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
Jun 9, 2014, 1:23 pm
#4231
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 19
I am not sure it will have any affect on AP as we know it, as that service is intended to facilitate direct payments from one party to another on a per-transaction basis (and which provides Amazon a potential upside in that the receiving party can instantly take payment in the form of Amazon credit). It sounds like the new push is to have Amazon be the payment backbone for subscription-based services.
Jun 9, 2014, 9:11 pm
#4232
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: HOU
Programs: AA Plat | Delta Plat | Marriott Gold
Posts: 30
Sorry for a newbie question, but can someone please explain to me clearly what A>B>C>A is?
Would it be CC > Amazon > Bank ?
Or are you talking about different computers...? Thanks.
Would it be CC > Amazon > Bank ?
Or are you talking about different computers...? Thanks.
Jun 9, 2014, 9:16 pm
#4233
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA, BA, CX, DL, EK, F9, GA, HA, IB, JL, KE, LH, MH, NH, OS, PG, QR, RJ, SA, TG, UA, VN, WN, ZH
Posts: 927
Jun 10, 2014, 6:03 am
#4234
Join Date: May 2014
Location: GSP
Posts: 129
Marcus left PayPal for Facebook....This leaves it wide open for Amazon to increase competition in this space ....IMHO this is very good for MS.....perhaps.....over the next 6-12 months ....... Amazon is aggressive and in the short term more concerned with market share than profits...keep your fingers crossed
Jun 10, 2014, 7:30 am
#4236
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MDT
Programs: DL, AA
Posts: 390
Jun 10, 2014, 10:52 am
#4237
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Jun 10, 2014, 12:18 pm
#4238
Join Date: May 2014
Location: PHL
Programs: SW CP, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 571
How long is it advisable to leave funds in B before withdrawing to B's bank account? I dont have a C that I can loop in so A > B > Bank account is the way its going to have to be right now...
Jun 10, 2014, 12:22 pm
#4239
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Jun 10, 2014, 2:56 pm
#4241
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 111
Anyone have issues with verifying your AP account? I have an account that received an email from ap address verification saying they need my bank to fax them information to verify the address. I used Serve as the bank account and they refuse to fax anything.
I currently have $1k sitting in the account and can't log in to access. Whenever I call, they just ask for address and say they'll respond to me in 24 hrs.
Any assistance is appreciated.
I currently have $1k sitting in the account and can't log in to access. Whenever I call, they just ask for address and say they'll respond to me in 24 hrs.
Any assistance is appreciated.
Jun 10, 2014, 3:05 pm
#4243
Join Date: May 2014
Location: PHL
Programs: SW CP, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 571
Anyone have issues with verifying your AP account? I have an account that received an email from ap address verification saying they need my bank to fax them information to verify the address. I used Serve as the bank account and they refuse to fax anything.
I currently have $1k sitting in the account and can't log in to access. Whenever I call, they just ask for address and say they'll respond to me in 24 hrs.
Any assistance is appreciated.
I currently have $1k sitting in the account and can't log in to access. Whenever I call, they just ask for address and say they'll respond to me in 24 hrs.
Any assistance is appreciated.
Jun 10, 2014, 3:11 pm
#4244
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 111