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
Nov 9, 2013, 9:39 am
#2866
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Anaheim Hills, CA
Programs: UA 1K, 1.3mm
Posts: 918
Nov 9, 2013, 1:14 pm
#2867
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,633
So far I have been sending money every month (almost) as follows:
A>B.
I have not done A>B>A, given the obvious risk there.
Have people had success doing A>B>C>A? I saw the post above about A>B>C>D>A, but I don't think I can loop in four people...
A>B.
I have not done A>B>A, given the obvious risk there.
Have people had success doing A>B>C>A? I saw the post above about A>B>C>D>A, but I don't think I can loop in four people...
Nov 9, 2013, 1:43 pm
#2869
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,066
Yes, I did get CB from discover for AP. If you sent AP within 6 days of your statement closing date, the CB will most likely appear on the next statement.
Nov 9, 2013, 9:05 pm
#2870
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 301
My AP transaction was one day before the statement closing date, it was categorized as "Merchandise", I do hope the CB will post.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Nov 10, 2013, 3:59 pm
#2872
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,399
If it doesn't just call discover and they are great about doing adjustments (tell them you bought something online and paid for it via AmazonPayment.com online). Last year when they were doing the bonus for online purchases I had a bunch of year end charitable contributions to make. I did them on the charities websites and a few didn't post and I called Discover and the rep made the adjustment for me, they just didn't show up until my next statement.
Nov 11, 2013, 1:58 am
#2873
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 398
worth reading
What Login and Pay with Amazon Means for the Payment Industry
Oct 21, 2013
It’s no secret that the line between payment and authentication providers has been progressively blurring with the rise of mobile, social and digital technologies.
Take Google, with its commerce venture, Google Wallet, a payments system that allows users to store various methods of payment and make secure payments via their mobile phones.
Authentication king Facebook also recently attempted to cross over into the payments realm with the ability to store and auto-fill users’ billing information.
Of course, this shift makes perfect sense: the brand that can create a pipeline for both identity and ecommerce will carve out a nice slice of market share for itself, capturing revenue through payment gateways while simultaneously building consumer trust.
Being able to track user identities and tie them directly to their purchase habits is an invaluable advantage for brands, allowing them to understand and convert consumers on an unprecedented level.
PayPal has clearly been the dominant player in the online payments game up to this point, allowing consumers on third-party sites to make payments via their existing PayPal accounts. PayPal was also the first to dip its toe in the payment/authentication water with Login with PayPal, which it introduced in 2011 and revamped earlier this year.
While some online payment upstarts have made noise in the past, most have either been acquired by the likes of PayPal/eBay (most recently Braintree), or simply haven’t gained enough traction to take on the payments giant.
Enter Amazon and its recently announced Login and Pay with Amazon offering. By combining the company’s authentication product with its website/application payments product, users can now login to websites using their Amazon credentials and checkout without needing to re-enter username and password – with credit card and shipping information pre-populated.
With these new features, Amazon has a huge opportunity to capture share of authentication and payments on ecommerce sites. The company’s positive brand perception as a trusted and reliable ecommerce platform is sure to prompt users to select Amazon as their login vehicle of choice, given the option. In fact, according to the 2013 Harris Poll, US consumers voted Amazon the most trusted company in America over the likes of Apple, Google and Disney (Source: The Daily Ticker).
By aligning their offerings with Amazon’s services and leveraging Login and Pay with Amazon, merchants could experience a significant boost in registrations and purchases. Amazon also has the infrastructure and proven ability to scale this new offering at a rapid clip.
Of course, the biggest advantage for Amazon is that, with such a large consumer-base, they already have over 215 million user records that include shipping, billing and credit card information. This level of pre-existing user information makes the barrier for entry for consumers extremely low.
Overall, the Login and Pay with Amazon offering could result in increased adoption of social login in general for brands, and heightened usage by consumers. Consumers have already shown a preference for social login, and logging into websites via Amazon and other existing identity providers like Facebook, Google and Twitter offers significant benefits for both businesses and consumers:
Faster, easier registration: Providing users with the ability to login via their existing social profiles makes registering for your website hassle free. New users don’t have to take the time to fill out their personal information, and returning customers don’t have to remember usernames and passwords. Making login more convenient results in more registrations and repeat logins; in fact, we’ve found that social login increases user registration rates by as much as 90%.
