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Old Jul 19, 2013, 5:41 pm
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BB @ Costco = Amex Card

Ok I haven't seen this talked about on these forums before, so... Today, I went to Costco and decided to use my BB card to see how their system excepted it. I was pleasantly surprised that Costco system see's it as Amex card, after I swiped the BB, the cashier asked to see my Amex card. She looked at the numbers, handed it back to me. On the receipt is shows that a Amex card was used. Just as if I used my SPG card. No pin needed to be used at all. I guess you can use the BB like an Amex card as long as money is loaded....
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 6:00 pm
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Why!

Why would anyone do this? By using your BB card at Costco instead of your AMEX CC all you did was miss the opportunity to earn extra spending/points on your AMEX card...Using BB card didn't earn you anything..
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 6:41 pm
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Originally Posted by Delta2010
Why would anyone do this? By using your BB card at Costco instead of your AMEX CC all you did was miss the opportunity to earn extra spending/points on your AMEX card...Using BB card didn't earn you anything..

You could see a $500 TV that you want at Costco. You only have Visa's that offer points...so you buy a $500 VR and put it on BB so you get the points and are able to pay with Amex.

That's at least one reason...
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 6:50 pm
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If you have no AMEX card, there is an indirect way to use your Visa or Mastercard to buy stuff at the Costco brick and mortar location.
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 7:10 pm
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Originally Posted by Delta2010
Why would anyone do this? By using your BB card at Costco instead of your AMEX CC all you did was miss the opportunity to earn extra spending/points on your AMEX card...Using BB card didn't earn you anything..
Some people do not have a AMEX card, but do have chase cards, so now these people can load their BB's with the Variable Visa cards bought by their chase cards. Don't be so short sided, no everybody has a AMEX card.
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 7:35 pm
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*short sighted
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 10:44 pm
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BB @ Costco = Amex Card

What does BB stand for?
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 11:00 pm
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I do this sometimes too with BB, but I find it more worth it to buy $200 AMEX GCs at Office Supply stores for 5x points via Bold, then use those to shop at Costco.

Costco lets you split transactions with multiple cards, so I've unloaded many AMEX GCs that had like $1 or $2 on it left this way too.
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Old Jul 19, 2013, 11:33 pm
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Originally Posted by tom9984
I do this sometimes too with BB, but I find it more worth it to buy $200 AMEX GCs at Office Supply stores for 5x points via Bold, then use those to shop at Costco.
Is it really worth more?

$200 Amex GCs -> Costco vs $200 Visa/MC GCs-> BB -> Costco.

Seems like the difference is Amex GCs potentially save you gas to Walmart, but with the caveat that you also have to manage/keep on your self more cards. Is there some other monetary benefit that I'm overlooking? Thanks
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Old Jul 20, 2013, 12:15 am
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Originally Posted by jmdeng
Is it really worth more?

$200 Amex GCs -> Costco vs $200 Visa/MC GCs-> BB -> Costco.

Seems like the difference is Amex GCs potentially save you gas to Walmart, but with the caveat that you also have to manage/keep on your self more cards. Is there some other monetary benefit that I'm overlooking? Thanks
For me, I don't have an AMEX card, but I have most of Chase's cards.

Basically I'm getting 5x at Costco by getting AMEX GCs...this helps me concentrate all my points on Chase UR. I don't like splitting between programs, so I guess that's why I don't have a normal AMEX card.
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Old Jul 20, 2013, 12:23 am
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I used to do this when I didn't have an amex card. After I started BP my enter BB balance, I saw no reason to do this (this was practically the same as using my chase debit).

I've also used the amex for target card at costco.
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Old Jul 20, 2013, 12:25 am
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Originally Posted by tom9984
For me, I don't have an AMEX card, but I have most of Chase's cards.

Basically I'm getting 5x at Costco by getting AMEX GCs...this helps me concentrate all my points on Chase UR. I don't like splitting between programs, so I guess that's why I don't have a normal AMEX card.
Ah, ok. I thought you were comparing buying Amex GCs with Ink vs the BB route which I assumed would be buying Visa/MC GCs with Ink, then loading to BB to use at Costco.

Well, if we exclude the BB option, then yeah, I can see how your Amex GC method would be better than buying Costco Cash Cards online with the Ink card and only getting 1%.
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Old Jul 20, 2013, 1:56 am
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Originally Posted by jmw
If you have no AMEX card, there is an indirect way to use your Visa or Mastercard to buy stuff at the Costco brick and mortar location.
Originally Posted by FlightNurse
Some people do not have a AMEX card, but do have chase cards, so now these people can load their BB's with the Variable Visa cards bought by their chase cards. Don't be so short sided, no everybody has a AMEX card.
This thread was created in a sub-forum called 'Manufactured Spending' within the 'Credit, Debit and Prepaid Card Programs' forum, and, you believe there are a signficant number of people without an AMEX card (and/or not planning to get one)?

Then again, perhaps you've come up with the topic for the next article to be published on millionmilesecrets.
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Old Jul 20, 2013, 2:06 am
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Originally Posted by thehawk75
This thread was created in a sub-forum called 'Manufactured Spending' within the 'Credit, Debit and Prepaid Card Programs' forum, and, you believe there are a signficant number of people without an AMEX card (and/or not planning to get one)?

Then again, perhaps you've come up with the topic for the next article to be published on millionmilesecrets.
I didn't ask MMS about this, but did ask Gary over at View From a Wing about this and never got a response from him. And yes, there are people who do not have a AMEX card for one reason or another...
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Old Jul 20, 2013, 6:16 am
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Originally Posted by FlightNurse
Don't be so short sided, no everybody has a AMEX card.
"Short sided"? "No everybody" has a crystal ball into cryptic messages, is there a "hided" secret in this we are missing?
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