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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 Sep 10, 2014, 11:31 am
  #8611  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 76
Before any action is taken re: 40% CB on AGC, please fill out this form in triplicate. Thanks!

TheMacallan is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 11:40 am
  #8612  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 572
Originally Posted by theacolyte
Sigh, it's completely insane to actually expect them to honor what is clearly a mistake. There is no contract because there is no viable consideration. A rational person would not believe a company would offer 40% cash back on an AMEX GC purchase.

I find your point of view incredibly disturbing, that you clearly believe one is entitled to benefit from a blatant mistake.
+1

40% was an obvious mistake. Everyone who thought he could get this high percentage on purchases of AGCs was not thinking clearly! Please move on.
Zgirl is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 12:00 pm
  #8613  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
BeFrugal just put $458 into my Paypal account in 3 payments. Nice.
PaulMSN is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 12:06 pm
  #8614  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
BF payout arrived for me too.
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 12:08 pm
  #8615  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by Points4Wine
Extrabux disclaimer:
American Express Giftcards Restrictions Apply :
Cash back is not available for Gift Cards. Cash back is only available for Media Buy.
Right. Can't trust CB monitor for all things.
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 1:11 pm
  #8616  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: IND
Programs: Hilton Dia, Hyatt Glbl, Marriott Lftm Plat, National EE
Posts: 316
<deleted>

Deleted

Last edited by gloobnib; Sep 10, 2014 at 1:20 pm
gloobnib is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 1:13 pm
  #8617  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 193
Originally Posted by gloobnib
Just saw BF is back at 2%. Oh, and they just deposited may payouts into paypal today too. I <3 BF!
Thank you Baby Jesus! I've always been a TCB kind of gal but I have AP's to make and AFT's to load.
Peridot83 is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 1:14 pm
  #8618  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 226
Originally Posted by gloobnib
Just saw BF is back at 2%. Oh, and they just deposited may payouts into paypal today too. I <3 BF!
Not for AGCs, still no CB. They've got GCM at 2% but the terms exclude VGCs.
dboston1 is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 1:21 pm
  #8619  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: IND
Programs: Hilton Dia, Hyatt Glbl, Marriott Lftm Plat, National EE
Posts: 316
Originally Posted by dboston1
Not for AGCs, still no CB. They've got GCM at 2% but the terms exclude VGCs.
My bad guys. I swear I saw it, but now I can't replicate it. Maybe just a case of wishful thinking. I *did* see the 80% cashback in CBM, but that is an obvious mistake!
gloobnib is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 1:41 pm
  #8620  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 193
Hmm, don't see it. What a tease.
Peridot83 is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 3:14 pm
  #8621  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL DM-1MM HH Diamond
Posts: 361
Originally Posted by ZzzzX
BF payout arrived for me too.
The pipeline is full for the next couple of months too. I hope this comes back so we can keep it full.
2B or back in coach is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 6:06 pm
  #8622  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 866
Originally Posted by Peridot83
Thank you Baby Jesus! I've always been a TCB kind of gal but I have AP's to make and AFT's to load.
You don't have as many APs to make as you hoped. Check out the AP thread. That baby is going the way of the AGCs in October.
Father-of-3 is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 6:11 pm
  #8623  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Whew. Just bought 2k for 1%! At least it covers some fees...
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 7:33 pm
  #8624  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 268
Originally Posted by ZzzzX
Whew. Just bought 2k for 1%! At least it covers some fees...
Where do you get 1% CB? PM me if you would like.
ramamosn is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2014, 7:38 pm
  #8625  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by ramamosn
Where do you get 1% CB? PM me if you would like.
Added it to the wiki (for better or worse).
ZzzzX is offline  


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