Jan 2, 2017, 7:37 pm
Last edit by: Marathon Man
NEW TO MS: Do some serious reading for a month of all the posts and wiki to get an understanding of MS before asking common questions.
Note: the 2016 version of this thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1737819-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2016-a-39.html#post27694986, the 2015 version of the thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1642283-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2015-a.html
Welcome to Manufactured Spending. Marathon Man did not write this message, but he has edited it and anyone can. 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.
3) A glossary wiki for MS located in the thread Glossary, Manufactured Spending Forum
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. Some might argue that MS is like card counting in a casino. It is not illegal but casinos don’t like it. Orhers have said it’s like having a fake ID in college to use just to get into bars where all the fun is. Just because it worked here yesterday doesn’t mean it will get you in today. MS is like being a wood worker constantly using a table saw. Always watch what you are doing—always! Or you will lose something. 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).
6) MSing can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from smallish amounts to meet minimum spend requirements to get a credit card signup bonus, to accumulating huge numbers of points for travel/cashback/etc. Remember too that you will often have expenses such as purchase fees, liquidation fees, and gas.
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 MSers can also read all these threads:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending-719/
Note: the 2016 version of this thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1737819-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2016-a-39.html#post27694986, the 2015 version of the thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1642283-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2015-a.html
Welcome to Manufactured Spending. Marathon Man did not write this message, but he has edited it and anyone can. 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.
3) A glossary wiki for MS located in the thread Glossary, Manufactured Spending Forum
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. Some might argue that MS is like card counting in a casino. It is not illegal but casinos don’t like it. Orhers have said it’s like having a fake ID in college to use just to get into bars where all the fun is. Just because it worked here yesterday doesn’t mean it will get you in today. MS is like being a wood worker constantly using a table saw. Always watch what you are doing—always! Or you will lose something. 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).
6) MSing can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from smallish amounts to meet minimum spend requirements to get a credit card signup bonus, to accumulating huge numbers of points for travel/cashback/etc. Remember too that you will often have expenses such as purchase fees, liquidation fees, and gas.
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 MSers can also read all these threads:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending-719/
New to Manufactured Spending? Start here(2017-2018)
Jun 25, 2017, 3:42 pm
#226
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 92
Are you sure it isn't two payments per service provider per quarter for estimated taxes? There are several IRS-approved providers, plus Plastiq. You can also buy prepaid debit cards and use them with the providers. They may have a limit of one card per payment online, but there have been reports of successfully using multiple cards when calling in. You will have to do your own math to figure if any of this makes sense compared to other MS avenues.
Jul 12, 2017, 7:24 pm
#227
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 1
Okay, first post. So, I've spent several nights this week reading about various stooze\arbitrage\MS strategies, which led me to this MS forum. I've spent a decent bit of time reading posts and threads in this forum to try to get a handle on the basics, basically the strategies that people are using and the ways that those strategies provide rewards (cash, cash-back, points, etc.). Obviously, I do have questions and I haven't really been able to fill in the blanks by just reading, so I decided to take a chance and post to see if I might be able to learn a bit more.
Based on everything that I've read here, the typical MS steps are pretty straightforward in design.
Typical MS steps:
1. Use rewards/cash back credit card to purchaseVISA/MC gift card.
2. Take VISA/MC gift card to WM/PO/grocery store to buy MO to liquidate funds from VISA/MC gift card.
3. Deposit MO into bank account.
The above are the typical steps. Below are what I seem to view as the 3 common ways to make money with MS, though I guess there are other ways (piggybacking sales, coupons, rewards, etc being another way).
Typical ways to make money via above MS method:
1. Allows you to hit sign-up bonus for credit card(cash-back, points, miles, etc.)
2. Allows you to make money through rewards categories (ie 6% off at grocery stores with certain cards up to a set limit, 5% off at office supply stores on certain cards, 3% back at gas stations with certain cards, 2% back on pretty much any purchase with certain cards, etc). If done with high enough amounts/volume, I imagine some money could be made even after taking into account the usual fees for purchasing VISA gift card and thefees for the MOs.
