Kickfurther was a significant way I earned points and miles in 2018. For those who are unfamiliar with Kickfurther, it’s a crowdfunding platform where people can contribute funds via inventory purchases (co-ops). The companies then sell the inventory to retailers and usally give their contributors a 5 – 12% return on their investments.
I was looking for ways to earn points and miles from home and Kickfurther fit the bill. It was much more convenient and easier than churning Visa gift cards, which I didn’t have much time for.
In total, I earned 40,544 points and miles plus $2,442.86 on $37,416.50 worth of contributions. Minus the $1,023.31 loss and Kickfurther’s 1.5% withdrawal fee, my total profit came to $821.66.
Kickfurther Co-op Risk
Kickfurther is a riskier option that gift card churning. There is always the possibility that a co-op won’t be repaid or that the company goes under. In my case, I lost $1,023.31 on one such co-op, though I ultimately came out ahead.
While the company has some safeguards in place in case of a default, nothing is guaranteed. You could very well be out every single penny you contribute. Three years ago I invested $500 in the Nephew’s Kickfurther co-op and all they managed to recoup was $144.25 when the company defaulted on their payments.
Don’t contribute more than you can afford to lose. Earning points and miles should be secondary to not losing money.
My Total Kickfurther Earnings for 2018
Below is a break-down of my earnings from last year’s Kickfurther co-ops:
Total Invested: $37,416.50
Total Repaid: $39,859.36
Withdrawal Fee (1.5%): $597.89
Profit: $821.66
- Breakdown: $2,442.86 – $1,023.31 past due from Sogo Industries – $597.89 withdrawal fee
Rewards earned = 40,544 + $35.47
- 15,504 Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 9,187 Membership Rewards
- 8,292 Alaska miles
- 3,193 Citi ThankYou points
- 2,500 Marriott points
- 1,868 Korean SkyPass miles
- $35.47 cash back
Alps & Meters Kickfurther co-op
I invested a little over $2,762.80 in the Alps & Meters co-op and earned a $290.16 profit and a total of 2762 points.
Cards used: Amex Platinum and Citi Prestige
Invested: $2,762.80
Repaid: $3,052.95
Profit: $290.16
Points earned: 1381 Membership Rewards and 1381 Citi ThankYou
Erbaviva Kickfurther co-op
Erbaviva proved itself reliable, so I went big and invested $7,191.32 across five credit cards. In return, I earned a $691.20 profit along with 6,836 points and miles.
Cards used: Amex Platinum, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Citi Prestige, Alaska Visa Signature Card, Fidelity Rewards Card
Invested: $7,191.32
Repaid: $7,855.39
Profit: $664.07 + $27.13 cash back = $691.20
Points earned:
- 2,866 Membership Rewards points
- 3,009 Ultimate Rewards points
- 260 Citi ThankYou points
- 701 Alaska miles
Glamour Dolls Makeup Kickfurther co-op
I got just a $45.72 return on my $1,061.68 investment in the Glamour Dolls co-op. I also earned 1,015 Citi ThankYou points. A small profit but every bit counts.
Cards used: Citi Prestige
Invested: $1,015.96
Repaid: $1,061.68
Profit: $45.72
Points earned: 1,015 Citi ThankYou points
Goodwipes Kickfurther co-op
I changed the $1,967.60 investment in the Goowipes co-op to my Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card. In return, I earned a $203.60 profit and 1,967 Alaska miles.
Cards used: Alaska Airlines Visa Signature
Invested: $1,967.60
Repaid: $2171.20
Profit: $203.60
Points earned: 1,967 Alaska miles
Hidrate co-op
Using the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature and Chase Freedom Unlimited cards, I put $2,860.80 towards the Hidrate Inc. Kickfurther co-op. I earned 1,430 Alaska miles, 2,145 Chase Ultimate Rewards and $216 profit.
Cards used: Alaska Airlines Visa Signature, Chase Freedom Unlimited
Invested: $2,860.80
Repaid: $3,076.80
Profit: $216
Points earned: 1,430 Alaska miles, 2,145 Chase Ultimate Rewards
Kokopelli Outdoors co-op
Kokopelli had me worried for a minute because they seemed to be running behind on a scheduled payment. They were great about communicating their progress and ultimately repaid everyone. I managed to earn $585.06 cash and 7,512 points and miles across four credit cards.
Cards used: Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card, Chase Freedom Unlimited, American Express Platinum, Korean SkyPass card
Invested: $6,284.30
Repaid: $6,869.36
Profit: $585.06
Points earned: 7,512 points
- 1,925 Alaska miles
- 4,212 Ultimate Rewards
- 1,375 Membership Rewards
KZ Gear co-op
I only put $417 into the KZ Gear co-op and got $27.60 in return, plus $8.34 cash back through the Fidelity Rewards card.
Cards used: Fidelity card
Invested: $417
Repaid: $444.60
Profit: $27.60 + 8.34 cash back rewards= $35.94
Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press co-op
I contributed $537.36 towards the Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press co-op, using the Citi Prestige Card. I earned $44.40 cash and 537 ThankYou points, which I realize is not much. However, it’s a welcome trade-off from churning Visa gift cards.
Cards used: Citi Prestige
Invested: $537.36
Repaid: $581.76
Profit: $44.40
Points earned: 537 ThankYou points
New Wave Wholesale Nail Supply co-op
New Wave Wholesale Nail Supply ran several co-ops last year that I decide to contribute to. In total, I earned 2,397 points and $218 in return for a $2,398.48 contribution across three credit cards.
