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 28, 2014, 6:06 am
#5911
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 94
After 5 successes in a row, every single one of my next 6 orders got declined. I haven't done anything different. So frustrating and I actually paid for the premium shipping.
May 28, 2014, 6:27 am
#5913
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Midwest
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 401
Discover orders need to be less than your cash advance limit. The order will end up going through as a purchase, but while pending it reflects as a cash advance. Any order over CA limit will be denied.
May 28, 2014, 9:32 am
#5914
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
Well, time of day doesn't seem to matter. The exact same AmEx business order I made at mid-afternoon on the 25th was repeated after midnight this morning and it was declined also. Same card, same info, same amount (2 $1000 GCs).
I also made a personal order which was also declined. 4 in a row now.
I also made a personal order which was also declined. 4 in a row now.
May 28, 2014, 10:14 am
#5915
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 253
For me with Amex, the magic number seems to be $5K or less in $1K cards. I have had a string of successes with no denials for the past month ordering $4K to $5K in $1K denominations every two or three days.
I have not ordered larger denominations for some time, but tried this morning with a $6K order for 3x$2K business GC (I wanted to give GCM a try). Three hours later, the decline email arrived. I immediately placed a new order for 5 $1K business GCs and in about 10 minutes received the approval email and the shipping email almost simultaneously.
I have not ordered larger denominations for some time, but tried this morning with a $6K order for 3x$2K business GC (I wanted to give GCM a try). Three hours later, the decline email arrived. I immediately placed a new order for 5 $1K business GCs and in about 10 minutes received the approval email and the shipping email almost simultaneously.
May 28, 2014, 10:24 am
#5916
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 571
For me with Amex, the magic number seems to be $5K or less in $1K cards. I have had a string of successes with no denials for the past month ordering $4K to $5K in $1K denominations every two or three days.
I have not ordered larger denominations for some time, but tried this morning with a $6K order for 3x$2K business GC (I wanted to give GCM a try). Three hours later, the decline email arrived. I immediately placed a new order for 5 $1K business GCs and in about 10 minutes received the approval email and the shipping email almost simultaneously.
I have not ordered larger denominations for some time, but tried this morning with a $6K order for 3x$2K business GC (I wanted to give GCM a try). Three hours later, the decline email arrived. I immediately placed a new order for 5 $1K business GCs and in about 10 minutes received the approval email and the shipping email almost simultaneously.
May 28, 2014, 10:26 am
#5917
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 571
Rather than all these silly posts about orders placed a few days ago, it'd make more sense to post if you DON'T get your points after 8 weeks. Maybe it's lost in the chaff, but for all the dozens of posts about people who don't have their points from the last couple days/weeks, there are hardly any reports of folks not getting points within two months of ordering.
May 28, 2014, 10:43 am
#5918
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 103
Placed 4 orders last night. 2 Approved and 2 Denied.
Approved:
3x$1000 non-personalized Business(barclay mastercard rewards)
1x$2000 personalized personal(Amex Blue Cash)
Denied
1x$3000 personalized personal(Amex SPG)
2x$1000 personalized business(Chase Ink Bold)
Kind of random but glad to get at least $5k approved yesterday. Should arrive just in time to feed the "birds" in June.
Approved:
3x$1000 non-personalized Business(barclay mastercard rewards)
1x$2000 personalized personal(Amex Blue Cash)
Denied
1x$3000 personalized personal(Amex SPG)
2x$1000 personalized business(Chase Ink Bold)
Kind of random but glad to get at least $5k approved yesterday. Should arrive just in time to feed the "birds" in June.
May 28, 2014, 10:52 am
#5919
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 47
I ordered (in two separate accounts) yesterday evening and this morning.
3x$1000
2x$1000
2X1000
2x$1000 and 1 x$700
All approved this morning and received shipped emails. After 8 declines in a row last week!!
3x$1000
2x$1000
2X1000
2x$1000 and 1 x$700
All approved this morning and received shipped emails. After 8 declines in a row last week!!
