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Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.

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Old Oct 25, 2013, 7:07 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: ericdabbs
Please read the wiki before posting a question.

UPDATE 01/17/15

BeFrugal: 1.5%
Big Crumbs: 0.9%
TopCashBack: 1.5%


For other cash back or airline portals, check here: http://www.cashbackmonitor.com/Cashb...erican+express

Public Service Announcement: Do NOT use fee-free codes if you want portal cashback / miles. CB/Miles will post and then be clawed back.

FAQ

Will it post as a cash advance (CA)?

Citi - Yes.

Cards from Chase, BoA, FIA, Barclay, AMEX, CapitalOne, US Bank, Discover, HSBC, etc., have posted as purchase. PNC Visa Cashbuilder - posts as purchase but does not earn CC rewards

Note: Some issuers (Discover, US Bank, etc.) will decline the authorization if it exceeds your CA limit. This does NOT mean it will post as CA. It simply means you need to lower the purchase amount below your CA limit for authorization, but it ultimately posts as a purchase.

How do I set PIN on AMEX Gift Cards and use as debit to load Bluebird, buy MOs, etc.
You cannot set PIN or use them as debit to load Bluebird, buy MOs, etc. You can only use them as credit where AMEX is accepted.

How do I cash out AMEX Gift Cards?
Use manufactured spend techniques (load RB, buy Visa/MC GCs, VRs, AP, AFT, etc.) or normal spend where AMEX is accepted.

Why buy AMEX Gift Cards then?
To reduce the cost of manufactured spend, to mask your manufactured spend (i.e unusual high spend at Target or CVS), earn additional cash back on spend, or meet minimum spend targets faster.

Next day shipping that isn't?
The next day shipping is from when they ship the cards to UPS, which can be as long as 10 days from the order submission if you order personalized cards (more recently this has been under a week). For next day shipping, you are notified late night (once your card finishes processing, see above) and the package arrive that same morning before 10:30AM in your area.

What is with the charge disappearing from my credit card?
Once the order is placed you will see a pending charge on your CC account. Quite often once the card ships this pending is removed but does not show as a charge. Don't panic (or celebrate) it will show up as a charge within a day or so.

Personalized GCs?
Either Biz or Personal GCs can be personalized with your name. This helps when shaky cashiers who demand to see your card are prevalent. These take approximately 4 biz days to arrive compared to the non personalized which arrives as quickly as the next day.

UPS Tracking?
If you logged in to your AMEX account when placing the order you can get tracking info by logging in to your AMEX account and clicking on cards > gift cards > order history > order details. Unfortunately tracking information may not appear until well after your order has shipped so it's best to sign up for UPS My Choice to get faster tracking info and reroute your package if needed. Since UPS may drop your package off at the door if you're not home, it will be useful to know when your package will arrive.

The portal terms indicate that coupon codes will invalidate cash back. Is this true?
Yes (as of July 2014)

What are the purchase limits? (Updated Dec 2014)
10K personal every 14 days
100K business every 14 days

Do declined orders count toward the purchase limits?
YMMV

Do fees and shipping count toward the purchase limits?
No

Why was my purchase declined by AMEX?
There are several possibilities:
- Your billing address does not match 100% with what the credit card company has on file. This could be anything from apt/suite/condo # on the wrong line to zip code requiring 9 digits instead of 5. If your first purchase does not go through, call your bank or login to your acct to verify that this matches what you used.
- You have gone over the $10k every 14 day limit on personal gift card purchase.
- Even if you are sure the first two are correct as you have ordered before on that card and it's been more than 14 days, you might still get declined. No one has any idea why.
- You placed a business order and you don't really have a business (at some point AMEX does a background check for a valid business) or you have exceeded the 14 day limit for business orders.

My order was declined but my credit card still shows a pending authorization. How long until this falls off and my credit line is freed up?
I typically takes 1 week for the pending authorization to fall off after a declined order.

Can I order from the business side using a personal card? Or does it need to be a business card?
You can use whatever credit card you want to pay for business or personal orders. About the only restriction is you can't use an AMEX GC to buy another AMEX GC.

How long will it take the portal to track my order and confirm the pending cash back or points?
For non-Cartera portals (TCB, BC, Befrugal, etc) your order will usually track within a day or two.
For Cartera portals (Barclay Reward Boost, Lucky Rewards, USAA, Alaska, Delta) it will take 3-4 weeks to track.

My orders are not tracking. How can I maximize the chances the portal will track my order properly?
Use a browser you do not normally use (Chrome, Firefox, Opera), reset all browser settings to defaults, clear all browser cookies, disable all browser add-ons, and close/re-start your browser before navigating to the portal and placing your order. Do NOT use promotional coupon codes. The vast majority of tracking issues result from use of coupon codes, a bad browser cookie, improperly configured browser settings, or add-ons that interfere with cookie tracking.
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Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.

