Hello @Creedy_TheCCGuy I heard that If I go on amazon, buy a gift card worth 5k, add that to my amazon pay balance, and then send the money back to my bank account, that will count towards the spend right?
Sorry to Break your eureka movement @shivam
The forks at amazon are smarter then su
But Why this trick won’t work (buying gift card → Amazon Pay → sending to bank):
I get the logic — buy a ₹5K Amazon gift card using your credit card, load it to Amazon Pay balance, then try to send it back via UPI to meet your card’s spend requirement (like for lounge access or milestone cashback). But unfortunately, this doesn’t work. Most banks (like ICICI, HDFC, Axis, etc.) don’t count gift card purchases or wallet loads as eligible spends. Even if it shows on your statement, they track the MCC (merchant code), and gift cards usually get excluded.
Also, Amazon Pay balance added via gift card is restricted. You can’t send it via UPI, can’t transfer it to your bank, and can’t even use it to buy another gift card. It’s only usable for Amazon shopping, bill payments, and some partner sites.
And here’s the kicker — Amazon UPI pulls money directly from your bank, not from your Amazon Pay balance. So you’re not even touching that loaded amount when sending money to friends.
TL;DR: Looks clever, but won’t help with rewards or lounge spends. Better to just make actual purchases or use your card on utility bills, groceries, or Amazon orders.