Oct 25, 2013, 7:07 pm
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.
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.
Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.
Sep 10, 2014, 7:42 pm
#8626
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 74
Ooo extrabux has 80% cashback!
T&Cs: For media buy
T&Cs: For media buy
Sep 10, 2014, 8:35 pm
#8628
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Yeah, that stinks. It got me through 3 Citi execs.
Sep 10, 2014, 9:36 pm
#8629
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL DM-1MM HH Diamond
Posts: 361
WHY?
Is it just me having problems with UPS?
They say $11k in personalized cards were delivered yesterday. They were not. Someone was home when they say they were delivered, but no signature, just left at front door.
I called AMEX, they say all the cards have been used!
AHHHHHHHHHH!
How long will it take to get this straightened out?
They say $11k in personalized cards were delivered yesterday. They were not. Someone was home when they say they were delivered, but no signature, just left at front door.
I called AMEX, they say all the cards have been used!
AHHHHHHHHHH!
How long will it take to get this straightened out?
Sep 10, 2014, 9:52 pm
#8630
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Ooo. Ouch. Good luck. Get the proof to Amex as fast as possible. Ask UPS for tracking etc.
Sep 10, 2014, 10:44 pm
#8632
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 314
Man, this is bad. I always was asked for a signature for orders over $5k. Although the last order which I requested for delivery after 3 days ( paid the fee too ) was delivered without the request processed.
Sep 10, 2014, 10:54 pm
#8633
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Somewhere above the Mason-Dixon
Programs: DL Ham Samich
Posts: 1,661
Good luck bro, I'm out 3K from an order that was "used" in the beginning of august
Sep 10, 2014, 11:04 pm
#8634
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
If you don't get your money back I'd think you might have good luck suing AMEX, just from the fact their controls are sorely lacking. What company in their right mind would ship multi thousand dollar GCs (1) that anyone can use without activation (2) without requiring signature delivery and (3) without providing timely tracking information.
Sep 10, 2014, 11:05 pm
#8635
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL DM-1MM HH Diamond
Posts: 361
The order date on mine was 9/3, but the transactions haven't posted yet. I have to wait until they post until I can make a claim.
Sep 10, 2014, 11:10 pm
#8636
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 72
I had the same situation happen to me but I caught it on the spot. I have "UPS My Choice" along with an app on my phone that pops up with a delivery notification the minute the UPS truck delivers my items. Got the popup on my phone but no one showed up on my Door Camera (camera shoots emails). Called UPS, they called the driver and few hours later, the package is at my door.
During that process, I had cancelled all cards and requested a replacement which took forever to receive!
I have a feeling that personalized cards are particularly susceptible to theft because it comes from Oberthur Technologies which is known to send those prepaid cards, Amex or other prepaid visa/master card personalized cards.
During that process, I had cancelled all cards and requested a replacement which took forever to receive!
I have a feeling that personalized cards are particularly susceptible to theft because it comes from Oberthur Technologies which is known to send those prepaid cards, Amex or other prepaid visa/master card personalized cards.
Sep 10, 2014, 11:12 pm
#8637
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL DM-1MM HH Diamond
Posts: 361
If you don't get your money back I'd think you might have good luck suing AMEX, just from the fact their controls are sorely lacking. What company in their right mind would ship multi thousand dollar GCs (1) that anyone can use without activation (2) without requiring signature delivery and (3) without providing timely tracking information.
In the end, I hope I get my money back, but I hate to see AMEX take this hit. Whoever had fun at Walmart, Shoe Carnival etc. I hope gets caught.
UPS is really the ones to blame for losing or delivering the package to the wrong address.
OTOH, I am not really excited for eyes on my accounts . . .
Sep 10, 2014, 11:16 pm
#8638
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL DM-1MM HH Diamond
Posts: 361
I had the same situation happen to me but I caught it on the spot. I have "UPS My Choice" along with an app on my phone that pops up with a delivery notification the minute the UPS truck delivers my items. Got the popup on my phone but no one showed up on my Door Camera (camera shoots emails). Called UPS, they called the driver and few hours later, the package is at my door.
During that process, I had cancelled all cards and requested a replacement which took forever to receive!
I have a feeling that personalized cards are particularly susceptible to theft because it comes from Oberthur Technologies which is known to send those prepaid cards, Amex or other prepaid visa/master card personalized cards.
During that process, I had cancelled all cards and requested a replacement which took forever to receive!
I have a feeling that personalized cards are particularly susceptible to theft because it comes from Oberthur Technologies which is known to send those prepaid cards, Amex or other prepaid visa/master card personalized cards.
I too have My Choice but have never had a problem. I am out of town and it wasn't until tonight that I asked the wife to verify the package had been delivered.
With the generic cards they always require a signature for $6k or more. Funny, they didn't require one for the $11k personalized.
Sep 10, 2014, 11:21 pm
#8639
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 138
Interesting. I normally order the generic cards, but decided to personalize them.
I too have My Choice but have never had a problem. I am out of town and it wasn't until tonight that I asked the wife to verify the package had been delivered.
With the generic cards they always require a signature for $6k or more. Funny, they didn't require one for the $11k personalized.
I too have My Choice but have never had a problem. I am out of town and it wasn't until tonight that I asked the wife to verify the package had been delivered.
With the generic cards they always require a signature for $6k or more. Funny, they didn't require one for the $11k personalized.