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 Aug 15, 2014, 11:31 pm
  #8041  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: CVG
Programs: Hyatt Giraffe
Posts: 1,664
Been getting full 5% CB on no fee AGCs at CVS this week. Stockpiled a bit for future AP and AFT. Happy not to have to deal with code/shipping/portals.
sam_goh is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2014, 11:58 pm
  #8042  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
I would rather use 5% capacity to buy instruments that can be liquidated cheaper than AGCs. YMMV depending on whether you are happy using 5% capacity to buy AGCs which have 2% opportunity cost to liquidate.

Last edited by HikerT; Aug 16, 2014 at 12:04 am
HikerT is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 12:31 am
  #8043  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: CHICAGO, IL
Programs: Arrival Points, M-Life, Hyatt, ULTIMATE REWARDS, AA, UAL, SOUTHWEST
Posts: 121
Now I have to wait until Labor Day zone

Originally Posted by HikerT
No, BF just dropped it.
Thank you
CRUISINGFLYING4LIFE is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 8:36 am
  #8044  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 84
Originally Posted by jhuck
In other words, IME the 99$ shipping plan ( most of us got for free), is tied to the login ID used, not the card. You just have to have some AMEX card assigned to that account.
Thank you for the tips - I was able to de-register my personal cards from online access and re-register them for online access under the same business account login where I have my premium shipping plan. It's also easier to have everything in one place.
adela77 is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 9:04 am
  #8045  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
Originally Posted by HikerT
I would rather use 5% capacity to buy instruments that can be liquidated cheaper than AGCs. YMMV depending on whether you are happy using 5% capacity to buy AGCs which have 2% opportunity cost to liquidate.
Why do AGC have 2% cost to liquidate? With AFT or AP, there's no cost. If those are maxed out, then I can liquidate them at 1% most of the time.
DaveInLA is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 9:13 am
  #8046  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 572
Originally Posted by DaveInLA
Why do AGC have 2% cost to liquidate? With AFT or AP, there's no cost. If those are maxed out, then I can liquidate them at 1% most of the time.
There's no cost?? Only if you have fee-free ATMs and you do just one withdrawal a month because the 1st withdrawal is fee free. Otherwise AFT gets expensive. Max $400 a day to withdraw and the fees are (at Costco) $1.25 plus Amex fees are $3. It means you pay $4.25 for each $400. To withdraw $5000 you have to go to the ATM 12 times. 12 times 4.25 is $51. Plus the $3 load fee 5 times = $15

It costs you $66 to go the AFT route. Plus your time and gas.
Zgirl is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 9:19 am
  #8047  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 747
Originally Posted by DaveInLA
Why do AGC have 2% cost to liquidate? With AFT or AP, there's no cost. If those are maxed out, then I can liquidate them at 1% most of the time.
Because you could be doing AFT or AP with a 2% CC, meaning that you're giving up 2% (cost) to liquidate over just using a CC.
nrdk is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 11:04 am
  #8048  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 101
At this time a business card purchase over 1k requires an EIN. Each card must be activated by phone. So for a 5k order you have 5 cards to call in an activate at a cost of 3.95 *5=~20.00

If you had an EIN you would pay only 3.95 and have one card to activate.

Any experiences getting an EIN for this and any issues?

Note that in many areas a sole proprietorship requires only a SS# but AMEX will not take that.
Bob John is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 2:13 pm
  #8049  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 151
You can get an EIN online easily, for free:
https://sa.www4.irs.gov/modiein/individual/index.jsp

You don't need to be an employer to get one. The IRS says some valid purposes are:

You need an EIN if you:

Started a new business
Hired or will hire employees, including household employees
Opened a bank account that requires an EIN for banking purposes
Changed the legal character or ownership of your organization (for example, you incorporate a sole proprietorship or form a partnership)
Purchased a going business
Created a trust
Created a pension plan as a plan administrator
Are a foreign person and need an EIN to comply with IRS withholding regulations
Are a withholding agent for taxes on non-wage income paid to an alien (such as an individual, a corporation, or a partnership)
Are a state or local agency
Are a federal government unit or agency
Formed a corporation
Formed a partnership
Administer an estate formed as a result of a person's death
Represent an estate that operates a business after the owner's death.
Anyone might be opening a bank account that requires one, or might INTEND to hire an employee or household worker.

