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Using Credit Card to Buy Money Order - Would This Work

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Using Credit Card to Buy Money Order - Would This Work

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Old Jun 26, 2010, 9:34 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by SkinsFan0521
Yeah, but what prepaid debit cards that you can buy with a credit card allow you to make purchases using a PIN?? I don't know if any, but if you find one, I'd be very interested to know!
I'm going to check my local chain drug store for something usable today - you can search yours as well. I will avoid posting specific details here about which card as I don't want my golden goose to be cooked too early.

I am less worried about the debit card and more concerned about the 'front card' - the points-earning card I'm using to fund the debit card - cutting me off because they decide the charges are suspicious or outside the terms of the agreement. That's one of the reasons I want to use a card with 'amplitude' - so I need to charge half as much to get the desired result (i.e. the Travelocity Amex).
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 11:13 am
  #17  
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On Marketplace Money today a woman called in to say she bought USPS money orders with her debit card, got 100,000 miles, and a visit from the postal inspector.

The visit aside, I don't see how this was possible. Does any debit card give miles (even 1 mile per several dollars) for the PIN based transactions that the USPS requires?
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 11:29 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by josephstern
On Marketplace Money today a woman called in to say she bought USPS money orders with her debit card, got 100,000 miles, and a visit from the postal inspector.

The visit aside, I don't see how this was possible. Does any debit card give miles (even 1 mile per several dollars) for the PIN based transactions that the USPS requires?
You're not using the mileage-earning debit card to buy the money orders. You're using your mileage-earning credit card (preferably something that pays better than 1pt/$) to fund a pre-paid debit card and then using that card to buy the money orders.

The postal inspector can visit me as often as he likes - I'm not doing anything illegal, nor are the people buying dollar coins. We might be stretching the purpose of these instruments, but there is nothing which violates the law and they can't stop me - only my credit card company can cut me off by blocking further purchases of prepaid debit cards.
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 11:48 am
  #19  
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
You're not using the mileage-earning debit card to buy the money orders. You're using your mileage-earning credit card (preferably something that pays better than 1pt/$) to fund a pre-paid debit card and then using that card to buy the money orders.

The postal inspector can visit me as often as he likes - I'm not doing anything illegal, nor are the people buying dollar coins. We might be stretching the purpose of these instruments, but there is nothing which violates the law and they can't stop me - only my credit card company can cut me off by blocking further purchases of prepaid debit cards.
OK - so where do you get the missing link - the prepaid debit card?
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 11:53 am
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paypal debit card
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 12:07 pm
  #21  
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Originally Posted by jammanxc
paypal debit card
You can buy that with a miles-earning credit card for no (significant) fee?
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 12:13 pm
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I don't think so. All I've ever read about it was that it can be funded by your Paypal balance and you can put a backup funding source, but that backup funding source can only be a bank account.

It may be possible that there is a way to set the backup funding source as a credit card, but I haven't found that anywhere. I don't have one, so I can't see all the options available in your account when you get one, so somebody who actually has one would have more insight.
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 12:26 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by dweick
And if anyone actually mentioned such a card here the result would be its quick demise by a horde of people abusing it. I'd strongly encourage people to NOT share such information, I've seen too many nice little deals that had been around for years get trampled out of existence within days of being mentioned here.
I could not agree more. Many warned what would happen if you posted banks and CU’s that allowed funding with a CC. Some would not heed the warning and we see what happened. Post a debit card that works and it is the “KISS OF DEATH”.
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 12:27 pm
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I just did a quick google search and it appears that the only credit card you can set as your backup funding source is the Paypal branded credit card (don't remember the exact name right now).

Again, somebody who already has the debit card would have to answer definitively, but from all that I've found, it's not possible.
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 12:33 pm
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paypal debit card, backup source funding is a CC when OVERDRAFT..... withdraw as much $$ as you want thru ATM
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 12:42 pm
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Originally Posted by jammanxc
paypal debit card, backup source funding is a CC when OVERDRAFT..... withdraw as much $$ as you want thru ATM
Ok, so then there is no real way to "fund" the debit card with your credit card then, right? If you can withdraw as much as you want from an ATM, but it comes from your bank account, it won't really help out in the situation that this thread is discussing... unless I'm misunderstanding you.
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 1:28 pm
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Originally Posted by josephstern
Does any debit card give miles (even 1 mile per several dollars) for the PIN based transactions that the USPS requires?
There are at least 3 of them. Continental - Key Bank. Alaska Air and US Air - BofA.
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 1:47 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by mileage junkie
There are at least 3 of them. Continental - Key Bank. Alaska Air and US Air - BofA.
However, Ts&Cs for both cards do say:

Quasi-cash transactions, which are transactions convertible to cash and include the purchase of money orders, travelers checks, foreign currency, cashier's checks, gaming chips, and other similar instruments and things of value
Bolding mine.

Last edited by abcx; Jun 26, 2010 at 5:36 pm
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 7:34 pm
  #29  
 
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Any card that lets you earn miles for debit purchases will give you miles for buying money orders. Despite what the card's T&C say...they have no way of knowing WHAT you're buying.
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Old Jun 26, 2010, 7:43 pm
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Wrong! They absolutely do have a way of knowing what your purchasing and getting more information every year. How do you think they make those fancy end of year pie chart purchase summaries. It used to be just SIC codes but know it is even getting more detailed.
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