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
Dec 28, 2012, 12:31 pm
#1171
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 447
I initiated two withdrawals yesterday, and now I see these two as "completed" on AP. However, I don't see any deposit posted to my checking account, no pending either. Does it usually take a while to show in checking accounts after the transaction has been completed?
Dec 28, 2012, 12:51 pm
#1172
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 308
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Dec 28, 2012, 1:21 pm
#1175
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,060
Is it just me, or are AZ accounts getting blocked/limited (can't send payments) after a while if you do not enter SSN?
And has anyone recently created a new working AZ account without giving SSN? Previously SSN was optional, but now it keeps prompting me to enter personal details!
And has anyone recently created a new working AZ account without giving SSN? Previously SSN was optional, but now it keeps prompting me to enter personal details!
Last edited by Rommie2k6; Dec 28, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Dec 28, 2012, 4:24 pm
#1177
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: DL DM Hub Captive, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, PC Plat, and other stuff.
Posts: 904
I'm always a few cents less than $1000, and by varying amounts every month, in my never ending quest to stay under the radar of the software bots that looks for suspicious activity. I do plenty of other radar-deflecting maneuvers as well, but this seems like a simple thing to do to avoid attention. Might not help, but it certainly won't hurt.
Dec 28, 2012, 4:25 pm
#1178
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: DL DM Hub Captive, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, PC Plat, and other stuff.
Posts: 904
Dec 28, 2012, 4:25 pm
#1179
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: LAX
Posts: 298
Amazon Payments
AZ isn't letting me send ANY payments to an account that was created with a legit SSN and DOB without any duplicate. The only thing I can determine is the lack of a bank account being attached--does this make sense to anyone? The sending account is fine.
Dec 28, 2012, 6:50 pm
#1180
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: BOS
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Posts: 624
I send exactly $1,000 every month without any problems to a relative. I also use AP as it was intended. Friends and family members use it to repay me for picking up dinner, drinks, ect. The key to not getting shut down is to use the service as it was intended and like a "normal" person. Don't create an account for every person in your family and your dog and you'll be fine.
Dec 28, 2012, 8:46 pm
#1181
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 398
Dec 29, 2012, 9:22 pm
#1183
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,060
Is it just me, or are AZ accounts getting blocked/limited (can't send payments) after a while if you do not enter SSN?
And has anyone recently created a new working AZ account without giving SSN? Previously SSN was optional, but now it keeps prompting me to enter personal details!
And has anyone recently created a new working AZ account without giving SSN? Previously SSN was optional, but now it keeps prompting me to enter personal details!
EDIT: Another post on Fatwallet on Dec 26th seems to corroborate my experience.
Last edited by Rommie2k6; Dec 29, 2012 at 9:52 pm
Dec 30, 2012, 6:51 am
#1184
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 124