Save the world, Save MS!
May 8, 2015, 2:18 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Programs: AA is all for now.
Posts: 77
Save the world, Save MS!
I would think this would be obvious to everybody but nobody has mentioned it...
Redbird recruited a large number of newbies because it was so EASY, and there are alot more of us now than there were even 6 months ago. It recruited me. And it's like an addiction, we're not going to stop. We killed redbird, we killed Serve, we killed UFB direct, we killed AFT. People have been quietly MSing on AFT with nobody caring for nearly a decade, and it died because of RB. (I actually signed up for AFT 5 years ago to liquidate TARGET gift cards they gave me as a bonus at work, no joke, they let me load them.) And now we've decimated everything we touch and we are looking for more prey. I swear, we're like a scourge or a plague. We are the zombie apocalypse. One zombie here or there isn't a problem, but 100,000 is the end of the world.
Now that redbird is a shadow of its former self, and Amex for target has become collateral damage I feel that we have become extremely limited in what we can actually do. I mean sure, theres paypal and gobank and hr block cards, but my understanding is they're all instantly shut down as soon as you even THINK about attempting any MS with them.
Is buying pin GCs all we have left? Serve, BB, RB, and MO all require pin GCs. When all the masses of displaced RB newbies (myself included, at least I'm honest) start buying up all the pin enabled GCs in sight and trying to load them $200 at a time into various amex vehicles or MOs en masse like a bunch of morons, I don't think its unreasonable to worry we may kill pin enabled GC acceptors (there are really only two, amex prepaid family or mo), or we make it completely impossible to purchase pin enabled gcs with CC anywhere. Theyll go the way of VRs if we hit them too hard. And we're going to.
When we shred the GC venue, and we will I guarantee it, we will all be completely SOL for a while until someone who hasn't done their market research comes out with a new product.
And lets be honest with ourselves, as much as I appreciate this forum, Flyertalk killed RB. I would never have heard of RB otherwise, and the bow tie guy we all love so much never would have either. Do you know that flyertalk is one of the first things that comes up on google when you type in credit card rewards? Or red card for that matter? We're too public, too easy to find and we are recruiting people simply by existing. If you're a member of the general public, read flyertalk and you instantly turn into a zombie. If you are in any way affiliated with a financial institution, read flyertalk, and learn how to kill zombies.
We are all the zombie apocalypse. We are the end of MS, I am, you are, we all are. I wonder if the self destruction of this message board is the only way to save it. If there was no flyertalk, the MS volume would fall by 90%, manufactured spending is not something that ever occurs to the average person to try. Furthermore, If I ever plan to commit fraud I will look here first to figure out how I am going to do it. We all know those bloggers get their ideas from us! They would only be able to write about MS methods they figured out for themselves and since finding new methods requires a certain degree of intelligence, I doubt they can figure them all out. (If any of them.) And the banks and targets and walmarts of the world wouldn't know what loopholes to close either. And who knows, the days of the dollar coin may return. Things like that can only happen if nobody knows what we're doing, and right now we are a walking advertisement and instruction guide to anyone with access to google.
Redbird recruited a large number of newbies because it was so EASY, and there are alot more of us now than there were even 6 months ago. It recruited me. And it's like an addiction, we're not going to stop. We killed redbird, we killed Serve, we killed UFB direct, we killed AFT. People have been quietly MSing on AFT with nobody caring for nearly a decade, and it died because of RB. (I actually signed up for AFT 5 years ago to liquidate TARGET gift cards they gave me as a bonus at work, no joke, they let me load them.) And now we've decimated everything we touch and we are looking for more prey. I swear, we're like a scourge or a plague. We are the zombie apocalypse. One zombie here or there isn't a problem, but 100,000 is the end of the world.
Now that redbird is a shadow of its former self, and Amex for target has become collateral damage I feel that we have become extremely limited in what we can actually do. I mean sure, theres paypal and gobank and hr block cards, but my understanding is they're all instantly shut down as soon as you even THINK about attempting any MS with them.
Is buying pin GCs all we have left? Serve, BB, RB, and MO all require pin GCs. When all the masses of displaced RB newbies (myself included, at least I'm honest) start buying up all the pin enabled GCs in sight and trying to load them $200 at a time into various amex vehicles or MOs en masse like a bunch of morons, I don't think its unreasonable to worry we may kill pin enabled GC acceptors (there are really only two, amex prepaid family or mo), or we make it completely impossible to purchase pin enabled gcs with CC anywhere. Theyll go the way of VRs if we hit them too hard. And we're going to.
