Last edit by: Klemhuzzah
Signing up to buy $1000 visa/mc gift cards
You can buy the $1000 cards on Simon's volume site. Their regular site only sells $500 cards.
If you're new, or haven't bought anything in a year, you need to register at https://www.simon.com/volume/register-consumer
As part of the registration process, you will have to go to a brick and mortar mall and buy at least $3000 in cards in person, as well as filling out some paperwork while there. After that, you can do everything online.
As of Nov 2020, Simon Mall Gift cards will only work for $99/swipe for money services at Walmart and many grocery chains.
$1000 gift cards are available indefinitely.
2020 Promotions
Ongoing: FREEGROUND - Free Ground Shipping on any order size. Limited to 5 orders per customer. Expires December 31, 2020 (subject to change).
5/15-6/17: MDHOL20 - 20% off Visa Giftcard Purchase Fees + Free Ground Shipping on orders of 9 more cards
5/15/5/31: MAYGROUND - Free UPS Ground shipping on orders of 7 or more cards
5/15-6/31: MAY20VG10 - 10% off purchase fees on Visa Giftcards
6/29-7/20: JUL4HOL20 - 20% off Visa Giftcard Purchase Fees + Free Ground Shipping on orders of 5 or more cards. If you select a shipping other than Ground - the code will still take 20% off the purchase fees. Limited to 10 orders per customer.
8/11-8/31: AUG20PR - 15% off ALL fees (excl. shipping fees) on orders of 5 or more cards. Limited to 10 orders per customer (Originally expired on 8/23; on 8/24 promo was extended through 8/31)
10/12-10/14: FSOCT20 - 30% off all purchase fees on Visas and Mastercards.
10/26-10/31 - FS20SCARY - 35% off all purchase fees
11/1-11/30 - HOL20MC25 - 25% off all purchase fees on MasterCard / HOL20VG25 - 25% off all purchase fees on Visa / HOL20AG50 50% off all purchase fees on American Express
11/6-11/8 - FS20THANKS - 35% off all purchase fees
11/16-11/18 - FS20SAVINGS - 35% off all purchase fees
You can buy the $1000 cards on Simon's volume site. Their regular site only sells $500 cards.
If you're new, or haven't bought anything in a year, you need to register at https://www.simon.com/volume/register-consumer
As part of the registration process, you will have to go to a brick and mortar mall and buy at least $3000 in cards in person, as well as filling out some paperwork while there. After that, you can do everything online.
As of Nov 2020, Simon Mall Gift cards will only work for $99/swipe for money services at Walmart and many grocery chains.
$1000 gift cards are available indefinitely.
2020 Promotions
Ongoing: FREEGROUND - Free Ground Shipping on any order size. Limited to 5 orders per customer. Expires December 31, 2020 (subject to change).
5/15-6/17: MDHOL20 - 20% off Visa Giftcard Purchase Fees + Free Ground Shipping on orders of 9 more cards
5/15/5/31: MAYGROUND - Free UPS Ground shipping on orders of 7 or more cards
5/15-6/31: MAY20VG10 - 10% off purchase fees on Visa Giftcards
6/29-7/20: JUL4HOL20 - 20% off Visa Giftcard Purchase Fees + Free Ground Shipping on orders of 5 or more cards. If you select a shipping other than Ground - the code will still take 20% off the purchase fees. Limited to 10 orders per customer.
8/11-8/31: AUG20PR - 15% off ALL fees (excl. shipping fees) on orders of 5 or more cards. Limited to 10 orders per customer (Originally expired on 8/23; on 8/24 promo was extended through 8/31)
10/12-10/14: FSOCT20 - 30% off all purchase fees on Visas and Mastercards.
10/26-10/31 - FS20SCARY - 35% off all purchase fees
11/1-11/30 - HOL20MC25 - 25% off all purchase fees on MasterCard / HOL20VG25 - 25% off all purchase fees on Visa / HOL20AG50 50% off all purchase fees on American Express
11/6-11/8 - FS20THANKS - 35% off all purchase fees
11/16-11/18 - FS20SAVINGS - 35% off all purchase fees
Simon Mall Gift Cards (2019-2023)
#526
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,550
Personally, I use Quicken to track all aspects of this game, (it's fairly easy for me as I've used the software for 25+ years).
