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
Sep 10, 2014 | 7:38 pm
#4757
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
maybe they won't do mass shutdowns now until Oct 13? we can hope, right?
whether we like it or not, mass shutdown will become official after the cut off date and they'll probably notice a massive drop in P2P sending/receiving.
several doors have closed, let's hope windows (of opportunity) start opening. we just have to remain positive.
whether we like it or not, mass shutdown will become official after the cut off date and they'll probably notice a massive drop in P2P sending/receiving.
several doors have closed, let's hope windows (of opportunity) start opening. we just have to remain positive.
Sep 10, 2014 | 8:48 pm
#4761
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: NYC, PHL, WAS
Programs: UA, AA, BA, DL
Posts: 431
What makes you think ap will qualify? The terms of the discover q4 bonus include: "In addition, purchases made at warehouse clubs or discount stores and purchases made using virtual wallets or third party payment providers will not receive 5% Cashback Bonus."
Sep 10, 2014 | 8:48 pm
#4762
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
looks interesting. but for now, the only funding source to move $ in and out is through our bank accounts according to Ian:
We do not link with credit and/or debit cards currently and that is how we manage to keep our fee structure as low as it is. To move funds in and out of the system a bank account will be needed. Check out our fee structure here: www.dwolla.com/fees.
Sep 10, 2014 | 8:50 pm
#4763
Suspended
Join Date: May 2014
Location: ILG/PHL
Programs: Amex Plat, AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Gold, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold
Posts: 1,075
In the past it has.
Sep 11, 2014 | 12:18 am
#4764
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: NYC, PHL, WAS
Programs: UA, AA, BA, DL
Posts: 431
It seems like the terms and conditions language last year was more ambiguous:
"Earn 5% CashBack Bonus for online purchases from 10/1/13 (or the date on which you signed up, whichever is later) through 12/31/13, subject to a cap of $1500 in purchases. Offer does not apply to government products or services, education providers, utilities, or travel. Amounts that are not charged to your card during your online purchase will not qualify. These purchases must be made by 12/31/13. Purchases made using Near Field Communication (NFC), virtual wallets, or similar technology may not be eligible. If a purchase is coded for a category other than listed above, it will not qualify. Rewards are added to your CashBack Bonus account within 2 billing periods. See CashBack Bonus Program Terms and Conditions for further detail." Guess it is worth the gamble, although there are a number of gift cards I'd like to liquidate.
"Earn 5% CashBack Bonus for online purchases from 10/1/13 (or the date on which you signed up, whichever is later) through 12/31/13, subject to a cap of $1500 in purchases. Offer does not apply to government products or services, education providers, utilities, or travel. Amounts that are not charged to your card during your online purchase will not qualify. These purchases must be made by 12/31/13. Purchases made using Near Field Communication (NFC), virtual wallets, or similar technology may not be eligible. If a purchase is coded for a category other than listed above, it will not qualify. Rewards are added to your CashBack Bonus account within 2 billing periods. See CashBack Bonus Program Terms and Conditions for further detail." Guess it is worth the gamble, although there are a number of gift cards I'd like to liquidate.
Sep 11, 2014 | 2:18 am
#4766
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, IHG Spire, Marriott Platinum, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 311
maybe they won't do mass shutdowns now until Oct 13? we can hope, right?
whether we like it or not, mass shutdown will become official after the cut off date and they'll probably notice a massive drop in P2P sending/receiving.
several doors have closed, let's hope windows (of opportunity) start opening. we just have to remain positive.
whether we like it or not, mass shutdown will become official after the cut off date and they'll probably notice a massive drop in P2P sending/receiving.
several doors have closed, let's hope windows (of opportunity) start opening. we just have to remain positive.
Sep 11, 2014 | 2:29 am
#4767
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: BOS .. but soon SFO
Programs: UA PLAT, TK GLD, Hilton Diamond, IC PLAT, SPG GLD, Marriott GLD
Posts: 1,528
Sep 11, 2014 | 5:04 am
#4768
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: NY
Programs: SPG preferred, AA, United
Posts: 290
I'm pretty sure people already have a ton of accounts. Unlike the cvs run everyone here has already had accounts. It would be unlikely people are opening up new accounts - if you had the opportunity why wait for the last minute?
Sep 11, 2014 | 6:06 am
#4770
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 453
People think it will work, since it has worked the last two years.