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
Jan 4, 2013 | 8:13 am
#1322
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Jan 4, 2013 | 8:29 am
#1323
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: UA Silver/Marriott Gold/Hilton Gold
Posts: 540
Reading these pages yesterday for a few minutes after being late to the game and seeing everyone go from an all out panic to "everything's going to be ok"-mode was pretty hilarious. I was halfway to my panic room before I read peoples reports about it just being a glitch and everyones accounts being restored.
Jan 4, 2013 | 8:35 am
#1324
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 398
i'm in my panic room with leelee sobieski right now
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/phot...3-820-1230.jpg
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/phot...3-820-1230.jpg
Jan 4, 2013 | 8:36 am
#1325
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 639
Reading these pages yesterday for a few minutes after being late to the game and seeing everyone go from an all out panic to "everything's going to be ok"-mode was pretty hilarious. I was halfway to my panic room before I read peoples reports about it just being a glitch and everyones accounts being restored.
I have 20 non-loaded VRs that I asked an Office Depot clerk if I could have, a plastic bag full of opened silver and gold gift card wrappers, MVD wrappers and a yoga mat for serenity now.
Jan 4, 2013 | 8:41 am
#1326
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: UA Silver/Marriott Gold/Hilton Gold
Posts: 540
i'm in my panic room with leelee sobieski right now
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/phot...3-820-1230.jpg
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/phot...3-820-1230.jpg
Jan 4, 2013 | 9:39 am
#1328
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Partially true:
a) Fang is 100% up to no good at AP and a new closed account over here is the trout in the milk
b) the closed account (first for 2013) came with Fang's lovely New Year's Card and the promise he would close more (same promise he made 6 months ago)
c) Fang's IT department is after the IT crown jointly held by Priority Club and Delta
d) the race for the IT crown may be slowing Fang down and may explain various irregularities and why 30 and 90 day return of suspended account monies is taking far longer than it should
e) as for me, I'm now KIVA financing Fang's third world coding shop
And now for something completely different:
I go into Wally World last night to buy paper goods and my debit card won't work when swiped so the clerk grabs a plastic bag.
Then he puts my card in it and swipes the card through the plastic bag.
The card works. Abolutely amazing! Keep this in mind if your swiped card does not work next time.
a) Fang is 100% up to no good at AP and a new closed account over here is the trout in the milk
b) the closed account (first for 2013) came with Fang's lovely New Year's Card and the promise he would close more (same promise he made 6 months ago)
c) Fang's IT department is after the IT crown jointly held by Priority Club and Delta
d) the race for the IT crown may be slowing Fang down and may explain various irregularities and why 30 and 90 day return of suspended account monies is taking far longer than it should
e) as for me, I'm now KIVA financing Fang's third world coding shop
And now for something completely different:
I go into Wally World last night to buy paper goods and my debit card won't work when swiped so the clerk grabs a plastic bag.
Then he puts my card in it and swipes the card through the plastic bag.
The card works. Abolutely amazing! Keep this in mind if your swiped card does not work next time.
Reading these pages yesterday for a few minutes after being late to the game and seeing everyone go from an all out panic to "everything's going to be ok"-mode was pretty hilarious. I was halfway to my panic room before I read peoples reports about it just being a glitch and everyones accounts being restored.
Last edited by AlohaDaveKennedy; Jan 4, 2013 at 9:46 am
Jan 4, 2013 | 12:45 pm
#1329
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 13,684
i'm in my panic room with leelee sobieski right now
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/phot...3-820-1230.jpg
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/phot...3-820-1230.jpg
Mike
Jan 4, 2013 | 3:21 pm
#1330
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 56
Making Payments to a Business
Can I use my Business Credit Card to make payments to a Business Bank Account using Amazon Payments ?
This is quite legal -- considering I am using my Credit Card to support Cash Flow problems in my business, since my AR has piled up and they are taking their own sweet time to make payments, I have to pay my self a salary.
Wonder what the pros and cons are for this type of operation?
This is quite legal -- considering I am using my Credit Card to support Cash Flow problems in my business, since my AR has piled up and they are taking their own sweet time to make payments, I have to pay my self a salary.
Wonder what the pros and cons are for this type of operation?
Jan 4, 2013 | 4:43 pm
#1331
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,689
And now for something completely different:
I go into Wally World last night to buy paper goods and my debit card won't work when swiped so the clerk grabs a plastic bag.
Then he puts my card in it and swipes the card through the plastic bag.
The card works. Abolutely amazing! Keep this in mind if your swiped card does not work next time.
I go into Wally World last night to buy paper goods and my debit card won't work when swiped so the clerk grabs a plastic bag.
Then he puts my card in it and swipes the card through the plastic bag.
The card works. Abolutely amazing! Keep this in mind if your swiped card does not work next time.
I wouldn't call this 'new' (well maybe for you
); it happens all the time.It's hard to say if it's the magnetic strip or the merchants machine.
I get this at least a few times a month.
