Jan 25, 2015, 12:48 am
Last edit by: XP1
Please read the wiki before posting a question.
UPDATE: 08/21/2015
Lucky Rewards: 1% Personal;2% Business
TopCashBack: 1.5% Personal; 2.25% business (11/10 only)
BeFrugal: 2.25% personal & business
Simply Best Coupons: 1.5% personal & business
Ebates: 1%
USAA 1% Personal; 2% Business
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 or free shipping codes if you want portal cashback / miles. CB/Miles will post and then be clawed back.
As of 1/29 most portals have added new terms that denominations over $2000 are not eligible for cashback.
As of 8/21/15 many portals have added new terms that denominations over $200 are not eligible for cashback. As smart as we all are we have no idea if this will be enforced on PERSONALIZED (Keyword: Personalized) orders. It has been CONFIRMED that they will NOT pay out on non-personalized orders.
FAQ
Will it post as a cash advance (CA)?
Citi AA Visa/Amex posted as purchase (7/2015)
Citi Dividend Amex posted as purchase (01/09/2016)
Citi Double Cash posted as purchase (7/8/2015, 8/11/2015)
Citi Exec posted as purchase
Citi HHonors posted as purchase (2/17/15, 5/4/15)
Citi Prestige posted as purchase (5/20/15)
Citi Thank You Premier posted as purchase (7/2015)
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 (buy Visa/MC GCs, 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 http://www.ups.com/mychoice/ 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.
Do I have to sign for the package?
Rule of thumb, YMMV:
- Non-personalized orders $4k or less will just be left at your door.
- Non-personalized orders $5k or greater must be signed for in person. These cannot be routed to a UPS store or customer center for pickup. UPS will attempt a delivery 3 consecutive business days. If you are not available to sign for the package, it will be returned to Amex.
- Personalized orders of any amount will just be left at your door. These orders can be routed to a UPS store or customer center for pickup.
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 June 2015)
Regular
100K personal every 14 days (Portals still state 10K personal every 14 days, however confirmations by FT'ers suggest this is not enforced).
100K business every 14 days
Personalized/Custom
5K personal per order
75K business per order
Portal Limits
Most CB portals state that they only payout out on cards worth $2,000 or less. In other words, if you buy a $3,000 card you will not get cash back from the portals (per their terms). You may buy multiple $2,000 cards in a single order and be fine. Several people have reported success buying up to $2999 per card, but YMMV.
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. (This limit may no longer apply as of April 2015)
- 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.
- You don't have enough longevity ordering AMEX gift cards. Some have noticed a much higher decline rate the first year (2013) even with all information correct, compared to two years later, 2015, if ordering regularly (several orders monthly). (added 7/5/15)
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.
Can I load Serve/RB/BB with an AGC?
No. AGCs process as credit. They do not function like a VGC w/debit.
Why am I getting 1.5% instead of 2.25%?
Be sure you're clicking through and buying the business version. The consumer one pays 1.5%.
This thread is a continuation of http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...s-etc-648.html
UPDATE: 08/21/2015
Lucky Rewards: 1% Personal;
TopCashBack: 1.5% Personal; 2.25% business (11/10 only)
BeFrugal: 2.25% personal & business
Simply Best Coupons: 1.5% personal & business
Ebates: 1%
USAA 1% Personal; 2% Business
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 or free shipping codes if you want portal cashback / miles. CB/Miles will post and then be clawed back.
As of 1/29 most portals have added new terms that denominations over $2000 are not eligible for cashback.
As of 8/21/15 many portals have added new terms that denominations over $200 are not eligible for cashback. As smart as we all are we have no idea if this will be enforced on PERSONALIZED (Keyword: Personalized) orders. It has been CONFIRMED that they will NOT pay out on non-personalized orders.
FAQ
Will it post as a cash advance (CA)?
Citi AA Visa/Amex posted as purchase (7/2015)
Citi Dividend Amex posted as purchase (01/09/2016)
Citi Double Cash posted as purchase (7/8/2015, 8/11/2015)
Citi Exec posted as purchase
Citi HHonors posted as purchase (2/17/15, 5/4/15)
Citi Prestige posted as purchase (5/20/15)
Citi Thank You Premier posted as purchase (7/2015)
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 (buy Visa/MC GCs, 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 http://www.ups.com/mychoice/ 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.
Do I have to sign for the package?
Rule of thumb, YMMV:
- Non-personalized orders $4k or less will just be left at your door.