Reduction in shopping cart abandonment: 10% of consumers abandon their shopping carts because of lengthy check-out processes, and 29% dislike proprietary check-out forms (Source: Webcredible). Enabling users to login and pay with just a couple clicks, rather than having to fill out a detailed registration form, reduces points of friction and deters customers from jumping ship in the middle of the checkout process.
Permission-based access to user data: When consumers register for websites using their existing social identities, a dialogue box appears requesting permission to access specific data points within their social profiles. This approach to collecting consumer data boosts consumer trust and loyalty by increasing transparency and giving users control over the kinds of personal insights they share with brands.
Accurate cross-channel user profiles: While cookie data merely tracks user actions across desktop, login data ties consumer identities to a single, unique source, enabling marketers to create a single view of customer identities across channels and devices. Plus, consumers typically keep social profiles active for extended periods of time, and update them on a regular basis.
More relevant user experiences: With more complete pictures of consumers’ unique identities, brands can begin to create more relevant and personalized user experiences across channels. Customizing consumer touchpoints through location-based offers and tailored product recommendations, for example, makes customers feel valued, boosting loyalty, repeat conversions and long-term customer value.
Amazon is making substantial moves to own both identity and ecommerce and change the way brands and consumers connect. As social login becomes the new standard across the web, Amazon has an extraordinary opportunity to become a key player in the space.
With its army of consumers and depth of data, savvy e-tailers would be wise to consider implementing Login and Pay with Amazon.
Oct 21, 2013
It’s no secret that the line between payment and authentication providers has been progressively blurring with the rise of mobile, social and digital technologies.
Take Google, with its commerce venture, Google Wallet, a payments system that allows users to store various methods of payment and make secure payments via their mobile phones.
Authentication king Facebook also recently attempted to cross over into the payments realm with the ability to store and auto-fill users’ billing information.
Of course, this shift makes perfect sense: the brand that can create a pipeline for both identity and ecommerce will carve out a nice slice of market share for itself, capturing revenue through payment gateways while simultaneously building consumer trust.
Being able to track user identities and tie them directly to their purchase habits is an invaluable advantage for brands, allowing them to understand and convert consumers on an unprecedented level.
PayPal has clearly been the dominant player in the online payments game up to this point, allowing consumers on third-party sites to make payments via their existing PayPal accounts. PayPal was also the first to dip its toe in the payment/authentication water with Login with PayPal, which it introduced in 2011 and revamped earlier this year.
While some online payment upstarts have made noise in the past, most have either been acquired by the likes of PayPal/eBay (most recently Braintree), or simply haven’t gained enough traction to take on the payments giant.
Enter Amazon and its recently announced Login and Pay with Amazon offering. By combining the company’s authentication product with its website/application payments product, users can now login to websites using their Amazon credentials and checkout without needing to re-enter username and password – with credit card and shipping information pre-populated.
With these new features, Amazon has a huge opportunity to capture share of authentication and payments on ecommerce sites. The company’s positive brand perception as a trusted and reliable ecommerce platform is sure to prompt users to select Amazon as their login vehicle of choice, given the option. In fact, according to the 2013 Harris Poll, US consumers voted Amazon the most trusted company in America over the likes of Apple, Google and Disney (Source: The Daily Ticker).
By aligning their offerings with Amazon’s services and leveraging Login and Pay with Amazon, merchants could experience a significant boost in registrations and purchases. Amazon also has the infrastructure and proven ability to scale this new offering at a rapid clip.
Of course, the biggest advantage for Amazon is that, with such a large consumer-base, they already have over 215 million user records that include shipping, billing and credit card information. This level of pre-existing user information makes the barrier for entry for consumers extremely low.
Overall, the Login and Pay with Amazon offering could result in increased adoption of social login in general for brands, and heightened usage by consumers. Consumers have already shown a preference for social login, and logging into websites via Amazon and other existing identity providers like Facebook, Google and Twitter offers significant benefits for both businesses and consumers:
Faster, easier registration: Providing users with the ability to login via their existing social profiles makes registering for your website hassle free. New users don’t have to take the time to fill out their personal information, and returning customers don’t have to remember usernames and passwords. Making login more convenient results in more registrations and repeat logins; in fact, we’ve found that social login increases user registration rates by as much as 90%.