3. Performing above “typical” MS steps with card that has very long 0% introductory APR (12 months to 18+ months) and, after depositing MO into bank account, transfer it into an interest-bearing financial instrument (you pick, there are various options). This allows you to get a zero interest loan from the card company for 12 to 18 months that you then invest. Of course, at the very end of the introductory APR period (when interest is about to kick in), you either have to pay off the remaining balance or transfer the balance to another new card that has low balance transfer fees (or hopefully no balance transfer fees) and a long introductory 0% APR. This allows you to extend the “loan” for an even longer time, depending on how long you can play the balance transfer game before having to pay off the balance.
Just as a newbie, I would think focusing on strategy #3 would be the way to go, as it allows you to naturally make money from strategies #1 and #2 along on the way. Plus, it is basically guaranteed money as long as you keep track of your cards and when the 0% APR expires.
However, from reading the forums, it sounds like there are people here that are doing very high volume (like 10k to 30k per month) and itdoesn’t sound like their strategy is #3 but moreso strategy #2 (while also naturally making money from strategy #1 along the way), as it sounds like they end up paying their balance when it is due (I could be wrong there). I think strategy#2 would be a way to make a little money but I think the volume would have to be incredibly high to make real money doing it, unless I am missing something(and, as a newbie, I imagine that I am).
For example, just doing the math on strategy #2: let’s say I go to a store and purchase a $400.00 VGC using my C1t1 DC card, which pays 2% cashback. The fee on the card will probably be like $5.95, so I would be paying $495.00 for the $400.00 VGC and I would be getting $8.00 cash back from C1iti for the transaction. I would then take the VGC to Walmart and need to buy a MO to liquidate it and the money order would cost 70 cents (I believe). So, I paid $6.65 total in fees to buy and liquidate the $400.00 card and made $8.00 in cashback from my C1t1 card. That is a net profit of $1.35, which is about what I would have paid in gas. Now, obviously if it is a new card there would be potential signup bonuses that I could meet for certain levels of spending and the MS strategy would allow me to easily attain that bonus. So, I would get a profit from it when I quality for the sign-up bonus, though the initial signup bonus is just a one-time reward. Still, I know that I am missing something, as I know people are buying and liquidating 5 figures worth of VGC every monthjust for a 2% cashback or a signup bonus.
So, is there is someone who is willing to fill me in without roasting me for being a newbie on how the high-volume guys are benefiting from liquidating 10k+ in VGCs each month? Sorry for the long-winded post but I’ve read quite a few posts and threads on this forum and I haven’t been able to fill in the blanks just yet on the benefits/rewards strategies that some posters are using just from reading, so I thought I would post and hope I could get a little explanation. I will admit that I am fascinated by the concept and love the idea of making some extra cash through various financial instruments.
Based on everything that I've read here, the typical MS steps are pretty straightforward in design.
Typical MS steps:
1. Use rewards/cash back credit card to purchaseVISA/MC gift card.
2. Take VISA/MC gift card to WM/PO/grocery store to buy MO to liquidate funds from VISA/MC gift card.
3. Deposit MO into bank account.
The above are the typical steps. Below are what I seem to view as the 3 common ways to make money with MS, though I guess there are other ways (piggybacking sales, coupons, rewards, etc being another way).
Typical ways to make money via above MS method:
1. Allows you to hit sign-up bonus for credit card(cash-back, points, miles, etc.)
2. Allows you to make money through rewards categories (ie 6% off at grocery stores with certain cards up to a set limit, 5% off at office supply stores on certain cards, 3% back at gas stations with certain cards, 2% back on pretty much any purchase with certain cards, etc). If done with high enough amounts/volume, I imagine some money could be made even after taking into account the usual fees for purchasing VISA gift card and thefees for the MOs.
3. Performing above “typical” MS steps with card that has very long 0% introductory APR (12 months to 18+ months) and, after depositing MO into bank account, transfer it into an interest-bearing financial instrument (you pick, there are various options). This allows you to get a zero interest loan from the card company for 12 to 18 months that you then invest. Of course, at the very end of the introductory APR period (when interest is about to kick in), you either have to pay off the remaining balance or transfer the balance to another new card that has low balance transfer fees (or hopefully no balance transfer fees) and a long introductory 0% APR. This allows you to extend the “loan” for an even longer time, depending on how long you can play the balance transfer game before having to pay off the balance.
