Squeezing every mile possible... down to cents
Jun 1, 2011 | 11:18 am
#46
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Programs: AA, HH, UA, Amtrak
Posts: 270
Re: squeezing every mile.. (loophole)
People who overuse loopholes ruin it for everybody else when they over use any loophole. Besides I also calculated something else. Sometimes only so much of free is worth it, as if I even calculate smart investments or good horse betting strategies, a $40 bet can pay $80 on a an hour of research, and in that sense, every 1 min = 66 cents at least for me. (assuming a nominal $40/hour pay off).
What do you think your hourly worth is at?
What do you think your hourly worth is at?
Jun 1, 2011 | 11:29 am
#47
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 44
You're absolutely right. As cards have been getting faster cashiers are getting slower, they often can't calculate the change if the register doesn't do it for them!
Jun 1, 2011 | 12:54 pm
#48
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posts: 139
Guy on fatwallet wrote a script to do thousands of 15 cent transactions before he got shut down.
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/1100158/
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/1100158/
Jun 1, 2011 | 2:27 pm
#49
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: Amex Platinum, SPG Gold, Priority Club Gold, Emerald Club Executive
Posts: 226
I have been approved for the US Air card and will try it when it arrives. But I have seen things like this before... the AAdvantage mall has rounded up for me many times... usually when it's over the 50 cent mark though.
But one place people could try it is this:
When I need to do my 5 monthly transactions to avoid a checking acct fee at two banks I use, I simply call my cable company (Comcast) and I stay in the automated billing section on my phone. With an ability to enter some things on the phone and press 1 or 2 and the 16 digit card number time and again in the course of a couple of minutes, I can do the five transactions for...
$1.01
$1.02
$1.03
$1.04
$1.05
I am not certain how many times my card might allow before crapping out, but this has been successful month after month for me. I've also used it to generate the 3 transactions needed to get that $50 bonus needed at ING for their online Electric Orange checking accounts. I'm not sure, but one COULD count THAT toward the 'hourly rate' of doing this. AND if one were, say, the stay at home parent or temporarily out of work, etc, then this is bonus income for unpaid time you had anyway. (that is, unless one's action of sitting there doing miles all day was preventing you from changing that diaper or filling out job apps lol)
Now, if some smart cookie were to develop some sort of techy gadget that could generate say a few hundred of these little transactions a day in some automated form, then THAT is something I might even buy AT the likes of the AAdvantage mall!
(or at http://www.secretflyertalkmileagetec...thatwillruinit)
MM
But one place people could try it is this:
When I need to do my 5 monthly transactions to avoid a checking acct fee at two banks I use, I simply call my cable company (Comcast) and I stay in the automated billing section on my phone. With an ability to enter some things on the phone and press 1 or 2 and the 16 digit card number time and again in the course of a couple of minutes, I can do the five transactions for...
$1.01
$1.02
$1.03
$1.04
$1.05
I am not certain how many times my card might allow before crapping out, but this has been successful month after month for me. I've also used it to generate the 3 transactions needed to get that $50 bonus needed at ING for their online Electric Orange checking accounts. I'm not sure, but one COULD count THAT toward the 'hourly rate' of doing this. AND if one were, say, the stay at home parent or temporarily out of work, etc, then this is bonus income for unpaid time you had anyway. (that is, unless one's action of sitting there doing miles all day was preventing you from changing that diaper or filling out job apps lol)
Now, if some smart cookie were to develop some sort of techy gadget that could generate say a few hundred of these little transactions a day in some automated form, then THAT is something I might even buy AT the likes of the AAdvantage mall!
(or at http://www.secretflyertalkmileagetec...thatwillruinit)MMYou can also keep your checking account at a zero balance, and avoid the monthly fee, instead of having to do 5 debit card transactions. This is what I do, at a certain bank that rhymes with "base".