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 1, 2012 | 2:38 pm
#796
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: AA Plat, UA Gold, AS MVP Gold, HH Diamond, SPG Gold, Club Carlson Gold, US
Posts: 965
I never go in a circle.. always keep it open ended.
Oct 1, 2012 | 5:22 pm
#797
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Yes.
Posts: 533
Keep in mind as clever/difficult as we might think multi party engagements can be, a computer algorithm can identify 3, 4, 5, n party loops very quickly. I think it's safest to follow iqbalt80's strategy. Keep it open ended. Or at least have a time buffer before you close the loop!
Oct 1, 2012 | 7:46 pm
#798
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 709
that's good to know that larger amounts can still go thru instantaneously - i might try experimenting once the AP accounts are a little more established!
Oct 2, 2012 | 8:24 am
#799
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,758
Oct 2, 2012 | 5:54 pm
#800
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: DL, Amex MR
Posts: 287
I mistakenly logged in to an old AP account which I never used nor had a SS attached to it. I didn't realize that I logged in with the wrong account and entered my SS when was asked to do it (I know... this wasn't a very smart idea)
Now I have 2 AP accounts with the same SS but I don't intend to use the second one. How likely is it that both will be taken down?
Now I have 2 AP accounts with the same SS but I don't intend to use the second one. How likely is it that both will be taken down?
Tonight it just says "failed." No reason. Thoughts? 
Oct 2, 2012 | 10:28 pm
#803
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,906
Oct 3, 2012 | 4:15 am
#805
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 360
They do for purchases and downloads of ebooks. They found I did not give my real address (available ebooks depend on where one lives) through my Kindle's Ip and they emailed me either to send proofs of residency or to register to another amazon website. This has been documented on Kindle's users forums.
Last edited by vilntrav; Oct 3, 2012 at 4:26 am
Oct 3, 2012 | 6:58 am
#806
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Born and raised in South Carolina, now in New York City.
Posts: 534
Unless you are clearly sending money back and forth I'm not sure why having the same IP would be viewed as abuse? I've started sending my roommate money for rent on AP and she logs into her account from the same network. It's a legitimate use of the site (I think) but perhaps we will get shut down. We'll see.
Oct 3, 2012 | 7:40 am
#807
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 138
Oct 3, 2012 | 8:47 am
#808
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 670
Unless you are clearly sending money back and forth I'm not sure why having the same IP would be viewed as abuse? I've started sending my roommate money for rent on AP and she logs into her account from the same network. It's a legitimate use of the site (I think) but perhaps we will get shut down. We'll see.
Oct 3, 2012 | 8:55 am
#809
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Los Angeles & Orange County, CA
Programs: Wouldn't you like to know?!
Posts: 23,823
Oct 3, 2012 | 9:16 am
#810
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 146
I have read this thread from start to finish and have yet to see this answered - is the "$1000 no fee" window set by the calendar month or is it based on some 30 day running total? For example, if I sent $400 to someone on the 10th of the month and another $600 on the 20th, what would be the earliest date that I could send another single $1000 payment fee free? Thanks!