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Old Apr 12, 2013, 11:15 am
  #496  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: SoCal
Programs: SPG PLAT, AA Plat (2MM), BA, UA/CO
Posts: 442
Multiple Denials with SPG AmEx

I was chugging along for months with no problems using this same card. In the last few days, I've tried personal and business, codes and no codes, 5 digit and 9 digit, and all have been rejected.

The CSR at AmEx Gift Cards (who I would nominate for the least helpful CSRs out there) suggested that I sign into my AmEx account and order them from there. Now that's an idea...NOT. Any other suggestions?

xlax
xlax is offline  
Old Apr 12, 2013, 12:14 pm
  #497  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Chicago
Posts: 25
Originally Posted by xlax
I was chugging along for months with no problems using this same card. In the last few days, I've tried personal and business, codes and no codes, 5 digit and 9 digit, and all have been rejected.

The CSR at AmEx Gift Cards (who I would nominate for the least helpful CSRs out there) suggested that I sign into my AmEx account and order them from there. Now that's an idea...NOT. Any other suggestions?

xlax
I tried multiple combinations of Personal/Business with mailing address and zip-codes. Still getting the verification rejection
mcheng is offline  
Old Apr 13, 2013, 3:15 pm
  #498  
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: 25 million points to burn!
Posts: 1,522
I have free shipping for 90 days through my Amex account. I ordered a 3K card that way. I was signed into BC first, of course. But now it sounds like, based on the comment above, I should expect something bad to happen. What is it?
Preacher7 is offline  
Old Apr 13, 2013, 8:14 pm
  #499  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 657
I bought 5k of amex gift cards today with my amex spg...my club carlson was rejected a couple days ago.
drdrew450 is offline  
Old Apr 13, 2013, 8:46 pm
  #500  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Originally Posted by drdrew450
I bought 5k of amex gift cards today with my amex spg...my club carlson was rejected a couple days ago.
Just as a data point:
I've been doing Amex GC's since the Mint with American Express cards and have never been rejected while staying within the limits. I only purchase personal gift cards.
Astrophsx is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 3:40 am
  #501  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
Originally Posted by drdrew450
I bought 5k of amex gift cards today with my amex spg...my club carlson was rejected a couple days ago.
I haven't been able to get into Amex through BC all day...well, since yesterday at this point.
PainCorp is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 8:30 am
  #502  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 14
Do anyone know if the Amex GC are gonna have a pin option added to them like the visa/MC do so they can be added to BB?
Luckycharms is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 9:31 am
  #503  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by Luckycharms
Do anyone know if the Amex GC are gonna have a pin option added to them like the visa/MC do so they can be added to BB?
Highly unlikely. The regulations applied to Visa/MC and not Amex.
Stoughton is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 3:40 pm
  #504  
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: 25 million points to burn!
Posts: 1,522
I know it takes weeks to get paid on BC for these GCs, but how long does it take for the transaction to show up as in the process of being processed? I just want to know that my recent purchase is going to pay me sometime!
Preacher7 is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 3:54 pm
  #505  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 657
Originally Posted by Preacher7
I know it takes weeks to get paid on BC for these GCs, but how long does it take for the transaction to show up as in the process of being processed? I just want to know that my recent purchase is going to pay me sometime!
they say on their site that it can take up to 2 weeks, I have had to file a claim and it was pretty painless.
drdrew450 is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 5:11 pm
  #506  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ORD
Posts: 701
Originally Posted by MDWCommuter
I was getting rejected prior to using the USPS.com address. My address isn't complicated, though. The only thing in my address that could create an issue is how to enter my apartment number, "Apt", "#", "Apartment", etc. so perhaps this isn't the answer for everyone.
Sorry if this is stupid question. How do you see your exact address on usps.com?
Corridor! is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 10:21 pm
  #507  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Purchases tend to show up in 7-10 days. After 14 you can submit a claim and usually get it posted in 48 hours.
Astrophsx is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2013, 10:22 pm
  #508  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Originally Posted by Corridor!
Sorry if this is stupid question. How do you see your exact address on usps.com?
Use this link.
Astrophsx is offline  
Old Apr 15, 2013, 4:47 am
  #509  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ORD
Posts: 701
Originally Posted by Astrophsx
Thank You
Corridor! is offline  
Old Apr 19, 2013, 7:07 am
  #510  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 266
I have purchased many times with chase and American Express. I know that Citi is no good, but how about Barclay?
dontippet is offline  


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