Jan 3, 2015, 3:13 am
Last edit by: CWAL
Welcome to Manufactured Spending. If you are new here, please spend some time reading before posting. Most likely your questions have already been answered multiple times. Consider deals that you share. These threads are searchable by Google. A volatile deal may be worth holding close to the vest.
Hints
1) On FT, topics are heavily consolidated. Sometimes the title of the thread and first few posts may not properly reflect the broad range of discussion inside the thread. Be sure to visit any thread relating to the product or service you want to learn more about because you might be surprised by how in depth the discussion really is. High "View Count" and "Replies" are good indicators of active "master threads" on a specific topic.
2) Use Google to search FT. It works a lot better than the built-in search.
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. That being said, always be nice and courteous in the face of rejection. The biggest secret for success is to lay low so you can try again.
2) DO NOT spend more than you can afford. START WITH SMALL AMOUNTS TO TEST THE WATER! As an example.. don't start with a $5000 purchase of VGCs if you can't afford to float that much! Instead, buy one and try it, and scale up once you are comfortable with a new method. It's easy to lose track, or get robbed, when you are handling so much money. Getting a refund is NOT always possible.
3) DO NOT ask employees, cashiers, customer service representatives, etc... about how to MS, or about things you read on this forum. The information you read here are very specific, unknown, legal uses of products or services. Most employees, cashiers, and even managers do not know about them. At best you'll get bad information. At worst you'll create a lot of unnecessary misunderstanding.
4) It bears repeating that there are no guarantees. you could easily buy $10,000 in gift cards or some other instrument, only to discover that your method for liquidating them vanishes the very next day. MS is not "normal" financial activity ("normal" being defined by the banks), and thus is often perceived as "suspicious" even if it is legal.
5) never underestimate the risk of criminal activity. gift cards can easily be stolen, loaded onto a compromised account, loaded in a debit card skimmer, or even fraudulent (e.g., an already used card put back on the rack).
If you have a question that does not seem to fit anywhere, or you have not found an appropriate place for it, post it here.
- A helpful note from seat17D about some of the inherent risks of MS
Hints
1) On FT, topics are heavily consolidated. Sometimes the title of the thread and first few posts may not properly reflect the broad range of discussion inside the thread. Be sure to visit any thread relating to the product or service you want to learn more about because you might be surprised by how in depth the discussion really is. High "View Count" and "Replies" are good indicators of active "master threads" on a specific topic.
2) Use Google to search FT. It works a lot better than the built-in search.
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. That being said, always be nice and courteous in the face of rejection. The biggest secret for success is to lay low so you can try again.
2) DO NOT spend more than you can afford. START WITH SMALL AMOUNTS TO TEST THE WATER! As an example.. don't start with a $5000 purchase of VGCs if you can't afford to float that much! Instead, buy one and try it, and scale up once you are comfortable with a new method. It's easy to lose track, or get robbed, when you are handling so much money. Getting a refund is NOT always possible.
3) DO NOT ask employees, cashiers, customer service representatives, etc... about how to MS, or about things you read on this forum. The information you read here are very specific, unknown, legal uses of products or services. Most employees, cashiers, and even managers do not know about them. At best you'll get bad information. At worst you'll create a lot of unnecessary misunderstanding.
4) It bears repeating that there are no guarantees. you could easily buy $10,000 in gift cards or some other instrument, only to discover that your method for liquidating them vanishes the very next day. MS is not "normal" financial activity ("normal" being defined by the banks), and thus is often perceived as "suspicious" even if it is legal.
5) never underestimate the risk of criminal activity. gift cards can easily be stolen, loaded onto a compromised account, loaded in a debit card skimmer, or even fraudulent (e.g., an already used card put back on the rack).
If you have a question that does not seem to fit anywhere, or you have not found an appropriate place for it, post it here.
- A helpful note from seat17D about some of the inherent risks of MS
New to Manufactured Spending? Start Here (2015)
Mar 2, 2015, 12:11 pm
#211
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 158
Also, T-Mobile if you're a T-Mobile customer, are able to buy Reloadits with CC, load at least $300 at a time, and don't piss off Bancorp.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:32 pm
#212
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 71
Yeah, but people on the RedBird forum were saying the CC company sees it as the same thing. All they see is a transaction from Amex Redbird and a payment from Amex Redbird and they can't distinguish its from another account.... specifically planning on doing this with Chase United and Chase SP.
Mar 2, 2015, 8:13 pm
#213
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 158
Yeah, but people on the RedBird forum were saying the CC company sees it as the same thing. All they see is a transaction from Amex Redbird and a payment from Amex Redbird and they can't distinguish its from another account.... specifically planning on doing this with Chase United and Chase SP.
They don't know you're loading an Amex Redbird unless you tell them. When you load, they see a Target purchase.
I personally don't think it's necessary to avoid "closed loops" with Redbird as long as you don't make it too obvious. Make your loads odd numbers, and wait a few weeks before paying off the cc. Don't pay off the exact amount you loaded; I like to pay off the entire balance on the CC in one payment from Redbird if I can. Since you're using Chase cards, this may be even more important since Chase sees paying from multiple sources as a red flag for MS.
Mar 3, 2015, 8:35 am
#214
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 114
AmEx GC's
Hi!
I've been buying VGC's from an office supply store, then having to wait until the next day to load them into my Redbird. I've also noticed that VGC's are harder to find sometimes, I guess due to the fact that they are the only ones that can be loaded in certain MS processes.
