the fear that this program will be shut down has been discussed since page 3 of this thread, which as i type this is at page 691. while many at flyertalk are used to the secret handshakes and code words for airline mistake fares, and the legend of pudding guy, the coin deal has lived on despite repeated public exposure for nearly two years. the mint has adjusted its policies at least three times to curtail our "abuse" of the direct shipping program, but each time they've left the door wide open. that's why i doubt that "blowing open" the open secret of adding additional cardholders will have much effect (and it's inherently self-limiting anyway, so it's not like a complete run around the $1000 limit).

frankly, if mrpickles* and the wsj article weren't enough to kill the program, then i doubt there's anything we, fatwallet, or slickdeals can do to kill it. in fact, there are only two real risks: how many coins you can get your bank or credit union to take, and whether your particular credit card will catch on and code mint purchases as "cash equivalent" that don't earn miles.

*mrpickles is the undisputed champion of this program, and anything he or she says or tweets is worthy of posting here.