Manufactured Spending 2016

VGC

If you learn the ropes of buying gift cards and liquidating them, not only this could become an easy MS’ing method but you could also make money off of it. Here is a step by step on how to meet MSR buying VGCs

1. Buy Visa gift cards (VGC) online through giftcards.com.
2. Go through cashback portals like (yazing.com iconsumer.com ebates.com).
3. Pay with miles/point earning Credit credit. Currently iconsumer.com pays %1.5 for GCs which will typically cover the GC fees.

1. iconsumer.com is offering %1.5 cashback on VGCs.
2. Click the store name. You’re redirected to GiftCards.com
3. Add 4 x $500 cards to your cart (customize with free greeting cards of course)

The Math

You are buying $2000 worth of VGCs for 2035.76, in other words paying $35.76 in fees and shipping. Remember the goal here is to pay as little as possible (or nothing) when MS’ing otherwise what’s the point of racking miles/points if you gotta pay money to make money.

but remember that cashback thing? yea so …

0.015 x 2035.76 = $30.53

 (most cashback sites will give you rebate on the order total including fee and shipping cost)

We are still paying $5.23 to buy $2000. Not a whole lotta money but I’m greedy. I don’t want to pay anything.

Let’s say you’re using a cashback earning 1 point per dollar. This purchase will give you 2035 points. Most CC points are valued at 1cpp; 2035/100 = $20.35

You’re coming out $15.12 ahead thereby making money off buying VGCs.

Let’s say your goal is not to earn cashback but rack up miles. You’ll still come out ahead because the 2035 points will more than cover the fees and still have 1512 points (or miles) as profit. So in essence you paid $0 to make 1512 miles.

Resources: GC MS calculator spreadsheet

Fund New Bank Account

Thanks for DoC‘s list of banks that accept CC to fund a new account, you can easily spend the minimum by funding using your new CC. The banks below are some of the easiest when it comes to funding with a CC allowing a generous limit. Keep in mind that bank rules change constantly. They are tightening regulations as they become more aware of MS’ing techniques. Citi for example suddenly removed the option to fund with CC.

Elevations CU
PNC
First Merit
Tech CU
AgFed
MountainOne Bank.

Few things to note:

• Make sure to set your cash advance to the minimum possible BEFORE funding the new account.
• Ensure that the transaction will go through as “Purchase” and not “cash advance” (CA) See Docs list for which banks/credit card combo process as CA
• You may not qualify for the accounts listed on Docs list. Many CU’s and banks impose restrictions such employee affiliations or location. Be sure to call the bank first before applying to ensure that you qualify otherwise you’ll be wasting a Chexsystems hit

Plastiq:

Yes they charge a fee but you could find other methods to make up the fees: checking account sign up bonus, rebates..etc

Buy Refundable Hotel reservations – (RISKY)

Buy a hotel reservation a few months out. Wait at least 3-4 billing cycles until the bonus posts. Transfer the miles out then cancel the reservation. This is very risky because the CC bank will try to claw the miles back so you may end up with a negative bonus balance and may end up getting you blacked out. See this discussion

Hotels.com: http://www.hotels.com/customer_care/pillar/risk_free_booking.html

1. How do I find the individual hotel’s change and cancellation policy before I make a reservation?We provide the policy for each property in several places throughout the site. The easiest way to find it is on the ’Description’ and ’Book It’ tabs of the individual property, after entering your travel dates. You can also find the change and cancellation policy while making your reservation
2. How do I find the individual hotel’s change and cancellation policy after I have made a reservation?The easiest way to find the change and cancellation policy for the hotel room you’ve reserved is to consult your confirmation email. If you don’t have your confirmation email handy, you can view your reservation online. After locating your reservation, you can find the policy at the bottom of the page.

Fund an Investment Account

Some people have mentioned things like Forex investment; fund investment account with CC.

Nope! Brokers don’t allow CC funding.

PayPal Master Card (PPMC)

See this link. This guy was able to buy them in NYC with CC. I tried to buy them in my area but no luck! no one is accepting CCs.