Jan 4, 2013 | 4:44 pm
#1332
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,689
Can I use my Business Credit Card to make payments to a Business Bank Account using Amazon Payments ?
This is quite legal -- considering I am using my Credit Card to support Cash Flow problems in my business, since my AR has piled up and they are taking their own sweet time to make payments, I have to pay my self a salary.
Wonder what the pros and cons are for this type of operation?
This is quite legal -- considering I am using my Credit Card to support Cash Flow problems in my business, since my AR has piled up and they are taking their own sweet time to make payments, I have to pay my self a salary.
Wonder what the pros and cons are for this type of operation?
This appears to be a cash advance even if you tried to explain it away.
Jan 4, 2013 | 4:53 pm
#1333
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA/DL/UA, SPG/HH
Posts: 154
the jungle does not allow you to register for a personal account with a business EIN instead of your SSN in my experience, which may pose a constraint if you've already created a personal account with your SSN. i don't have any experience with their business accounts, but they charge fees to receive payments as a "merchant".
it may be a lot easier and faster (though 3% upfront is common) to just do a 0% BT from your business credit card if it's from a different issuer...PM me for details if interested and relevant to your situation.
also, transferring enough through the jungle to pay your own salary might push you over the IRS limits for amazon reporting your transactions to the IRS if you *also* plan to make lots of smaller transactions in hopes of staying under the radar, as some here do. from amazon's perspective 2 accounts (assuming you already have one) x 1K/month x 12 months is > $20K, so you'd need to avoid hitting the 200 transaction limit...an easy thing to be mindful of (amazon cuts you off at 190 on each account), but still something to keep in mind with larger spending amounts.
the more paranoid among us occasionally worry that if jungle cardinals catch wind that the 200-transaction limit could become important at the level of the person whose SSN is tied to credit cards and/or bank accounts, even if they don't approach the same limit at the level of SSNs tied to jungle accounts. authorized users & such can further muddy the waters. the jungle currently limits you to 190 transactions per account, and yet 150 transactions to a personal bank account + 150 transactions to a business checking account is still more than 200. the importance you ascribe to this scenario primarily depends on your level of paranoia.
the AP terms refer to the $20K threshold in terms of net payments received (not sent), but 200 may not be a very large limit for transactions if withdrawals are later counted as separate transactions, for example, or if receiving a payment and withdrawing the same amount are counted as separate transactions in the future. so again, your level of paranoia may further complicate your best guesses on how the rules of the jungle may change in the future.
in any case, it's best to use discretion, NEVER CALL, and obviously never skirt around IRS rules in letter or spirit because you never know how much smarter the cardinals in the jungle might become.
it may be a lot easier and faster (though 3% upfront is common) to just do a 0% BT from your business credit card if it's from a different issuer...PM me for details if interested and relevant to your situation.
also, transferring enough through the jungle to pay your own salary might push you over the IRS limits for amazon reporting your transactions to the IRS if you *also* plan to make lots of smaller transactions in hopes of staying under the radar, as some here do. from amazon's perspective 2 accounts (assuming you already have one) x 1K/month x 12 months is > $20K, so you'd need to avoid hitting the 200 transaction limit...an easy thing to be mindful of (amazon cuts you off at 190 on each account), but still something to keep in mind with larger spending amounts.
the more paranoid among us occasionally worry that if jungle cardinals catch wind that the 200-transaction limit could become important at the level of the person whose SSN is tied to credit cards and/or bank accounts, even if they don't approach the same limit at the level of SSNs tied to jungle accounts. authorized users & such can further muddy the waters. the jungle currently limits you to 190 transactions per account, and yet 150 transactions to a personal bank account + 150 transactions to a business checking account is still more than 200. the importance you ascribe to this scenario primarily depends on your level of paranoia.
the AP terms refer to the $20K threshold in terms of net payments received (not sent), but 200 may not be a very large limit for transactions if withdrawals are later counted as separate transactions, for example, or if receiving a payment and withdrawing the same amount are counted as separate transactions in the future. so again, your level of paranoia may further complicate your best guesses on how the rules of the jungle may change in the future.
in any case, it's best to use discretion, NEVER CALL, and obviously never skirt around IRS rules in letter or spirit because you never know how much smarter the cardinals in the jungle might become.
Jan 4, 2013 | 7:43 pm
#1334
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: Marriott Platinum
Posts: 275
I called AP last night and the agent at the other end confirmed that the account was locked because they needed to verify certain information. After I informed him that all the data is accurate but the account is still locked, he indicated that he can't do anything and that the review department has to manually verify the information. He sent a note to them and told me to expect an email within 24 hours. I just got an email from AP confirming that all the information is accurate and verified! yay! I am going to try withdrawing the balance tonight...
Jan 4, 2013 | 10:35 pm
#1335
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,774
Just curious... have you actually been participating in this deal in the last year? I don't have time to go over all your nonsensical posts, but am under the impression you were in the first wave of members that got locked out of this deal from being too greedy early on.