Cards used: Chase Ink Plus, Korean SkyPass, American Express Platinum Card
Invested: $2,398.48
Repaid: $2,616.48
Profit: $218
Points earned: 2,397 points
- 1,181 Ultimate Rewards points
- 708 Korean SkyPass miles
- 508 Membership Rewards points
Paul Evans LLC co-op
Through the Paul Evans co-op, I earned a total of 2,782 points and $417.24 in return for a $2,782.26 contribution.
Cards used: American Express Platinum Card, Alaska Airlines Visa
Invested: $2,782.26
Repaid: $3,199.50
Profit: $417.24
Points earned: 2,782 points
- 1,391 Membership Rewards points
- 1,391 Alaska miles
Phat Scooters co-op
The Phat Scooters Kickfurther co-op earned me just $42.61 and 643 Membership Rewards on a $643.55 contribution. At this point, it wasn’t so much about earning lots of cash or miles, but rather doing so with minimal effort.
Cards used: Amex Platinum
Invested: $643.55
Repaid: $686.16
Profit: $42.61
Points earned: 643 Membership Rewards
Safe Ride 4 Kids co-op
Using my Alaska Airlines Visa, I charged $878.90 to the Safe Ride 4 Kids campaign. In return, I earned 878 Alaska miles and $79.10
Cards used: Alaska Airlines Visa
Invested: $878.90
Repaid: $958
Profit: $79.10
Points earned: 878 Alaska miles
Solar Pool Technologies co-op
I’m not sure why I charged this co-op to the Amex Marriott Bonvoy card. I must have maxed out my other credit cards with GiftCardMall purchases. Nevertheless, my $1,250.45 contribution to the Solar Pool Technologies Kickfurther co-op got me 2,500 Marriott points and $83.15 cash back.
Cards used: Amex Marriott Bonvoy
Invested: $1,250.45
Repaid: $1,333.60
Profit: $83.15
Points earned: 2,500 Marriott points
SpaceMaster co-op
Looking through all of my earnings, I’m kicking myself for not using the Chase Freedom Unlimited more often. My $1,277.77 contribution to the SpaceMaster Kickfurther co-op earned me 1,1916 Ultimate Rewards points and $108.47.
Cards used: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Invested: $1,277.77
Repaid: $1,386.24
Profit: $108.47
Points earned: 1916 Ultimate Rewards points
Ubuyrite co-op
The Ubuyrite co-op was a small one. Using the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, I contributed $849.38 and got back $103.74 plus 1,274 Ultimate Rewards points. I should have gone bigger. Hindsight…
Cards used: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Invested: $849.38
Repaid: $953.12
Profit: $103.74
Points earned: 1,274 Ultimate Rewards points
United Spirit of America co-op
Contributing $1,454.96 towards the United Spirit of America co-op got me a nice payout of $154.96 and 2,182 Ultimate Rewards points. Maybe they’ll do another co-op in the future, with an equally high return rate.
Cards used: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Invested: $1,454.96
Repaid: $1,609.92
Profit: $154.96
Points earned: 2,182 Ultimate Rewards points
Wetsox co-op
Wetsox offered over 10% return on investment. I earned $109.66 profit and 1,160 Korean Skypass miles in exchange for $1,160.70. Considering how valuable those miles are, I’m happy with the outcome.
Cards used: Korean SkyPass Card
Invested: $1,160.70
Repaid: $1,270.40
Profit: $109.66
Points earned: 1,160 Korean Skypass miles
Saga Outerwear co-op
I only put $659.60 towards the Saga Outerwear Kickfurther co-op and earned a $72.60 profit and 989 points with the Chase Freedom Unlimited. You gotta love this card for its 1.5 point earning rate.
Cards used: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Invested: $659.60
Repaid: $732.20
Profit: $72.60
Points earned: 989 Ultimate Rewards points
Sogo Industries co-op
Sogo Industries fell behind on their payment, so I still haven’t received anything in return for my $1,023.31 investment. After months of radio silence and a rejected proposal to settle for a lower repayment, Kickfurther finally provided the following message on July 4:
“SOGO is with the agency and marked active. They have not yet made direct contact with the owner.”
While this sucks, the profits from the other co-ops ultimately help cover this $1,000+ loss.
Cards used: American Express Platinum Card
Invested: $1,023.31
Repaid: $0
Loss: -$1,023.31
Points earned: 1,023 Membership Rewards
Using Kickfurther in the Future
There were a couple of moments when a payment was late and no-confidence votes had begun. Those were not fun moments. But there were also several companies that paid out early and I ultimately profited from my contributions.
What I will say is that I’ll never contribute to a clothing co-op again, since those tend to run into trouble often. Also, just because a company has had successful co-ops in the past, that is no indication that you’ll get your money back the second or third time around. Keep these things in mind.
I’ve only put about $3,200 into Kickfurther co-ops this year and roughly $1600 has been repaid so far. I’ll provide an update in a couple of months about the rest.
For now, I’m taking a break from Kickfurther. I’ll use the service to complete minimum spending requirements, but don’t think I’ll put $40,000+ into it like I did last year.
If you’re interested in checking out Kickfurther, consider using my referral link to sign up.
Have you used Kickfurther to earn points and miles? How has it worked out for you so far?
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