Challenge: Liquidating a Unique Reloadable Card
Jan 13, 2020, 8:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 2
Challenge: Liquidating a Unique Reloadable Card
I've got an interesting credit card that has a few key restrictions:
1) The card is intended for food/meal purchase only. Allowable MCCs include Restaurants and Grocery Stores, and the card works in-store and online.
2) No more than 3 transactions in 24 hours. This is a rolling window, so you can use the card again right after the 1st transaction is over 24 hours old.
3) No more than $20 per transaction. This is a hard limit.
The balance on the card is roughly $260-300 per month, refilled at seemingly random times approximately every month by the issuer. Usually there's a balance at the end of the cycle that I can't liquidate in time so I lose that money, and if I'm playing close to the refill time often transactions post on the next cycle instead of the current one.
I've been trying to figure out ways to avoid keeping any balance on the card. Sometimes other physical stores work (ex. most Costcos but not all Targets), probably depending on their MCC. I can do 3 transactions one after the other in a split payment request to get $60 out at once, but then I'm locked for 24 hours. Reloading store cards online for different restaurants (ex. Dunkin', Starbucks) is odd - some always work and some never do. I think that the card can be used as both debit and credit, but I have not tried debit yet. The card can also be used internationally.
The challenge here is to reliably liquidate the balance of this card every month. Was hoping to get the MS community's thoughts on this one!
1) The card is intended for food/meal purchase only. Allowable MCCs include Restaurants and Grocery Stores, and the card works in-store and online.
2) No more than 3 transactions in 24 hours. This is a rolling window, so you can use the card again right after the 1st transaction is over 24 hours old.
3) No more than $20 per transaction. This is a hard limit.
The balance on the card is roughly $260-300 per month, refilled at seemingly random times approximately every month by the issuer. Usually there's a balance at the end of the cycle that I can't liquidate in time so I lose that money, and if I'm playing close to the refill time often transactions post on the next cycle instead of the current one.
I've been trying to figure out ways to avoid keeping any balance on the card. Sometimes other physical stores work (ex. most Costcos but not all Targets), probably depending on their MCC. I can do 3 transactions one after the other in a split payment request to get $60 out at once, but then I'm locked for 24 hours. Reloading store cards online for different restaurants (ex. Dunkin', Starbucks) is odd - some always work and some never do. I think that the card can be used as both debit and credit, but I have not tried debit yet. The card can also be used internationally.
The challenge here is to reliably liquidate the balance of this card every month. Was hoping to get the MS community's thoughts on this one!
Jan 14, 2020, 9:59 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,442
I've got an interesting credit card that has a few key restrictions:
1) The card is intended for food/meal purchase only. Allowable MCCs include Restaurants and Grocery Stores, and the card works in-store and online.
2) No more than 3 transactions in 24 hours. This is a rolling window, so you can use the card again right after the 1st transaction is over 24 hours old.
3) No more than $20 per transaction. This is a hard limit.
The balance on the card is roughly $260-300 per month, refilled at seemingly random times approximately every month by the issuer. Usually there's a balance at the end of the cycle that I can't liquidate in time so I lose that money, and if I'm playing close to the refill time often transactions post on the next cycle instead of the current one.
I've been trying to figure out ways to avoid keeping any balance on the card. Sometimes other physical stores work (ex. most Costcos but not all Targets), probably depending on their MCC. I can do 3 transactions one after the other in a split payment request to get $60 out at once, but then I'm locked for 24 hours. Reloading store cards online for different restaurants (ex. Dunkin', Starbucks) is odd - some always work and some never do. I think that the card can be used as both debit and credit, but I have not tried debit yet. The card can also be used internationally.
The challenge here is to reliably liquidate the balance of this card every month. Was hoping to get the MS community's thoughts on this one!
1) The card is intended for food/meal purchase only. Allowable MCCs include Restaurants and Grocery Stores, and the card works in-store and online.
2) No more than 3 transactions in 24 hours. This is a rolling window, so you can use the card again right after the 1st transaction is over 24 hours old.
3) No more than $20 per transaction. This is a hard limit.
The balance on the card is roughly $260-300 per month, refilled at seemingly random times approximately every month by the issuer. Usually there's a balance at the end of the cycle that I can't liquidate in time so I lose that money, and if I'm playing close to the refill time often transactions post on the next cycle instead of the current one.
I've been trying to figure out ways to avoid keeping any balance on the card. Sometimes other physical stores work (ex. most Costcos but not all Targets), probably depending on their MCC. I can do 3 transactions one after the other in a split payment request to get $60 out at once, but then I'm locked for 24 hours. Reloading store cards online for different restaurants (ex. Dunkin', Starbucks) is odd - some always work and some never do. I think that the card can be used as both debit and credit, but I have not tried debit yet. The card can also be used internationally.
The challenge here is to reliably liquidate the balance of this card every month. Was hoping to get the MS community's thoughts on this one!
If you want to pay the fee, I cannot see why you wouldn't be able to purchase MOs at a supermarket that allows it, or WM as well.
I personally would use the card as intended, for meals and groceries and finish off the month by purchasing a MO or MOs for the residual before the balance expires.