Mar 28, 2014, 10:58 am
Last edit by: MasterCharge
Welcome to Manufactured Spending. 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. Example: This thread... I know, the first few posts are confusing.
2) Use Google to search FT. It works a lot better than the built-in search.
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. 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).
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:
Take what you read with a grain of salt. No law enforcement agency cares if you are loading 5k to a bluebird per month unless you are loading your money from illegal activities like crack sales. Even at that point they only care about your crack sales, not your bluebird load.
Nobody is going to ask you "why are you loading your bluebird" or "where did you get the money you want to load on your bluebird" when you go to walmart.
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. Example: This thread... I know, the first few posts are confusing.
2) Use Google to search FT. It works a lot better than the built-in search.
Important Rules
1) MSing is very YMMV. It varies by store, manager, and right down to the cashier working at the moment. 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).
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:
I will speak to only the impacts and actions that have been taken (or threatened) to me personally over the years
1. Account closure - always got my money back. Moderate frequency. Little to no long-term impact UNLESS my wife was the first one to find out when her card was declined in public setting
2. Blacklisted by an FI - lower frequency. Short- to medium term impact. Eventually the FI's greed heals all wounds.
3. Blacklisted by a governmental agency -- lower frequency. Variable long-term impact as governmental agencies never actually forget, they just don't take action (see below)
4. Banned from a retail establishment -- threatened, but never actually banned. Mostly just pointed discussion from a misguided manager. Low-medium frequency.
5. Banned from an online establishment -- lower frequency, generally lower impact. Generally permanent, at least for me so far.
6. Cashback forfeited or clawed back -- generally happened to me as part of a credit card shut down. so far only forfeits and not clawbacks, but they are possible
And then there are the things law enforcement can and has done
1. Executed a warrant to subpoena my banking and other financial records without my knowledge
2. Contacted my FIs to inquire as the nature of my financial relationship
3. Frozen the portion of my assets that were currently involved in the activity they were investigating
4. Visited my home -- when I was not there -- to "interview" my spouse, etc. regarding their knowledge and involvement ... and to attempt to obtain additional documentation not already obtained by the subpoenas
5. Threatened to seize my assets. Not just the ones frozen. Not just those I currently possessed. But all assets they deemed as ever having been part of the criminal activity. (Think every GC, MO, etc. you have purchased over the past 3-5 years)
6. Threatened one or more felony charges. (Consider having to explain THAT to your wife or boss.)
And that all was for something that was completely legal, once the 'splaining was done.
Of course once LEO opens a criminal investigation, it never actually closes unless they take you to court and fail. So even though I was cleared of the charges, the original case file is out there ready to be dusted off.
In the end, my biggest concern is the extent to which something will permanently impact my marriage or ability to enter into financial contracts (felony charges would be one example). Fortunately once the initial shock of LEO's investigation wore away, both my marriage and financial relationships were intact. Very thankful both she and a few key FI's stood by me.
When you MS, you are running with scissors.
1. Account closure - always got my money back. Moderate frequency. Little to no long-term impact UNLESS my wife was the first one to find out when her card was declined in public setting
2. Blacklisted by an FI - lower frequency. Short- to medium term impact. Eventually the FI's greed heals all wounds.
3. Blacklisted by a governmental agency -- lower frequency. Variable long-term impact as governmental agencies never actually forget, they just don't take action (see below)
4. Banned from a retail establishment -- threatened, but never actually banned. Mostly just pointed discussion from a misguided manager. Low-medium frequency.
5. Banned from an online establishment -- lower frequency, generally lower impact. Generally permanent, at least for me so far.
6. Cashback forfeited or clawed back -- generally happened to me as part of a credit card shut down. so far only forfeits and not clawbacks, but they are possible
And then there are the things law enforcement can and has done
1. Executed a warrant to subpoena my banking and other financial records without my knowledge
2. Contacted my FIs to inquire as the nature of my financial relationship
3. Frozen the portion of my assets that were currently involved in the activity they were investigating
4. Visited my home -- when I was not there -- to "interview" my spouse, etc. regarding their knowledge and involvement ... and to attempt to obtain additional documentation not already obtained by the subpoenas
5. Threatened to seize my assets. Not just the ones frozen. Not just those I currently possessed. But all assets they deemed as ever having been part of the criminal activity. (Think every GC, MO, etc. you have purchased over the past 3-5 years)
6. Threatened one or more felony charges. (Consider having to explain THAT to your wife or boss.)
And that all was for something that was completely legal, once the 'splaining was done.
