Getting spending up without the Mint
Jan 27, 2012, 10:47 am
#1456
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
BTW, very creative product placement folk, if you play Coke Rewards you can flip Coke into Land's End giftcards at a 10% discount. It is a deal involving trading Coke codes for giftcard discount codes. So what do we call this new game:
Coke Dealing?
Things Go Better with Coke?
or does someone have a better name?
Coke Dealing?
Things Go Better with Coke?
or does someone have a better name?
Jan 27, 2012, 12:21 pm
#1457
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 32
What's the point of all of this if you have to resell items for just a 5-10% profit? Do you go to 10% off sales and stock up on retail items to sell later, too? Why not just buy a bunch of merchandise wholesale and sell that on Ebay?
Jan 27, 2012, 12:35 pm
#1458
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: UA, DL, AA, Sutherlands Lumber
Posts: 7,356
Just had an ACL done. Used a Amex BigCrumbs GC to top off a Delta Biz 45K promo. Got $45 too.
I did query whether I could have paid for the whole operation and get reimursed by the insurance company. A little too complex and maybe risky for me. But maybe a good tack.
I did query whether I could have paid for the whole operation and get reimursed by the insurance company. A little too complex and maybe risky for me. But maybe a good tack.
Jan 27, 2012, 6:52 pm
#1460
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Programs: Hilton Gold, SPG & IHG Plat, & every airline program that I can join
Posts: 2,279
I wanted to share my last round with the Amex Gift cards.
I buy everything in my life at Amazon so I am slanted that way, over 150 orders last year, of course with Prime free shipping.
Bought $5K in cards with the free shipping promo trial
with the BOA Virgin Card 1.5 mi @$ $7.90 in fees = 7500 Mi
Via MyPoints Portal 1 point @$ = to 2400 UA Miles = 2400 Mi
Used cards on Plastic Jungle to buy $5260 in Best Buy
Gift Cards at via MyPoints 5% discount 1 pt @$
equal to 2500 UA Miles free shipping = 2500 Mi
Go to Best Buy and purchase the Kindle Gift cards
that are good on Amazon purchases
Use via Hawaiian Airlines portal for Amazon 1 mile @$ = 5260 Mi
_________
17660 Mi for $7.90
2235 Mi @$
To me a win, win even without the Bigcrumbs $
Big crumbs would be 15260 Miles for $72.10 profit
Cheers!
JudyJFLA
I buy everything in my life at Amazon so I am slanted that way, over 150 orders last year, of course with Prime free shipping.
Bought $5K in cards with the free shipping promo trial
with the BOA Virgin Card 1.5 mi @$ $7.90 in fees = 7500 Mi
Via MyPoints Portal 1 point @$ = to 2400 UA Miles = 2400 Mi
Used cards on Plastic Jungle to buy $5260 in Best Buy
Gift Cards at via MyPoints 5% discount 1 pt @$
equal to 2500 UA Miles free shipping = 2500 Mi
Go to Best Buy and purchase the Kindle Gift cards
that are good on Amazon purchases
Use via Hawaiian Airlines portal for Amazon 1 mile @$ = 5260 Mi
_________
17660 Mi for $7.90
2235 Mi @$
To me a win, win even without the Bigcrumbs $
Big crumbs would be 15260 Miles for $72.10 profit
Cheers!
JudyJFLA
Last edited by JudyJFLA; Jan 27, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Jan 27, 2012, 9:26 pm
#1461
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 308
Went to office max last night and used my amex bus card to buy some visa gift cards (thanks for the heads up, frequent miler). As i was checking out, i thought i'd throw a litmus test at them and asked if I could ever use an office max gift card to buy another gift card on their rack. the guy at the counter said no, most companies are not allowing that to happen anymore, b/c of some kind of scam going on. 
I had to chuckle a little under my breath.
I had to chuckle a little under my breath.
Jan 27, 2012, 9:32 pm
#1462
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 308
I don't think the out of pocket will be that low, even with the steps outlined in Frequentmiler's excellent blog post. Sears and Kohl's are the only two retailers right now where this hack will work, and the "hack" itself is quite convoluted because it involves buying high-value physical Land's Ends GCs and waiting for them to show up in the mail and then going through Cartera's crappy AA mall to complete the purchase. After the items arrive you have to sell them on eBay and absorb eBay fees, PayPal fees, and shipping fees.
I followed Frequentmiler's advice when Sears was 10x at UR mall and made a nice bundle of UR points, but I also ended up with some stuff from Sears I wish I hadn't bought, and sold a couple of laptops and cameras on eBay at a bigger loss than I was hoping/planning for. Now, with having to wait for the Lands Ends GCs in the mail and using Cartera's shopping mall, I'll pass. Plus I don't believe anyone has confirmed that buying Land's Ends GCs from UR mall through staples.com nets the full 10x. When I bought an iTunes gift card last month through staples.com using the Ink Bold it was classified as Music, not Office Supplies. I'm waiting to see if the 5x office supply bonus hits, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't. Buying a Lands End GC at a Staples B&M will likely count, but you lose the 5x UR mall bonus that way, further diluting the value of this route.
