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Whole Foods Gift Card Churning Opportunities

Whole Foods Gift Card Churning Opportunities

Old Feb 27, 2013, 9:51 pm
  #1  
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Whole Foods Gift Card Churning Opportunities

Whole Foods is currently offering a $10 bonus for gift card auto reloads of $100 from January 7, 2013 to March 31, 2013 for your first auto reload to a Whole Foods Gift Card for $100. More in here on their official site.

Whole Foods GC's sell for 91% on Cardpool and Plastic Jungle. Pair that with TopCashBack and you will end up making money. Takes some effort but can be a potential perpetual gift card churn. I analyzed two credit card payouts, bonus only works for AMEX cards.

American Express Gold Premier Card (50K bonus right now)

Total Payout without TCB = $130 * 91% = $118.30. Total cost = $120 118.30 = -$1.70 for 240 MR points.
Total Payout with TCB @ 2.5% = $130 *91% + ($118.30 * 2.5% = $2.95) = $121.25 = $1.25 profit and 240 MR points.
Total Payout with TCB @ 4% (limited to $1k) = $130 *91% + ($118.30 * 4% = $4.73) = $123.03= $4.73 profit and 240 MR points.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card ($250 Bonus)

Total Payout without TCB = $130 * 91% = $118.30. Total cost = $120 118.30 = -$1.70 + (6% * $120) = $5.50
Total Payout with TCB @ 2.5% = $130 *91% + ($118.30 * 2.5% = $2.95) = $121.25 = $1.25 + $7.20 = $8.45
Total Payout with TCB @ 4% (limited to $1k) = $130 *91% + ($118.30 * 4% = $4.73) = $123.03= $4.73 profit + $7.20 = $11.93.

Feel free to ask questions or post ideas. Other CC options include AMEX Hilton or AMEX SPG, but I feel the AMEX Gold and Blue Cash are the best options.
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Old Feb 27, 2013, 10:19 pm
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It is a nice method to meet some minimum spending requirement
Thanks for posting it
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 12:31 am
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I'm spending a lot of money at whole foods these days and I've never bought the gift cards on plastic jungle.. time to do this
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 1:08 am
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Awesome. Another churning op.
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 8:26 am
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Am I overlooking something?

Since the $10 is only paid once per AMEX, a "perpetual churn" seems harder to me than implied. You'd have to buy a new gift card and auto-reload three times to get the $5 bonus. You also must spend a little at Whole Foods between every reload. Then sell the card to yourself online. If you get 4% plus 2.5%, you end up buying points at a good rate. If you only get 2.5% plus 2.5%, it doesn't seem as good but the loss isn't bad to meet a threshold. I don't know MR very well and mostly based this on starpoints. Why is MR better?

Last edited by rrgg; Feb 28, 2013 at 8:33 am
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 8:40 am
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Originally Posted by rrgg
Am I overlooking something?

Since the $10 is only paid once per AMEX, a "perpetual churn" seems harder to me than implied. You'd have to buy a new gift card and auto-reload three times to get the $5 bonus. You also must spend a little at Whole Foods between every reload. Then sell the card to yourself online. If you get 4% plus 2.5%, you end up buying points at a good rate. If you only get 2.5% plus 2.5%, it doesn't seem as good but the loss isn't bad to meet a threshold. I don't know MR very well and mostly based this on starpoints. Why is MR better?
MR is better because 2X on grocery stores which I value at 3 cents. 1 SPG is valued at 2 cents. You might be able to make multiple accounts. I haven't tested it yet. Experiment away guys!
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 8:59 am
  #7  
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Has anyone verified that online purchases of these giftcards or the auto-reloads are coded as supermarket transactions?
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 9:08 am
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Originally Posted by romsdeals3
MR is better because 2X on grocery stores which I value at 3 cents. 1 SPG is valued at 2 cents. You might be able to make multiple accounts. I haven't tested it yet. Experiment away guys!
On my SPG card, the charges appear as Vesta with a category of "communications."

(I've actually been auto-reloading since around last fall to get the $5. The offer has been around, it's just that Whole Foods or AMEX is now promoting it.)
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 9:11 am
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Originally Posted by rrgg
On my SPG card, the charges appear as Vesta with a category of "communications."

(I've actually been auto-reloading since around last fall to get the $5. The offer has been around, it's just that Whole Foods or AMEX is now promoting it.)
opps reread and now my post does not make sence
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 11:37 am
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I don't think you need to buy a giftcard online at a discount. To me it sounds like you get the $10 off your first reload of $100 and once per AMEX card. I have three Amex cards and plan to buy three $5 gift cards at my local WFM. I'll then set up one Amex on each card to autoreload for $100. Thus when I deplete the $5 it will reload $100 and I'll either receive $110 on the card or only be charged $90 and get $100 on the card. No need to do TCB or plastic jungle etc to get the $10.
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 1:17 pm
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Originally Posted by terpfan101
I don't think you need to buy a giftcard online at a discount. To me it sounds like you get the $10 off your first reload of $100 and once per AMEX card. I have three Amex cards and plan to buy three $5 gift cards at my local WFM. I'll then set up one Amex on each card to autoreload for $100. Thus when I deplete the $5 it will reload $100 and I'll either receive $110 on the card or only be charged $90 and get $100 on the card. No need to do TCB or plastic jungle etc to get the $10.
Yes. That is all correct. I bought my gift card in store and latter reloaded it online. (Also your card doesn't have to hit $0 to get reloaded. You set the reload threshold.)

However what you described is a one-time thing. romsdeals3 is trying to continuously load cards and buying and reselling them in order to increase spending. By using TCB you can reduce the expense of doing so.

Last edited by rrgg; Feb 28, 2013 at 1:54 pm
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 1:40 pm
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Check T&Cs - one bonus per Amex card

From WF site:
Bonuses only apply to the first Whole Foods Market gift card set up for reload with each American Express Card, even if you reload multiple Whole Foods Market gift cards.
So, limited by a number of Amex accounts you have, though might also work for AUs
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 8:20 pm
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Originally Posted by neophyte
From WF site:


So, limited by a number of Amex accounts you have, though might also work for AUs
Bummer, ill prolly do it for my 6 amex cards between my wife and I. So are $5 whole foods gift cards purchasable in store?
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 8:27 pm
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Anyone else have issues setting up a reload account on Whole Foods website? I tried two of my Amex cards and both had authorizations hit my Amex but it gave me an error to check my card info.
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Old Feb 28, 2013, 8:34 pm
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That happened to me when they first switched to Vesta a few months ago. I was told to wait a week and then it worked. Also note that the reload happens the next day or overnight.
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