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 Sep 30, 2014, 8:01 am
  #8761  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 747
Originally Posted by azcoyote
My email from TCB indicates "24 Hours (EST) before anyone else." (bolding mine).

I understand that they are promoting September 30th only, but it also seems to imply the others may be close behind.
Thanks for the heads up, think I'll go ahead and wait for tomorrow, as I'm sure the other portals will start swinging big with TCB a day in the lead.
nrdk is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 8:05 am
  #8762  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 38
1.5%? Not doing it since the ways to liquidate them seems less each day. Would consider if it is 3% or above. At least I can buy Staples gift card with a minimal loss.
jonstudio is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 8:05 am
  #8763  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 94
My email said 24 hrs before anyone else. It isn't just for 24 hrs. Wiki is wrong!
patrickfungusa is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 8:16 am
  #8764  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: AA - EP, Marriott - PP
Posts: 227
Originally Posted by patrickfungusa
My email said 24 hrs before anyone else. It isn't just for 24 hrs. Wiki is wrong!
Wiki isn't wrong, I didn't get any email but right on the front page of TCB it says "Expiration: TODAY ONLY!"
robbierob03 is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 9:07 am
  #8765  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 94
Originally Posted by robbierob03
Wiki isn't wrong, I didn't get any email but right on the front page of TCB it says "Expiration: TODAY ONLY!"
I don't think I am blind but I don't see what you saw.
patrickfungusa is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 9:11 am
  #8766  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by jedinkel
Do these gift cards have PINs on them to allow us to liquidate them via money order or moneygram/bill pay?
Here we go again. "No."
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 9:13 am
  #8767  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by nrdk
Thanks for the heads up, think I'll go ahead and wait for tomorrow, as I'm sure the other portals will start swinging big with TCB a day in the lead.
Its a gamble. Q4 starts 10/1. I'll do a small order. I think bigger numbers and other portals will open up.
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 9:15 am
  #8768  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by newbynewbynew
1-1 on personal
0-5 on biz

Looks like normal haha
^
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 9:19 am
  #8769  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 109
I placed an order last night...awesome.
rooney is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 9:27 am
  #8770  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by jonstudio
1.5%? Not doing it since the ways to liquidate them seems less each day. Would consider if it is 3% or above. At least I can buy Staples gift card with a minimal loss.
1.5% = free points/miles.
Stoughton is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 9:31 am
  #8771  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 747
Originally Posted by Stoughton
1.5% = free points/miles.
True, however if other portals return tomorrow, which seems to be the case, I would expect a higher payout to beat TCB.

Figure a day loss isn't so bad and the 'risk' of TCB not offering CB tomorrow seems minimal compared to the reasonably assumed 2% that will probably be offered tomorrow (an additional $25/$5k over TCB's current rate).
nrdk is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 10:00 am
  #8772  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: OZ *G; HH Diamond;
Posts: 1,644
Originally Posted by jedinkel
Do these gift cards have PINs on them to allow us to liquidate them via money order or moneygram/bill pay?
No.
geclub1 is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 10:37 am
  #8773  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 572
Wow. This is great news!
Zgirl is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 10:39 am
  #8774  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Midwest U.S.A
Programs: Too many to list. Since the early 90's.
Posts: 1,407
1.5% = iYawn. Glad some are happy. Liquidation time makes this not worth it to me. Will wait.
Churnman is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 10:41 am
  #8775  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
Just woke up. Yawning my way over to TCB and pulling out my 2+% CCs that were gathering dust in the drawer.
HikerT 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.