Amex visa GC MS
Apr 1, 2021, 1:50 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2021
Programs: Star Alliance
Posts: 4
Amex visa GC MS
Have anyone had experiences with visa debit card MS with Amex? Verbiage while Google suggests that they can differentiate your normal grocery purchase from your vs gc purchase at the grocery store. This seems hard to believe for me so I want to see if anyone else had any experiences with this.
Apr 1, 2021, 3:25 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 463
Different stores supply different levels of information to CC companies. If the store supplies "Level 3" information, it's like giving the CC company a copy of your receipt, where they can tell exactly what you bought. Not all stores supply this level of detail.
Another way they can tell is by the amount. Repeated buys of $505.95 is a dead giveaway.
And their algorithms have other ways of determining if you're MSing. Even if you're not, I'm sure they have verbiage saying they can claw back rewards for any reason they deem appropriate.
So if you have particular places in mind, ask here if they supply Level3 data, avoid obvious amounts, and hope for the best. Good luck
Another way they can tell is by the amount. Repeated buys of $505.95 is a dead giveaway.
And their algorithms have other ways of determining if you're MSing. Even if you're not, I'm sure they have verbiage saying they can claw back rewards for any reason they deem appropriate.
So if you have particular places in mind, ask here if they supply Level3 data, avoid obvious amounts, and hope for the best. Good luck
Apr 5, 2021, 4:26 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2021
Programs: Star Alliance
Posts: 4
Different stores supply different levels of information to CC companies. If the store supplies "Level 3" information, it's like giving the CC company a copy of your receipt, where they can tell exactly what you bought. Not all stores supply this level of detail.
Another way they can tell is by the amount. Repeated buys of $505.95 is a dead giveaway.
And their algorithms have other ways of determining if you're MSing. Even if you're not, I'm sure they have verbiage saying they can claw back rewards for any reason they deem appropriate.
So if you have particular places in mind, ask here if they supply Level3 data, avoid obvious amounts, and hope for the best. Good luck
Another way they can tell is by the amount. Repeated buys of $505.95 is a dead giveaway.
And their algorithms have other ways of determining if you're MSing. Even if you're not, I'm sure they have verbiage saying they can claw back rewards for any reason they deem appropriate.
So if you have particular places in mind, ask here if they supply Level3 data, avoid obvious amounts, and hope for the best. Good luck
Apr 6, 2021, 5:29 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,433
We have been doing this for months and Amex has not lowered the axe on us (yet
).I suspect that when the rats see $3000 bills every other day, then noses and whiskers start to twitch.
Jun 4, 2021, 2:25 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Atlanta
Programs: Delta Diamond; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 655
Last I checked, Kroger and Office Depot are the two spots in my area where I can get $500 Visa GCs. Do those stores send level 3 data to Amex that would put my points/threshold spend at risk? I'm going to spend about $180K on my Delta cards this year. I'd like to manufacture the last $60K to make Diamond on Delta for next year.
EDIT: Continued searching and reading indicate that Office Depot is a no go because it provides L3 data to Amex. So I'm down to Kroger if Kroger (hopefully) works. Any other suggestions on where to pick up Visa GCs (which in turn can be liquidated at WM for MOs or billpay) with an Amex care?
EDIT: Continued searching and reading indicate that Office Depot is a no go because it provides L3 data to Amex. So I'm down to Kroger if Kroger (hopefully) works. Any other suggestions on where to pick up Visa GCs (which in turn can be liquidated at WM for MOs or billpay) with an Amex care?
Last edited by GatorBlues; Jun 4, 2021 at 2:32 pm
Jun 4, 2021, 7:41 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,433
Last I checked, Kroger and Office Depot are the two spots in my area where I can get $500 Visa GCs. Do those stores send level 3 data to Amex that would put my points/threshold spend at risk? I'm going to spend about $180K on my Delta cards this year. I'd like to manufacture the last $60K to make Diamond on Delta for next year.
EDIT: Continued searching and reading indicate that Office Depot is a no go because it provides L3 data to Amex. So I'm down to Kroger if Kroger (hopefully) works. Any other suggestions on where to pick up Visa GCs (which in turn can be liquidated at WM for MOs or billpay) with an Amex care?
EDIT: Continued searching and reading indicate that Office Depot is a no go because it provides L3 data to Amex. So I'm down to Kroger if Kroger (hopefully) works. Any other suggestions on where to pick up Visa GCs (which in turn can be liquidated at WM for MOs or billpay) with an Amex care?
Greendot VGCs purchased at WMs
Secure spend VGCs purchased at gas stores, drug stores
Various one vanilla cards which can also be purchased at drug stores and gas stations (assuming the correct type of card for GC purchases).
The only problems with the above is finding stores where you can buy these cards with a credit card. That does take some hunting and as noted above, cannot be purchased in great quantities without attracting the rats.
The other problem of course is finding a liquidation source of the gift cards. But that is a problem for another thread.
Jun 5, 2021, 8:29 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,946
I can attest that if AmEx suspects MS activity, they will claw back points. This happened to me last year when I hit it hard at the grocery store, and while the grocery stores I frequent do not supply level 3 data, the gift card amounts could not be disguised enough to justify the spending I did on groceries. Fortunately, AmEx simply clawed back the points and did not close my accounts. It may be because I've had a relationship with AmEx for 30+ years, but truly don't know. The real downside was that I lost a few thousand dollars in gift card fees. My advice is to keep your amounts low. Don't get greedy as I did.