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
Oct 3, 2014 | 10:27 am
#4906
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 835
May amazon payment with discover on Oct. 1 posted as:
Category: Merchandise
Merchant Category Description DIRECT MRKTNG-ALL OTHER DIRECT MRKTRS
Broad Industry Description RETAIL-MAIL/PHONE ORDER
I looked at my postings for this from March when it last worked and it posted the same then.
My next closing statement date is the 12th, so I cannot confirm for sure until then
Category: Merchandise
Merchant Category Description DIRECT MRKTNG-ALL OTHER DIRECT MRKTRS
Broad Industry Description RETAIL-MAIL/PHONE ORDER
I looked at my postings for this from March when it last worked and it posted the same then.
My next closing statement date is the 12th, so I cannot confirm for sure until then
Oct 3, 2014 | 10:46 am
#4908
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Down South, The Desert
Programs: Marriot Rewards, Southwest Rapid rewards, Emerald Club, Avis Preferred
Posts: 1,871
I am trying to decide between using my Discover or meeting min spend on my Amex BRG. I might go ahead and do the Amex, since it is easier...
Oct 3, 2014 | 10:46 am
#4909
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM/2MM, Hilton, Wyndham and IHG DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Southwest A List
Posts: 15,565
May amazon payment with discover on Oct. 1 posted as:
Category: Merchandise
Merchant Category Description DIRECT MRKTNG-ALL OTHER DIRECT MRKTRS
Broad Industry Description RETAIL-MAIL/PHONE ORDER
I looked at my postings for this from March when it last worked and it posted the same then.
My next closing statement date is the 12th, so I cannot confirm for sure until then
Category: Merchandise
Merchant Category Description DIRECT MRKTNG-ALL OTHER DIRECT MRKTRS
Broad Industry Description RETAIL-MAIL/PHONE ORDER
I looked at my postings for this from March when it last worked and it posted the same then.
My next closing statement date is the 12th, so I cannot confirm for sure until then
POS Mode Description ONLINE
Hopefully there won't be any issues and it will post as the 5% like the past few years.
Oct 3, 2014 | 4:07 pm
#4911
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Michigan
Programs: AA, UA, DL, UR, IHG platnium, AirAsia
Posts: 323
Liquidated all the funds in my "mothers" Amazon account to my account and transferred to bank account. Did A>B>A. Appears to have gone smoothly without a shutdown thank goodness.
Oct 4, 2014 | 10:12 am
#4915
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Programs: BA Silver, EK Silver, VS Gold Hilton Gold, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold,
Posts: 326
4000 a month for the last few years. Just finished my last set of transfers and deposits. I actually had 4 Amazon account and never had an issue adding and removing cards. A-B B-C C-D D-A.
4000 in spending in a matter of 5 minutes.
Whats next?
4000 in spending in a matter of 5 minutes.
Whats next?
Oct 5, 2014 | 4:39 pm
#4918
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
Just to share, when entering an AGC for my "real" account I forgot to correct the date after entering so it failed. Corrected the date, went pending, failed a few hours later.
Don't think I am blocked but I'll probably wait a couple of days before trying a different AGC (and perhaps give in and just use a CC if that doesn't work). Admittedly, I got lazy with the IPs and might not have done the associations correctly.
Goodbye, AP.
Don't think I am blocked but I'll probably wait a couple of days before trying a different AGC (and perhaps give in and just use a CC if that doesn't work). Admittedly, I got lazy with the IPs and might not have done the associations correctly.
Goodbye, AP.