The problem isn't getting the EIN. It's getting AmEx to recognize the EIN as belonging to a legitimate business at your stated business address. That's the tough part.
Lobachevsky is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 2:22 pm
  #8050  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by Bob John
At this time a business card purchase over 1k requires an EIN. Each card must be activated by phone. So for a 5k order you have 5 cards to call in an activate at a cost of 3.95 *5=~20.00

If you had an EIN you would pay only 3.95 and have one card to activate.

Any experiences getting an EIN for this and any issues?

Note that in many areas a sole proprietorship requires only a SS# but AMEX will not take that.
You only need to activate them if you're using them for GCM.
Stoughton is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 2:59 pm
  #8051  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 174
FWIW I now have the answer as to if Citi AA Exec treated my AMEX GCs ordered online as cash advance. Answer is NO.

Made 2 orders (500, 4000), period now closed and Citi monthly statement issued. Both came through as Standard Purchases, no cash advance or interest fees.
dgilligan02 is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 3:11 pm
  #8052  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 51
Originally Posted by Bob John
At this time a business card purchase over 1k requires an EIN. Each card must be activated by phone. So for a 5k order you have 5 cards to call in an activate at a cost of 3.95 *5=~20.00

If you had an EIN you would pay only 3.95 and have one card to activate.

Any experiences getting an EIN for this and any issues?

Note that in many areas a sole proprietorship requires only a SS# but AMEX will not take that.
You are making things so much more complicated than they have to be. An EIN and SSN both have 9 digits. You can place orders for business AGCs>1k by using your SSN in the Tax ID field just enter it like 00-0000000 instead of 000-00-0000. I have successfully placed orders using both my EIN and SSN, but business AGCs>1k are so much harder to get approved anyway that I usually just stick with lower denominations for the sake of expediency. By activating by phone, I assume you really mean registering your address to your card. You only need to do this if you are using it online, and the vendor's payment software requires address verification. Interesting fact: Not all sites require address verification.
learning2fly is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 3:43 pm
  #8053  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 101
Originally Posted by learning2fly
You are making things so much more complicated than they have to be. An EIN and SSN both have 9 digits. You can place orders for business AGCs>1k by using your SSN in the Tax ID field just enter it like 00-0000000 instead of 000-00-0000. I have successfully placed orders using both my EIN and SSN, but business AGCs>1k are so much harder to get approved anyway that I usually just stick with lower denominations for the sake of expediency. By activating by phone, I assume you really mean registering your address to your card. You only need to do this if you are using it online, and the vendor's payment software requires address verification. Interesting fact: Not all sites require address verification.
No as stated reformatting your SSN to EIN format does not work. At least every 1k order has always gone through for me (EIN required only on orders > 1k) and no orders > 1k have with an SS instead of EIN have gone through. One liquidation route currently requires address verification so registration is needed.
Bob John is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 4:57 pm
  #8054  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA,UA,BA,SPG,IHG Plat, HH Gold, CC Gold, UR, MR
Posts: 195
Glad it worked out for you, adela77. I prefer managing multiple accounts from one login also.
jhuck is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2014, 6:08 pm
  #8055  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA Gold,Hyatt Platinum,Marriott Platinum,Etihad Gold
Posts: 132
TopCashBack: 2.25% on Amex Gift Cards.

What about the Visa Gift cards?

It says Online Purchase - 2%
Please note: Hess Gasoline, Gulf, Arco, Safeway, BP and Best buy giftcards are not eligible for cashback

Visa Gift Card - 0.25%

Am i missing something here?
wwwwww717 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.