Jan 2, 2017, 7:37 pm
Last edit by: Marathon Man
NEW TO MS: Do some serious reading for a month of all the posts and wiki to get an understanding of MS before asking common questions.
Note: the 2016 version of this thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1737819-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2016-a-39.html#post27694986, the 2015 version of the thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1642283-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2015-a.html
Welcome to Manufactured Spending. Marathon Man did not write this message, but he has edited it and anyone can. 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.
3) A glossary wiki for MS located in the thread Glossary, Manufactured Spending Forum
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. Some might argue that MS is like card counting in a casino. It is not illegal but casinos don’t like it. Orhers have said it’s like having a fake ID in college to use just to get into bars where all the fun is. Just because it worked here yesterday doesn’t mean it will get you in today. MS is like being a wood worker constantly using a table saw. Always watch what you are doing—always! Or you will lose something. 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).
6) MSing can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from smallish amounts to meet minimum spend requirements to get a credit card signup bonus, to accumulating huge numbers of points for travel/cashback/etc. Remember too that you will often have expenses such as purchase fees, liquidation fees, and gas.
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 MSers can also read all these threads:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending-719/
Note: the 2016 version of this thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1737819-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2016-a-39.html#post27694986, the 2015 version of the thread is here: www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1642283-new-manufactured-spending-start-here-2015-a.html
Welcome to Manufactured Spending. Marathon Man did not write this message, but he has edited it and anyone can. 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.
3) A glossary wiki for MS located in the thread Glossary, Manufactured Spending Forum
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. Some might argue that MS is like card counting in a casino. It is not illegal but casinos don’t like it. Orhers have said it’s like having a fake ID in college to use just to get into bars where all the fun is. Just because it worked here yesterday doesn’t mean it will get you in today. MS is like being a wood worker constantly using a table saw. Always watch what you are doing—always! Or you will lose something. 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).
6) MSing can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from smallish amounts to meet minimum spend requirements to get a credit card signup bonus, to accumulating huge numbers of points for travel/cashback/etc. Remember too that you will often have expenses such as purchase fees, liquidation fees, and gas.
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 MSers can also read all these threads:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending-719/
New to Manufactured Spending? Start here(2017-2018)
Jun 17, 2017, 5:56 pm
#211
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 59
have you considered paying rent with your credit card via plastiq? no ms required, and you may hit the bulk of your msr.
Jun 17, 2017, 6:19 pm
#212
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 6
I've gotten nearly 30 cards in the past 12 months. I got 7 new cards under my dad's name a few weeks ago. Having to spend $28K in 3 months is a bit beyond my family's combined regular expenses, however, so I'm looking to this site for some tips (have never needed to use MS before now). The CVS->PO->Bank option looks simple enough. I'll definitely research the particular thread for this method more thoroughly before going full steam. Thanks for the help!
Jun 17, 2017, 8:11 pm
#213
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 284
I've gotten nearly 30 cards in the past 12 months. I got 7 new cards under my dad's name a few weeks ago. Having to spend $28K in 3 months is a bit beyond my family's combined regular expenses, however, so I'm looking to this site for some tips (have never needed to use MS before now). The CVS->PO->Bank option looks simple enough. I'll definitely research the particular thread for this method more thoroughly before going full steam. Thanks for the help!
Jun 17, 2017, 8:12 pm
#214
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 4
you can get the max amount if you'd like, but ymmv at the po. some po clerks are more watchful than others when it comes to paying with "debit" (see the Buy MO's at Post Office(2017) thread).
have you considered paying rent with your credit card via plastiq? no ms required, and you may hit the bulk of your msr.
have you considered paying rent with your credit card via plastiq? no ms required, and you may hit the bulk of your msr.
Jun 17, 2017, 8:34 pm
#215
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 6
The beauty is I'm not obliged to spend anything. If I don't meet a card's spend requirement, I don't get the bonus! (I don't plan on letting that happen, though.)
