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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 10, 2014, 11:22 am
  #7951  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Raiegh, NC
Posts: 300
TopCashBack: 2.25% on Amex Gift Cards, but changes in fees, BigCrumbs 2%.

Oh, I redeemed through my usaa cc account.
CrediPig is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 2:43 pm
  #7952  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: OZ *G; HH Diamond;
Posts: 1,644
Per Wiki, befrugal is now 2.75%, but TCB is still 3%, though with a note saying it is ending today.

How does BF's guarantee work in this case? I place an order and then email BF-CS to bump it up to 3%?
geclub1 is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 4:26 pm
  #7953  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 572
Originally Posted by geclub1
Per Wiki, befrugal is now 2.75%, but TCB is still 3%, though with a note saying it is ending today.

How does BF's guarantee work in this case? I place an order and then email BF-CS to bump it up to 3%?
Why don't you use TCB then?? This is a no brainer if TCB offers a better rate than BF. Just order through TCB!

Btw TCB pays within 2 months, BF pays within 3.5 months.

Maybe I'm missing something here? Why do some people think that ordering through BF is a better choice even if the rate of BF is lower??
Zgirl is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 5:41 pm
  #7954  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Midwest U.S.A
Programs: Too many to list. Since the early 90's.
Posts: 1,407
I think we all tend to get used to using one portal, but we have to remain flexible. I'll become a new customer for topcashback this week since befrugal dropped their payout. We tend to also use these portals for regular shopping.
Churnman is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 5:43 pm
  #7955  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Northeast USA
Posts: 300
Just got an email from amex with a new (to me, at least) fee free code...won't be using it of course, but maybe it's a sign they're revving up their marketing engine and portal action will follow...? Or just wishful thinking
dublin487 is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 6:01 pm
  #7956  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 572
Originally Posted by Churnman
I think we all tend to get used to using one portal, but we have to remain flexible. I'll become a new customer for topcashback this week since befrugal dropped their payout. We tend to also use these portals for regular shopping.
Well, I have both, BF and TCB account, and I'm ordering AGCs and other stuff through both of them but if the rates are the same I prefer TCB. Why wait 3.5 months if you can get your cash back in 2 months?
Zgirl is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 6:29 pm
  #7957  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: MSP
Programs: DL, BA, AA
Posts: 270
Originally Posted by dublin487
Just got an email from amex with a new (to me, at least) fee free code...won't be using it of course, but maybe it's a sign they're revving up their marketing engine and portal action will follow...? Or just wishful thinking
Classic marketing trap.

Use our fee free code, we won't have to pay you cashback...
worldtravels is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 6:30 pm
  #7958  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
I personally don't have a problem using TCB but they have jaded a lot of people. Their support ticket process is pretty bad. They also claim 100.0% satisfaction with AMEX tracking which is a flat out lie. A while back they also tried to cancel a lot of people's accounts. They backpedaled after they got slammed on social media. There is more to it than how quickly you get paid.
HikerT is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 9:23 pm
  #7959  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: OZ *G; HH Diamond;
Posts: 1,644
Originally Posted by Zgirl
Why don't you use TCB then?? This is a no brainer if TCB offers a better rate than BF. Just order through TCB!

Btw TCB pays within 2 months, BF pays within 3.5 months.

Maybe I'm missing something here? Why do some people think that ordering through BF is a better choice even if the rate of BF is lower??
Excellent point. I think I lost perspective here.
geclub1 is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2014, 10:48 pm
  #7960  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 218
Originally Posted by Zgirl
Well, I have both, BF and TCB account, and I'm ordering AGCs and other stuff through both of them but if the rates are the same I prefer TCB. Why wait 3.5 months if you can get your cash back in 2 months?
Totally agree. +1 for TCB from me if rate is the same.
DziVang is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2014, 5:34 am
  #7961  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 85
Placed a 4K order through TCB in my Google Chrome incognito window yesterday. No codes used. Received the order approved from AmEx. Checked this morning and tracking $120 through TCB with payout of 5 weeks. Score!
slickjolly is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2014, 6:56 am
  #7962  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 149
Lucky ........ I'm going on 6 weeks of no BF payment and 3 weeks of no TCB confirmation of money
workaccounttoday is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2014, 7:37 am
  #7963  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 572
I'm going on 10 weeks of no BF payment, the payout will be in another 5 weeks! 15 weeks!
Orders from June 2-6 will be paid on September 15
Zgirl is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2014, 8:06 am
  #7964  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by Zgirl
I'm going on 10 weeks of no BF payment, the payout will be in another 5 weeks! 15 weeks!
Orders from June 2-6 will be paid on September 15
Similarly with Lucky Rewards. May 10th purchase is due to be paid Aug 15, but we will see!
silver6054 is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2014, 8:11 am
  #7965  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 407
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VizeL is offline  


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