By now, you’ve probably heard that American Express is no longer issuing points on gift card purchases. Or at least in theory. A month ago, Amex added language to their terms stating that gift card purchases would no longer earn points or count towards spending requirements. This policy has been enforced at Simon Mall for a … Read more
Over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed a proliferation of fare deals to Europe and Asia that would make me think twice about a coach class redemption to either destination. They seem to show up everywhere from, Flyertalk’s Mileage Run forum, blog posts, secretflying.com, on Facebook groups and I even saw one recently mentioned on … Read more
After all these years, getting a new credit card in the mail is still a hoot. The idea of collecting a nice reward for so little effort really charges me up. In fact, being the obsessive type, I can’t wait to meet that minimum spend. How I meet minimum spending requirements After activating the card, … Read more
The Apple credit card came out a few weeks ago and the coverage has been abysmal. After reading two articles in the mainstream news, I still had no idea what the basic features of the Apple Credit Card were. One Yahoo post focused on superficial aspects like “sign-up is easy” and “it looks cool.” Nothing … Read more
Remember, in this hobby, every one of us has a different goal and things that are important to them. Some folks want to learn about First Class cabins. Some care about locations, and others still, are into reselling or maybe it’s manufactured spending. Here’s where I go for information every day. Email updates The first … Read more
Update on 10/28/19: The $1,000 Simon Mall VISA gift card deal has been extended “indefinitely.” Great news for those of you who like hassle-free gift card churning: Simon Mall is extending the $1,000 Visa promotion through October 31, 2019! Simon Mall had originally planned on running this promotion through August 4, then extended it through … Read more
It’s great to be writing again and seeing the variance of techniques used based on the readers’ location. And the comments on techniques I’ve never considered, help me stay open to new MS possibilities. Here are the factors that control my manufactured spending world: Gift cards Ariana is on the West Coast. I’m on the … Read more
I share my weekly manufactured spending activity pretty regularly on this blog. It helps me track how many points I’m earning at what cost and gives readers an idea of how it’s done. That being said, I don’t think these posts directly address the risks involved in manufactured spending. I have on occasion shared how … Read more
We hobbyists are so accustomed to loyalty programs, many of us choose our airlines, hotel chain and credit card provider based on the loyalty program that treats us best. It’s become a way of life and truly forms habits in our purchases. Bumped.com and the Bumped app take it one step further than I have experienced … Read more
Years ago Virgin Atlantic and British Airways would run these incredible business class fare deals to Europe. At one point, a round-trip between San Francisco and London in VA’s Upper Class came in around $1,480. At the time, I thought “Why would I pay for this when I can use miles?” Those were abundant days. … Read more