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
Jul 10, 2014 | 9:30 pm
#4475
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 260
Jul 10, 2014 | 10:13 pm
#4476
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
or did he log in to YOUR account to send money to HIS account? if this is the case, I don't see a problem if it went through because it'll just look like YOU were the sender and he is the recipient. BUT if a CC that is listed in your account was used 'accidentally' by him to send to his account, that may *possibly* sound the alarm but other than that, let's hope it's not a big blunder.
Jul 11, 2014 | 1:41 am
#4477
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,842
just to clarify, don't you just choose among credit card(s) already listed on the drop down menu of one's account? how can he accidentally put a card on your account?
or did he log in to YOUR account to send money to HIS account? if this is the case, I don't see a problem if it went through because it'll just look like YOU were the sender and he is the recipient. BUT if a CC that is listed in your account was used 'accidentally' by him to send to his account, that may *possibly* sound the alarm but other than that, let's hope it's not a big blunder.
or did he log in to YOUR account to send money to HIS account? if this is the case, I don't see a problem if it went through because it'll just look like YOU were the sender and he is the recipient. BUT if a CC that is listed in your account was used 'accidentally' by him to send to his account, that may *possibly* sound the alarm but other than that, let's hope it's not a big blunder.
Jul 11, 2014 | 6:40 am
#4478
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
I've read some got shutdown for similar reason where a CC or several CCs were found out being shared by different accounts. But not knowing what triggers shutdown, you can just relax for now. Nothing you can do but just hope for the best.
Jul 11, 2014 | 7:22 am
#4479
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MDT
Programs: DL, AA
Posts: 390
Are you talking about "applying" for an AP account? If so, I've never heard of someone going through that process. Any chance that was posted in the wrong thread?
Jul 11, 2014 | 5:28 pm
#4480
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 34
Amazon Payments newb here. If I send money to a friend via Amazon payments, then he withdraws the money and transfers it back to me via bank account...that is totally fine, right? We're not doing anything that will make Amazon shut down our accounts? Also, will the IRS issue him a 1099 for receiving money from me?
Jul 11, 2014 | 6:28 pm
#4481
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 186
Amazon Payments newb here. If I send money to a friend via Amazon payments, then he withdraws the money and transfers it back to me via bank account...that is totally fine, right? We're not doing anything that will make Amazon shut down our accounts? Also, will the IRS issue him a 1099 for receiving money from me?
Jul 11, 2014 | 8:40 pm
#4482
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 1,338
Greetings from Amazon Payments,
Thank you for contacting us in regards to your account.
We are writing with regards to your Amazon Payments account. It appears that your account is on hold as we have not been able to verify your account information.
In order to verify your account information, please provide the following:
A copy of an official letter mailed to your physical location in the US (bank statement, utility bill, etc) - an official letter that confirms the same address that you have registered with when signing up for your Amazon Payments Account. Please be advised that we cannot accept a P.O. Box address for verification purposes.
For security reasons, we are unable to accept these documents via e-mail. If you are not able to utilize a fax machine from home, work, a library or local copy center, please know there are many online based fax services available. Many of these websites provide their services free of charge. Please use your favorite search engine to locate a service that may work best for your needs. We will send an email confirmation once your fax has been received. Please allow 1 to 2 business days for us to process your fax and provide an account update.
Please fax this documentation to our toll free fax number 1-800-887-0540. To ensure that your fax is processed in a timely manner, please be sure to include the email address associated with your Amazon Payments account.
Thank you for your compliance with our verification procedures.
Sincerely,
Account Specialist
Amazon Payments
Jul 12, 2014 | 5:24 pm
#4483
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
I'm in the right thread. Got this on 6/29. Going have to get the wife to call.
Greetings from Amazon Payments,
Thank you for contacting us in regards to your account.
We are writing with regards to your Amazon Payments account. It appears that your account is on hold as we have not been able to verify your account information.
In order to verify your account information, please provide the following:
A copy of an official letter mailed to your physical location in the US (bank statement, utility bill, etc) - an official letter that confirms the same address that you have registered with when signing up for your Amazon Payments Account. Please be advised that we cannot accept a P.O. Box address for verification purposes.
For security reasons, we are unable to accept these documents via e-mail. If you are not able to utilize a fax machine from home, work, a library or local copy center, please know there are many online based fax services available. Many of these websites provide their services free of charge. Please use your favorite search engine to locate a service that may work best for your needs. We will send an email confirmation once your fax has been received. Please allow 1 to 2 business days for us to process your fax and provide an account update.
Please fax this documentation to our toll free fax number 1-800-887-0540. To ensure that your fax is processed in a timely manner, please be sure to include the email address associated with your Amazon Payments account.
Thank you for your compliance with our verification procedures.
Sincerely,
Account Specialist
Amazon Payments
Greetings from Amazon Payments,
Thank you for contacting us in regards to your account.
We are writing with regards to your Amazon Payments account. It appears that your account is on hold as we have not been able to verify your account information.
In order to verify your account information, please provide the following:
A copy of an official letter mailed to your physical location in the US (bank statement, utility bill, etc) - an official letter that confirms the same address that you have registered with when signing up for your Amazon Payments Account. Please be advised that we cannot accept a P.O. Box address for verification purposes.
For security reasons, we are unable to accept these documents via e-mail. If you are not able to utilize a fax machine from home, work, a library or local copy center, please know there are many online based fax services available. Many of these websites provide their services free of charge. Please use your favorite search engine to locate a service that may work best for your needs. We will send an email confirmation once your fax has been received. Please allow 1 to 2 business days for us to process your fax and provide an account update.
Please fax this documentation to our toll free fax number 1-800-887-0540. To ensure that your fax is processed in a timely manner, please be sure to include the email address associated with your Amazon Payments account.
Thank you for your compliance with our verification procedures.
Sincerely,
Account Specialist
Amazon Payments
you may have been a target of random check. I don't think you have anything to worry about if you provided accurate information.
Jul 12, 2014 | 9:32 pm
#4484
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 38
Pardon me if his has been answered before. But let's say i have sent 1k per month to my wife for "Goods and Services" over the past 12 months using Amazon Payments. Will this 12k not be considered taxable income for her? If I am audited by the IRS, could I be penalized for not reporting income? I understand that Amazon does not send her a 1099, but I just don't want a mess on my hands down the road. Thoughts? Any help is appreciated.
Jul 12, 2014 | 10:59 pm
#4485
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Pardon me if his has been answered before. But let's say i have sent 1k per month to my wife for "Goods and Services" over the past 12 months using Amazon Payments. Will this 12k not be considered taxable income for her? If I am audited by the IRS, could I be penalized for not reporting income? I understand that Amazon does not send her a 1099, but I just don't want a mess on my hands down the road. Thoughts? Any help is appreciated.
If you're afraid of this, don't partake.