Of course once LEO opens a criminal investigation, it never actually closes unless they take you to court and fail. So even though I was cleared of the charges, the original case file is out there ready to be dusted off.
In the end, my biggest concern is the extent to which something will permanently impact my marriage or ability to enter into financial contracts (felony charges would be one example). Fortunately once the initial shock of LEO's investigation wore away, both my marriage and financial relationships were intact. Very thankful both she and a few key FI's stood by me.
When you MS, you are running with scissors.
Nobody is going to ask you "why are you loading your bluebird" or "where did you get the money you want to load on your bluebird" when you go to walmart.
New to Manufactured Spending? Start Here.
Jul 15, 2014 | 9:13 pm
#856
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 437
Anyways, I think a better place for your question is in the serve thread: Serve - Another Paypal/Amazon Payments.
Goodluck.
Jul 18, 2014 | 5:58 pm
#857
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH Gold (again), US/UA/DL non-elite, ZE Presidents Circle, WN reluctant no fee convert.
Posts: 1,449
Deleted.
Last edited by jan_believes; Jul 22, 2014 at 1:36 am
Jul 19, 2014 | 3:05 pm
#858
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 721
I have no datapoints, sounds like jan has bumped 500 CL to "temp" 2X. If the purchase is just a bit over 1X, just split with another CC.
Bluebird Serve Tmo etc, or your credit union's online banking website, will all push the payment.
Bluebird Serve Tmo etc, or your credit union's online banking website, will all push the payment.
Jul 20, 2014 | 6:24 pm
#859
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DFW,OVB (Russia)
Programs: AA HH Gold SPG Gold BA
Posts: 1,823
Anybody that's new to miles and points , flyertalk or MS should read this thread.http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...-decision.html
It contains useful information and tips by me and others on real world examples of what to expect when starting out
It contains useful information and tips by me and others on real world examples of what to expect when starting out
Jul 21, 2014 | 5:51 pm
#860
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 82
Hi all -
This doubles somewhat as a 'new to MS' question and a 'I've just spent an hour searching and can't seem to (re-)find a thread'. Any help appreciated...
I'm looking to take advantage of the Citibank/AA offer (open a checking account, meet criteria, get bonus miles) and was wondering, first, how frequently the offer has gone over the current 30K miles? (It seems like I might have juuuust missed a 50K...do those come around often?)
Second, I know Citi lets you fund the initial deposit with credit card, and am looking for some data points on confirming which cards won't post as CA. I'd *swear* I saw a thread covering this issue somewhere on the forums recently? Anyways, card options to fund are: Citi AA card (assume no-no), Chase CSP/Freedom, Barclay USAir, Club Carlson or BOA world mastercard. Not in any particular order, just looking for some info in addition to the DOC post covering this issue across multiple banks. Advice, link(s) to threads appreciated.
This doubles somewhat as a 'new to MS' question and a 'I've just spent an hour searching and can't seem to (re-)find a thread'. Any help appreciated...
I'm looking to take advantage of the Citibank/AA offer (open a checking account, meet criteria, get bonus miles) and was wondering, first, how frequently the offer has gone over the current 30K miles? (It seems like I might have juuuust missed a 50K...do those come around often?)
Second, I know Citi lets you fund the initial deposit with credit card, and am looking for some data points on confirming which cards won't post as CA. I'd *swear* I saw a thread covering this issue somewhere on the forums recently? Anyways, card options to fund are: Citi AA card (assume no-no), Chase CSP/Freedom, Barclay USAir, Club Carlson or BOA world mastercard. Not in any particular order, just looking for some info in addition to the DOC post covering this issue across multiple banks. Advice, link(s) to threads appreciated.
Jul 21, 2014 | 7:44 pm
#861
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 392
Hi all -
This doubles somewhat as a 'new to MS' question and a 'I've just spent an hour searching and can't seem to (re-)find a thread'. Any help appreciated...
I'm looking to take advantage of the Citibank/AA offer (open a checking account, meet criteria, get bonus miles) and was wondering, first, how frequently the offer has gone over the current 30K miles? (It seems like I might have juuuust missed a 50K...do those come around often?)