- Non-personalized orders $5k or greater must be signed for in person. These cannot be routed to a UPS store or customer center for pickup. UPS will attempt a delivery 3 consecutive business days. If you are not available to sign for the package, it will be returned to Amex.
- Personalized orders of any amount will just be left at your door. These orders can be routed to a UPS store or customer center for pickup.
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 June 2015)
Regular
100K personal every 14 days (Portals still state 10K personal every 14 days, however confirmations by FT'ers suggest this is not enforced).
100K business every 14 days
Personalized/Custom
5K personal per order
75K business per order
Portal Limits
Most CB portals state that they only payout out on cards worth $2,000 or less. In other words, if you buy a $3,000 card you will not get cash back from the portals (per their terms). You may buy multiple $2,000 cards in a single order and be fine. Several people have reported success buying up to $2999 per card, but YMMV.
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. (This limit may no longer apply as of April 2015)
- 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.
- You don't have enough longevity ordering AMEX gift cards. Some have noticed a much higher decline rate the first year (2013) even with all information correct, compared to two years later, 2015, if ordering regularly (several orders monthly). (added 7/5/15)
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.
Can I load Serve/RB/BB with an AGC?
No. AGCs process as credit. They do not function like a VGC w/debit.
Why am I getting 1.5% instead of 2.25%?
Be sure you're clicking through and buying the business version. The consumer one pays 1.5%.
This thread is a continuation of http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...s-etc-648.html
Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc. (2015)
Jan 14, 2015, 10:36 am
#106
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 503
I miss the days when most posts on this thread were about better cb offers from competing portals. Now it looks like price fixing and it seems like no one is competitive anymore, so I've been ignoring portals for all my shopping. Been shopping at my local Target lately.
Jan 14, 2015, 1:45 pm
#107
Join Date: May 2014
Location: ATL
Programs: DL
Posts: 21
You can also check your Amex acct. There is a UPS tracking number in there. However sometimes it doesn't update until after you have received your package but it's worth checking if you are concern. Of course once you get My Choice working that will work wonders for you. Notifications when the item ships, expected delivery date/time, and when it's delivered.
I used to be able to electronically sign for the package via the UPS My Choice site or pick it up at the local UPS customer service center (not a UPS store). Now I'm limited to having to be home for the delivery, shipping it to a neighbor's house or returning to the sender.
I called UPS and they recommended I contact the shipper (AMEX) to have the shipment changed, they're unable to do anything on their end. I don't predict much success with calling AMEX however...
EDIT: Called AMEX GC-India branch and got nowhere with the CSR which I was predicting. Does anyone have a number for someone at AMEX that has access to their UPS account?? I'm considering having the GCs returned to the sender because of no other options to get them.
Last edited by rudora; Jan 14, 2015 at 1:57 pm
Jan 14, 2015, 2:06 pm
#108
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 503
Has anyone had an issue where AMEX changed the way the package is shipped and requires a signature by you for delivery (where you can't e-sign via My Choice)?
I used to be able to electronically sign for the package via the UPS My Choice site or pick it up at the local UPS customer service center (not a UPS store). Now I'm limited to having to be home for the delivery, shipping it to a neighbor's house or returning to the sender.
I called UPS and they recommended I contact the shipper (AMEX) to have the shipment changed, they're unable to do anything on their end. I don't predict much success with calling AMEX however...
EDIT: Called AMEX GC-India branch and got nowhere with the CSR which I was predicting. Does anyone have a number for someone at AMEX that has access to their UPS account?? I'm considering having the GCs returned to the sender because of no other options to get them.
I used to be able to electronically sign for the package via the UPS My Choice site or pick it up at the local UPS customer service center (not a UPS store). Now I'm limited to having to be home for the delivery, shipping it to a neighbor's house or returning to the sender.
I called UPS and they recommended I contact the shipper (AMEX) to have the shipment changed, they're unable to do anything on their end. I don't predict much success with calling AMEX however...
EDIT: Called AMEX GC-India branch and got nowhere with the CSR which I was predicting. Does anyone have a number for someone at AMEX that has access to their UPS account?? I'm considering having the GCs returned to the sender because of no other options to get them.
You could also get a mailbox at the UPS Store and just get stuff shipped there.
Jan 14, 2015, 4:01 pm
#109
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 138
It's true, but you have to be careful. Some UPS Stores charge a holding / pickup fee. I was floored when they tried to charge me $5 per package to pick-up 4 packages. They waived it that one time "as a courtesy", and I've never used the option since.
