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
Aug 16, 2012 | 11:43 pm
#631
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,183
I meant as a fraction of time. E.g., if the mint deal ran for 3 years, and it had widespread exposure for 2 weeks of that period, then that would be only around 1% of the total period, yet it got killed in that 1%. Sure, could still be coincidence (or just that the unprofitability came around finally), but that's still the same situation -- it was presumably unprofitable for basically the entire run of the deal, yet still survived up until one of those few periods where it was overexposed. Still seems like that's too strong a connection to disregard.
Aug 17, 2012 | 2:36 am
#632
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
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Nope, can't be that. Because aside of NPR, I also remember the articles in Forbes, LAT, Money Magazine, not even mentioning the WSJ article conspicuously called "Miles for Nothing: How the Government Helped Frequent Fliers Make a Mint" that was written in 2009! Yet, the festivities continued unabated for another two years after that. Why didn't that article kill Mint in 2009?
Forgive me, but blaming bloggers with their tiny number of followers compared to those national publications, is beyond ridiculous. The government killed the deal because the Mint was bleeding money, and someone somewhere had to stop it at some point. Would've happened with or without bloggers and NPR.
Forgive me, but blaming bloggers with their tiny number of followers compared to those national publications, is beyond ridiculous. The government killed the deal because the Mint was bleeding money, and someone somewhere had to stop it at some point. Would've happened with or without bloggers and NPR.
Aug 17, 2012 | 12:36 pm
#633
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 13,684
There's no way that Amazon, ST, etc. aren't aware of what's going on. They're okay with that, but they're not okay with the WSJ articles that make them look like idiots.
Mike
Aug 17, 2012 | 2:43 pm
#634
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Exactly, nail, nail to the coffin.
If Amz is on to us and if this thread continues on and on and sooner or later someone WILL BRAG about it then they will make Amz look like idiots and guess what will happen next. "Remember the Mint" is my battle cry.
Aug 17, 2012 | 2:53 pm
#635
Formerly known as fsa_ea
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Aug 17, 2012 | 9:48 pm
#637
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
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It has continued for 2 years, and it has been confirmed that Amazon is on to us , and yes, one day this offer will be pulled, but not because we've been running our mouths about it, but because this marketing tactics will have run their course. And I bet the first headline we'll see here will be: Bloggers Have Killed Amazon Payments. Well, no they won't. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.
Aug 18, 2012 | 6:44 am
#640
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
. Looking at this for maybe a few hundred at most each month, with a slow buildup for a family member of mine, to assure hitting a spend. Family member would AP to me, and then I would pay the CC directly from the AP receiving account. I don't think there will be any issue (especially as I won't go anywhere near the limit, i will not get even halfway to it) as I have a three way circle where money comes in and goes out and it isn't the same for any one individual part of the circle. Family member and I do have the same address if that is an issue. Let me know your thoughts and also let me know if I've opened my mouth too much!
Aug 18, 2012 | 7:25 am
#642
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
I'm used to posting in the Trick It thread so I know sometimes the line can be overstepped without even trying 
. I was pretty sure it would be ok as none of CC/AP/my bank as me would know about both of the other two, and seems far less aggressive than some other things I've read here, never mind what people don't ever mention . I don't plan to make this a regular thing (because I can't transfer to the family member for other reasons), but just wanted to assure that the spend would be hit. Thanks!
. I was pretty sure it would be ok as none of CC/AP/my bank as me would know about both of the other two, and seems far less aggressive than some other things I've read here, never mind what people don't ever mention . I don't plan to make this a regular thing (because I can't transfer to the family member for other reasons), but just wanted to assure that the spend would be hit. Thanks!
Aug 18, 2012 | 10:50 am
#644
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,758
Aug 18, 2012 | 12:04 pm
#645
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Programs: AA, BA, UA, Spirit, Delta, PC Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Diamond, Club Carlson Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,735
I'm used to posting in the Trick It thread so I know sometimes the line can be overstepped without even trying . I was pretty sure it would be ok as none of CC/AP/my bank as me would know about both of the other two, and seems far less aggressive than some other things I've read here, never mind what people don't ever mention . I don't plan to make this a regular thing (because I can't transfer to the family member for other reasons), but just wanted to assure that the spend would be hit. Thanks!
. I was pretty sure it would be ok as none of CC/AP/my bank as me would know about both of the other two, and seems far less aggressive than some other things I've read here, never mind what people don't ever mention . I don't plan to make this a regular thing (because I can't transfer to the family member for other reasons), but just wanted to assure that the spend would be hit. Thanks!