Just as a newbie, I would think focusing on strategy #3 would be the way to go, as it allows you to naturally make money from strategies #1 and #2 along on the way. Plus, it is basically guaranteed money as long as you keep track of your cards and when the 0% APR expires.
However, from reading the forums, it sounds like there are people here that are doing very high volume (like 10k to 30k per month) and itdoesn’t sound like their strategy is #3 but moreso strategy #2 (while also naturally making money from strategy #1 along the way), as it sounds like they end up paying their balance when it is due (I could be wrong there). I think strategy#2 would be a way to make a little money but I think the volume would have to be incredibly high to make real money doing it, unless I am missing something(and, as a newbie, I imagine that I am).
For example, just doing the math on strategy #2: let’s say I go to a store and purchase a $400.00 VGC using my C1t1 DC card, which pays 2% cashback. The fee on the card will probably be like $5.95, so I would be paying $495.00 for the $400.00 VGC and I would be getting $8.00 cash back from C1iti for the transaction. I would then take the VGC to Walmart and need to buy a MO to liquidate it and the money order would cost 70 cents (I believe). So, I paid $6.65 total in fees to buy and liquidate the $400.00 card and made $8.00 in cashback from my C1t1 card. That is a net profit of $1.35, which is about what I would have paid in gas. Now, obviously if it is a new card there would be potential signup bonuses that I could meet for certain levels of spending and the MS strategy would allow me to easily attain that bonus. So, I would get a profit from it when I quality for the sign-up bonus, though the initial signup bonus is just a one-time reward. Still, I know that I am missing something, as I know people are buying and liquidating 5 figures worth of VGC every monthjust for a 2% cashback or a signup bonus.
So, is there is someone who is willing to fill me in without roasting me for being a newbie on how the high-volume guys are benefiting from liquidating 10k+ in VGCs each month? Sorry for the long-winded post but I’ve read quite a few posts and threads on this forum and I haven’t been able to fill in the blanks just yet on the benefits/rewards strategies that some posters are using just from reading, so I thought I would post and hope I could get a little explanation. I will admit that I am fascinated by the concept and love the idea of making some extra cash through various financial instruments.
Last edited by braves1980; Jul 12, 2017 at 7:31 pm
Jul 12, 2017, 8:07 pm
#228
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,837
Okay, first post. So, I've spent several nights this week reading about various stooze\arbitrage\MS strategies, which led me to this MS forum. I've spent a decent bit of time reading posts and threads in this forum to try to get a handle on the basics, basically the strategies that people are using and the ways that those strategies provide rewards (cash, cash-back, points, etc.). Obviously, I do have questions and I haven't really been able to fill in the blanks by just reading, so I decided to take a chance and post to see if I might be able to learn a bit more.
Based on everything that I've read here, the typical MS steps are pretty straightforward in design.
Typical MS steps:
1. Use rewards/cash back credit card to purchaseVISA/MC gift card.
2. Take VISA/MC gift card to WM/PO/grocery store to buy MO to liquidate funds from VISA/MC gift card.
3. Deposit MO into bank account.
The above are the typical steps. Below are what I seem to view as the 3 common ways to make money with MS, though I guess there are other ways (piggybacking sales, coupons, rewards, etc being another way).
Typical ways to make money via above MS method:
1. Allows you to hit sign-up bonus for credit card(cash-back, points, miles, etc.)
2. Allows you to make money through rewards categories (ie 6% off at grocery stores with certain cards up to a set limit, 5% off at office supply stores on certain cards, 3% back at gas stations with certain cards, 2% back on pretty much any purchase with certain cards, etc). If done with high enough amounts/volume, I imagine some money could be made even after taking into account the usual fees for purchasing VISA gift card and thefees for the MOs.
