I was dreading the 5 hour flight from Bali to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific’ economy class. My brother and sister were going to be sitting in Business class. I had booked their flights using Alaska miles and it had to be in the same cabin they were flying home in. I arranged our transportation … Read more
When the Target Prepaid REDcard (aka Redbird) essentially died as a manufactured spending tool earlier this month, it not only eliminated an important manufactured spending tool but if you’re a frequent Target shopper, it also eliminated the ability to save 5% on Target purchases while also earning miles. I personally shop at Target often and that 5% … Read more
I haven’t been this mad at myself since the first time office supply stores carried $500 Visa gift cards and I wasn’t an Ink cardholder yet. Yes, my Chase Ink Plus replacement card still hasn’t arrived. While others are cleaning out store racks and making backroom deals with store managers, I’m missing out. Despite the … Read more
I just got an email from American Express that reminded me of the good old days: When American Express would offer 100% off Amex gift card fees and shopping portals would have the codes listed right under a large text highlighting 1 – 4% cash back. Oh, and I would have the premium shipping plan, which meant … Read more
The great thing about being a Conrad Suites guest a the Conrad Bali is that you get 15% off all on-site dining and 15-25% off spa treatments. Everything at the resort was reasonably priced to begin with, so this discount made it even cheaper. Combine that with the 30 Hilton points per $1 I was earning … Read more
As many of you know, the Chicago Seminars took place this past weekend in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. This is an annual gathering of points and miles hobbyists to learn about the hobby and meet like-minded people. I attended for the first time back in 2013, so I was looking forward to returning and seeing … Read more
Since the demise of Redbird, it has been pretty quiet around here on the manufactured spending front – until Saturday night, when Karyn shared a great find with us: OfficeMax is stocking $500 Visa gift cards and you can buy them with a credit card. I’ve since had one person tell me he was also … Read more
Update: I failed to mention this in the original post, but fellow blogger Christine was able to buy Vanilla Visa gift cards at the Office Depot store across the street from the Chicago Seminars venue. So even if you can’t get Metabank Visas’s at OfficeMax, it’s worth checking out Office Depot for Vanilla Visas (if you … Read more
Update: Redbird is officially dead. Both NoonRadar and reader Gregory (who is a part time Target employee) have confirmed the existence of a memo stating that going forward, Redbird loads would be restricted to cash only. About two weeks ago I reported my experience at Roseville area Target stores, where my attempts at loading the … Read more
It’s been another low key week in manufactured spending. No $23,500 gift card churning feats or Redbird drama. It’s partly because I haven’t had the time to churn out big numbers like I used to. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I buy MetaBank Visa gift cards from Safeway since they’re easy to unload. This past … Read more