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)
Apr 9, 2015, 11:16 am
#346
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 613
It's my fault, I realized you're asking for VR=Vanilla Reloads not the Vanilla Visa GCs. I apologize for that.
IIRC, sometime 2013, many stores have hardcoded VRs for CASH ONLY so it's rare that you'll find any merchant that'll accept CCs or DCs for them. BUT for the Vanilla GCs whether Visas or MCs, you can still buy them at a lot of grocery stores and drugstores using CC.
Even those who can still find VRs bought with CCs, I read that they can no longer load them to their BBs as of March 31. I can't confirm since I don't have a BB.
IIRC, sometime 2013, many stores have hardcoded VRs for CASH ONLY so it's rare that you'll find any merchant that'll accept CCs or DCs for them. BUT for the Vanilla GCs whether Visas or MCs, you can still buy them at a lot of grocery stores and drugstores using CC.
Even those who can still find VRs bought with CCs, I read that they can no longer load them to their BBs as of March 31. I can't confirm since I don't have a BB.
Apr 9, 2015, 12:52 pm
#347
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 157
Do you have any idea what a Vanilla Reload looks like?
http://thepointsguy.com/2014/04/buyi...atives-to-cvs/
http://thepointsguy.com/2014/04/buyi...atives-to-cvs/
I was referring to the black one shown there.
Last edited by mulliganman30; Apr 9, 2015 at 12:53 pm Reason: correction
Apr 9, 2015, 1:09 pm
#348
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 613
Yep. As I linked to already see post #1596 here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...014-a-107.html
I was referring to the black one shown there.
I was referring to the black one shown there.
https://www.myvanilladebitcard.com/m...CbVzzCheRHqdE3
Apr 9, 2015, 2:09 pm
#349
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 157
You obviously don't! The black one is NOT a Vanilla Reload. The black one is a Vanilla Visa.
https://www.myvanilladebitcard.com/m...CbVzzCheRHqdE3
https://www.myvanilladebitcard.com/m...CbVzzCheRHqdE3
Apr 9, 2015, 4:41 pm
#350
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: The Phoenix Desert
Programs: Hilton Cubic Zirconia, Marriott Fools Gold
Posts: 1,692
While these stories are a dime a dozen, I never get tired of reading the comments. I sincerely appreciate each and every person who carries a balance on their credit cards... without them, none of this would be possible lol
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/meet-g...212717477.html
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/meet-g...212717477.html
Apr 10, 2015, 7:15 am
#351
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,449
Dear all, I've been reading this forum fairly regularly, but in terms of actual MS experience I'm a total newbie, so would appreciate some help with my situation.
Later in the summer I have a $9k expense coming up, which I can spread across different credit cards. I am thinking of applying for the CSP, Barclays Arrival+, and Capital One Venture for their respective signup bonuses. The issue is that this combination requires a minimum spend of $10k. So I need to come up with a way to MS $1k.
Later in the summer I have a $9k expense coming up, which I can spread across different credit cards. I am thinking of applying for the CSP, Barclays Arrival+, and Capital One Venture for their respective signup bonuses. The issue is that this combination requires a minimum spend of $10k. So I need to come up with a way to MS $1k.
Why are you getting three different CC? Are you getting them just for the signup bounses? The best way to go about this is have a goal, and work towards this goal, i.e trip to Hawaii, get the CC that will help you get there with the less amount of money... Getting three CC just for the sign up bounses isn't the way to do it.
Chase UR points are popular since you can transfer to many didn't airlines and hotels, so think about the CSP and Freedom cards..
Apr 10, 2015, 7:38 am
#352
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 256
Congrats on doing your homework and reading this thread, you are ahead of many people..
Why are you getting three different CC? Are you getting them just for the signup bounses? The best way to go about this is have a goal, and work towards this goal, i.e trip to Hawaii, get the CC that will help you get there with the less amount of money... Getting three CC just for the sign up bounses isn't the way to do it.
Chase UR points are popular since you can transfer to many didn't airlines and hotels, so think about the CSP and Freedom cards..