It's not automatic and to use this software effectively there's a learning curve for a new user.
Since you mention an Audit, this is the ONLY concern I have about playing this game, (since I own my own business, that's primarily cash based, and routinely deposit approximately $1 million/year in actual cash to my business account.).
For this reason, I keep a solid paper/plastic trail for every deposit of M.O.'s, (I've NEVER done a WMBP since I've seen too many data points of CC closure due to anonymous payments).
My paper/plastic trail is very simple, (for each deposit of M.O.'s).
For example the receipt from Simon, (and any other GC's included in the deposit), stapled to all the M.O. purchase receipts. All the M.O. tear-off stubs stapled to this. Wrapped around the actual GC's liquidated and the deposit receipt.
Nice and tidy way to show where the deposited funds came from if a future audit suspects un-reported income.
It's not automatic and to use this software effectively there's a learning curve for a new user.
Since you mention an Audit, this is the ONLY concern I have about playing this game, (since I own my own business, that's primarily cash based, and routinely deposit approximately $1 million/year in actual cash to my business account.).
For this reason, I keep a solid paper/plastic trail for every deposit of M.O.'s, (I've NEVER done a WMBP since I've seen too many data points of CC closure due to anonymous payments).
My paper/plastic trail is very simple, (for each deposit of M.O.'s).
For example the receipt from Simon, (and any other GC's included in the deposit), stapled to all the M.O. purchase receipts. All the M.O. tear-off stubs stapled to this. Wrapped around the actual GC's liquidated and the deposit receipt.
Nice and tidy way to show where the deposited funds came from if a future audit suspects un-reported income.
For now though we're on the right side of the line.
#527
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 463
As I understand it, credit card rewards are legally not taxable income. They are treated as a discount to the purchase price of the item purchased. I am pretty sure IRS wanted to tax them, but got the message that this would make Congress very very unhappy. IMO it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to either (a) treat a discount on a financial instrument as different than a discount on a dinner, airline ticket, or box of cereal; or (b) treat MS as a trade or business.
For now though we're on the right side of the line.
For now though we're on the right side of the line.
#530
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 239
Simon gift card
I know AmEx is a no go for meeting minimum spend with gift cards, but has anybody had any experience with Chase clawing back signup bonus for buying Visa gift cards? I'm good on my card, but I have a friend that is going to need to meet $4k min spend for the Sapphire Preferred and was wondering if 1-2 of the $1k Simon Gift Card would be safe?
#531
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 16
I know AmEx is a no go for meeting minimum spend with gift cards, but has anybody had any experience with Chase clawing back signup bonus for buying Visa gift cards? I'm good on my card, but I have a friend that is going to need to meet $4k min spend for the Sapphire Preferred and was wondering if 1-2 of the $1k Simon Gift Card would be safe?
#533
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,322
More information would be helpful. What was reason/basis for bank adjusting your account? Who initiated? MO issuer, bank internal, etc? Just saying that "it happened" is not very useful, without context.
#534
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,377
#535
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,377
Chase takes pictures of every check deposited,,
I have rentals we deposit 25. plus Money orders a month, we also have direct deposit, and cash.
#536
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 16
As cool as it would be for simon mall to extend the 1k gift cards, my liquidation options which used to be plentiful are literally drying up this week. With all the walmart issues now and my grocery store chain cracking down, I will have to stop MS for cashback/status and minimize it to just finishing off MSR. Shame
#537
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,402
As cool as it would be for simon mall to extend the 1k gift cards, my liquidation options which used to be plentiful are literally drying up this week. With all the walmart issues now and my grocery store chain cracking down, I will have to stop MS for cashback/status and minimize it to just finishing off MSR. Shame
You don’t have to be specific to a city but a region would add DPs to our discussion.
#540
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,377
I have more than on account, for checking, savings, broker accounts, and more than 1 credit card account,.
I like diversification, never put all your eggs in one basket, old saying, good enough for this 80 year old man..
Last edited by satman40; Oct 14, 2019 at 8:30 am