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Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.

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.

Old Jul 24, 2014, 5:54 pm
  #7681  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 572
Originally Posted by jsmithj88
will signing up FIA should give me the option of the free 6month trial of shipping??
i do not currently have any amex CC's
FIA is now owned by Bank Of America
there's no 6 month trial... only 3 months
Zgirl is offline  
Old Jul 24, 2014, 6:48 pm
  #7682  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by Stoughton
No issues here

7/01/2014 American Express Gift Cards and Business Gift Card 0000011xxxxx $75,000.00 $2,250.00
7/21/2014 American Express Gift Cards and Business Gift Card 0000011xxxxx $75,000.00 $2,250.00
This.
ZzzzX is offline  
Old Jul 24, 2014, 9:00 pm
  #7683  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,253
Lol at the turn in this thread.
ricohitman is offline  
Old Jul 24, 2014, 10:11 pm
  #7684  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 632
Over/Under on the number of PM's Stoughton's going to get about his spending and how he unloads $75k of gift cards in 3 weeks? I think the line should be 7.
flyertalker9867674 is offline  
Old Jul 24, 2014, 10:16 pm
  #7685  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: PHL, maybe EWR
Programs: Plat IHG, Marriott Rewards Silver, CSP, Ink Bold, USDM, *Wood Gold, AA, Club Carl
Posts: 285
I'll take the Over for the max.^

Originally Posted by RamboAroundTheWorld
Over/Under on the number of PM's Stoughton's going to get about his spending and how he unloads $75k of gift cards in 3 weeks? I think the line should be 7.
vodkashine is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 9:12 am
  #7686  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 149
You could have put it at 20 and I'd still say over. I'll send my PM now!
workaccounttoday is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 9:23 am
  #7687  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 39
Originally Posted by RamboAroundTheWorld
Over/Under on the number of PM's Stoughton's going to get about his spending and how he unloads $75k of gift cards in 3 weeks? I think the line should be 7.
Who cares about Stoughton....look at hitman1420!
rockclimber is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 9:25 am
  #7688  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 506
Originally Posted by RamboAroundTheWorld
Over/Under on the number of PM's Stoughton's going to get about his spending and how he unloads $75k of gift cards in 3 weeks? I think the line should be 7.
well over 20 judging by the amount I got from the "unloading store GCs to BB" thread
canyoncar is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 9:29 am
  #7689  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by canyoncar
well over 20 judging by the amount I got from the "unloading store GCs to BB" thread
Oddly, only 1 (who also called me by a 1st name completely unrelated to my own ).

I guess everyone here already knows how to unload $150k in AGC's per month

Maybe I should have mentioned the 1 fee free code that still works
Stoughton is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 9:54 am
  #7690  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 226
AmEx reps sure do not have the same info. Had called before trying to sort out why none of my $2k biz orders went through, was told the minimum business order was $3k. Had a $3k order declined, called and was told the minimum biz order is $5k. I don't mind ordering more, I just want one of these orders to go through!
dboston1 is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 10:01 am
  #7691  
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by dboston1
AmEx reps sure do not have the same info. Had called before trying to sort out why none of my $2k biz orders went through, was told the minimum business order was $3k. Had a $3k order declined, called and was told the minimum biz order is $5k. I don't mind ordering more, I just want one of these orders to go through!
I've done $1k via Business though not since April
Stoughton is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 10:44 am
  #7692  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 144
amex bus gc

Originally Posted by Stoughton
I've done $1k via Business though not since April
I just had 1K business approved today.
ntjane66 is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 10:45 am
  #7693  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: OZ *G; HH Diamond;
Posts: 1,644
Originally Posted by Stoughton
Originally Posted by canyoncar
well over 20 judging by the amount I got from the "unloading store GCs to BB" thread
Oddly, only 1 (who also called me by a 1st name completely unrelated to my own ).

I guess everyone here already knows how to unload $150k in AGC's per month

Maybe I should have mentioned the 1 fee free code that still works
They were just calling you names. Hahaha.

Honestly, I thought you and hitman were just showing your e*****.
geclub1 is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 11:11 am
  #7694  
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by geclub1
They were just calling you names. Hahaha.

Honestly, I thought you and hitman were just showing your e*****.
I would never do anything as foolish as order $75k at once. There's no advantage to ordering that much at once and the chances of being stuck holding a large amount of AGC for longer than you want to float is far to great.
Stoughton is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2014, 12:40 pm
  #7695  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 920
Originally Posted by Stoughton
I would never do anything as foolish as order $75k at once. There's no advantage to ordering that much at once and the chances of being stuck holding a large amount of AGC for longer than you want to float is far to great.
One person's large order is another person's peanuts.
hitman1420 is offline  

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