Why are you getting three different CC? Are you getting them just for the signup bounses? The best way to go about this is have a goal, and work towards this goal, i.e trip to Hawaii, get the CC that will help you get there with the less amount of money... Getting three CC just for the sign up bounses isn't the way to do it.
Chase UR points are popular since you can transfer to many didn't airlines and hotels, so think about the CSP and Freedom cards..
I already have the Chase Freedom, but because it has a foreign transaction fee it doesn't get much use from me currently.
Apr 11, 2015, 1:19 pm
#353
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: VA
Posts: 147
Didn't want to start a new thread, so I figure I'll post this here.
Looking for advice on whether I should apply for a few new cards or wait a couple months. I won't be traveling until probably mid next year, and don't travel too much anyway. I do like road trips, so hotel points are good, but I will be flying domestically out of DCA next year. I also like earning cash back too since I can't travel too frequently. Started this game in December and current cards are IHG, Freedom, Amex BCP, WF Cash Rewards, and TD Bank Cash Rewards. I have 2 RB's and 1 BB that I load each month.
Looking at doing an AoR and applying for CSP, Arrival +, Discover IT, and maybe a Citi card. The reason I am considering waiting is with the RB and BB accounts and regular spending, I can easily hit min spends on all these cards. But I currently get 5% from the WF card til end of June and 5% on the TD card til around September for RB loads and VGC's for BB (I'm aware of the risks with the TD card too). Does it make sense to wait and continue with the 5% and maybe after at least the WF is done to then apply and use RB and BB for min spends? Does my logic make sense here?
Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Looking for advice on whether I should apply for a few new cards or wait a couple months. I won't be traveling until probably mid next year, and don't travel too much anyway. I do like road trips, so hotel points are good, but I will be flying domestically out of DCA next year. I also like earning cash back too since I can't travel too frequently. Started this game in December and current cards are IHG, Freedom, Amex BCP, WF Cash Rewards, and TD Bank Cash Rewards. I have 2 RB's and 1 BB that I load each month.
Looking at doing an AoR and applying for CSP, Arrival +, Discover IT, and maybe a Citi card. The reason I am considering waiting is with the RB and BB accounts and regular spending, I can easily hit min spends on all these cards. But I currently get 5% from the WF card til end of June and 5% on the TD card til around September for RB loads and VGC's for BB (I'm aware of the risks with the TD card too). Does it make sense to wait and continue with the 5% and maybe after at least the WF is done to then apply and use RB and BB for min spends? Does my logic make sense here?
Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Apr 11, 2015, 2:58 pm
#354
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 69
Didn't want to start a new thread, so I figure I'll post this here.
Looking for advice on whether I should apply for a few new cards or wait a couple months. I won't be traveling until probably mid next year, and don't travel too much anyway. I do like road trips, so hotel points are good, but I will be flying domestically out of DCA next year. I also like earning cash back too since I can't travel too frequently. Started this game in December and current cards are IHG, Freedom, Amex BCP, WF Cash Rewards, and TD Bank Cash Rewards. I have 2 RB's and 1 BB that I load each month.
Looking at doing an AoR and applying for CSP, Arrival +, Discover IT, and maybe a Citi card. The reason I am considering waiting is with the RB and BB accounts and regular spending, I can easily hit min spends on all these cards. But I currently get 5% from the WF card til end of June and 5% on the TD card til around September for RB loads and VGC's for BB (I'm aware of the risks with the TD card too). Does it make sense to wait and continue with the 5% and maybe after at least the WF is done to then apply and use RB and BB for min spends? Does my logic make sense here?
Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Looking for advice on whether I should apply for a few new cards or wait a couple months. I won't be traveling until probably mid next year, and don't travel too much anyway. I do like road trips, so hotel points are good, but I will be flying domestically out of DCA next year. I also like earning cash back too since I can't travel too frequently. Started this game in December and current cards are IHG, Freedom, Amex BCP, WF Cash Rewards, and TD Bank Cash Rewards. I have 2 RB's and 1 BB that I load each month.
Looking at doing an AoR and applying for CSP, Arrival +, Discover IT, and maybe a Citi card. The reason I am considering waiting is with the RB and BB accounts and regular spending, I can easily hit min spends on all these cards. But I currently get 5% from the WF card til end of June and 5% on the TD card til around September for RB loads and VGC's for BB (I'm aware of the risks with the TD card too). Does it make sense to wait and continue with the 5% and maybe after at least the WF is done to then apply and use RB and BB for min spends? Does my logic make sense here?
Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Apr 11, 2015, 3:39 pm
#355
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: VA
Posts: 147
I agree that sign up bonuses are better, but my thought process is it seems like the bonuses for the CSP and Arrival + usually don't fluctuate so instead of using $6k of spend for those now, why not get 5% now and after the WF promotion is up, then apply for the new cards and use RB to meet the min spends.
Apr 13, 2015, 6:08 pm
#356
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, DL, Hyatt, Hilton
Posts: 127
I think a good rule of thumb is to create time / cost threshold value for yourself for HP -
Nowadays, I value each HP at $500 - if a card does not end up providing me with at least $500 in value, I don't get the card. This helps me filter out cards that waste my time.
The WF + OBC are more than worth it, in my opinion.
Nowadays, I value each HP at $500 - if a card does not end up providing me with at least $500 in value, I don't get the card. This helps me filter out cards that waste my time.
The WF + OBC are more than worth it, in my opinion.
Apr 14, 2015, 10:52 am
#357
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 39
Can someone provide me a quick overview of which MS methods are considered the best options at this point in time? The prepaid REDcard seems good for 5k/month, any others worth considering and/or doing in conjunction? Don't live near a Walmart...Thanks!
Apr 14, 2015, 12:41 pm
#358
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
1. RB isn't limited to one per HH so if you have GF/BF/spouse/SO and other family members at least 18 y/o, they can get one. Rule is one per SSN if getting any of the amex prepaid cards.
2. if you have the ALR reader and got into the 1.75% fee locked in till Jan 2016, you'll still get good profit buying GCs using 5% cards.
3. google for Visa/MC prepaid DCs and compare each one and choose one that suits you.
4. T-Mo DC
etc. etc. etc.
Apr 14, 2015, 8:34 pm
#359
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 39
best option is relative, it's up to you to determine that. here's some ideas for you to check:
1. RB isn't limited to one per HH so if you have GF/BF/spouse/SO and other family members at least 18 y/o, they can get one. Rule is one per SSN if getting any of the amex prepaid cards.
2. if you have the ALR reader and got into the 1.75% fee locked in till Jan 2016, you'll still get good profit buying GCs using 5% cards.
3. google for Visa/MC prepaid DCs and compare each one and choose one that suits you.
4. T-Mo DC
etc. etc. etc.
1. RB isn't limited to one per HH so if you have GF/BF/spouse/SO and other family members at least 18 y/o, they can get one. Rule is one per SSN if getting any of the amex prepaid cards.
2. if you have the ALR reader and got into the 1.75% fee locked in till Jan 2016, you'll still get good profit buying GCs using 5% cards.
3. google for Visa/MC prepaid DCs and compare each one and choose one that suits you.
4. T-Mo DC
etc. etc. etc.
Apr 15, 2015, 12:38 pm
#360
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 45
Newbie question
Hello, I'm pretty new to MS scene. Not sure where to post these questions.
Currently I have Chase Ink+ with Freedom. Mainly buying $200 VGC from staples and quarterly 5% from Freedom to generate UR points.
I live in DC metro area and I think only United has some direct flights to Asia, which was why I got Ink+ in the first place.
I got CSP just recently. Plan to product change to Freedom after receiving signup bonus. How soon can I product change?
If I use UR only on international flights, what should I MS or apply for US domestic flights, such as DC <-> CA? Sorry for the broad questions. Thanks.
Also what's a good card to load Target prepaid redcard?
Currently I have Chase Ink+ with Freedom. Mainly buying $200 VGC from staples and quarterly 5% from Freedom to generate UR points.
I live in DC metro area and I think only United has some direct flights to Asia, which was why I got Ink+ in the first place.
I got CSP just recently. Plan to product change to Freedom after receiving signup bonus. How soon can I product change?
If I use UR only on international flights, what should I MS or apply for US domestic flights, such as DC <-> CA? Sorry for the broad questions. Thanks.
Also what's a good card to load Target prepaid redcard?