Jan 3, 2015, 3:13 am
Last edit by: CWAL
Welcome to Manufactured Spending. If you are new here, please spend some time reading before posting. Most likely your questions have already been answered multiple times. Consider deals that you share. These threads are searchable by Google. A volatile deal may be worth holding close to the vest.
Hints
1) On FT, topics are heavily consolidated. Sometimes the title of the thread and first few posts may not properly reflect the broad range of discussion inside the thread. Be sure to visit any thread relating to the product or service you want to learn more about because you might be surprised by how in depth the discussion really is. High "View Count" and "Replies" are good indicators of active "master threads" on a specific topic.
2) Use Google to search FT. It works a lot better than the built-in search.
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. That being said, always be nice and courteous in the face of rejection. The biggest secret for success is to lay low so you can try again.
2) DO NOT spend more than you can afford. START WITH SMALL AMOUNTS TO TEST THE WATER! As an example.. don't start with a $5000 purchase of VGCs if you can't afford to float that much! Instead, buy one and try it, and scale up once you are comfortable with a new method. It's easy to lose track, or get robbed, when you are handling so much money. Getting a refund is NOT always possible.
3) DO NOT ask employees, cashiers, customer service representatives, etc... about how to MS, or about things you read on this forum. The information you read here are very specific, unknown, legal uses of products or services. Most employees, cashiers, and even managers do not know about them. At best you'll get bad information. At worst you'll create a lot of unnecessary misunderstanding.
4) It bears repeating that there are no guarantees. you could easily buy $10,000 in gift cards or some other instrument, only to discover that your method for liquidating them vanishes the very next day. MS is not "normal" financial activity ("normal" being defined by the banks), and thus is often perceived as "suspicious" even if it is legal.
5) never underestimate the risk of criminal activity. gift cards can easily be stolen, loaded onto a compromised account, loaded in a debit card skimmer, or even fraudulent (e.g., an already used card put back on the rack).
If you have a question that does not seem to fit anywhere, or you have not found an appropriate place for it, post it here.
- A helpful note from seat17D about some of the inherent risks of MS
Hints
1) On FT, topics are heavily consolidated. Sometimes the title of the thread and first few posts may not properly reflect the broad range of discussion inside the thread. Be sure to visit any thread relating to the product or service you want to learn more about because you might be surprised by how in depth the discussion really is. High "View Count" and "Replies" are good indicators of active "master threads" on a specific topic.
2) Use Google to search FT. It works a lot better than the built-in search.
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. That being said, always be nice and courteous in the face of rejection. The biggest secret for success is to lay low so you can try again.
2) DO NOT spend more than you can afford. START WITH SMALL AMOUNTS TO TEST THE WATER! As an example.. don't start with a $5000 purchase of VGCs if you can't afford to float that much! Instead, buy one and try it, and scale up once you are comfortable with a new method. It's easy to lose track, or get robbed, when you are handling so much money. Getting a refund is NOT always possible.
3) DO NOT ask employees, cashiers, customer service representatives, etc... about how to MS, or about things you read on this forum. The information you read here are very specific, unknown, legal uses of products or services. Most employees, cashiers, and even managers do not know about them. At best you'll get bad information. At worst you'll create a lot of unnecessary misunderstanding.
4) It bears repeating that there are no guarantees. you could easily buy $10,000 in gift cards or some other instrument, only to discover that your method for liquidating them vanishes the very next day. MS is not "normal" financial activity ("normal" being defined by the banks), and thus is often perceived as "suspicious" even if it is legal.
5) never underestimate the risk of criminal activity. gift cards can easily be stolen, loaded onto a compromised account, loaded in a debit card skimmer, or even fraudulent (e.g., an already used card put back on the rack).
If you have a question that does not seem to fit anywhere, or you have not found an appropriate place for it, post it here.
- A helpful note from seat17D about some of the inherent risks of MS
New to Manufactured Spending? Start Here (2015)
Nov 29, 2015, 9:56 am
#1336
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 2
Various examples I have seen online. Here's a sample calculation:
$200 VGC @ Staples for $206.95 purchased with Ink
5 * 206.95 = 1035 points
Cost per point = 6.95 / 1035 = $0.0067 or 0.67 cents per point
If we take a baseline value for a point as 1 cent we get:5 * 206.95 = 1035 points
Cost per point = 6.95 / 1035 = $0.0067 or 0.67 cents per point
1 cent of points = 0.67 cents of cost
Then we can scale up:1 cent of points * 10,000 = 0.67 cents of cost * 10,000
$100 of points = $67 of cost
$100 of points = $67 of cost
Nov 30, 2015, 6:55 am
#1337
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: ORF
Posts: 76
Well, damn...
Have been rolling along slowly (scaling up) and learning since September... was getting a pretty good grasp of MS.
Will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks - just found out I'll be getting open-heart surgery (triple bypass) for Christmas. That will mean little to no store runs. Time to learn about armchair MS.
Have been rolling along slowly (scaling up) and learning since September... was getting a pretty good grasp of MS.
Will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks - just found out I'll be getting open-heart surgery (triple bypass) for Christmas. That will mean little to no store runs. Time to learn about armchair MS.
