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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 Aug 6, 2014, 1:39 am
  #7846  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: ILG/PHL
Programs: Amex Plat, AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Gold, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold
Posts: 1,075
Originally Posted by muswei
Is there any issue with using a AMEX CC to purchase AMEX GC's? I know if you use a AMEX CC with Amex Serve you do not get the points. Not sure if the same applies to GC's.
My pending 18,000 MR points and 13,000 Starpoints from last month say that yes, you do get the points.
payeco is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 1:55 am
  #7847  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 62
Thanks for the info. Was that $31k all in Amex GC spend for 1 month? That sounds like a ..... to liquidate but then I am very new to all of this.
muswei is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 2:33 am
  #7848  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: PHL
Programs: SW CP, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 571
Originally Posted by muswei
Thanks for the info. Was that $31k all in Amex GC spend for 1 month? That sounds like a ..... to liquidate but then I am very new to all of this.
They are tougher to liquidate than VGC, but the payout is worth it. Do you have AFT? You should start there.
ftomasze is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 2:35 am
  #7849  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: ILG/PHL
Programs: Amex Plat, AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Gold, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold
Posts: 1,075
Originally Posted by muswei
Thanks for the info. Was that $31k all in Amex GC spend for 1 month? That sounds like a ..... to liquidate but then I am very new to all of this.
Yep, all AGC pretty much. Probably about $400 in normal spending between the two elsewhere. My only Amex I actually spend on directly is my old Blue Cash. Platinum and SPG are all 1x for everything anyway so I might as well earn CB while I'm at it. I also did another mid 5 figures on my non Amex cards. You'd think it's tough to get rid of but it's really not. Once you build up a rapport with cashiers they don't mind multiple swipes for buying GCs, etc.
payeco is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 2:36 am
  #7850  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: ILG/PHL
Programs: Amex Plat, AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Gold, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold
Posts: 1,075
Originally Posted by ftomasze
They are tougher to liquidate than VGC, but the payout is worth it. Do you have AFT? You should start there.
+ I liquidate $25k in AGC on AFTs alone each month.
payeco is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 2:52 am
  #7851  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: PHL
Programs: SW CP, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 571
Originally Posted by payeco
+ I liquidate $25k in AGC on AFTs alone each month.
LOL! I wish I could convince more of my family members to get them. The two that I have were hard enough to find.
ftomasze is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 3:03 am
  #7852  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 407
Originally Posted by payeco
+ I liquidate $25k in AGC on AFTs alone each month.

Damn, what is that, 5 sets? I barely touch those except for min spend...I feel like I'm missing a gold mine
VizeL is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 3:12 am
  #7853  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 349
Originally Posted by payeco
+ I liquidate $25k in AGC on AFTs alone each month.
If only it had bill pay. ..
llbad is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 6:15 am
  #7854  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by payeco
+ I liquidate $25k in AGC on AFTs alone each month.
You are a goddess. Super hero. Something. I just find AFT a PITA, with the rolling dates. Too much work for a hobby.
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 6:18 am
  #7855  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by VizeL
Damn, what is that, 5 sets? I barely touch those except for min spend...I feel like I'm missing a gold mine
Combined with a cash back portal it offsets the GC purchase cost. Only downside is you have to wait for a payout. I love the things.
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 7:16 am
  #7856  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by payeco
+ I liquidate $25k in AGC on AFTs alone each month.
Can someone explain how? Aren't there monthly load limits? And dont they have withdrawal limits as well? 25k seems a bit much
smaxber is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 7:21 am
  #7857  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by smaxber
Can someone explain how? Aren't there monthly load limits? And dont they have withdrawal limits as well? 25k seems a bit much
Keep this under your hat, but word on the street is that some people have figured out that you can fit more than 1 card in your pocket.

True story bro!
Stoughton is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 7:33 am
  #7858  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by Stoughton
Keep this under your hat, but word on the street is that some people have figured out that you can fit more than 1 card in your pocket.

True story bro!
And what about liquidate?
smaxber is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 7:35 am
  #7859  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 201
Originally Posted by payeco
+ I liquidate $25k in AGC on AFTs alone each month.
Sigh, I wish these were an option for me.
unkinected is offline  
Old Aug 6, 2014, 8:06 am
  #7860  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,060
Originally Posted by smaxber
And what about liquidate?
READ the thread! AFT and other options
raccah is offline  


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