Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
#1276
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
Maybe its just me, but I don't get the concern about "circular" use with Chase. It's not like they administer BB, so they wouldn't know how your card gets funded. They don't know, though they can certainly guess, that all you're buying at OD are reloads. They only know that you spent $X amount at OD, and you're bill paying $X through a bill pay service. I don't see how this action alone would warrant a closer inspection of one's account.. it's what they'd expect from a normal cardholder, isn't it?
Now, say if you were paying off an AMEX card with BB, I could see where that circle could potentially cause some trouble, but not when you're going between two different banking entities.
Now, say if you were paying off an AMEX card with BB, I could see where that circle could potentially cause some trouble, but not when you're going between two different banking entities.
#1277
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,047
Why does everyone here assume OD pays Incomm face value for loads? Have we seen evidence of that?
Do people think OD pays Apple face value for iTunes cards?
Further, where does the assumption that OD gets the $3.95 come from?
Do people think OD pays Apple face value for iTunes cards?
Further, where does the assumption that OD gets the $3.95 come from?
#1278
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA LT PLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,564
Interesting point. But cash and itunes have different intrinsic values, no? I guess the question is, how does Vanilla make its money?
#1279
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 367
It's my understanding that all Money Pass ATMs are free (at least for the moment). In that case you don't need direct deposit.
#1282
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Bellevue, WA
Programs: All main US FF programs basic level
Posts: 109
This guy probably has more readers than any of the popular frequent flyer bloggers:
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/frequ...w-opportunity/
If this thing is shut down before I even get my Ink card (applied almost two weeks ago and still waiting), I might as well buy a bottle of Scotch as my first purchase on the new Ink card and celebrate hours of time wastage.
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/frequ...w-opportunity/
If this thing is shut down before I even get my Ink card (applied almost two weeks ago and still waiting), I might as well buy a bottle of Scotch as my first purchase on the new Ink card and celebrate hours of time wastage.
#1283
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
This guy probably has more readers than any of the popular frequent flyer bloggers:
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/frequ...w-opportunity/
If this thing is shut down before I even get my Ink card (applied almost two weeks ago and still waiting), I might as well buy a bottle of Scotch as my first purchase on the new Ink card and celebrate hours of time wastage.
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/frequ...w-opportunity/
If this thing is shut down before I even get my Ink card (applied almost two weeks ago and still waiting), I might as well buy a bottle of Scotch as my first purchase on the new Ink card and celebrate hours of time wastage.
mms is 11,198 in the us
tpg is 9,443 in the us
alexa rankings are like golf scores, lower are better
either way that's a lot of people reading about the deal
#1285
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Bellevue, WA
Programs: All main US FF programs basic level
Posts: 109
I wonder if Alexa can be off by a lot? Alexa, Compete, Google Webmaster Tools/Analytics and my own website host provider's AWStats all give totally different stats for my own site's popularity so I have never trusted any of them fully.
Another reason I doubt Alexa is because CG has 92k Twitter followers, versus less than 3k for MMS (and less than 2k for FM, the most valuable of them all). And CG posts links to his site/blog almost daily on his Twitter feed. The multiplier effect of 92k Tweeters has got to be tremendous.
Another reason I doubt Alexa is because CG has 92k Twitter followers, versus less than 3k for MMS (and less than 2k for FM, the most valuable of them all). And CG posts links to his site/blog almost daily on his Twitter feed. The multiplier effect of 92k Tweeters has got to be tremendous.
Last edited by zanzibar; Nov 1, 2012 at 3:52 pm
#1286
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Gold, SPG Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 354
At low levels, probably not. Approach the $50K max, I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing Chase asking for some more information about the ongoing revenues of your "business." Since many businesses run on a 60% overhead figure (including employee salaries, rent, utilities, equipment replacement costs, etc.), are you prepared to show that your business's annual gross income approaches at least $80K?
I'll add that I won't be doing this. I'd rather use what funds I can load to take over other bill payments like rent/mortgage/utilities/etc. If there were a more abundant supply of beans around here, then I'd probably wander further into this direction.
#1287
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Okinawa
Posts: 2,611
Seems to me that the 2 huge weaknesses here are Chase and OD.
The Chase "problem" is obvious. The 5x points at office supply stores is obviously a "come on" offer for their Ink card. It's a loss leader. They probably figure a "typical" small business would be spending 50 bucks/month at stores like OD. Now, suddenly, many folks are spending thousands of dollars every month at OD. There's no way Chase is making money on those transactions by paying out 5x points.
But there could be a similar problem with OD. Does anybody know what profit a merchant gets on gift cards? I assume there's money to be made or the stores wouldn't carry them. But if you pay for the cards by credit card (like Ink), the store has to pay a credit card fee. So I'm wondering if OD actually makes money on this booming business in Vanilla reload cards.
The Chase "problem" is obvious. The 5x points at office supply stores is obviously a "come on" offer for their Ink card. It's a loss leader. They probably figure a "typical" small business would be spending 50 bucks/month at stores like OD. Now, suddenly, many folks are spending thousands of dollars every month at OD. There's no way Chase is making money on those transactions by paying out 5x points.
But there could be a similar problem with OD. Does anybody know what profit a merchant gets on gift cards? I assume there's money to be made or the stores wouldn't carry them. But if you pay for the cards by credit card (like Ink), the store has to pay a credit card fee. So I'm wondering if OD actually makes money on this booming business in Vanilla reload cards.
#1288
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: As many as I can!
Posts: 344
After all, who else posts a "deal" in the morning only to have it dead by afternoon? [Insert maniacal evil laugh! ]
#1289
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,145
Sure, and that's completely valid. But that's also a completely different issue, is it not? If you were to put $50k of OD spending on the card, it wouldn't matter how you were paying off the card, you could get questioned by Chase. My point is a review by Chase or Amex or any card issuer wouldn't be tied to how those bills get paid, which goes back to my original point: why all the concern about paying cc bills using your BB balance?
I'll add that I won't be doing this. I'd rather use what funds I can load to take over other bill payments like rent/mortgage/utilities/etc. If there were a more abundant supply of beans around here, then I'd probably wander further into this direction.
I'll add that I won't be doing this. I'd rather use what funds I can load to take over other bill payments like rent/mortgage/utilities/etc. If there were a more abundant supply of beans around here, then I'd probably wander further into this direction.
I personally pull out my ink card when I usually use other one...simply to show i'm using it, and not just using it at OD. I think the doom and gloom is a little far fetched, but I do agree, depending on how much chase could be losing, that they limit it like Amex did. But i think getting shut down simply b/c you used the card exactly how they advertised is going to be limited to a very small percentage, and there will be other reasons involved, not just that you were spending money at OD.
#1290
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
Sure, and that's completely valid. But that's also a completely different issue, is it not? If you were to put $50k of OD spending on the card, it wouldn't matter how you were paying off the card, you could get questioned by Chase. My point is a review by Chase or Amex or any card issuer wouldn't be tied to how those bills get paid, which goes back to my original point: why all the concern about paying cc bills using your BB balance?
I'll add that I won't be doing this. I'd rather use what funds I can load to take over other bill payments like rent/mortgage/utilities/etc. If there were a more abundant supply of beans around here, then I'd probably wander further into this direction.
I'll add that I won't be doing this. I'd rather use what funds I can load to take over other bill payments like rent/mortgage/utilities/etc. If there were a more abundant supply of beans around here, then I'd probably wander further into this direction.
Because I'm sure that just like many of the other threads here, there are Chase reps that keep an eye on these threads just to see what the current tricks are so they can determine which ones they want to shut down--and which they don't mind.