When we shred the GC venue, and we will I guarantee it, we will all be completely SOL for a while until someone who hasn't done their market research comes out with a new product.
And lets be honest with ourselves, as much as I appreciate this forum, Flyertalk killed RB. I would never have heard of RB otherwise, and the bow tie guy we all love so much never would have either. Do you know that flyertalk is one of the first things that comes up on google when you type in credit card rewards? Or red card for that matter? We're too public, too easy to find and we are recruiting people simply by existing. If you're a member of the general public, read flyertalk and you instantly turn into a zombie. If you are in any way affiliated with a financial institution, read flyertalk, and learn how to kill zombies.
We are all the zombie apocalypse. We are the end of MS, I am, you are, we all are. I wonder if the self destruction of this message board is the only way to save it. If there was no flyertalk, the MS volume would fall by 90%, manufactured spending is not something that ever occurs to the average person to try. Furthermore, If I ever plan to commit fraud I will look here first to figure out how I am going to do it. We all know those bloggers get their ideas from us! They would only be able to write about MS methods they figured out for themselves and since finding new methods requires a certain degree of intelligence, I doubt they can figure them all out. (If any of them.) And the banks and targets and walmarts of the world wouldn't know what loopholes to close either. And who knows, the days of the dollar coin may return. Things like that can only happen if nobody knows what we're doing, and right now we are a walking advertisement and instruction guide to anyone with access to google.
May 8, 2015, 2:27 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 149
im not sure its flyertalk fault... i found flyertalk way down the list after a quick yahoo search after reading through the frugaltravelguy, millionmiles blogs, etc. and creditcards.com websites.
although i joined becuase it was the one that had the most content and was in a forum style that i was used to due to boating and gun forums that i frequent.
although i joined becuase it was the one that had the most content and was in a forum style that i was used to due to boating and gun forums that i frequent.
May 8, 2015, 2:57 pm
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 24,153
OP, you simply havent been here long enough to know , that after each thing gets shut down a post such as yours appears and either blames FT or some other site.
I dont believe any 1 site is at fault. Between all the Bloggers trying to keep new CCs being opened via their links (= them making tons of $$, they need not MS they simply get everyone to CC),FT,FatWallet,SlickDeals etc etc altogether they bring about the death of these options
Its no different then if a stores site puts up a mistake price, every site that deals in deals will eventually(sooner then later) have it plastered on their home pg. So the share volume being sold will alert that stores computer and result is a fix to the price. No different then an airlines mistake fare or a hotels mistake rate
I dont believe any 1 site is at fault. Between all the Bloggers trying to keep new CCs being opened via their links (= them making tons of $$, they need not MS they simply get everyone to CC),FT,FatWallet,SlickDeals etc etc altogether they bring about the death of these options
Its no different then if a stores site puts up a mistake price, every site that deals in deals will eventually(sooner then later) have it plastered on their home pg. So the share volume being sold will alert that stores computer and result is a fix to the price. No different then an airlines mistake fare or a hotels mistake rate
May 8, 2015, 3:05 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DEN
Programs: WN A-list CP, IHG plat, Hyatt plat, United Silver, Hilton Gold
Posts: 153
wait....you can use pin enabled VGC to load redbird??? can you please write 48321871 blog posts telling me exactly how to do it? if you would hold my hand all the way to target and show me how to do it, that would be even better
May 8, 2015, 3:15 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,710
And you haven't even addressed the other side of the equation which is the decreasing profitability of MS with all the various award program devaluations and the death/limit of higher % cash back cards. It may not be obvious to a recent arrival but many travel programs have been gutted in the last few years (months even).
Personally I think the MS environment will self-correct over the next 12-18 months. The low hanging fruit will be killed off, it will become less profitable and it will return to a smaller core of individuals who go to greater efforts either in identifying new methods, reviving old ones and/or just putting more time in the execution and all that for less actual profit.
The only thing that might remain for the broader group of folks is possibly signup bonuses. These sort of "hacks" come and go all the time if you have been around enough.
Personally I think the MS environment will self-correct over the next 12-18 months. The low hanging fruit will be killed off, it will become less profitable and it will return to a smaller core of individuals who go to greater efforts either in identifying new methods, reviving old ones and/or just putting more time in the execution and all that for less actual profit.
The only thing that might remain for the broader group of folks is possibly signup bonuses. These sort of "hacks" come and go all the time if you have been around enough.
May 8, 2015, 5:21 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: Marriott LT Tit; Hyatt Explorist; Hilton CC Gold; IHG CC Plt; Hertz (MR) 5 star
Posts: 5,536
OP, you simply havent been here long enough to know , that after each thing gets shut down a post such as yours appears and either blames FT or some other site.
