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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 Jun 10, 2014, 3:19 pm
  #6466  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 47
My order through Lucky Reward on 05/21 is posted.
jc0726 is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 3:22 pm
  #6467  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 202
Originally Posted by f0xx
Read their portals website.... It'll tell you.
Not to mention, I reported how it works in this very thread.

Search
I'm reading the How It Works page on the USAA MemberShop and I, also, don't understand it.

MemberShop Rebates

MemberShop Rebates are the cash-back rewards that you earn by using any of the following debit or credit cards:

Non-Rewards USAA credit card
USAA debit card
Non-USAA credit or debit card (eligible for online purchases only)
However it does not explain the correlation between a point and a rebate, nor how the rebates are paid.
fluffyCat is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 3:38 pm
  #6468  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHX
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plat, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 78
Originally Posted by kenshinluo
Anyone has long experience using AS portal? Has it always offered bonus for buying AGC? I plan on using it soon but afraid AGC might get dropped (like Barclay portal) before I accumulate a usable amount of miles.
Have been using the Alaska portal consistently, but it takes the FULL 45 days for mileage to post into your account.....so don't bother looking for those Emirates J fares anytime soon
PHX392 is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 3:41 pm
  #6469  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 571
Originally Posted by PHX392
Have been using the Alaska portal consistently, but it takes the FULL 45 days for mileage to post into your account.....so don't bother looking for those Emirates J fares anytime soon
The two batches of Alaska miles I've gotten were in my account about 30 days from purchase, just a bit longer than it took for Boost miles. Also, I'd say if you're going to Asia to go Cathay Pacific with Alaska miles: way fewer miles than Emirates and less pretentious. Gold-plated Arabesque is gaudy.
carpentry4thought is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 3:50 pm
  #6470  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 202
My most recent purchase with the AS portal:

4/6 purchase tracked 5/4 and posted to AS on 5/10
fluffyCat is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 4:26 pm
  #6471  
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 100
Originally Posted by skitch23
I'm not sure why every morning I wake up I am confident that my confirmed cash back from April thru TCB will magically be payable. *sigh* It's like watching a pot of water waiting for it to boil.
That is still better than mine. I have payout I requested way back in early March that is still outstanding with a "Payment Requested" status.
thehimalayas is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 4:43 pm
  #6472  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 908
Originally Posted by jc0726
My order through Lucky Reward on 05/21 is posted.
Thanks. I'll keep my eyes open for my Lucky order on 5/27, probably another week.
sosamo is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 4:52 pm
  #6473  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 908
Originally Posted by PHX392
Have been using the Alaska portal consistently, but it takes the FULL 45 days for mileage to post into your account.....so don't bother looking for those Emirates J fares anytime soon
100k for Emirate First 1 way.

I can do about 15k Alaska points a month. Probably take me a year or 2
sosamo is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 5:00 pm
  #6474  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 571
Originally Posted by sosamo
100k for Emirate First 1 way.

I can do about 15k Alaska points a month. Probably take me a year or 2
50k for Cathay business class to Asia. easy easy.
carpentry4thought is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 6:00 pm
  #6475  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 567
Originally Posted by fluffyCat
My most recent purchase with the AS portal:

4/6 purchase tracked 5/4 and posted to AS on 5/10
I placed 2 orders through the AS portal, I know I need to wait 4 weeks. Anyone ever have any trouble with the order not tracking or miles not awarded?

The 3x offer is too good and I am planning to go for more, however till I see some miles post I am hesitant to jump in deeper.
bobby21 is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 6:19 pm
  #6476  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 908
Originally Posted by bobby21
I placed 2 orders through the AS portal, I know I need to wait 4 weeks. Anyone ever have any trouble with the order not tracking or miles not awarded?

The 3x offer is too good and I am planning to go for more, however till I see some miles post I am hesitant to jump in deeper.
There are always a chance of an order not tracking. And there are a few datapoints of it.

I think you should know by the 3 week mark. It never got to 4 weeks for me.
sosamo is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 8:18 pm
  #6477  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: DFW
Posts: 478
5/16-21 orders are tracked in Boost
spgbus is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 8:22 pm
  #6478  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 571
up to 5/22 in Boost for me
carpentry4thought is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 8:39 pm
  #6479  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 160
report back: my 5/18,5/21 orders are tracked successfully through AS.



Originally Posted by cdancer20
The wiki can:
vodafone is offline  
Old Jun 10, 2014, 9:21 pm
  #6480  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 79
Placed two personal orders this AM, both approved. Personalized $1K on Carlson Card, regular $2K ($1K x 2) CSP, looks like both are pending as regular transactions, per the usual (though I guess Carlson has less data points to go on).

Befrugal already tracking @4%

Dumb question/confirmation please: FPDAD will work on business card orders, right? Obligatory 'yes, I've read the entire thread through' - I just can't remember if this has been addressed before...Apologies for asking, please consider my above data point an offer to the gods, and don't kill me

Thanks.
pspaster is offline  


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