Simon mall gift card(2014-2015)
Mar 9, 2015, 3:10 pm
#946
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,249
My learning is to always carry a card with raised numbers, just in case.
Mar 9, 2015, 8:07 pm
#948
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
I can't say whether this is a nationwide trend or a few rogue locations, but either way I suspect it won't last.
Mar 10, 2015, 1:46 pm
#949
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 527
Locations for availability of SMGCs may be expanding, as Simon, the #1 shopping mall owner, launches hostile takeover of the #2 shopping mall owner:
Simon Property Group’s Hostile $22.4 Billion Bid For Macerich
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0M519J20150309
Simon Property Group’s Hostile $22.4 Billion Bid For Macerich
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0M519J20150309
Mar 10, 2015, 1:57 pm
#950
Join Date: May 2009
Location: MSP
Programs: AA, DL, AS
Posts: 183
Locations for availability of SMGCs may be expanding, as Simon, the #1 shopping mall owner, launches hostile takeover of the #2 shopping mall owner:
Simon Property Group’s Hostile $22.4 Billion Bid For Macerich
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0M519J20150309
Simon Property Group’s Hostile $22.4 Billion Bid For Macerich
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0M519J20150309
Mar 10, 2015, 4:24 pm
#951
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: AVL
Posts: 216
Not living near a SM but having been near one last week I took the opportunity to buy 2k worth from the kiosk in the middle of the mall. Customer service person was very nice with no questions asked other than my intended use. I just told her graduations are coming up.
Loaded them to BB via Kate in my hometown.
Loaded them to BB via Kate in my hometown.
Mar 11, 2015, 7:17 am
#952
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 97
Lucky you. I don't think I can purchase a MO using any VGC from my neighboring Krogers since last fall. 4 out of 5 CS cashiers will ask for ID and the card I use to match before I can swipe. One CS cashiers asked me for 2 IDs two weeks ago when I tried to purchase 2K MOs, I left without buying.
To throw in my 2 cents. I currently use Simon Malls as my primary MS method. I wish I could buy $10k a day, but that isnt very scale-able. How many days of $10k a day before redflags on the part of simon malls gets you banned. Maybe if you have many simon malls in a small area. There is only one Simon mall near me.
I generally make one trip per week to Simon Malls and purchase $9k worth of the $1,000 biz gift cards. $3.95 fee. If I put all of this on my barclays arrival returning 2.22% I am making $199.80 gross. Now for the fees. $3.95 per $1k is $35.55 total card fees. Plus $0.70 for $1,000 = $6.30. Total fees = $41.85 so net = $157.95.
Now for my time. Reasonably the Simon Malls trip takes 45 minutes between driving there, parking, getting to the office, getting the cards issued, walking back to the car. Liquidating the cards takes several trips as I can only liquidate $2k in money orders per day at any single walmart, there is also Fred Meyer for another $3k per day. In order to liquidate $9k in money orders by myself I would have to visit 4 different retailers. At 45 minutes each with driving. Total time around 3 1/2 hrs for $157.95 = about $45/hr. Not a bad hobby. I didnt include fuel and vehicle cost.
I generally make one trip per week to Simon Malls and purchase $9k worth of the $1,000 biz gift cards. $3.95 fee. If I put all of this on my barclays arrival returning 2.22% I am making $199.80 gross. Now for the fees. $3.95 per $1k is $35.55 total card fees. Plus $0.70 for $1,000 = $6.30. Total fees = $41.85 so net = $157.95.
Now for my time. Reasonably the Simon Malls trip takes 45 minutes between driving there, parking, getting to the office, getting the cards issued, walking back to the car. Liquidating the cards takes several trips as I can only liquidate $2k in money orders per day at any single walmart, there is also Fred Meyer for another $3k per day. In order to liquidate $9k in money orders by myself I would have to visit 4 different retailers. At 45 minutes each with driving. Total time around 3 1/2 hrs for $157.95 = about $45/hr. Not a bad hobby. I didnt include fuel and vehicle cost.
