Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Credit, Debit and Prepaid Card Programs > Manufactured Spending
Reload this Page >

Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.

Community
Wiki Posts
Search
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.
Print Wikipost

Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 26, 2014, 8:57 am
  #5821  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 546
I'm also seeing 3%. Those of you that are getting 5%, are you full members? I noticed at the top of my membershop page it says "non-USAA card" - so perhaps there is a two-tiered reward system.

Last edited by silver4300; May 26, 2014 at 9:03 am
silver4300 is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 9:01 am
  #5822  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: The Phoenix Desert
Programs: Hilton Cubic Zirconia, Marriott Fools Gold
Posts: 1,692
Originally Posted by silver4300
I'm also seeing 3%. Those of you that are getting 5%, are you full members? I at the top of my membershop page it says "non USAA cardholder" - so perhaps there is a two-tiered reward system.
I'm a full member with a checking account (no cc) and see 5%.
skitch23 is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 9:30 am
  #5823  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: AA, SPG, MR, UR, Cash Back!
Posts: 606
Originally Posted by silver4300
I'm also seeing 3%. Those of you that are getting 5%, are you full members? I noticed at the top of my membershop page it says "non-USAA card" - so perhaps there is a two-tiered reward system.
I'm a full member, USAA does have a teired system for membership and benefits.
Fuerza is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 9:42 am
  #5824  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: SQSP
Programs: 1&2
Posts: 167
Originally Posted by Fuerza
I'm a full member, USAA does have a teired system for membership and benefits.
I'm a full member, and when I signed onto the shopping portal originally, "non-USAA card" was selected, and indicated 3% cash back. When I clicked "shop with a different card" and changed to one of my USAA credit cards, it changed to 5 pts/$1 (vs. straight-up cash back). I'm assuming it would be 5 points, with no extra points posted for the USAA credit card usage (normally 1 pt/$1).

I kept playing around with this, and paying from my checking account is another option (not that I would actually select this) - amount payable changes again to 5% cash back.

edit: I'm not sure why usaa allows you to select using a checking account, as this is not actually a payment option with Amex. I might test this out to see whether selecting a different option from the membershop than the actual payment method results in a payout.

Last edited by brero; May 26, 2014 at 9:45 am Reason: update
brero is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 9:45 am
  #5825  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 546
Originally Posted by Fuerza
I'm a full member, USAA does have a teired system for membership and benefits.
I'm not a full member and I'm not eligible for some features, such as checking account, credit card. So, it seems there are differences between full and non-full members. So far, only full members are reporting the 5% offer.
silver4300 is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 9:49 am
  #5826  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: WAS
Programs: SPG Plat. Marriott Plat. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Diamond. IHG Plat.
Posts: 2,580
Originally Posted by brero
I'm a full member, and when I signed onto the shopping portal originally, "non-USAA card" was selected, and indicated 3% cash back. When I clicked "shop with a different card" and changed to one of my USAA credit cards, it changed to 5 pts/$1 (vs. straight-up cash back). I'm assuming it would be 5 points, with no extra points posted for the USAA credit card usage (normally 1 pt/$1).

I kept playing around with this, and paying from my checking account is another option (not that I would actually select this) - amount payable changes again to 5% cash back.

edit: I'm not sure why usaa allows you to select using a checking account, as this is not actually a payment option with Amex. I might test this out to see whether selecting a different option from the membershop than the actual payment method results in a payout.
Same. So it looks like 3% with non-USAA card.
I have a 1% cash back card with USAA making it ~6%

Redemption is as follows:

15,000
$150

22,500
$225

25,000
$250

30,000
$300

42,000
$420

60,000
$600

90,000
$900

120,000
$1,200
$.01/point like Chase etc.
f0xx is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 9:50 am
  #5827  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 546
Originally Posted by brero
I'm a full member, and when I signed onto the shopping portal originally, "non-USAA card" was selected, and indicated 3% cash back. When I clicked "shop with a different card" and changed to one of my USAA credit cards, it changed to 5 pts/$1 (vs. straight-up cash back). I'm assuming it would be 5 points, with no extra points posted for the USAA credit card usage (normally 1 pt/$1).

I kept playing around with this, and paying from my checking account is another option (not that I would actually select this) - amount payable changes again to 5% cash back.
Thanks brero, looks like the 5% offer is only offered to full members.
silver4300 is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:10 am
  #5828  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: AA, SPG, MR, UR, Cash Back!
Posts: 606
Now I really want to place an order with USAA and my WR MasterCard. I just placed an order a few days ago with my Ebates account.

I might place an order with my wife's USAA account.
Fuerza is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:39 am
  #5829  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
Originally Posted by raccah
sosamo - did you use a Barclays card? How successful have people been using non barclays cards on Boost? I failed once and have been using TCB since, for noi braclays purchases...
As stated many times throughout the thread, you can use any card and it will track. Also someone posted that Barclay tried to say you had to use your Arrival (trying to make up for missing points), but nowhere in the T&C does it state that so you can still argue it.
cdancer20 is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:48 am
  #5830  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
Originally Posted by PaulMSN
No, approved or denied, I try again a couple days later, somewhere around midnight, with one business order and one personal order each time. I've been limiting the business orders to $1K, but I may try a larger amount soon. The personal orders have been $1K or $2K, with no more than $5K in a week.

I may get 6 more denials in a row, though -- I don't think anyone knows yet what really matters.
Thanks.

Do you think the time of the day matters?
MaineCoon is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:50 am
  #5831  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
Originally Posted by cdancer20
As stated many times throughout the thread, you can use any card and it will track. Also someone posted that Barclay tried to say you had to use your Arrival (trying to make up for missing points), but nowhere in the T&C does it state that so you can still argue it.
..and why not use your Arrival? So far it has the best ROI AFAIK, 6.6%.
MaineCoon is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:54 am
  #5832  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
Originally Posted by MaineCoon
..and why not use your Arrival? So far it has the best ROI AFAIK, 6.6%.
Easy. Not everyone wants points all the time on just Arrival. Plus spread out the love. Too many Amex GC purchases on Arrival may draw attention.
cdancer20 is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:56 am
  #5833  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Central VA/LYH/ROA
Programs: BA, AA, SPG, HLTN, ETC
Posts: 365
Originally Posted by Peridot83
Just found out USAA has a shopping portal, and they are paying out 5% cash back on AGC! I also like that they clearly state that you can use non USAA cards. Cashback over 10.00 is mailed out quarterly.
wow thanks! using the barclay arrival card plus that portal would make it 7% dang! Heading there now!
air360 is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:56 am
  #5834  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
Originally Posted by MaineCoon
..and why not use your Arrival? So far it has the best ROI AFAIK, 6.6%.
No it doesn't.
HikerT is offline  
Old May 26, 2014, 10:58 am
  #5835  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 829
Originally Posted by cdancer20
Easy. Not everyone wants points all the time on just Arrival. Plus spread out the love. Too many Amex GC purchases on Arrival may draw attention.
I see, valid point. However, I use my Arrival all the time as my main cc, so I am not too worried.
MaineCoon is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.