Ends today

Excellent points at Kroger with Ink
 

ok...debated on if I should post this or not. It's nothing secret but some may not have thought of it.
Many people hit office supply stores hard for the 5x on $200gc at Office supply with Ink. They pay approx $6 per $200 card. Did you know you could get the same points for cost at Kroger? Now it will up your MS amounts a bit but if you have good liquidation methods its not a big deal.

Now I don't think this is ymmv...but it may be...so test it small first. Ink offers 2x at gas stations. The Kroger gas is considered a 2x station. If you purchase a 500 or 506 Kroger gift card at the fuel station and get the 2x points. Then you can go into Kroger itself and purchase the variable 500 VGC with the GC (no fuel points though).

Office supply: $200 at 5x for 6 is 1000points for fee of 6
Kroger Fuel and VGC: $500 at 2x for 6 is 1000points for fee of 6

Only difference is liquidating 500 instead of 200. Points and fees are the same.

Now where this really excels is the fact that the annual limit is 50k on EACH the 2x and the 5x. So really you can max out both for the same cost to points.

Plus - some people struggle with dealing with office supply stores and most people at Kroger are pretty nice...and you can load any card you get from Kroger at BB/RB/MO/etc all day long.

Finally...if Kroger is running their 4x promo on fuel and you wanna get a good jump on points you could purchase 212 Kroger gift card at the fuel station and get the extra 424 ink points when purchasing 2x100 VGC for 800 fuel points.

To me knowledge it's one of the better cost/reward ways of earning "bulk" UR after Office supply. Is there any other chase card that could earn 1000 UR points for $6 or less outside of using ink at office supply?

Finally, this makes it stupid easy to make out the freedom category bonus for this quarter. $1500 in Kroger GC bought at the fuel station and you are done...then use the GC to grab 3x500 variables at Kroger itself. Total cost for the 4500 points - $18 bucks. Heck - that's even better than the office supply which would cost about $30 for the same points.

Disclaimer: I've only tried this on a 100vgc and have not tried the variables yet...so it's partial theory...But...I did see that a FW post about "third party gift cards with store gift cards" stating that any GC including variables can be purchased at Kroger with their own card. So I believe it "should" work fine.

Thoughts?

Interesting. Thanks for posting. I may try this with my freedom card @ a king soopers. They key is being able to liquidate Kroger GCs for VGC. KS registers asks to validate name on card used when buying VGCs, most clerks seem to enforce this, so this may be where the YMMV comes into play since Kroger GCs don't have a name on them.

Yeah - I moved from a state to where there were very few Krogers to a place where I am less than a block from one. I quickly realized the value of a good Kroger (their sales, the fuel rewards, their money center, etc) so I have tried very hard to build good relationships with the employees there. I am in there almost daily after work picking up groceries (we buy as fresh as possible to avoid anything not being used or going bad) so they usually recognize me as a regular. Only recently did I have my first push back as I was using an non personalized AGC for a VGC...they let me do it anyways but still were a bit hesitant.
I think you may have some good luck simply because if it's a Kroger gift card they may think it's safer as it is their own brand? Idk - depends on the person checking and how nicely you can word your request to use it lol

A purchase of a $500VGC with a Kroger GC will require override by the "cashier-prime" (as I call it. The person with the red vest on -- need not be manager). This may not have anything to do with it being a VGC but simply a threshold for any purchase via a Kroger GC by how it was described to me. Regardless, you will draw attention to yourself at 500.

Not sure where the threshold is. $100x2 won't kick it.

My Kroger has a sign that says $2k limit on variable GC at the cashier, more needs to be taken to the Customer Service counter to purchase. That said, almost any time I try for even a single $500 card, many cashiers freak out and send me to CS. But there are still a few that ring up $2k without blinking.

My only complaint are really the ones in the middle - the ones that will ring up $1-2k in GCs at the register, but go on and on about how "I wish someone would buy me that much in GCs" or something similar. Talking real loud about it to the baggers, or the customers in line behind me. Not only do I feel that's super unprofessional (I don't think they'd make social comments if I was buy feminine hygiene products, condoms, or something a bit more personal) but sometimes I feel it's like,

"Attention shoppers, this guy is walking out to the parking lot with $2000 in gift cards. Yep, it's 10pm, dark outside, he only looks like he weighs 140lbs, and will now be walking across the parking lot with 4 items, each worth $500. Gosh, I sure hope he makes it there OK.."

