Nov 10, 13, 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 17, 12, 8:45 pm
#751
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 668
Same here. I ran all sorts of weird charges thru my AMEX cards and never heard a peep until my 1st purchase with the new HH Amex. $1k @ the grocery set off warning bells (yes, I know - dumb on my part) but I was able to talk my way out of the FR simply by telling them the truth about what i was doing. Not a word since.
Sep 17, 12, 8:50 pm
#752
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Since then, I use it for lots of general spending but a vast majority of it is "grocery"
Sep 18, 12, 7:43 am
#753
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,819
You knew better than to spin up a card right away.
The best thing to do is season it with chump change transactions for a week or so then gradually build up. Fast motion attracts attention because people often spend fast prior to bailing out on debt. Ask not what you can spend, but what your spend looks like to the Cardinals. Keep your spend real, as real as you can make it appear.
The best thing to do is season it with chump change transactions for a week or so then gradually build up. Fast motion attracts attention because people often spend fast prior to bailing out on debt. Ask not what you can spend, but what your spend looks like to the Cardinals. Keep your spend real, as real as you can make it appear.It was my initial purchase. Like an idiot, I activated the card and within an hour, tried to charge $1k. When I called in, the CSR said I was locked pending FR and I would need to send in a bunch of tax related stuff. I got him talking and discussing it and when he asked what the grocery charge was, I said I was buying gift cards to take advantage of the 6x HH points at the grocery. (what was the risk? I was already assuming I was SOL with Amex) His reply: "huh..that actually makes a lot of sense". We chatted a bit more and he unlocked everything and sent me on my way.
Since then, I use it for lots of general spending but a vast majority of it is "grocery"
Since then, I use it for lots of general spending but a vast majority of it is "grocery"
Sep 18, 12, 8:42 am
#755
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: In The Cockpit, Left Seat
Programs: AA, UA, HH, SPG
Posts: 78
I still take the occasional stroll in my AMEX boots but I keep it short and stay on the path. I have much more comfortable ones when checking seedlings, saplings and others that seem to live in the jungle.
Sep 18, 12, 1:42 pm
#756
Join Date: May 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP, AS MVP Gold 75K, SPG Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 158
Hey, gang-
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
Sep 18, 12, 6:19 pm
#757
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,263
Hey, gang-
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
Besides paying someone rent there are a lot of other charges that wouldn't be subject to sales tax. It could be possible for me not to have any cash and eat at a place where the credit card machine is down or who doesn't accept cash and someone else pays for dinner and I reimburse them through AP. Sales tax had already been paid. Or someone could have bought theater or concert tickets on their credit card so the seats were together and I remburse them via AP I could be paying my cleaning lady via AP as well and no sales tax would be due unless that state has a sales tax on cleaning services..
Sep 18, 12, 7:01 pm
#758
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: many
Posts: 1,437
AP is acting as an intermediary exchange and they have their limits, terms and conditions in place.
You are not paying AP for good and services, you are paying someone else. Its up to the receiver to charge you a tax or the payer to show tax-exemption to the receiver if they request it or is required.
You are not paying AP for good and services, you are paying someone else. Its up to the receiver to charge you a tax or the payer to show tax-exemption to the receiver if they request it or is required.
Hey, gang-
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
I don't know how they could tax you. I know some people use AP to pay rent and AFAIK rent isn't subject to sales tax in any state. Paying someone through AP is no different than if you paid them through an online bill payer check on your bank site. The seller of the merchandise is the one responsible for remitting the sales tax.
Besides paying someone rent there are a lot of other charges that wouldn't be subject to sales tax. It could be possible for me not to have any cash and eat at a place where the credit card machine is down or who doesn't accept cash and someone else pays for dinner and I reimburse them through AP. Sales tax had already been paid. Or someone could have bought theater or concert tickets on their credit card so the seats were together and I remburse them via AP I could be paying my cleaning lady via AP as well and no sales tax would be due unless that state has a sales tax on cleaning services..
Besides paying someone rent there are a lot of other charges that wouldn't be subject to sales tax. It could be possible for me not to have any cash and eat at a place where the credit card machine is down or who doesn't accept cash and someone else pays for dinner and I reimburse them through AP. Sales tax had already been paid. Or someone could have bought theater or concert tickets on their credit card so the seats were together and I remburse them via AP I could be paying my cleaning lady via AP as well and no sales tax would be due unless that state has a sales tax on cleaning services..
Sep 18, 12, 9:43 pm
#759
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 385
AP is acting as an intermediary exchange and they have their limits, terms and conditions in place.
You are not paying AP for good and services, you are paying someone else. Its up to the receiver to charge you a tax or the payer to show tax-exemption to the receiver if they request it or is required.
You are not paying AP for good and services, you are paying someone else. Its up to the receiver to charge you a tax or the payer to show tax-exemption to the receiver if they request it or is required.
Sep 19, 12, 9:59 am
#762
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 13,634
You knew better than to spin up a card right away. The best thing to do is season it with chump change transactions for a week or so then gradually build up. Fast motion attracts attention because people often spend fast prior to bailing out on debt. Ask not what you can spend, but what your spend looks like to the Cardinals. Keep your spend real, as real as you can make it appear.
The best thing to do is season it with chump change transactions for a week or so then gradually build up. Fast motion attracts attention because people often spend fast prior to bailing out on debt. Ask not what you can spend, but what your spend looks like to the Cardinals. Keep your spend real, as real as you can make it appear.Mike
Sep 19, 12, 2:08 pm
#763
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,819
"Real" purchases - yeah ala Texas. The other kind, heck no.
Hey, gang-
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
Haven't been able to find an answer to this question, but any idea if those of us in California will be taxed on AP purchases now that the Jungle is taxing all Internet purchases by Californians shipping to Ca. (as of Sept 15th I believe)
Thanks in advance for any data points!
Sep 19, 12, 3:51 pm
#764
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: CLL
Programs: MS Plat, AOR ninja
Posts: 2,177
I am on my third month of cycling $990.00 each month between my account, my wifes and daughters account. Essentially $3,000 per month now successfully rotated thru the second month. Thinking of adding a fourth account to amazon for my son and making it $4K per month.
This makes hitting my spending goals easy and then banging out SPG or Chase rewards like ice cream.
This makes hitting my spending goals easy and then banging out SPG or Chase rewards like ice cream.
Sep 19, 12, 4:38 pm
#765
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
that matters though ... were the scoops of the same flavor, or were they different?
I mix my ice cream with a Serveing of sorbet from the confectioner across the street.
I mix my ice cream with a Serveing of sorbet from the confectioner across the street.
