neworleans flyer

I am relatively new to the MS world and stumbled upon it ~4 months ago with VR/BB and then moved on to AP. I know I missed out on amazing 10+ years but at least I got a nice little run on these. I have been researching these forums and the blogs for the past few weeks about my next move and every time I think I have found the next VR, I see/read about all sorts of problems or issues (loading issues with broken Kates, USPS MO, Wally cashiers being clueless, Paypal shutting you down, etc.).

My goal (like most people who MS) is for international business class tickets and have found numerous companies online that will 'sell' you either Membership Reward points or Ultimate Rewards points for 1.8 cents per point. That to me, is the number to beat, as I am financially able to afford the tickets at that price but it never hurts to try and get something cheaper.

So my question is what (in your experience) is the least time consuming/easiest/most likely to work method of MS? It's up to each person to decide how many hoops they are willing to jump through by buying GC on portals to use to buy debit cards and so on before they decide it's too much of a hassle. Yes, I know that everyone pretty much agrees that the VR/BB was the easiest way to MS but even that method had it's detractors for "costing too much".

So what's a time constrained MS'er to do to make life easy? And is sticking to paying for Membership Rewards or UR as close to easy street as I'm gonna get?

turnpike13

ahh you want the EASY way to MS. let me direct you towards our arrows and circles presentations then.

This a finanical arbitrage game / hobby / business. everyone values their time and their points differently. you have to (through expereince) decide how much you value the costs versus the rewards of MS.

On that note, 20 AP accounts is quite easy. Go for it!

whitey4545

+1

Can you believe it, two threads asking for a compiled list of ms techniques in one week... They are getting more and more frequent with the loss of the low hanging fruit VR\BB.

Put the time in to understand each technique and decide what is available for you and try it out. Pretty simple if you ask me!

neworleans flyer

Correction - I am NOT asking for a compiled list of ms techniques. Instead I am asking about opinions regarding the most hassle free MS techniques. I know that many folks are trying to MS to bring their out of pocket cost to zero or even make a profit. My question is different (at least I think it is) in that I am not interested in a zero sum game - I'm just trying to beat the 1.8 cents per point that I can just buy with one click.

Not trying to make others do the work for me but if I'm going to get flamed for asking for a mere opinion then so be it.

TMKTakot

To be honest, if you're purely interested in manufacturing, and not interested in controlling costs, Loyal3 is probably a good route for you. But if you read the MS forums, you'd probably have noticed that already...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...it-card-8.html

turnpike13

there are 10s of thousands of lurkers around here. if by some miracle (read HIGC) someone posted their "easy" and "hassle" free technique then it would not be around tomorrow.

and if you're really not interested in the hassle, why are you bothering anyway? just buy the points and be done with it.

KYBOSH

...if cost wasnt the issue?

What you talkin' about Willis???

turnpike13

i suspect the OP might edit his posts to "false call" as well.

neworleans flyer

I guess I should have highlighted the fact that cost is INDEED an issue else I would just be straight up paying for unrestricted first class tickets for Singapore Suites with nary a care in the world.

What I meant is that I am ok with paying 1.8 cents/point but if I can get them cheaper with the same amount of work that the VR/BV was taking - then I'm all ears. Seems that this thread is bringing out some hostility in folks, that honestly was not my intent. Help out if you can, don't worry about it if you can't and if this thread ends up near the bottom of the page with this post being the last one then I have got my answer.

turnpike13

I'll provide a more serious response.

BB/VR was the second most easiest way to MS as of last month. AP of course being the first right now. BB/VR was for the masses. Amex, Incomm, and Walmart got together and found a way around lots of banking regulation which made the BB/VR orgy possible. Not since the days of HIGCs and the MINT were things so easy for the class of people who can comfortably afford to pay 1.8 cents per mile.

I saw many a yuppie in my local CVS educating some poor reluctant female on the wonders of ice cream.