3. Performing above “typical” MS steps with card that has very long 0% introductory APR (12 months to 18+ months) and, after depositing MO into bank account, transfer it into an interest-bearing financial instrument (you pick, there are various options). This allows you to get a zero interest loan from the card company for 12 to 18 months that you then invest. Of course, at the very end of the introductory APR period (when interest is about to kick in), you either have to pay off the remaining balance or transfer the balance to another new card that has low balance transfer fees (or hopefully no balance transfer fees) and a long introductory 0% APR. This allows you to extend the “loan” for an even longer time, depending on how long you can play the balance transfer game before having to pay off the balance.
Just as a newbie, I would think focusing on strategy #3 would be the way to go, as it allows you to naturally make money from strategies #1 and #2 along on the way. Plus, it is basically guaranteed money as long as you keep track of your cards and when the 0% APR expires.
However, from reading the forums, it sounds like there are people here that are doing very high volume (like 10k to 30k per month) and itdoesn’t sound like their strategy is #3 but moreso strategy #2 (while also naturally making money from strategy #1 along the way), as it sounds like they end up paying their balance when it is due (I could be wrong there). I think strategy#2 would be a way to make a little money but I think the volume would have to be incredibly high to make real money doing it, unless I am missing something(and, as a newbie, I imagine that I am).
For example, just doing the math on strategy #2: let’s say I go to a store and purchase a $400.00 VGC using my C1t1 DC card, which pays 2% cashback. The fee on the card will probably be like $5.95, so I would be paying $495.00 for the $400.00 VGC and I would be getting $8.00 cash back from C1iti for the transaction. I would then take the VGC to Walmart and need to buy a MO to liquidate it and the money order would cost 70 cents (I believe). So, I paid $6.65 total in fees to buy and liquidate the $400.00 card and made $8.00 in cashback from my C1t1 card. That is a net profit of $1.35, which is about what I would have paid in gas. Now, obviously if it is a new card there would be potential signup bonuses that I could meet for certain levels of spending and the MS strategy would allow me to easily attain that bonus. So, I would get a profit from it when I quality for the sign-up bonus, though the initial signup bonus is just a one-time reward. Still, I know that I am missing something, as I know people are buying and liquidating 5 figures worth of VGC every monthjust for a 2% cashback or a signup bonus.
So, is there is someone who is willing to fill me in without roasting me for being a newbie on how the high-volume guys are benefiting from liquidating 10k+ in VGCs each month? Sorry for the long-winded post but I’ve read quite a few posts and threads on this forum and I haven’t been able to fill in the blanks just yet on the benefits/rewards strategies that some posters are using just from reading, so I thought I would post and hope I could get a little explanation. I will admit that I am fascinated by the concept and love the idea of making some extra cash through various financial instruments.
Based on everything that I've read here, the typical MS steps are pretty straightforward in design.
Typical MS steps:
1. Use rewards/cash back credit card to purchaseVISA/MC gift card.
2. Take VISA/MC gift card to WM/PO/grocery store to buy MO to liquidate funds from VISA/MC gift card.
3. Deposit MO into bank account.
The above are the typical steps. Below are what I seem to view as the 3 common ways to make money with MS, though I guess there are other ways (piggybacking sales, coupons, rewards, etc being another way).
Typical ways to make money via above MS method:
1. Allows you to hit sign-up bonus for credit card(cash-back, points, miles, etc.)
2. Allows you to make money through rewards categories (ie 6% off at grocery stores with certain cards up to a set limit, 5% off at office supply stores on certain cards, 3% back at gas stations with certain cards, 2% back on pretty much any purchase with certain cards, etc). If done with high enough amounts/volume, I imagine some money could be made even after taking into account the usual fees for purchasing VISA gift card and thefees for the MOs.
3. Performing above “typical” MS steps with card that has very long 0% introductory APR (12 months to 18+ months) and, after depositing MO into bank account, transfer it into an interest-bearing financial instrument (you pick, there are various options). This allows you to get a zero interest loan from the card company for 12 to 18 months that you then invest. Of course, at the very end of the introductory APR period (when interest is about to kick in), you either have to pay off the remaining balance or transfer the balance to another new card that has low balance transfer fees (or hopefully no balance transfer fees) and a long introductory 0% APR. This allows you to extend the “loan” for an even longer time, depending on how long you can play the balance transfer game before having to pay off the balance.