Second, I know Citi lets you fund the initial deposit with credit card, and am looking for some data points on confirming which cards won't post as CA. I'd *swear* I saw a thread covering this issue somewhere on the forums recently? Anyways, card options to fund are: Citi AA card (assume no-no), Chase CSP/Freedom, Barclay USAir, Club Carlson or BOA world mastercard. Not in any particular order, just looking for some info in addition to the DOC post covering this issue across multiple banks. Advice, link(s) to threads appreciated.
This doubles somewhat as a 'new to MS' question and a 'I've just spent an hour searching and can't seem to (re-)find a thread'. Any help appreciated...
I'm looking to take advantage of the Citibank/AA offer (open a checking account, meet criteria, get bonus miles) and was wondering, first, how frequently the offer has gone over the current 30K miles? (It seems like I might have juuuust missed a 50K...do those come around often?)
Second, I know Citi lets you fund the initial deposit with credit card, and am looking for some data points on confirming which cards won't post as CA. I'd *swear* I saw a thread covering this issue somewhere on the forums recently? Anyways, card options to fund are: Citi AA card (assume no-no), Chase CSP/Freedom, Barclay USAir, Club Carlson or BOA world mastercard. Not in any particular order, just looking for some info in addition to the DOC post covering this issue across multiple banks. Advice, link(s) to threads appreciated.
Jul 22, 2014 | 3:52 pm
#862
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, TY, UR, UA, US, WN, MR, SPG
Posts: 1,453
Question specific to MS charges on CHASE credit cards. Ive been hesitant to do much MS on Chase cards so as to NOT jeopardize my relationship with Chase. They have many terrific rewards cards, Ive receive multiple bonuses on several of their cards and their reconsideration process is among the most reasonable and accommodating in the industry. It aint broke and I certainly dont want to fix it. As such, Ive only done a few VR purchases (obviously months ago) on a (now closed) Chase card and Ive never paid a Chase CC bill with BB or Serve. Im now thinking of doing monthly Serve (without ISIS) loading, 5 consecutive daily $200 loads per month, on a Chase card along with about $500-$1000 in other monthly spending including all automatic monthly charges (TV, Health/Dental insurance premiums, road toll pass, newspaper). Im curious if the collective wisdom here thinks this would be risky or attention grabbing behavior with Chase. Thank you very much.
Wife --> Load from Citi, pay Chase
Mine --> Load from Chase, pay Citi
Jul 22, 2014 | 3:57 pm
#863
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 186
Jul 23, 2014 | 5:43 pm
#864
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 82
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ty-points.html on and off deal to get TYP for Citibank Account opening
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...all-banks.html Extended discussion regarding 1099s, quick read of a few posts towards the end suggests that TYP bonus for banking could trigger 1099 upon redemption, AA shouldn't. (I'm not a TYP user, can't confirm anything about this)
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...solidated.html
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...idated-25.html
Thanks again, hope this pays it forward a bit. To the +1 poster, if you have a good amount of cash to park I think fidelity has some of the best bonuses, though haven't looked in a while to confirm still available.
Jul 23, 2014 | 6:48 pm
#865
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 392
Thanks shenxing. I did some additional digging and found a few threads on that side, including the elusive one I was sure I'd stumbled upon previously. Hopefully this will help someone out, though I was unable to find (m)any current data points on using credit cards to fund Citibank accounts.
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ty-points.html on and off deal to get TYP for Citibank Account opening
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...all-banks.html Extended discussion regarding 1099s, quick read of a few posts towards the end suggests that TYP bonus for banking could trigger 1099 upon redemption, AA shouldn't. (I'm not a TYP user, can't confirm anything about this)
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...solidated.html
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...idated-25.html
Thanks again, hope this pays it forward a bit. To the +1 poster, if you have a good amount of cash to park I think fidelity has some of the best bonuses, though haven't looked in a while to confirm still available.
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ty-points.html on and off deal to get TYP for Citibank Account opening
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...all-banks.html Extended discussion regarding 1099s, quick read of a few posts towards the end suggests that TYP bonus for banking could trigger 1099 upon redemption, AA shouldn't. (I'm not a TYP user, can't confirm anything about this)
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...solidated.html
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...idated-25.html
Thanks again, hope this pays it forward a bit. To the +1 poster, if you have a good amount of cash to park I think fidelity has some of the best bonuses, though haven't looked in a while to confirm still available.