Mar 11, 2015, 10:09 pm
#953
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,550
A few weeks ago I went to a SM and bought GC's for the first time, just bought $500x4. The lady at the kiosk was pretty clueless about the cards; for example she was pretty sure they weren't PIN-friendly, which of course wasn't true.
I had a weird sort of "YMMV" experience trying to unload them. I went to an unfamiliar WM and was told I couldn't do it without an ID that showed my name was "Especially For You" - the "name" on the card. So I took them to my "home" WM where I'm on a first-name basis with the Money Center staff.
So this week I called a different SM. They were extremely nice and had my order of $500x18 ready for me when I got there. I met the manager, who encouraged me to submit the corporate form for pre-approval. Neither of these malls are that close to me, but they aren't all that far out of my way sometimes.
One thing was inconsistent with what I've seen on this forum; the corporate cards still have a $500 max, although the price is $2.50 if you buy 25 or more. If they want to sell me $500x25 at a time, I'm all good with that, and anyway the credit limit on the card I use is only $15K anyway, but is it possible that the max per card on a corporate account is $1K and there's a way I can prove it to them? The form says "Maximum Value Load $500."
I had a weird sort of "YMMV" experience trying to unload them. I went to an unfamiliar WM and was told I couldn't do it without an ID that showed my name was "Especially For You" - the "name" on the card. So I took them to my "home" WM where I'm on a first-name basis with the Money Center staff.
So this week I called a different SM. They were extremely nice and had my order of $500x18 ready for me when I got there. I met the manager, who encouraged me to submit the corporate form for pre-approval. Neither of these malls are that close to me, but they aren't all that far out of my way sometimes.
One thing was inconsistent with what I've seen on this forum; the corporate cards still have a $500 max, although the price is $2.50 if you buy 25 or more. If they want to sell me $500x25 at a time, I'm all good with that, and anyway the credit limit on the card I use is only $15K anyway, but is it possible that the max per card on a corporate account is $1K and there's a way I can prove it to them? The form says "Maximum Value Load $500."
Mar 12, 2015, 4:11 am
#954
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Dayton, OH
Programs: CarlsonGold,HHDiamond, SPGGold,ChoiceGold, *Silver, WNCompanionPass, ASMVPGold, HyattDiamond,IHGPlat
Posts: 255
Gotta love these SM clerks. Yesterday I wanted to split my $2.5k purchase to put $201 on one card because that's all I needed for a bonus. And she said, "New rule: you have to put it all on one card, or split 50/50." What BS.
Mar 12, 2015, 8:16 am
#955
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,060
I know it's not the most optimized, but there isn't much functional difference between the two.
Mar 12, 2015, 9:44 am
#956
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 1,337
I bet that person doesn't understand the rules. I did a 30/70 (70 was up to card's CL) recently. Maybe there is a stated rule that you could only use 2 cards per transaction, but 50/50 seems a little too much.
Mar 12, 2015, 9:47 am
#957
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 1,337
FYI, when calling ahead be sure to ask the Simon rep to CHECK they have enough Visa cards before driving out to Simon. I've had this happen twice recently: I call ahead asking for GCs in advance. Simon rep says ok. I get to the mall and they have less than 20 or 40 GC (40 if with wife). What's worse, the second time this happened I asked if they had 20 and the rep said they had 20 (which they didn't)!!
Mar 12, 2015, 10:06 am
#958
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
At my Simon mall I routinely use 3 or 4 CCs. Last time I used 5, in amounts ranging from $1000 to $3000. I had to sign each of the 5 extremely long receipts that printed out, though.
Mar 12, 2015, 10:39 am
#959
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SoCal
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Lifetime Platinum, MR Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 249
FYI, when calling ahead be sure to ask the Simon rep to CHECK they have enough Visa cards before driving out to Simon. I've had this happen twice recently: I call ahead asking for GCs in advance. Simon rep says ok. I get to the mall and they have less than 20 or 40 GC (40 if with wife). What's worse, the second time this happened I asked if they had 20 and the rep said they had 20 (which they didn't)!!
Mar 20, 2015, 7:39 pm
#960
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: WI
Programs: HHonors Gold, UAMP
Posts: 895
What Simon Mall is around Madison? I have only gotten when trekked to woodfield on my way to ORD.