Oct 25, 2013, 7:07 pm
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.
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.
Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.
May 7, 2014, 9:24 am
#5161
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: PVD/BOS
Posts: 879
When you ignore all other data points in favor of your personal anecdotal information, you're likely to come up with an questionable conclusion. Many of us regularly get the received email and then the approved and shipped. It just happened for 2 orders today for me.
Which, by the way, arrek, may be because I took your address advice. 1 $1K business order and 1 $2K personal order were both approved using the USPS address.
Or it could just be random -- who knows?
Which, by the way, arrek, may be because I took your address advice. 1 $1K business order and 1 $2K personal order were both approved using the USPS address.
Or it could just be random -- who knows?
Which is exactly what YOU are doing by saying all received orders = approved.
May 7, 2014, 9:29 am
#5163
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: IL
Posts: 270
Gah, got my second ever denial yesterday, and then my third immediately afterwards because the next order combined with the denied order exceeded the $5k.
Two theories I wonder if anyone has data on:
1) IP address matters. I was in Canada yesterday when I ordered. All my previous orders have been from home.
2) The $5k/14 days isn't rolling but a fixed period. That's why some people are able to get their orders closer together.
Two theories I wonder if anyone has data on:
1) IP address matters. I was in Canada yesterday when I ordered. All my previous orders have been from home.
2) The $5k/14 days isn't rolling but a fixed period. That's why some people are able to get their orders closer together.
May 7, 2014, 9:32 am
#5164
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
Why do so many people need to lash out when contradicted? It's OK to be wrong.
May 7, 2014, 9:46 am
#5165
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Washington DC
Programs: United, AA, Avianca
Posts: 249
I have gotten the "received" email and then denied. It is quite random!
May 7, 2014, 10:10 am
#5166
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: PVD/BOS
Posts: 879
No, I never said that. I said I and many others have been approved after receiving a "received" email, therefore your belief in a link between "received" email and a decline is unlikely. Never once did I state what you claim.
you stated: Many of us regularly get the received email and then the approved and shipped.
Which based on your surrounding context says received = approved for many. That simply isn't the case if you read this thread.
Why do so many people need to lash out when contradicted? It's OK to be wrong.
you stated: Many of us regularly get the received email and then the approved and shipped.
Which based on your surrounding context says received = approved for many. That simply isn't the case if you read this thread.
Why do so many people need to lash out when contradicted? It's OK to be wrong.
May 7, 2014, 10:15 am
#5167
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Programs: Hilton Gold, SPG & IHG Plat, & every airline program that I can join
Posts: 2,279
Has anyone had experience with Lucky Rewards? 4% would be great, but they are run by the dreaded Cartera. Now I can't decide between 3miles @$ of the 4% + the actual card rewards........ They only pay quarterly.
Decisions, Decisions....
JudyJFLA
Decisions, Decisions....
JudyJFLA
May 7, 2014, 10:20 am
#5169
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
I was one that use to say "received" = "denied" b/c 100% of the time that's what I was getting. However, I have seen "received"="approved" for orders over $1k and I know that others have also seen differently. Therefore, I no longer assume there is a connection. Just purely coincidental.
May 7, 2014, 10:21 am
#5170
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: PVD/BOS
Posts: 879
Every single time I (as in ME MYSELF) and if you read the posts others, but for now I'll just say ME. (was that clear?)
Every time I get a received email = denial.
Now please explain to me how I'm wrong about that correlation again? LOL.
This holds true for almost 8 full months of continuous orders.
May 7, 2014, 10:22 am
#5171
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 6
Newbie here....so please be kind
I got amex SPG Business card and first purchase I tried making on it was 2k of Amex GC`s. Got denied.....three times in a row.
Called customer service and they said everything is ok with the card but amex servers are going under maintenance right now and you should just try again later.
I tried the next day and it went through smoothly at first attempt.
Is it possible that all the randomness people are observing is not because of what card they are using or how much the order size is but an issue on the amex side ?
I got amex SPG Business card and first purchase I tried making on it was 2k of Amex GC`s. Got denied.....three times in a row.
Called customer service and they said everything is ok with the card but amex servers are going under maintenance right now and you should just try again later.
I tried the next day and it went through smoothly at first attempt.
Is it possible that all the randomness people are observing is not because of what card they are using or how much the order size is but an issue on the amex side ?
May 7, 2014, 10:23 am
#5172
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
For what it's worth, I've gotten the "received" email every time I've ordered, whether the order went through or not
May 7, 2014, 10:32 am
#5173
Suspended
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
le sigh. Let me see if I can be MORE clear.
Every single time I (as in ME MYSELF) and if you read the posts others, but for now I'll just say ME. (was that clear?)
Every time I get a received email = denial.
Now please explain to me how I'm wrong about that correlation again? LOL.
This holds true for almost 8 full months of continuous orders.
Every single time I (as in ME MYSELF) and if you read the posts others, but for now I'll just say ME. (was that clear?)
Every time I get a received email = denial.
Now please explain to me how I'm wrong about that correlation again? LOL.
This holds true for almost 8 full months of continuous orders.
For me to claim, based upon my own experiences, that the email equates approval of an order would be just as irresponsible and assinine as stating it signals a denial.
And my experience is based on far longer than 8 months.
May 7, 2014, 10:35 am
#5174
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA,UA,BA,SPG,IHG Plat, HH Gold, CC Gold, UR, MR
Posts: 195
May 7, 2014, 10:35 am
#5175
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162