Nov 30, 2015, 8:44 am
#1339
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: ORF
Posts: 76
Have had a single vessel blockage for 4.5 years, treated medically.
Felt like crap 11/13-15. Can check my own EKG - saw changes. Saw the doc on the 17th, went for a cath on the 19th - now have 3 blockages and a drastically reduced ejection fraction.
The lucky thing is that it wasn't an emergency bypass. I have the luxury (somewhat) of scheduling it. That means the Chase Southwest card I was just approved for will arrive and I can do my minimum spend before getting my wings clipped.
Felt like crap 11/13-15. Can check my own EKG - saw changes. Saw the doc on the 17th, went for a cath on the 19th - now have 3 blockages and a drastically reduced ejection fraction.
The lucky thing is that it wasn't an emergency bypass. I have the luxury (somewhat) of scheduling it. That means the Chase Southwest card I was just approved for will arrive and I can do my minimum spend before getting my wings clipped.
Nov 30, 2015, 1:07 pm
#1340
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: ORF
Posts: 76
$1000 no problem. Try to go above that... shut down - at least on Reloadits. Clerk doesn't know the timing... $1000/hour or $1000/day...??
Nov 30, 2015, 7:16 pm
#1342
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
If it's YMMV and your PO register will accept gebits, you win. Nothing to lose if you try
Dec 1, 2015, 6:23 am
#1343
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Connecticut/NY
Posts: 182
I read someone succeeded using OV(?) with the fees tucked in for just one swipe and it went through. Fees for USPSMO are higher but for many, it's their remaining lifeline so they grab it. Next thing people are asking if split tender is allowed to swipe 2 gebits but we'll see if anyone tries and report success.
If it's YMMV and your PO register will accept gebits, you win. Nothing to lose if you try
If it's YMMV and your PO register will accept gebits, you win. Nothing to lose if you try
PLEASE DISREGARD MY POST ABOVE SORRY!!!!
I thought I would give it one more shot. Just went back to my local PO where I bought a 500.00 MO. Cost was 1.25 but was quoted 1.70 for a 1,000.00 MO. Agent did not know if a double swipe would work. Good luck to all.
MODS....not sure if this should be moved to the "Where to buy money orders....
Last edited by fish3d; Dec 1, 2015 at 11:01 am Reason: New information
Dec 1, 2015, 8:59 am
#1344
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 156
For example, Staples via AA portal (2x) with InkPlus (5x)?
Or is AA portal like Chase: no bonus for GC?
Looking for that chink in the armor...
Dec 1, 2015, 3:53 pm
#1345
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 287
Various examples I have seen online. Here's a sample calculation:
$200 VGC @ Staples for $206.95 purchased with Ink
5 * 206.95 = 1035 points
Cost per point = 6.95 / 1035 = $0.0067 or 0.67 cents per point
If we take a baseline value for a point as 1 cent we get:5 * 206.95 = 1035 points
Cost per point = 6.95 / 1035 = $0.0067 or 0.67 cents per point
1 cent of points = 0.67 cents of cost
Then we can scale up:1 cent of points * 10,000 = 0.67 cents of cost * 10,000
$100 of points = $67 of cost
$100 of points = $67 of cost
Flights from A to B aren't practical with AA points, or Avios. They just don't show availability.
Should I use UR points earned at 5x with ink for 1.25% redemption, or TY points at 1.66 earned at mostly 1x? I can MS both at 1x without any expense, but it's nice to use UR for almost any type of travel.
I could also use AA if I booked 30k mile flights, but I think I make better use of points by using UR or TY.
Dec 4, 2015, 11:13 pm
#1347
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: ATL
Programs: DL, Marriott
Posts: 728
If I'm not mistaken, no pin GC means you can't load to Serve since it doesn't mimic a debit card (which needs a pin).
Dec 8, 2015, 7:03 am
#1348
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 71
I've been MSing for a year now, but only with the commonly known methods on this blog (VGCs to Serve/RB...Nationwide Buxx). I am now able to do larger amounts, but how can I maximize like the "pros" (or at a little bigger level)? My primary VGC source is Simon Mall...
Dec 8, 2015, 7:23 am
#1349
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
when you're planning to maximize, you should do extensive research to have several options on hand, not just one so that if that route gets blocked or is shut down, you can easily switch to others.
Dec 9, 2015, 11:46 pm
#1350
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 5
I just got my amex serve one vip in the mail today and activated it. I had bought a $25 visa gift crd from kroger a few days before to do a test run. I went to 2 local wal marts and 3 different registers and it got declined at every single one.
I'm not sure what I did wrong, I followed all of the steps on all of the FAQs but it said ATM/DEBIT declined at each register. Any idea where I went wrong or advice on how to MS?
This was the brand of gift card I purchased. http://imgur.com/pZy7aUb
Thanks in advance.
I'm not sure what I did wrong, I followed all of the steps on all of the FAQs but it said ATM/DEBIT declined at each register. Any idea where I went wrong or advice on how to MS?
This was the brand of gift card I purchased. http://imgur.com/pZy7aUb
Thanks in advance.