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 28, 2012, 8:33 am
#886
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,433
I, like several others, have a stack of $100 MC debits from the recent Staples rebate (which was for the prepaids themselves, hence no check). These cards are a pain because they can't be used with Serve, and people are advising against the jungle. Any tips via PM for cashing out would be appreciated.
Or go buy a functional single $500 card and use those on AP in extreme moderation.
Oct 28, 2012, 11:13 pm
#887
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 32
Isn't there anyone who tried gc from gift2go.net on AP? This is my first trial of this kind GC and it failed to send. I had v GC before and it worked okay but not this. Just wonder whether this is problem for this particular GC? If so, I will just cash it out for another v bean GC. tia
Oct 29, 2012, 12:07 am
#888
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: LAX
Posts: 1,208
I, like several others, have a stack of $100 MC debits from the recent Staples rebate (which was for the prepaids themselves, hence no check). These cards are a pain because they can't be used with Serve, and people are advising against the jungle. Any tips via PM for cashing out would be appreciated.
To be sure, AP knows what's going on here. It's just about not being foolish. Unfortunately, it's unclear whether the majority of posters here can avoid foolishness.
Oct 29, 2012, 12:18 am
#889
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,184
Why is everyone in this forum so helpless? Use common sense. Should you unload 10-20 GCs through AP? Clearly not. Can you? Probably, but you risk being shut down at some point. If you need to dump a few, you'll probably be fine--just don't make a habit of it.
To be sure, AP knows what's going on here. It's just about not being foolish. Unfortunately, it's unclear whether the majority of posters here can avoid foolishness.
To be sure, AP knows what's going on here. It's just about not being foolish. Unfortunately, it's unclear whether the majority of posters here can avoid foolishness.
Oct 29, 2012, 10:14 am
#891
Used to be garyjr316
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: LAX or SBA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, Gold Passport, Hilton HHonors, Marriott
Posts: 800
Nov 1, 2012, 10:23 am
#892
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Platinum, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 110
Do all CCs process as purchase? (vs. Cash Advance)
On the first post of the Wells Fargo prepaid thread, OP mentions:
"Citibank - CASH ADVANCE
BofA - Sale
Chase - Sale"
Can someone confirm if certain card issuers do not process AP as a sale? PM is fine if this has already been discussed, but I'm in the process of scouring the thread as I post this, and haven't seen the answer.
Thanks
"Citibank - CASH ADVANCE
BofA - Sale
Chase - Sale"
Can someone confirm if certain card issuers do not process AP as a sale? PM is fine if this has already been discussed, but I'm in the process of scouring the thread as I post this, and haven't seen the answer.
Thanks
Nov 1, 2012, 11:09 am
#893
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 586
On the first post of the Wells Fargo prepaid thread, OP mentions:
"Citibank - CASH ADVANCE
BofA - Sale
Chase - Sale"
Can someone confirm if certain card issuers do not process AP as a sale? PM is fine if this has already been discussed, but I'm in the process of scouring the thread as I post this, and haven't seen the answer.
Thanks
"Citibank - CASH ADVANCE
BofA - Sale
Chase - Sale"
Can someone confirm if certain card issuers do not process AP as a sale? PM is fine if this has already been discussed, but I'm in the process of scouring the thread as I post this, and haven't seen the answer.
Thanks
Nov 1, 2012, 12:14 pm
#894
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,184
On the first post of the Wells Fargo prepaid thread, OP mentions:
"Citibank - CASH ADVANCE
BofA - Sale
Chase - Sale"
Can someone confirm if certain card issuers do not process AP as a sale? PM is fine if this has already been discussed, but I'm in the process of scouring the thread as I post this, and haven't seen the answer.
Thanks
"Citibank - CASH ADVANCE
BofA - Sale
Chase - Sale"
Can someone confirm if certain card issuers do not process AP as a sale? PM is fine if this has already been discussed, but I'm in the process of scouring the thread as I post this, and haven't seen the answer.
Thanks
Nov 1, 2012, 1:48 pm
#895
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,173
re
solution to staples gift cards...I too bought 10 $100 cards to get the 10 $10 staples giftcards. I am going to use the staples giftcards on FAR stuff and the $100 giftcards to load the prepaid amex from target. From what I've read on TFM's blog you can load up to $1000 in funds at the register in target and then pay some small fees to withdraw cash at atm.
Nov 1, 2012, 2:21 pm
#896
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Anaheim Hills, CA
Programs: UA 1K, 1.3mm
Posts: 918
solution to staples gift cards...I too bought 10 $100 cards to get the 10 $10 staples giftcards. I am going to use the staples giftcards on FAR stuff and the $100 giftcards to load the prepaid amex from target. From what I've read on TFM's blog you can load up to $1000 in funds at the register in target and then pay some small fees to withdraw cash at atm.
Nov 1, 2012, 6:16 pm
#897
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,758
Citi is fine for AP (as long as you don't select cash advance, obviously). The thing that's unique to Citi is that they recode transactions from banks (e.g., Wells Fargo, or Amex gift cards ordered online) as cash advances. There's nothing special about AP with Citi.
Nov 1, 2012, 11:22 pm
#899
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Anaheim Hills, CA
Programs: UA 1K, 1.3mm
Posts: 918
Nov 4, 2012, 6:22 am
#900
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 268
AMEX SPG
Thanks.