Walgreens Balance Financial - New Method for MS?

well with it costing $2.95 to load $500 and $.95 for the BP in addition to what the GC fee cost ya unless Im getting a 5x on my GC purchase I just dont see how its a viable deal (guess time will tell if we can swipe 3 GCs @ $500 for 1 load of $1500, Id be very surprised if thats allowed, on top of which we have no idea if they will take GCs even with a PIN#)

seems there are easier ways to get VR-GCs for less with the same end yield

Do debit cards like that exist? Every time I think I've found one it's just a fine print fail and the card actually only awards miles for signature transactions, which is useless here.

I can confirm that the UFB Direct AA debit card does earn for both PIN-based and signature-based transactions. I read a while ago that the Suntrust Delta and the BoA Alaska Air both also earned for PIN-based but I have no experience with them.

Partial analysis. Please include FREE Balance Rewards points.

If you want use it like BB or MVD or AN or any other pseudo-debits, then fine. But, I won't play that way. What's the point playing that way?

Yes, I thought it didn't (UFB that is)...it just takes 2 months to show up on the AA.

If you save up 40K in balance rewards points, you can get a $50 purchase credit. So $0.00125 per BRP. Not much value, but a small added perk if you were going to go this route.

And, it's free if people play it right (as I said before, takes efforts...and I'm not talking about points from loading & using this card).

I thought this was all about a new way to to unload GCs or VRs. As of yet we have no idea if WG will allow those to be used to load their card. Some Wally workers do a war dance when they see a GC, most dont care or look. Ive had my share of those with hawk eyes and demanding that I give them my DC (GC) for a look over.

In the end all that matters is whats the final total cost to go from sq 1 to a free tkt. So it still may workout even with the extra fees that will have to be paid to WG. But unless I planned to use those miles in the near future, I wouldnt want to simply bank them with the way the programs keep upping the amount of miles needed for a tkt.

Then again Im in the process of booking a Jan Asia trip 21k for just under $1k. Yea its in Y but the planes are usually empty so anywhere from 1 empty next to me to having a whole row. Works for me over MSing for a Biz tkt and I overnight on the way there in LAX or SFO so its not that bad.

then with the likes of a Flex or Arrival CC every extra fee makes the yield that much less that it no longer is worth the time and effort at least to me

the $2.95 per transaction is a killer and you will only get 5x on giftcards paid with a Chase Ink card, and they only sell $200 giftcards, not $500.

7x $200gcs @ 6.95 per = 48.65
7x @ $2.95 = 20.65

you are paying an addition 20 bucks just to dump the giftcards

stick with the BB, my friends.


i am more intrigued in the new Serve than the Walgreens program

Not the only way to get 5x on GCs.


You can't stick with BB and get Serve.

How?.. For family member?

Most of us have exhausted all family member options with BB. Again, you can't have BB and Serve. Even if you did get Serve for a family member, the opportuniy cost is not being able to have BB for that family member.

Apologize, I meant it for the Ink card specifically as that is my current route. I do know about other 5x GCs. Just a habit lol

Yes, depending on what the Serve is like, I will decide if it's better to stick/close out BB.

Why? Serve has the monthly limit of $2500 (28 day or something like that...I don't use Serve any more so, I don't pay attention to it much; but here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21606509-post13.html) compared to $5k of the BB.

Because CVS is right downstairs with a Staples 2 blocks away, Whereas Walmart is a 30 minute roundtrip for me.

Are those really the updated limits? I couldn't find them before.