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 11, 2014 | 6:17 am
#4771
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 466
Sep 11, 2014 | 6:36 am
#4772
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
I thank you for sharing it; it has a lot of potentials so I'll keep an eye on it hoping they will add credit as funding source while still keeping it free.
For now, they have to establish credibility and trustworthiness. I will not just give them my ID and PW to my bank account just because they promised me it's safe.
For now, they have to establish credibility and trustworthiness. I will not just give them my ID and PW to my bank account just because they promised me it's safe.
Sep 11, 2014 | 6:36 am
#4773
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,660
because it is easy to set up multiple AP accounts per SS#, but there was a perception that it increased the risk that all of your accounts would get shut down.
Sep 11, 2014 | 6:46 am
#4774
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
Sep 11, 2014 | 7:38 am
#4778
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: STL
Programs: AA, UA Gold, SPG, Marriott Gold
Posts: 120
Sep 11, 2014 | 7:39 am
#4779
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: CVG
Posts: 15
Sep 11, 2014 | 8:27 am
#4783
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: STL
Programs: AA, UA Gold, SPG, Marriott Gold
Posts: 120
Thanks. Firefox worked. I had tried both Explorer and Chrome, so I figured it was a AP thing.
Hopefully this means I still get to use it for Oct pmts as well.
WOOT!!!!
I looked at my history. I've been running this since Sept. 2010. 4 years of glory. And somewhere in the neighborhood of $150k of MS. Damn, gonna miss AP. It had been around so long, I stopped worrying about it being shut down.
In all that time I only got 1 hold. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.
Hopefully this means I still get to use it for Oct pmts as well.
WOOT!!!!
I looked at my history. I've been running this since Sept. 2010. 4 years of glory. And somewhere in the neighborhood of $150k of MS. Damn, gonna miss AP. It had been around so long, I stopped worrying about it being shut down.
In all that time I only got 1 hold. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.
Last edited by blakeIV; Sep 11, 2014 at 9:12 am
Sep 11, 2014 | 9:07 am
#4785
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: MGM
Programs: United Silver, PC Plat/Amb, HH Dmnd
Posts: 811
Agreed this is bad news. But I'm intrigued by the fact that he Terms already prohibited personal accounts from receiving card payments. Relevant screenshots here:
http://thepointsninja.blogspot.com/2014/09/eine-kleine-gotterdammerung-amazon.html
http://thepointsninja.blogspot.com/2014/09/eine-kleine-gotterdammerung-amazon.html