I’ve recently been struggling with my new Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card and fraud alerts. I’ve had about four in the last week and became extremely frustrated. But a nice gal on Saturday morning straightened me out. With new Citi cards, if they see a transaction over about $400 from Kroger, […]
Tag: manufactured spending
Replacing Amex Marriott cards for manufactured spending
When American Express implemented a new policy to stop issuing points on gift card purchases (mainly at Simon and possibly GiftCardMall), a lot of people tossed out their Marriott Bonvoy cards. Thee new Marriott Bonvoy program has had its issues, leading once-loyal members to coin the term Bonvoyed. These two […]
Now what, with manufactured spending?
American Express is tightening down on gift card purchases. We’ve thankfully finished our 4X at grocery stores with Amex Gold, Dosh has disappeared at Kroger and I’ve found my bottom limit on available manufactured spending. I could still do Dosh for $15 each at Sam’s Club on gift cards, but […]
What’s your smallest profit on a $500 Visa gift card?
There is a lull here in good manufactured spending opportunities with the loss of Dosh at Kroger. It got me thinking, what is the lowest profit for $500 gift card I’d be willing to work for? With all the different methods we employ to pick up cash or miles and […]
Is Moneygram banning churners from buying money orders at Walmart?
I’ve been getting reports from readers who think they’ve been banned by Moneygram from buying money orders at Walmart. Apparently frequent churners have been getting “transaction could not be completed” messages when attempting to buy money orders. This usually happens when they try to purchase over $1,000 worth, which prompts […]
Has amex stopped issuing points at GiftCardMall?
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 […]
My cost to meet minimum spend
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 […]
Simon Mall $1,000 Visa gift card promo extended through October
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 […]
Manufactured spending: Location, location, location dictates everything
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 […]
5 manufactured spending risks to be aware of
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 […]