M$ speed bumps

[Rorer_714]

On ‎5‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 3:36 AM, Chris58 said:

A very prescient comment Sir. 

"Less is More"

 

[Chris58]

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 6:38 PM, Rorer_714 said:

Not a good sign. 

What do you think about this new 1K Simon thing?, (through Oct I gather).

 

All AMEX dead at Simon, new T&C's for Citi DC effective 1 November.

 

Too public, could this "openness" kill Simon as a source?

[Occam]

Beware of the CB effect when Chasing loopholes, we don't need more speed bumps.

[eonaxes]

whats the card of choice to churn Simons gcs?  Ive been out of the MS game for a bit because I havent seen a setup that really pulled me back in since the Wells Fargo 5% cash back cards.

[DPB]

1 hour ago, eonaxes said:

whats the card of choice to churn Simons gcs?  Ive been out of the MS game for a bit because I havent seen a setup that really pulled me back in since the Wells Fargo 5% cash back cards.

What are you after (points, miles, CB)? Also, what volume are you looking for? Simon is convenient, but not the best option unless you are doing high volume. 

Definitely not AMEX as none of their cards earn any MR points at Simon.

[eonaxes]

1 hour ago, DPB said:

What are you after (points, miles, CB)? Also, what volume are you looking for? Simon is convenient, but not the best option unless you are doing high volume. 

Definitely not AMEX as none of their cards earn any MR points at Simon.

I prefer cashback but I go for the most efficient rewards value return I can get

[Occam]

3 hours ago, eonaxes said:

whats the card of choice to churn Simons gcs?  Ive been out of the MS game for a bit because I havent seen a setup that really pulled me back in since the Wells Fargo 5% cash back cards.

Definitely not U.S. Bank either.

[DPB]

1 hour ago, eonaxes said:

I prefer cashback but I go for the most efficient rewards value return I can get

Rakuten (ebates) card gets 3% back. I use it for visa GC purchases at giftcardmall. Rakuten gives an additional 1% back through the portal which almost completely negates the activation fee. Liquidate to Serve or Bluebird plus money orders (when you exceed the Serve/BB monthly limits). 
I make decent cash back this way, but most of my M$ is for AMEX MR or Marriott points using bonus categories. If I want to cover the cost of M$ for the points I use a Citi DC card at Simon (just don’t cycle the credit limit on that card). Although liquidation has become slightly harder since Simon started selling the $1k cards. There are workarounds, but not talked about publicly since that would kill them. There are also cash out options for MR points. 
You’re not going to get 5% cash back anymore. Except on capped categories on Discover and some Chase cards.

If you’re only planning to do a few thousand per month you shouldn’t have issues. 

[eonaxes]

wow great intel thanks. Im a big ebates user but didnt realize there's cashback at giftcardmall.  Anyone use that Alliant 2.5% cashback card that gives 3% CB and $100AF waived for first year?  

 

  Ive been an alliant member forever but never got a card with them.  Says its a "high spender" card but dont know how aggressive they are to MS activities. But 3% +3% giftcard cashback would be crazy good, just need to dush off my bluebird and figure out a way to efficiently liquadate.  And then even after the first year 2.5% + $100AF is still very good... only need to churn about 1667/month to break even on the AF when comparing the Alliant card to a flat 2% CB card with no AF.

[Occam]

DG is dead for Serve loads. Registers hard coded cash only as of 1/10/20.

[cv91915]

8 hours ago, Occam said:

DG is dead for Serve loads. Registers hard coded cash only as of 1/10/20.

Boo

Edited January 13, 2020 by cv91915

[TheVig]

On 1/12/2020 at 10:37 PM, Occam said:

DG is dead for Serve loads. Registers hard coded cash only as of 1/10/20.

Yeah that sucks. I had a particular DG that was a real honey hole for me. Manager would open the door early so I could do my business without the general public around.

[DPB]

On 1/12/2020 at 10:37 PM, Occam said:

DG is dead for Serve loads. Registers hard coded cash only as of 1/10/20.

DG was great. No lines. Register right by the door. In and out very quickly. 
Thankfully I have plenty of liquidation options, but DG was my favorite for Serve. 

[DPB]

Rakuten Visa no longer gets 3% CB at GCM or GCC as of 2/15.

[TheVig]

Does Walmart allow the purchase of a Walmart GC with a CC?

 

I need to get a few things at Walmart and want to earn 4x on my Amex Gold.

 

I plan to buy the Walmart GC at a Walmart Neighborhood Market since they code as grocery for me. Then use the GC at a traditional Walmart. Unfortunately the neighborhood markets don't stock everything I need. If they did, I obviously wouldn't go thru the hassle of a workaround.

[MP80]

On 5/23/2020 at 4:57 AM, TheVig said:

Does Walmart allow the purchase of a Walmart GC with a CC?

 

I need to get a few things at Walmart and want to earn 4x on my Amex Gold.

 

I plan to buy the Walmart GC at a Walmart Neighborhood Market since they code as grocery for me. Then use the GC at a traditional Walmart. Unfortunately the neighborhood markets don't stock everything I need. If they did, I obviously wouldn't go thru the hassle of a workaround.

I think using a credit card for gift card purchases may make M$ disappear forever. As of today, is there any place where you can buy gift cards with a credit card? I say this kind of catheter could not be more effective and very slim.