Just as a newbie, I would think focusing on strategy #3 would be the way to go, as it allows you to naturally make money from strategies #1 and #2 along on the way. Plus, it is basically guaranteed money as long as you keep track of your cards and when the 0% APR expires.
However, from reading the forums, it sounds like there are people here that are doing very high volume (like 10k to 30k per month) and itdoesn’t sound like their strategy is #3 but moreso strategy #2 (while also naturally making money from strategy #1 along the way), as it sounds like they end up paying their balance when it is due (I could be wrong there). I think strategy#2 would be a way to make a little money but I think the volume would have to be incredibly high to make real money doing it, unless I am missing something(and, as a newbie, I imagine that I am).
For example, just doing the math on strategy #2: let’s say I go to a store and purchase a $400.00 VGC using my C1t1 DC card, which pays 2% cashback. The fee on the card will probably be like $5.95, so I would be paying $495.00 for the $400.00 VGC and I would be getting $8.00 cash back from C1iti for the transaction. I would then take the VGC to Walmart and need to buy a MO to liquidate it and the money order would cost 70 cents (I believe). So, I paid $6.65 total in fees to buy and liquidate the $400.00 card and made $8.00 in cashback from my C1t1 card. That is a net profit of $1.35, which is about what I would have paid in gas. Now, obviously if it is a new card there would be potential signup bonuses that I could meet for certain levels of spending and the MS strategy would allow me to easily attain that bonus. So, I would get a profit from it when I quality for the sign-up bonus, though the initial signup bonus is just a one-time reward. Still, I know that I am missing something, as I know people are buying and liquidating 5 figures worth of VGC every monthjust for a 2% cashback or a signup bonus.
So, is there is someone who is willing to fill me in without roasting me for being a newbie on how the high-volume guys are benefiting from liquidating 10k+ in VGCs each month? Sorry for the long-winded post but I’ve read quite a few posts and threads on this forum and I haven’t been able to fill in the blanks just yet on the benefits/rewards strategies that some posters are using just from reading, so I thought I would post and hope I could get a little explanation. I will admit that I am fascinated by the concept and love the idea of making some extra cash through various financial instruments.
If you want cash back, you'll need to find the 5% cards that are left.
Jul 13, 2017, 3:57 pm
#229
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: TX
Posts: 30
In the end - I think a fair number/(most?) are about the sign up bonuses.
The big whales are a tiny tiny percentage, less than 100 of them out there I'd say.
Jul 14, 2017, 7:39 am
#230
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453
There are many people who sign up for 7-8 cards over a year where each card has 3000-5000 of minimum spend in 3 months. While most might be able to do that once a year for one card say for a big bill or something like that. Its difficult to spend 20k-40k when many people might only make 50k in salary.
In the end - I think a fair number/(most?) are about the sign up bonuses.
The big whales are a tiny tiny percentage, less than 100 of them out there I'd say.
In the end - I think a fair number/(most?) are about the sign up bonuses.
The big whales are a tiny tiny percentage, less than 100 of them out there I'd say.
Jul 15, 2017, 11:12 am
#231
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 3
^ So much. I was never very greedy either, just looking for ways to pay my big bills like mortgage and such.
I check back here once a month or so hoping there is a new MS technique, but it seems like buying a MC/VISA Debit > MO > Bank is the only one left, and that is kind of a pain in the a**.
I check back here once a month or so hoping there is a new MS technique, but it seems like buying a MC/VISA Debit > MO > Bank is the only one left, and that is kind of a pain in the a**.
Jul 15, 2017, 6:40 pm
#232
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 615
There are many people who sign up for 7-8 cards over a year where each card has 3000-5000 of minimum spend in 3 months. While most might be able to do that once a year for one card say for a big bill or something like that. Its difficult to spend 20k-40k when many people might only make 50k in salary.
In the end - I think a fair number/(most?) are about the sign up bonuses.
The big whales are a tiny tiny percentage, less than 100 of them out there I'd say.
In the end - I think a fair number/(most?) are about the sign up bonuses.
The big whales are a tiny tiny percentage, less than 100 of them out there I'd say.
For the whales out there, are you talking about 100k per month in MS?