I couldn't agree more. There are certain WM cashiers in my area that I have to specifically avoid now because they ALWAYS do this. So annoying... And inevitably there are like 3 or 4 people behind me in line when it happens.

This is definitely YMMV. I tried to buy a $20 variable VGC at Fry's with a Fry's GC and the POS didn't allow it (the message was "not authorized").

Even if someone does rob you of your giftcards in parking lot, all it would take is one phone call to get your money back. It's not the same as carrying cash.

Thankfully this has never happened to me, but I would like to know what steps you would do to get your money back? If someone takes the cards, you won't have the numbers to report. Would the store you bought them from be able to find the card numbers? Or is the last 4 enough for the bank to figure it out?

So I was able to test out my post earlier about using Ink effectively at Kroger. I tried the variable ones but just on the low end. I needed to make a purchase at target so I grabbed a $150 Kroger store GC with my Ink at their fuel station (to confirm 2x points) and then used that to get a variable GC from inside the store. Went through regular checkout line (not self checkout) and had no issues at all. It does say gift card was used to pay on the receipt but you have to look for it and since they can't really visually see you swipe the card (machine blocked by register stuff) it should be fine as long as they don't go crazy inspecting your cards in detail.

Although it's moving more money than at staples, if you can do the 500's then you end up with the same points per out of pocket fees as you do at office supply.
And since the 2x is not the same category as 5x it doesn't hurt your office supply annual amounts at all :)

The activation receipts should have enough information for the support line to locate the card numbers and cancel the cards. If you lose the receipt, the store could reprint the receipts.

Scaling this up will be difficult. The gas station employees don't like "large" amounts (and large to them is tiny to us). I tried to get one to load $490 on my Kroger GC and the CSR immediately refused due to the amount. She later said her system at the gas station wouldn't allow that large of a transaction and I'd have to go inside, but I have a feeling that was just her way of getting rid of me and not an actual limitation.

Does anyone know what the max transaction amount is, if any, for a Kroger GC load/reload at the gas station?

Some other observations:

- The Fry's gas stations I've been to do not sell gift cards of any type. One fuel station employee told me he couldn't reload a Kroger GC (that I bought in the store) and to go in the store. The second fuel station employee (different location), described above, was willing to do it until I told her the amount. Though I haven't completed a transaction yet, unless the second employee was mistaken (to even ask what amount), they do have the capability to reload GCs.

- There is a GC design with the Kroger gas station logo and a gas can. I suggest using this. Some employees don't seem to realize they can work with Kroger GCs, but might be more willing to figure it out if they think it's a "gas card" instead.

- Again, Kroger GCs are reloadable.

- The terms on the back of Kroger GCs do not prohibit the purchase of VGCs. The only prohibitions are "lottery, money orders, Kroger Co. gift cards, or other products prohibited by law." VGCs are not Kroger Co. gift cards.

Issue in unloading Visa gift card bought in Kroger
 

I bought two variable load visa gift cards from kroger and When I tried to unload them through BB at walmart following things happed

TRip #: tried to split the transaction; VGC 1# declined; VGC2: declined
TRip 2: tried to split the transaction; VGC 1# Approved; VGC2: declined; since once card is declined walmart CSR cancelled the whole transaction and tried one Card alone for $500 and both The cards were declined separately.
TRip 3: VGC1 for $500 and it was approved;
Trip 4: VGC2 declined.

Between every trip i called the US bank customer service and they told there is nothing wrong with my card.

Every time my cards were declined i got a following error Message: DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE APPR. CODE = 83


Between these kroger gift cards i cashed many $200 gift cards bought from Bestbuy and Staples.

Does anyone know what could be the reason for this and how to tackle it?

Good info, thanks.
Ymmv at the gas station. The first time I got a 200 Kroger GC from the pump as a test the attendant excitedly made sure to remind me to use my Kroger ID so I could "rack up the points" with my purchase...apparently he didn't know that buying Kroger store GC themselves don't earn points lol.
As long as I have this guy I'm sure I could purchase however much I wanted ...he was all about some points.