such limit on the number of credit cards associated with your account). If you have had 10 bank accounts with Amazon Payments already on the same account, you cannot add any more, even if one or more of the 10 is no longer active."
Didn't know about the limit ...
Apr 21, 2014, 8:02 pm
#3994
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
"Your Amazon Payments account has a lifetime limit of 10 bank account payment methods (there is no such limit on the number of credit cards associated with your account). If you have had 10 bank accounts with Amazon Payments already on the same account, you cannot add any more, even if one or more of the 10 is no longer active."
Didn't know about the limit ...
Didn't know about the limit ...
Apr 21, 2014, 8:05 pm
#3995
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: OC/LAX
Posts: 376
Apr 21, 2014, 10:47 pm
#3996
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
I'm maintaining a balance of several hundred dollars in AP for the time being so it can be transferred to Serve as Direct Deposit to get the $50 credit (when my Serve account is open). Is it a red flag to send, for ex, $500 to someone via AP from my credit card if I already have more than that in my AP account balance? That is, will AP expect me to empty that balance first before using the credit card?
Apr 21, 2014, 11:06 pm
#3997
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL
Posts: 930
I'm maintaining a balance of several hundred dollars in AP for the time being so it can be transferred to Serve as Direct Deposit to get the $50 credit (when my Serve account is open). Is it a red flag to send, for ex, $500 to someone via AP from my credit card if I already have more than that in my AP account balance? That is, will AP expect me to empty that balance first before using the credit card?
Apr 21, 2014, 11:10 pm
#3998
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
So you're saying that as long as we don't consistently send $900+ every month, it doesn't matter if we send money using our credit card even if we have a balance on AP?
Apr 22, 2014, 12:09 am
#3999
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL
Posts: 930
Based on what people have reported, that should be correct, but remember, AP can still shut you down at any time, and no one trully knows how they flag accounts for closure.
Apr 22, 2014, 3:40 am
#4000
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
So everything is YMMV. As usual with AP.
Apr 22, 2014, 5:20 am
#4001
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 633
I'm maintaining a balance of several hundred dollars in AP for the time being so it can be transferred to Serve as Direct Deposit to get the $50 credit (when my Serve account is open). Is it a red flag to send, for ex, $500 to someone via AP from my credit card if I already have more than that in my AP account balance? That is, will AP expect me to empty that balance first before using the credit card?
Apr 22, 2014, 6:34 am
#4002
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
As I recall, I don't even think you have the option to use a CC if you have a balance exceeding what you are wanting to pay. I think it automatically takes it from your balance without the option to select a CC. At least this is what has appeared to happen to me when I have mistakenly tried to make a payment before withdrawing a balance. If they payment exceeds the balance, then you get an option to use a CC.
Apr 22, 2014, 7:30 am
#4003
Used to be ' simz '
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Kolkata, India
Programs: Does it matter..??? It doesn't matter to them
Posts: 1,129
Apr 22, 2014, 8:20 am
#4004
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 5
Anybody else having problems making all credit cards show you as options when trying to pay somebody? The credit cards are listed when I try to add a new credit card (6-7 credit card numbers listed) but when I actually try to pay somebody, I only have one credit card number as an option.
Looked through the forum for answers, but can't see anything.
Thanks!
Looked through the forum for answers, but can't see anything.
Thanks!
Apr 22, 2014, 8:22 am
#4005
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
As I recall, I don't even think you have the option to use a CC if you have a balance exceeding what you are wanting to pay. I think it automatically takes it from your balance without the option to select a CC. At least this is what has appeared to happen to me when I have mistakenly tried to make a payment before withdrawing a balance. If they payment exceeds the balance, then you get an option to use a CC.