Jan 14, 2015, 4:17 pm
#110
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 503
True, I have heard of stores doing this. What I do personally is get the packages shipped to my parents house if I don't know for sure that I'll be home to receive it. My mother is home every weekday morning unless she is out of town. If you have a trustworthy elderly neighbor you could ask them if they would mind if you get them shipped there.
Jan 14, 2015, 6:27 pm
#111
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 252
Jan 14, 2015, 8:45 pm
#112
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: BOS .. but soon SFO
Programs: UA PLAT, TK GLD, Hilton Diamond, IC PLAT, SPG GLD, Marriott GLD
Posts: 1,528
I have been on instant approval for about 60 days now.
and it doesn't follow any guidelines mentioned in the wiki
and I am very happy about it !
and it doesn't follow any guidelines mentioned in the wiki
and I am very happy about it !
Jan 14, 2015, 9:30 pm
#113
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX, SNA
Posts: 359
I've been using the order date, not the approval date. I don't think I've had an issue.
Jan 14, 2015, 11:50 pm
#114
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 503
It's annoying because previously I could place an order on Wednesay at midnight (technically early Thursday morning) and expect to have the package in hand by Friday morning. It seems I now have to have the order placed by the same time Tuesday and hope it gets approved in time to be there by Friday. Before I could count on a 2 day BP processed on Monday morning to have CL freed up on my card of choice in time to place my Wednesday order. Now I can't do that and need to alternate cards each week. Not a big deal but if you're trying to max your MS on a certain card you no longer can.
I don't know what changes they've made over there over the Christmas break but I'm not a fan.
Jan 15, 2015, 12:42 pm
#115
Join Date: May 2014
Location: ATL
Programs: DL
Posts: 21
I placed another order and I'll see how they get delivered. It's been a long time since they required a signature for me, typically they get left at the door without any signature at all.
It's too bad the AMEX GC phone support people can't do anything. You would think with all the money they're saving with the reduced cashback terms they would be able to afford better help.
Jan 15, 2015, 2:46 pm
#116
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 503
I paid for the premium MyChoice program and that didn't do anything for me and the GCs are on their way back to AMEX now since I couldn't get them delivered.
I placed another order and I'll see how they get delivered. It's been a long time since they required a signature for me, typically they get left at the door without any signature at all.
It's too bad the AMEX GC phone support people can't do anything. You would think with all the money they're saving with the reduced cashback terms they would be able to afford better help.
I placed another order and I'll see how they get delivered. It's been a long time since they required a signature for me, typically they get left at the door without any signature at all.
It's too bad the AMEX GC phone support people can't do anything. You would think with all the money they're saving with the reduced cashback terms they would be able to afford better help.
Can you get them delivered to your office? Occasionally I've had them delivered to my office and just go pick them up from the shipping dept. when I get notified they've been delivered.
Jan 15, 2015, 5:20 pm
#117
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 253
I found a small packaging company near me that also has some mailboxes for rent. Its great, because it is a physical address as well, and I just add my box number after it as suite, floor, building... Also, they have the power to sign for me. Works great for Paypal too, since they dont like PO Boxes and UPS Stores. Plus its cheap.
Jan 15, 2015, 6:46 pm
#118
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Raiegh, NC
Posts: 300
Cashback on Amex GC through TopCashBack, BigCrumbs, etc.
Couldn't you use the same address format for the ups store - put the box number as a suite or apartment? How would Paypal know it was a UPS store?
Thinking of doing this for my TD card. I'm moving to a non-TD state.
Thinking of doing this for my TD card. I'm moving to a non-TD state.
Jan 15, 2015, 8:26 pm
#119
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 71
The wiki says that Citi cards post as a CA. But, is this true of all Citi cards? I noticed in the Serve thread that only Citi Visa cards count as CA. For Serve, Citi MC count it as purchases. I was wondering if that is the case with Amex GC purchases. Specifically, does the Citi Double Cash MC count this as a purchase?
Jan 16, 2015, 6:31 am
#120
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: SEA
Posts: 94
The wiki says that Citi cards post as a CA. But, is this true of all Citi cards? I noticed in the Serve thread that only Citi Visa cards count as CA. For Serve, Citi MC count it as purchases. I was wondering if that is the case with Amex GC purchases. Specifically, does the Citi Double Cash MC count this as a purchase?
I don't have the Double Cash MC, but I am interested in eventually getting one to use for Amex GC.