Jun 17, 2017, 8:39 pm
#216
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 59
I've gotten nearly 30 cards in the past 12 months. I got 7 new cards under my dad's name a few weeks ago. Having to spend $28K in 3 months is a bit beyond my family's combined regular expenses, however, so I'm looking to this site for some tips (have never needed to use MS before now). The CVS->PO->Bank option looks simple enough. I'll definitely research the particular thread for this method more thoroughly before going full steam. Thanks for the help!
Jun 17, 2017, 8:46 pm
#217
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 59
you're welcome...totally understand that ms is not a route that everyone wants to take. another organic spend option is offering to pay the bill when dining/drinking with a group of friends, and have them pay you back with cash or venmo.
Jun 18, 2017, 5:33 am
#219
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: IAD
Programs: All of them to one degree or another
Posts: 447
And next week you'll be back asking why the VGC you bought at CVS didn't work for a MO purchase at Walmart! Sigh...
Jun 18, 2017, 6:47 am
#220
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NY
Posts: 523
It's not about quantity, it's about how MS friendly they are. Buy two $500 metabank GCs from your supermarket and take them to one of your WM's. Try to buy a $1K MO and ask the CSR to take $500 from each card. If the CSR doesn't allow it, try the next WM. You will find out very quickly if your city is MS friendly. Worse case scenario is you're stuck with $1K in gift cards which won't be hard to liquidate via regular spending.
Jun 18, 2017, 8:54 am
#221
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 613
Hey Folks - brand new here and also brand new to MS ...so much so I tried being slick on venmo and got my accounts frozen :-/ ...anyway long story short -I'm trying to make my $3000 spend for 50K avios on my new British Airways visa - and only have about $1,500 left to go BUT my 90-day dead line ends early July (yikes) ...so I'm trying to find ways to do MS ...I have paypal accounts (yes plural) and even managed to knock out $500 on 'em- but after my venmo experience I'm terribly afraid of my paypal accounts being shut down (paypal owns venmo remember) so I don't dare use 'em again.
Anyway - I heard about this "buying visa gift card and buying money orders" but it seems darned dangerous ...I'm simply trying to hit that amount before July 8th deadline and not so much into making a career outta' MS ...so is there a simpler way if you're looking for a 1-hit-wonder type thing? Any and all ideas out there will be appreciated. Again -brand new to this - but please do tell me what's currently working (and yeah, yeah - I get that what works today may not work tomorrow yadda', yadda', etc... I understand the risks.)
Thanks in advance!
Anyway - I heard about this "buying visa gift card and buying money orders" but it seems darned dangerous ...I'm simply trying to hit that amount before July 8th deadline and not so much into making a career outta' MS ...so is there a simpler way if you're looking for a 1-hit-wonder type thing? Any and all ideas out there will be appreciated. Again -brand new to this - but please do tell me what's currently working (and yeah, yeah - I get that what works today may not work tomorrow yadda', yadda', etc... I understand the risks.)
Thanks in advance!
Some of the above advice is wrong.
Jun 18, 2017, 9:19 am
#222
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 6
It's not about quantity, it's about how MS friendly they are. Buy two $500 metabank GCs from your supermarket and take them to one of your WM's. Try to buy a $1K MO and ask the CSR to take $500 from each card. If the CSR doesn't allow it, try the next WM. You will find out very quickly if your city is MS friendly. Worse case scenario is you're stuck with $1K in gift cards which won't be hard to liquidate via regular spending.
Jun 18, 2017, 9:25 am
#223
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 6
My dad has paid over $20K in estimated taxes this way. Keep in mind you can only use two CCs per quarter for federal taxes. As a result, we obviously use the two cards with the largest spend requirement.
Jun 18, 2017, 9:50 am
#224
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 613
Holding on to gift VGCs is not recommended. Many of us turn them into MOs as soon as possible.
Jun 19, 2017, 1:17 am
#225
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453