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 8, 2014 | 2:12 pm
#4968
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 6,227
I did A > B this month. B withdraws to joint checking account. There is no account associated with A. I'd like to do a final farewell B > A but only have the one checking account. Can I link A to same? Anyone done this? Had to close my second checking account bc checks stolen and haven't had a chance to open another. I do have a separate MMA savings.
Oct 8, 2014 | 2:34 pm
#4969
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 453
I did A > B this month. B withdraws to joint checking account. There is no account associated with A. I'd like to do a final farewell B > A but only have the one checking account. Can I link A to same? Anyone done this? Had to close my second checking account bc checks stolen and haven't had a chance to open another. I do have a separate MMA savings.
Oct 8, 2014 | 2:47 pm
#4970
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 6,227
Oct 8, 2014 | 4:19 pm
#4971
Join Date: May 2014
Location: PWM
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 822
It's all over but the crying. A friend & I were maneuvering like this:
A>B
C>A
D>C
B>D
And we would mix it up month to month. Now that I've been reading the methods many of you use I think I may have made it a little too complex lol.
A>B
C>A
D>C
B>D
And we would mix it up month to month. Now that I've been reading the methods many of you use I think I may have made it a little too complex lol.
Oct 8, 2014 | 4:30 pm
#4972
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 90
A>B, B>D, D>C,C>A
same as:
A>B, B>C, C>D, D>A
Oct 8, 2014 | 6:53 pm
#4974
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Gulf Coast of FL
Posts: 115
I did A > B this month. B withdraws to joint checking account. There is no account associated with A. I'd like to do a final farewell B > A but only have the one checking account. Can I link A to same? Anyone done this? Had to close my second checking account bc checks stolen and haven't had a chance to open another. I do have a separate MMA savings.
Oct 8, 2014 | 7:54 pm
#4975
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Chyona
Programs: Anywhere I can ski...
Posts: 401
so has anyone gone crazy like me with 20+ accounts doing CC -> A -> B -> $$$ BANK, CC ->B -> A $$$ BANK 
success rate is about 25% for me so my Q4 freedom/discover/cash+ category spend is done
success rate is about 25% for me so my Q4 freedom/discover/cash+ category spend is done
Oct 8, 2014 | 9:00 pm
#4976
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 6,227
Anyone know what will happen Oct 14 if there's still money sitting in an AP account? Obviously we will all liquidate but just curious if there's been a statement about it.
Oct 9, 2014 | 12:22 am
#4977
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,615
I would think any money that is still sitting in your account should still be able to withdraw to your checking account with no issue. The only thing is after 10/13 you won't be able to send any funds to a person.