May 28, 2014, 11:04 am
#5920
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 920
Ahhh, Boost Payday, how I love Wednesday mornings!
On the other hand, I gotta try this 2x$1k. My other order of 1x$1k, 3x$1k, 4x$1k have not been working for me last week...
Edit: Just got the dreaded "Order received" for my 2x$1k biz order... Trying a different Biz name I have now...
On the other hand, I gotta try this 2x$1k. My other order of 1x$1k, 3x$1k, 4x$1k have not been working for me last week...
Edit: Just got the dreaded "Order received" for my 2x$1k biz order... Trying a different Biz name I have now...
Last edited by hitman1420; May 28, 2014 at 11:29 am
May 28, 2014, 11:39 am
#5921
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Midwest U.S.A
Programs: Too many to list. Since the early 90's.
Posts: 1,407
For me with Amex, the magic number seems to be $5K or less in $1K cards. I have had a string of successes with no denials for the past month ordering $4K to $5K in $1K denominations every two or three days.
I have not ordered larger denominations for some time, but tried this morning with a $6K order for 3x$2K business GC (I wanted to give GCM a try). Three hours later, the decline email arrived. I immediately placed a new order for 5 $1K business GCs and in about 10 minutes received the approval email and the shipping email almost simultaneously.
I have not ordered larger denominations for some time, but tried this morning with a $6K order for 3x$2K business GC (I wanted to give GCM a try). Three hours later, the decline email arrived. I immediately placed a new order for 5 $1K business GCs and in about 10 minutes received the approval email and the shipping email almost simultaneously.
2. Or, did you not login to Amex and simply placed an order?
3. Did you use a business CC for these purchases or hve you ever in the past?
4. What was the first cc you used to placed your first successful business order? Was it a business cc or personal and which do you use most of the time for your business orders or personal orders?
5. Do you always login to Amex using a login associated with a bus. Amex cc? I know others who consistently get their business orders approved, but from the start they've only used a login associated with an Amex bus. cc.
May 28, 2014, 11:41 am
#5922
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Midwest U.S.A
Programs: Too many to list. Since the early 90's.
Posts: 1,407
So, you're ordering business gcs. Do you login to Amex using a login associated with an Amex bus. cc (even if that's not the cc you're using for the order)?
May 28, 2014, 11:45 am
#5923
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 103
Ahhh, Boost Payday, how I love Wednesday mornings!
On the other hand, I gotta try this 2x$1k. My other order of 1x$1k, 3x$1k, 4x$1k have not been working for me last week...
Edit: Just got the dreaded "Order received" for my 2x$1k biz order... Trying a different Biz name I have now...
On the other hand, I gotta try this 2x$1k. My other order of 1x$1k, 3x$1k, 4x$1k have not been working for me last week...
Edit: Just got the dreaded "Order received" for my 2x$1k biz order... Trying a different Biz name I have now...
Gives me more hope now.
May 28, 2014, 12:25 pm
#5924
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 920
I had such a good string of approvals a couple weeks ago too... Oh well, what can you do?
May 28, 2014, 1:10 pm
#5925
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 111
Made my first order today to meet the minimum spend on my SPG card.
Received an order received email at 1pm and received the order approved email an hour later.
Order was 3x$1k through LuckyRewards using code to remove purchase fees.
I searched through this thread and saw reports that LuckyRewards have paid out successfully, but it just takes a little while to track.
I'm hoping to get 4% back and be able to cash out easily (I know I can do VGC either in store or through GCM or use AFT).
Any tips for someone in the NYC area would be appreciated. Thanks!
Received an order received email at 1pm and received the order approved email an hour later.
Order was 3x$1k through LuckyRewards using code to remove purchase fees.
I searched through this thread and saw reports that LuckyRewards have paid out successfully, but it just takes a little while to track.
I'm hoping to get 4% back and be able to cash out easily (I know I can do VGC either in store or through GCM or use AFT).
Any tips for someone in the NYC area would be appreciated. Thanks!