I followed Frequentmiler's advice when Sears was 10x at UR mall and made a nice bundle of UR points, but I also ended up with some stuff from Sears I wish I hadn't bought, and sold a couple of laptops and cameras on eBay at a bigger loss than I was hoping/planning for. Now, with having to wait for the Lands Ends GCs in the mail and using Cartera's shopping mall, I'll pass. Plus I don't believe anyone has confirmed that buying Land's Ends GCs from UR mall through staples.com nets the full 10x. When I bought an iTunes gift card last month through staples.com using the Ink Bold it was classified as Music, not Office Supplies. I'm waiting to see if the 5x office supply bonus hits, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't. Buying a Lands End GC at a Staples B&M will likely count, but you lose the 5x UR mall bonus that way, further diluting the value of this route.
Jan 27, 2012, 11:32 pm
#1463
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,860
Amen.
devulations at IHG
an 8 or even 12 hour trip with a long connection turns out to be 28 hours or you can spend 70k (in CO's scenario) or 50k (in AA's scenario) to get your self some place. Generally finding that points will not get me there unless I am ready to empty the points piggy bank.
I keep saying to myself I need to strategically plan and book what I have been planning for so long. Like NYE 2013 I have been on the sidelines about a Chicago NYC.....maybe not for long.
Jan 28, 2012, 6:46 am
#1465
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 774
Wez .. my wife and I have over a million points as well ... just me by myself is 1/2 as much :P
Jan 28, 2012, 8:47 am
#1466
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 36
I placed an order for a batch of gift cards from various stores, including Itunes, from Staples and received both the mall and Ink bonus points without a problem.
Jan 28, 2012, 10:21 am
#1467
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
The royal wez, of course. My operation is structured like a business, with subsidiaries, partnerships and associates. Since I lend miles back and forth on occasion, some miles are held in reciprocal accounts awaiting my eventual use, if ever. That works well since some of my associates have immediate needs (say to catch a cruise ship in port x on date y, while I just work miles into various trips that take countries off the todo list on the fly whenever the average cost is under $250 per country. Would hardly make the game interesting if money was no object to tag countries.
Kinda in the spirit of around the world in 80 days where time was the limiter. Never really got into time as a limiter for RTW trips. My personal best is no contender - took 15 days as I walked, cruised, flew, rode, swam and drove. If you really want to be a contender in the fastest RTW game, my best advice is to avoid riding camels for any segments -ugh!
Kinda in the spirit of around the world in 80 days where time was the limiter. Never really got into time as a limiter for RTW trips. My personal best is no contender - took 15 days as I walked, cruised, flew, rode, swam and drove. If you really want to be a contender in the fastest RTW game, my best advice is to avoid riding camels for any segments -ugh!
Jan 28, 2012, 10:42 am
#1468
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Current - best days were 70K (metal recycling), 250K (signon stripmining), 60K (debit card farming), 250K (ping ponging). Have to check for weeks and months. Year was 2,000K as that is about all I might consume annually as I'm a wingman, not a 1st class guy. Ya gotta ride on Osterizer Airlines to really appreciate being a wingman! Goal for the year is 1,000K in one week using another technique, but I may just do it in one day to assure Biggles and Fang don't party at my expense.
Unfortunately, the miles just aren't proving all that useful as I'm trying to reach those countries not on most people's todo lists (Paraguay, for example). But I did this week manage to uncover a Skymiles 80K run with a hidden country that is quite difficult and expensive to tag. I get to zip through it on the way to a much better place. Yippee!
Unfortunately, the miles just aren't proving all that useful as I'm trying to reach those countries not on most people's todo lists (Paraguay, for example). But I did this week manage to uncover a Skymiles 80K run with a hidden country that is quite difficult and expensive to tag. I get to zip through it on the way to a much better place. Yippee!
Jan 28, 2012, 1:54 pm
#1469
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Programs: Hilton Gold, SPG & IHG Plat, & every airline program that I can join
Posts: 2,279
Current - best days were 70K (metal recycling), 250K (signon stripmining), 60K (debit card farming), 250K (ping ponging). Have to check for weeks and months. Year was 2,000K as that is about all I might consume annually as I'm a wingman, not a 1st class guy. Ya gotta ride on Osterizer Airlines to really appreciate being a wingman! Goal for the year is 1,000K in one week using another technique, but I may just do it in one day to assure Biggles and Fang don't party at my expense.
Unfortunately, the miles just aren't proving all that useful as I'm trying to reach those countries not on most people's todo lists (Paraguay, for example). But I did this week manage to uncover a Skymiles 80K run with a hidden country that is quite difficult and expensive to tag. I get to zip through it on the way to a much better place. Yippee!
Unfortunately, the miles just aren't proving all that useful as I'm trying to reach those countries not on most people's todo lists (Paraguay, for example). But I did this week manage to uncover a Skymiles 80K run with a hidden country that is quite difficult and expensive to tag. I get to zip through it on the way to a much better place. Yippee!
It would work on my bucket list of Easter Island and the Falklands (I have to see those 3 foot penguins before I die).... Care to share?Cheers!
JudyJFLA
Jan 28, 2012, 2:56 pm
#1470
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 879