I dont believe any 1 site is at fault. Between all the Bloggers trying to keep new CCs being opened via their links (= them making tons of $$, they need not MS they simply get everyone to CC),FT,FatWallet,SlickDeals etc etc altogether they bring about the death of these options
Its no different then if a stores site puts up a mistake price, every site that deals in deals will eventually(sooner then later) have it plastered on their home pg. So the share volume being sold will alert that stores computer and result is a fix to the price. No different then an airlines mistake fare or a hotels mistake rate
I dont believe any 1 site is at fault. Between all the Bloggers trying to keep new CCs being opened via their links (= them making tons of $$, they need not MS they simply get everyone to CC),FT,FatWallet,SlickDeals etc etc altogether they bring about the death of these options
Its no different then if a stores site puts up a mistake price, every site that deals in deals will eventually(sooner then later) have it plastered on their home pg. So the share volume being sold will alert that stores computer and result is a fix to the price. No different then an airlines mistake fare or a hotels mistake rate
Anyone who blames FT for the death of ANY MS strategy hasn't 1) been around FT very long (MS is a very small part of FT), and 2) hasn't even bothered to use the google on the internets machine to search for MS. There are plenty of 'MS for dummies' websites that are far more user friendly for MS than FT.
But you've only been here since 1999 and I've only been registered here since 2001. What do we know about FT??
May 8, 2015, 5:30 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 29
I think Anomalychick (AC) has been stuck with 10K in AGC and that has mentally upset her. I would advise AC to find out the other liquidating methods beyond RB. We were MS'ing way before RB came and life was still going on.
Always have a back up plan and if you plan B like AFT gets killed then find Plan C and Plan D. Now you tell that FT killed RB but FT also have gave you enough to venture out on Plan C and D. I have some one order 35K worth of AGC knowing fully well RB is toast. So do you own research.
Always have a back up plan and if you plan B like AFT gets killed then find Plan C and Plan D. Now you tell that FT killed RB but FT also have gave you enough to venture out on Plan C and D. I have some one order 35K worth of AGC knowing fully well RB is toast. So do you own research.
May 8, 2015, 5:31 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 29
^
^^^^^
^
Anyone who blames FT for the death of ANY MS strategy hasn't 1) been around FT very long (MS is a very small part of FT), and 2) hasn't even bothered to use the google on the internets machine to search for MS. There are plenty of 'MS for dummies' websites that are far more user friendly for MS than FT.
But you've only been here since 1999 and I've only been registered here since 2001. What do we know about FT??
Anyone who blames FT for the death of ANY MS strategy hasn't 1) been around FT very long (MS is a very small part of FT), and 2) hasn't even bothered to use the google on the internets machine to search for MS. There are plenty of 'MS for dummies' websites that are far more user friendly for MS than FT.
But you've only been here since 1999 and I've only been registered here since 2001. What do we know about FT??
May 9, 2015, 1:03 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Great post! Love the reference to a zombie apocalypse. Redbird is currently among the walking dead, but have faith - Target may doubletap this zombie turkey by Thanksgiving. 
I would think this would be obvious to everybody but nobody has mentioned it...
Redbird recruited a large number of newbies because it was so EASY, and there are alot more of us now than there were even 6 months ago. It recruited me. And it's like an addiction, we're not going to stop. We killed redbird, we killed Serve, we killed UFB direct, we killed AFT. People have been quietly MSing on AFT with nobody caring for nearly a decade, and it died because of RB. (I actually signed up for AFT 5 years ago to liquidate TARGET gift cards they gave me as a bonus at work, no joke, they let me load them.) And now we've decimated everything we touch and we are looking for more prey. I swear, we're like a scourge or a plague. We are the zombie apocalypse. One zombie here or there isn't a problem, but 100,000 is the end of the world.
Now that redbird is a shadow of its former self, and Amex for target has become collateral damage I feel that we have become extremely limited in what we can actually do. I mean sure, theres paypal and gobank and hr block cards, but my understanding is they're all instantly shut down as soon as you even THINK about attempting any MS with them.
Is buying pin GCs all we have left? Serve, BB, RB, and MO all require pin GCs. When all the masses of displaced RB newbies (myself included, at least I'm honest) start buying up all the pin enabled GCs in sight and trying to load them $200 at a time into various amex vehicles or MOs en masse like a bunch of morons, I don't think its unreasonable to worry we may kill pin enabled GC acceptors (there are really only two, amex prepaid family or mo), or we make it completely impossible to purchase pin enabled gcs with CC anywhere. Theyll go the way of VRs if we hit them too hard. And we're going to.
