# Printable Amazon Gift Certificate - How long to verify payment?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printable-amazon-gift-certificate-how-long-to-verify-payment/645073>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 25, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printable-amazon-gift-certificate-how-long-to-verify-payment/645073 "2012-12-25T00:16:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printable-amazon-gift-certificate-how-long-to-verify-payment/645073/1 "2012-12-25T00:16:09Z")

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I ordered and paid for the damned thing an hour ago, and have yet to receive my email confirmation with the printable certificate info. Is this normal? Shouldn’t this happen within, like a minute?

Sure, it’s Christmas eve and busy and all, but I really need this before beddy-by time tonight.

How long should this take?

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**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printable-amazon-gift-certificate-how-long-to-verify-payment/645073/2 "2012-12-25T00:42:06Z")

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OK. Never mind. An hour and a half to get the email. Wow.

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**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printable-amazon-gift-certificate-how-long-to-verify-payment/645073/3 "2012-12-25T22:02:16Z")

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They could probably do it in a minute. But E-gift cards and other non-physical items like Xbox Live Memberships and Points, etc are probably the #1 thing bought with stolen credit cards. Since that lets the scammers go from stolen credit card-\> cash via then selling the codes/membership on Ebay, etc. Increasing the amount of time it takes to get electronic items can reduce fraud drastically, since you can then detect someone at the same IP using different cards, etc before you ever actually issue the items.

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printable-amazon-gift-certificate-how-long-to-verify-payment/645073/4 "2012-12-25T22:27:11Z")

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> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> OK. Never mind. An hour and a half to get the email. Wow.

It was held up at the Canadian/US border.