If there are methods as easy as VR/BB out there, its smarter to keep it to yourself. the thousands of lurkers here will kill it quickly.

skibum7732

Cost is always an issue or you would just buy the ticket outright. I would never pay $.018/mile, but if that is all you are shooting for it should be very very easy. You could have just bought US miles for 1.1c/mile and it will likely return at similar or at least better than $.018/mile soon...there you go easy peasy problem solved

whitey4545

My mistake not a compiled list, just a compiled list of the good ones.

This Forum is exactly what you are looking for. I will tell you from experience that I currently do just about 25K per month in MS, I put in less than 4 hours per month into my MS and much of my spending is spent with a bonus category and the most I ever spend is half a cent per point. Here is the crazy thing Everything I do I learned from this forum, without ever coming out and asking what the easiest ways to MS are.

Here is a hint that I learned. Read a thread that look both popular and interested to your needs (and when I say read it I mean read about the first 5-10 pages as well as the most recent 5-10 pages at a minimum so that you have a true understanding of the technique and potential downfalls that others have encountered). Then if you are confused about something within that thread find a FT'er that is prevalent within that thread and send a PM asking the question(s) you might have. This shows two things, 1 that you are willing to do your own research and 2 that you value the idea of discretion. This is the process that I went through. I now have 3-4 solid viable somewhat long term MS options that I can go to. Will these things come to an end and I will have to find some new technique, of course, but until then I will strive to protect them from the masses the best I can.

MarcusBWI

The uber-basics, without any discounts, point malls, rebates or anything else (both methods basically unlimited):

Buying GCs from grocery stores, convenience stores, etc: $4.95/$500 = about 1 cent per mile. Slightly less than that if you buy Money Orders to cash out.

Buying GCs from Staples with Ink card: $6.95/$200 (1000+ miles) = .7 cents per mile. Ditto on money order thing.

Those are pretty much the easiest methods that you can get.

kingrat

You wont get much love here... do your own homework..

silver4300

That sounds about right. Each method comes with pros and cons.

Plus, geography is a major factor. There is no one-size-fits-all easy method. Jack's 7-11 may sell VRs on cc like packs of cigarettes. Jill's 7-11 is cash only, yet has a friendly staples nearby.

When I got involved in MS. I read up on each method that had it's own thread. I read the wiki, then the first few pages and made an initial evaluation" "No, this won't work - I don't have a wm nearby". "No, I'm not willing to do that step in the process", "No, that would involve too much gas and time", "Well, this one is a maybe, I would rather not have to deal with those clerks, but I might be willing if everything else lines up." For the maybes, I read through the first 10 pages or so then the last pages to learn more. Some I ruled out. Others weren't the way I wanted it and I really had to think about. For example, was I willing to ramp up slowly, purchase regular spend items and cultivate a relationship with the issuer? Well no, I want it all right now - yet most of the aggressive MSers got shutdown with funds frozen. I couldn't have it both ways. So, I had to decide if I was willing to be patient with the hope the method persists.

Overall, there were about 4 left that were appealing. None were "perfect", they all involved work and potential headaches. (I could not find a method involving free unlimited CAs that earned miles/points). I wrote down a list of questions and I started reading deeper into these thread. Most of my questions were already asked in the thread and I would write the answer down. During the process I also learned a lot of new stuff "Make sure to enter "Mastercard" at this point". "Enter code "abc" for an extra $5 off. For one very appealing method, I read through the entire thread of 100 pages. I got good at quickly skimming over the chatter and focusing on the posts with substance. By the end, I had a very good understanding of the method, steps to take, caution points and risks involved. Then, I had the framework set and I gave it a try. A couple methods were one and done. A couple others, I got better at and even improved it and made it more efficient for myself.

Currently, there is a more advanced and riskier method I am interested in trying - yet I just don't have the time right now to do the research. I don't want to try it without a good understanding because I'm concerned about getting one step wrong and not getting points or having thousands of dollars frozen for an extended time. Yet, I am not going to start a new thread and ask someone to explain it as easily as possible. Rather, when I am able to invest about 2 hours, I am going to comb through the thread.