 

Haha... If it works, you will see Kool & The Gang wandering around CB on this topic all day and all night.  

[CTSoxFan]

19 hours ago, MP80 said:

I think using a credit card for gift card purchases may make M$ disappear forever. As of today, is there any place where you can buy gift cards with a credit card? I say this kind of catheter could not be more effective and very slim.

 

Haha... If it works, you will see Kool & The Gang wandering around CB on this topic all day and all night.  

 

Our local grocery store here allows purchasing gift cards with a credit card, at least for non VGCs (haven't tried a VGC).  While grocery stores were the bonus category in Q1 I bought grocery GCs with my CSR to capitalize on the 3x points through April.  I believe most stores are the same, but don't have the empirical evidence to prove it.

[centex]

19 hours ago, MP80 said:

I think using a credit card for gift card purchases may make M$ disappear forever. As of today, is there any place where you can buy gift cards with a credit card? I say this kind of catheter could not be more effective and very slim.

 

Haha... If it works, you will see Kool & The Gang wandering around CB on this topic all day and all night.  

I've had no problems at a local grocery store (national chain) running both store-type gift cards as well as the V/MC/AXP gift cards and paying with American Express.  Granted, i was not doing it for the purposes of M$ but it raised no red flags either with the cashier or with the issuer.

[MP80]

7 hours ago, CTSoxFan said:

 

Our local grocery store here allows purchasing gift cards with a credit card, at least for non VGCs (haven't tried a VGC).  While grocery stores were the bonus category in Q1 I bought grocery GCs with my CSR to capitalize on the 3x points through April.  I believe most stores are the same, but don't have the empirical evidence to prove it.

 

7 hours ago, centex said:

I've had no problems at a local grocery store (national chain) running both store-type gift cards as well as the V/MC/AXP gift cards and paying with American Express.  Granted, i was not doing it for the purposes of M$ but it raised no red flags either with the cashier or with the issuer.

Sorry, I am not specific enough. I think your dynamic duo did not catch the point.    The theme is M$, the game plan, the plot to maneuver is to make money and if you had a partner like your spouse will be included every day, then this will bring a considerable increase in net income, this is the scenario in which I was delineating to. The good fortune of the scheme being described ended a few years ago. 

[MP80]

6 hours ago, MP80 said:

The good fortune of the scheme being described ended a few years ago. 

"The good fortune of the scheme being described ended a few years ago."

 

I think it is currently possible to purchase ordinary gift cards with credit cards, and these gift cards are not related to any VGC, MCGC, and AXGC...

  

Occasionally I believe you still can or at least make a purchase like 10-25 dollars of VGC using a major credit card, but, not like it use to be on a grand scale purchasing, a volume of like say 1000-5000 dollars of VGC card at the same grocery store on a daily schedule.

[TheVig]

Haven't tried it yet............

 

Might work wonders on receipt based loyalty programs.

 

LINK

[centex]

5 hours ago, TheVig said:

Haven't tried it yet............

 

Might work wonders on receipt based loyalty programs.

 

LINK

I could see THAT opening doors to actual claims of fraud.  Not a huge fan of gaming but not a fan at all of outright fraud...

 

That being said, and to the post from April...I know Kroger is still processing gift cards in a manner that gets points as a grocery spend.  But I am not doing the volume like some people were.  I discovered the small data point during one of the store's 4x fuel point promos for gift cards.  Prices around here serve to make the 4x points offset the small fee that comes with the GC purchases that work on V/MC/AXP networks.  Meanwhile, the grocery purchase processes as normal for card bonuses... 

[TheVig]

4 hours ago, centex said:

I could see THAT opening doors to actual claims of fraud.  Not a huge fan of gaming but not a fan at all of outright fraud...

 

That being said, and to the post from April...I know Kroger is still processing gift cards in a manner that gets points as a grocery spend.  But I am not doing the volume like some people were.  I discovered the small data point during one of the store's 4x fuel point promos for gift cards.  Prices around here serve to make the 4x points offset the small fee that comes with the GC purchases that work on V/MC/AXP networks.  Meanwhile, the grocery purchase processes as normal for card bonuses... 

 

I agree with you on outright fraud. Since I posted it, I quickly talked myself out of the idea.

 

Harris Teeter (owned by Kroger) used to be a regular fill up spot for us. Mrs. Vig works for them. I would buy HT GC earning 4x on Amex, then buy gas. 99.9% of HT pumps don't code as grocery, hence my workaround. However HT removed the ability to use their own GC at their own pumps a long time ago.

[centex]

7 hours ago, TheVig said:

 

I agree with you on outright fraud. Since I posted it, I quickly talked myself out of the idea.

 

Harris Teeter (owned by Kroger) used to be a regular fill up spot for us. Mrs. Vig works for them. I would buy HT GC earning 4x on Amex, then buy gas. 99.9% of HT pumps don't code as grocery, hence my workaround. However HT removed the ability to use their own GC at their own pumps a long time ago.

BUT...the V/MC/AXP cards will still work, or at least they do a Kroger pumps.  The pumps don't code as grocery for the purposes of regular organic rewards, so I usually just use whichever card gives me the best rewards at the moment (I fill up more than once a week).  

[greendude]

Hi Folks,

What options are still alive to liquidate Simon's GCs ? Walmart for MO is dead in our area. 

TIA !!