When we shred the GC venue, and we will I guarantee it, we will all be completely SOL for a while until someone who hasn't done their market research comes out with a new product.
And lets be honest with ourselves, as much as I appreciate this forum, Flyertalk killed RB. I would never have heard of RB otherwise, and the bow tie guy we all love so much never would have either. Do you know that flyertalk is one of the first things that comes up on google when you type in credit card rewards? Or red card for that matter? We're too public, too easy to find and we are recruiting people simply by existing. If you're a member of the general public, read flyertalk and you instantly turn into a zombie. If you are in any way affiliated with a financial institution, read flyertalk, and learn how to kill zombies.
We are all the zombie apocalypse. We are the end of MS, I am, you are, we all are. I wonder if the self destruction of this message board is the only way to save it. If there was no flyertalk, the MS volume would fall by 90%, manufactured spending is not something that ever occurs to the average person to try. Furthermore, If I ever plan to commit fraud I will look here first to figure out how I am going to do it. We all know those bloggers get their ideas from us! They would only be able to write about MS methods they figured out for themselves and since finding new methods requires a certain degree of intelligence, I doubt they can figure them all out. (If any of them.) And the banks and targets and walmarts of the world wouldn't know what loopholes to close either. And who knows, the days of the dollar coin may return. Things like that can only happen if nobody knows what we're doing, and right now we are a walking advertisement and instruction guide to anyone with access to google.
Redbird recruited a large number of newbies because it was so EASY, and there are alot more of us now than there were even 6 months ago. It recruited me. And it's like an addiction, we're not going to stop. We killed redbird, we killed Serve, we killed UFB direct, we killed AFT. People have been quietly MSing on AFT with nobody caring for nearly a decade, and it died because of RB. (I actually signed up for AFT 5 years ago to liquidate TARGET gift cards they gave me as a bonus at work, no joke, they let me load them.) And now we've decimated everything we touch and we are looking for more prey. I swear, we're like a scourge or a plague. We are the zombie apocalypse. One zombie here or there isn't a problem, but 100,000 is the end of the world.
Now that redbird is a shadow of its former self, and Amex for target has become collateral damage I feel that we have become extremely limited in what we can actually do. I mean sure, theres paypal and gobank and hr block cards, but my understanding is they're all instantly shut down as soon as you even THINK about attempting any MS with them.
Is buying pin GCs all we have left? Serve, BB, RB, and MO all require pin GCs. When all the masses of displaced RB newbies (myself included, at least I'm honest) start buying up all the pin enabled GCs in sight and trying to load them $200 at a time into various amex vehicles or MOs en masse like a bunch of morons, I don't think its unreasonable to worry we may kill pin enabled GC acceptors (there are really only two, amex prepaid family or mo), or we make it completely impossible to purchase pin enabled gcs with CC anywhere. Theyll go the way of VRs if we hit them too hard. And we're going to.
When we shred the GC venue, and we will I guarantee it, we will all be completely SOL for a while until someone who hasn't done their market research comes out with a new product.
And lets be honest with ourselves, as much as I appreciate this forum, Flyertalk killed RB. I would never have heard of RB otherwise, and the bow tie guy we all love so much never would have either. Do you know that flyertalk is one of the first things that comes up on google when you type in credit card rewards? Or red card for that matter? We're too public, too easy to find and we are recruiting people simply by existing. If you're a member of the general public, read flyertalk and you instantly turn into a zombie. If you are in any way affiliated with a financial institution, read flyertalk, and learn how to kill zombies.
We are all the zombie apocalypse. We are the end of MS, I am, you are, we all are. I wonder if the self destruction of this message board is the only way to save it. If there was no flyertalk, the MS volume would fall by 90%, manufactured spending is not something that ever occurs to the average person to try. Furthermore, If I ever plan to commit fraud I will look here first to figure out how I am going to do it. We all know those bloggers get their ideas from us! They would only be able to write about MS methods they figured out for themselves and since finding new methods requires a certain degree of intelligence, I doubt they can figure them all out. (If any of them.) And the banks and targets and walmarts of the world wouldn't know what loopholes to close either. And who knows, the days of the dollar coin may return. Things like that can only happen if nobody knows what we're doing, and right now we are a walking advertisement and instruction guide to anyone with access to google.
May 9, 2015, 1:07 am
#15
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Do tell. Over in my area we accept credit cards at parking meters. Think about the opportunity if you play the valet parking game. Way more upside potential than running the luggage carts in Frankfurt!