Jul 24, 2014 | 2:42 pm
#866
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 186
I tend to not bother with bank bonuses these days. In my opinion, they leave you much more exposed than churning credit card bonuses. You have to give the bank all sorts of information, they hold on to your money (instead of the other way around), they sometimes hit you with hidden fees, and there is the threat of freezing your money for "fraud" investigations.
Jul 25, 2014 | 11:13 am
#867
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Chyona
Programs: Anywhere I can ski...
Posts: 401
I tend to not bother with bank bonuses these days. In my opinion, they leave you much more exposed than churning credit card bonuses. You have to give the bank all sorts of information, they hold on to your money (instead of the other way around), they sometimes hit you with hidden fees, and there is the threat of freezing your money for "fraud" investigations.
Jul 26, 2014 | 4:34 pm
#868
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 589
I tend to not bother with bank bonuses these days. In my opinion, they leave you much more exposed than churning credit card bonuses. You have to give the bank all sorts of information, they hold on to your money (instead of the other way around), they sometimes hit you with hidden fees, and there is the threat of freezing your money for "fraud" investigations.
Jul 28, 2014 | 12:24 pm
#869
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 24
New to MS - Please advise/assist/suggest for $3,000 Spending
Hello,
I was just wondering anyone might be able to assist.
I am new to this whole Manufactured Spending scene.
I recently applied for the Platinum card and require to spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, but I am having trouble thinking of how to do this with the least amount of true money spending.
I have checked several CVS and RITEAID location and the GreenDOT and VanillaReloads are cash only, so that's out.
Sending money from one PayPal to the other, still costs money for one of the two accounts, so that's out.
Amazon I have not tried yet but I think I can only do $1,000 per month, which is slow, and I am looking for something quicker.
Any other possibilities with the absolute least amount of true money spending?
I was just wondering anyone might be able to assist.
I am new to this whole Manufactured Spending scene.
I recently applied for the Platinum card and require to spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, but I am having trouble thinking of how to do this with the least amount of true money spending.
I have checked several CVS and RITEAID location and the GreenDOT and VanillaReloads are cash only, so that's out.
Sending money from one PayPal to the other, still costs money for one of the two accounts, so that's out.
Amazon I have not tried yet but I think I can only do $1,000 per month, which is slow, and I am looking for something quicker.
Any other possibilities with the absolute least amount of true money spending?
Jul 28, 2014 | 12:35 pm
#870
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, TY, UR, UA, US, WN, MR, SPG
Posts: 1,453
First, welcome to FT.
Second, get ready for some harassment from the board, most likely. This forum is FILLED with tons of information on MSing. Most will tell you to go read, and that is good advice. This game has a huge learning curve. Many of us (and many way more knowledgeable than I) have spent untold hours reading and learning over the past years. There is a degree of "earning" the MS knowledge, for a few reasons:
1) The more people that do it, the more attention is drawn to each method, and the more likely they are to get shut down
2) The more inexperienced people are doing it, the more likely they are to get in over their heads or screw up big time and lose money
That said: AP is $1K/mo and if you do it quickly, you can get the minimum spend met in 32 days ($1K Jul 31, $1K Aug 1, $1K Sep 1). Look at Serve too, and you can get it done by Aug 5th.
Best advice: Read, read, read. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Check out the "New to MS..." thread stickied at the top of the forum. Don't beg for a "circles and arrows" diagram for everything you want. Learn, research, and realize this isn't a short-term game. If you're impatient, something will go wrong and you'll lose a lot of time, cash, or both.
Second, get ready for some harassment from the board, most likely. This forum is FILLED with tons of information on MSing. Most will tell you to go read, and that is good advice. This game has a huge learning curve. Many of us (and many way more knowledgeable than I) have spent untold hours reading and learning over the past years. There is a degree of "earning" the MS knowledge, for a few reasons:
1) The more people that do it, the more attention is drawn to each method, and the more likely they are to get shut down
2) The more inexperienced people are doing it, the more likely they are to get in over their heads or screw up big time and lose money
That said: AP is $1K/mo and if you do it quickly, you can get the minimum spend met in 32 days ($1K Jul 31, $1K Aug 1, $1K Sep 1). Look at Serve too, and you can get it done by Aug 5th.
Best advice: Read, read, read. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Check out the "New to MS..." thread stickied at the top of the forum. Don't beg for a "circles and arrows" diagram for everything you want. Learn, research, and realize this isn't a short-term game. If you're impatient, something will go wrong and you'll lose a lot of time, cash, or both.