Whenever I am at the store to buy the GC's, I always see a bunch of AmEx gc's. I understand they work loading Redbirds. But would I also have to wait a day before loading them like I am having to with VGC's?
Thank you.
I've been buying VGC's from an office supply store, then having to wait until the next day to load them into my Redbird. I've also noticed that VGC's are harder to find sometimes, I guess due to the fact that they are the only ones that can be loaded in certain MS processes.
Whenever I am at the store to buy the GC's, I always see a bunch of AmEx gc's. I understand they work loading Redbirds. But would I also have to wait a day before loading them like I am having to with VGC's?
Thank you.
Mar 3, 2015, 1:36 pm
#215
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
Hi!
I've been buying VGC's from an office supply store, then having to wait until the next day to load them into my Redbird. I've also noticed that VGC's are harder to find sometimes, I guess due to the fact that they are the only ones that can be loaded in certain MS processes.
Whenever I am at the store to buy the GC's, I always see a bunch of AmEx gc's. I understand they work loading Redbirds. But would I also have to wait a day before loading them like I am having to with VGC's?
I've been buying VGC's from an office supply store, then having to wait until the next day to load them into my Redbird. I've also noticed that VGC's are harder to find sometimes, I guess due to the fact that they are the only ones that can be loaded in certain MS processes.
Whenever I am at the store to buy the GC's, I always see a bunch of AmEx gc's. I understand they work loading Redbirds. But would I also have to wait a day before loading them like I am having to with VGC's?
Mar 3, 2015, 3:11 pm
#216
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 114
Thanks, mamibear. I'm new at this and my first gc's bought for MS were VGC's from Kroger. I was able to buy them, drive straight to Target, and load them... I'll try your suggestion. Thanks again!
Mar 4, 2015, 8:22 am
#217
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 989
Hi!
I've been buying VGC's from an office supply store, then having to wait until the next day to load them into my Redbird. I've also noticed that VGC's are harder to find sometimes, I guess due to the fact that they are the only ones that can be loaded in certain MS processes.
Whenever I am at the store to buy the GC's, I always see a bunch of AmEx gc's. I understand they work loading Redbirds. But would I also have to wait a day before loading them like I am having to with VGC's?
Thank you.
I've been buying VGC's from an office supply store, then having to wait until the next day to load them into my Redbird. I've also noticed that VGC's are harder to find sometimes, I guess due to the fact that they are the only ones that can be loaded in certain MS processes.
Whenever I am at the store to buy the GC's, I always see a bunch of AmEx gc's. I understand they work loading Redbirds. But would I also have to wait a day before loading them like I am having to with VGC's?
Thank you.
Mar 4, 2015, 4:08 pm
#218
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 41
Does anyone know if purchasing Amex gif cards count towards Chase sapphire preferred spend or are they listed as cash advance?
Mar 5, 2015, 12:40 pm
#219
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 12
Hi, I live in New York City. I just got the Chase IHG mastercard and not able to load into the AX Serve. Is there anyway to hit the $1000.00 spend limit?
Mar 5, 2015, 3:32 pm
#220
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, TY, UR, UA, US, WN, MR, SPG
Posts: 1,453
Do you not spend $1K in 3 months? Pre-pay bills? Buy gas cards? There are pleny of opportunities, although from what I understand, NYC is one of the hardest places in the country to MS.
Mar 5, 2015, 7:28 pm
#221
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: IND
Programs: Hilton Dia, Hyatt Glbl, Marriott Lftm Plat, National EE
Posts: 316
AGCs should count both towards the Minimum Spend and towards earning base points for your spend. AFAIK, no Chase cards post as cash advance when buying AGCs.
Mar 7, 2015, 1:49 pm
#222
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: MDW
Programs: WN (CP 6x, A+ 2x), Marriott (LT Titanium), Hyatt Explorer, Hertz PC, UA/*A Silver
Posts: 425
Mar 9, 2015, 12:46 am
#223
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 70
Other best MS methods?
So does anyone have any other best ms methods? I've recently got started with msing through the Redbird card and managed to get the sign-up bonus for my chase ink card. Obviously I can't use bluebird/serve since those are serve cards as well. Is my next best option to manufacture spending using gift cards from Staples? Or does anyone know a better option that is online only? Thanks!
Mar 9, 2015, 6:59 am
#224
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
So does anyone have any other best ms methods? I've recently got started with msing through the Redbird card and managed to get the sign-up bonus for my chase ink card. Obviously I can't use bluebird/serve since those are serve cards as well. Is my next best option to manufacture spending using gift cards from Staples? Or does anyone know a better option that is online only? Thanks!
Mar 10, 2015, 3:48 pm
#225
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 429
Stop & Shop.
What you could do is pay off a different credit card than one you load with. If you're doing 10k a month, then you have 2 RBs. So load RB1 with CC1 and RB2 with CC2. Then pay off CC1 with RB2 and CC2 with RB1. A lot of people don't think this is necessary though.
Serve if you do $1000/month online credit load.
Also, T-Mobile if you're a T-Mobile customer, are able to buy Reloadits with CC, load at least $300 at a time, and don't piss off Bancorp.
What you could do is pay off a different credit card than one you load with. If you're doing 10k a month, then you have 2 RBs. So load RB1 with CC1 and RB2 with CC2. Then pay off CC1 with RB2 and CC2 with RB1. A lot of people don't think this is necessary though.
Serve if you do $1000/month online credit load.
Also, T-Mobile if you're a T-Mobile customer, are able to buy Reloadits with CC, load at least $300 at a time, and don't piss off Bancorp.