Reduction in shopping cart abandonment: 10% of consumers abandon their shopping carts because of lengthy check-out processes, and 29% dislike proprietary check-out forms (Source: Webcredible). Enabling users to login and pay with just a couple clicks, rather than having to fill out a detailed registration form, reduces points of friction and deters customers from jumping ship in the middle of the checkout process.
Permission-based access to user data: When consumers register for websites using their existing social identities, a dialogue box appears requesting permission to access specific data points within their social profiles. This approach to collecting consumer data boosts consumer trust and loyalty by increasing transparency and giving users control over the kinds of personal insights they share with brands.
Accurate cross-channel user profiles: While cookie data merely tracks user actions across desktop, login data ties consumer identities to a single, unique source, enabling marketers to create a single view of customer identities across channels and devices. Plus, consumers typically keep social profiles active for extended periods of time, and update them on a regular basis.
More relevant user experiences: With more complete pictures of consumers’ unique identities, brands can begin to create more relevant and personalized user experiences across channels. Customizing consumer touchpoints through location-based offers and tailored product recommendations, for example, makes customers feel valued, boosting loyalty, repeat conversions and long-term customer value.
Amazon is making substantial moves to own both identity and ecommerce and change the way brands and consumers connect. As social login becomes the new standard across the web, Amazon has an extraordinary opportunity to become a key player in the space.
With its army of consumers and depth of data, savvy e-tailers would be wise to consider implementing Login and Pay with Amazon.
Nov 11, 2013, 8:54 am
#2875
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 130
so far anybody got their accounts deleted? i couldn't log into either accounts that send/receive money. tried forgot password, still wouldn't let me log in. all other accounts are fine.
i wonder what's going to happen to $1000 that i've sent and went through but didn't have a chance to withdraw? is it going to get refund to the credit card i've used to send?
i wonder what's going to happen to $1000 that i've sent and went through but didn't have a chance to withdraw? is it going to get refund to the credit card i've used to send?
Nov 11, 2013, 10:27 am
#2876
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 398
also, do you have to proactively sign up for the 5% CB?
Nov 11, 2013, 10:58 am
#2877
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,633
I did not see this answered in the wiki above, so please don't jump down my throat if it has been!
I have business checking/credit card accounts, and personal as well. I have been sending money only through the personal. If I create a new Amazon account for my business, linked to the business checking, will that raise red flags or create any problems? (I have a legitimate separate business checking account, a business registered with the relevant authorities, etc.)
I have business checking/credit card accounts, and personal as well. I have been sending money only through the personal. If I create a new Amazon account for my business, linked to the business checking, will that raise red flags or create any problems? (I have a legitimate separate business checking account, a business registered with the relevant authorities, etc.)
Nov 11, 2013, 11:40 am
#2878
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: AA, UAL
Posts: 545
I did not see this answered in the wiki above, so please don't jump down my throat if it has been!
I have business checking/credit card accounts, and personal as well. I have been sending money only through the personal. If I create a new Amazon account for my business, linked to the business checking, will that raise red flags or create any problems? (I have a legitimate separate business checking account, a business registered with the relevant authorities, etc.)
I have business checking/credit card accounts, and personal as well. I have been sending money only through the personal. If I create a new Amazon account for my business, linked to the business checking, will that raise red flags or create any problems? (I have a legitimate separate business checking account, a business registered with the relevant authorities, etc.)
Cheers!
Nov 11, 2013, 11:53 am
#2879
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Marriott Gold, Amex PR Gold, Hertz Gold, Delta Silver
Posts: 95
I did not see this answered in the wiki above, so please don't jump down my throat if it has been!
I have business checking/credit card accounts, and personal as well. I have been sending money only through the personal. If I create a new Amazon account for my business, linked to the business checking, will that raise red flags or create any problems? (I have a legitimate separate business checking account, a business registered with the relevant authorities, etc.)
I have business checking/credit card accounts, and personal as well. I have been sending money only through the personal. If I create a new Amazon account for my business, linked to the business checking, will that raise red flags or create any problems? (I have a legitimate separate business checking account, a business registered with the relevant authorities, etc.)
Nov 11, 2013, 12:35 pm
#2880
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,633