Jan 3, 2019, 1:46 pm
Last edit by: randomperson24
NEW TO MS? It's suggested that new arrivals should 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 2017 - 2018 version of this thread is here, 2016 version of this thread is here, the 2015 version of the thread is here
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/manuf...-spending-719/
Note: the 2017 - 2018 version of this thread is here, 2016 version of this thread is here, the 2015 version of the thread is here
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/manuf...-spending-719/
New to Manufactured Spending? Start here (2019-2024)
Mar 24, 2019, 2:07 pm
#108
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,377
Mar 27, 2019, 3:05 pm
#109
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 8
Mar 29, 2019, 12:29 am
#111
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 463
It's actually one of the most important questions you need an answer to. Using the right card at the right time is where the profit is. It doesn't matter whether it's Amex, Mastercard, or Visa. What counts is what gives the best cashback or miles at the place you're buying the vgc. Some CC will give 5% back (eg, INK at office supply stores), some give less. Google something llike "best cashback credit cards" to see which are currently the best CC to use. Good luck!
Mar 29, 2019, 12:49 am
#112
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 92
I suggest you google and read the first hit for: Why you should not begin churning
Then follow the links in that article for a good start.
Apr 9, 2019, 6:14 am
#113
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 5
Any new alternatives to Serve
I was part of the first wave of Serve shutdowns and honestly haven't done any MS since. Are there any current viable options? MO are tough to come by around me with GC and so I need to do a a lot of reading to catch up.
Apr 29, 2019, 7:47 pm
#114
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta Gold. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Explorist.
Posts: 1,675
May 10, 2019, 8:17 pm
#116
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2
Manufacture spending Idea
I live in Vegas and i was thinking of doing this I play on WSOP.COM and lets say I deposit 1,000 dollars using my Visa Debit card and then in turn go to a casino and withdraw my money and make a payment on my credit card would that be a good example of manufactured spending with out doing the gift cards?
May 11, 2019, 9:54 pm
#117
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 463
I live in Vegas and i was thinking of doing this I play on WSOP.COM and lets say I deposit 1,000 dollars using my Visa Debit card and then in turn go to a casino and withdraw my money and make a payment on my credit card would that be a good example of manufactured spending with out doing the gift cards?
May 13, 2019, 10:03 am
#118
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Coconut Creek, FL
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum-2 MM Starwood Plat,Delta DM
Posts: 975
Got an point bonus offer for my United Exporer card 2X grocery and 3X restuarants until the end of June. Does anyone here any any specific strategy for me to maximize those? That card also gives me a 10K mile bonus based on 25K in spend so I could end up with a nice bonus if I can work it out. I am new to MS.
May 14, 2019, 10:04 am
#119
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 4
I'm getting started w/ MSing GCs and had 2 questions.
1. How much money can I put on a single MO? (i thought i read it was 2k, but i also have read 1k)
2. How soon after do you deposit and pay off the card you just purchased the GC with?
thanks for the help!
1. How much money can I put on a single MO? (i thought i read it was 2k, but i also have read 1k)
2. How soon after do you deposit and pay off the card you just purchased the GC with?
thanks for the help!
May 14, 2019, 1:43 pm
#120
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, HH DIA, Hertz PC, GE + Pre✓, Amazon Super Special Prime
Posts: 1,008
Got an point bonus offer for my United Exporer card 2X grocery and 3X restuarants until the end of June. Does anyone here any any specific strategy for me to maximize those? That card also gives me a 10K mile bonus based on 25K in spend so I could end up with a nice bonus if I can work it out. I am new to MS.
Buy VGC in the AM, buy MO's in the afternoon, deposit MO's same day, payoff CC a day later after funds deposit to my bank account. Sometimes sooner - different CC companies have different time tables for payment submit/credit posting/funds leaving bank (citibank gives you credit balance immediately but the funds take 2 days to leave your bank).
There is no need to hold on to MO's or hold cash in account before paying off CC. At least no need for me!