Lastly, for those doing it for miles/points, what is the most often used currency to MS for? UR? MR? SPG? Of those, what are the cards of preference for the MSers?
Jul 18, 2017, 6:20 am
#233
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453
^ So much. I was never very greedy either, just looking for ways to pay my big bills like mortgage and such.
I check back here once a month or so hoping there is a new MS technique, but it seems like buying a MC/VISA Debit > MO > Bank is the only one left, and that is kind of a pain in the a**.
I check back here once a month or so hoping there is a new MS technique, but it seems like buying a MC/VISA Debit > MO > Bank is the only one left, and that is kind of a pain in the a**.
Jul 18, 2017, 6:25 am
#234
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453
Interesting but after spending 7 months on this board and on /r/churning, it's not terribly surprising - min spend requirement seems to be the common theme for MS.
For the whales out there, are you talking about 100k per month in MS?
Lastly, for those doing it for miles/points, what is the most often used currency to MS for? UR? MR? SPG? Of those, what are the cards of preference for the MSers?
For the whales out there, are you talking about 100k per month in MS?
Lastly, for those doing it for miles/points, what is the most often used currency to MS for? UR? MR? SPG? Of those, what are the cards of preference for the MSers?
Jul 18, 2017, 9:05 am
#235
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 284
Just keep in mind that Chase 5/24 doesn't just look at what Chase cards you have gotten in the past 24 months. They look at ALL cards (aside from biz cards). So the fact that you haven't gotten a Chase card in 24 months doesn't mean you are clear of 5/24 if you have gotten other personal cards in the meantime.
Jul 21, 2017, 7:25 am
#236
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 25
MOs for Bills
New here....A little off topic from the normal $500+ GC to purchase MOs at USPS or WM but......Is it worth while to purchase say a $500 and also use it to purchase money orders for bills/companies that charge a fee for each transaction? That way I can earn CC points for paying these bills. I would be hit initially with the activation fee but then it would only cost the MO fee for each transaction until the card no longer has funds? Am I understanding this correctly? Is it worth it?
Jul 21, 2017, 1:44 pm
#237
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
New here....A little off topic from the normal $500+ GC to purchase MOs at USPS or WM but......Is it worth while to purchase say a $500 and also use it to purchase money orders for bills/companies that charge a fee for each transaction? That way I can earn CC points for paying these bills. I would be hit initially with the activation fee but then it would only cost the MO fee for each transaction until the card no longer has funds? Am I understanding this correctly? Is it worth it?
If you go to MO route, most MSers deposit them to banks, usually open new accounts for your MS activities so that if they get shutdown, it won't affect your regular financial transactions. From your bank acct, you can push payment to your CC or other bills you have to pay.
I suggest you read this new to mfr spending forum including past two years for more info and details how MS is done.
To summarize, you buy VGCs with your CC to earn cashback/points/miles or meet minimum spend. You turn these VGCs to MOs and/or load them to prepaid cards that has billpay service to pay your bills. OR, you can also call your payees and ask them if they'll take your VGC as payment over the phone. VGCs you buy from the store/drugstores are NON RELOADABLE, once you spend the initial load in it, you can't add more funds to it.
as to your question "is it worth it?", you're the one who determines this based on time and effort you put into it.
Jul 22, 2017, 10:05 pm
#238
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453
Just keep in mind that Chase 5/24 doesn't just look at what Chase cards you have gotten in the past 24 months. They look at ALL cards (aside from biz cards). So the fact that you haven't gotten a Chase card in 24 months doesn't mean you are clear of 5/24 if you have gotten other personal cards in the meantime.
Jul 23, 2017, 3:03 pm
#239
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 25
What happened to BlueBird? Is it not a good option for MS anymore? Is it an issue of not being able to MS thousands of dollars a month? Would I still be able to use the service to pay my rent in an effort to reach MSR?
Jul 23, 2017, 9:03 pm
#240
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453
Amex shuts you down because of the TOS, I had 7 BB cards, and tried multi combo's on loading and spending and all of them got shut down. One card I just loaded with VGC, and used the BB cards for normal spend (like my debit card) and that still got shut down, AMEX wont even told to you when they close you done.. In the old days it was a very easy way of doing 35K/m