When we released the scores for #milemadness we omitted the scores from one player. I was tracking the results from a non-blogger going by the moniker of DCbroker. He had a simple, and incredibly powerful formula for manufactured spend that beat all of the other totals, however, it also broke our rules for bankroll cycling.
One comment I heard a couple of times when asking for players is that $5K per day wasn’t worth their time, other than having small penis syndrome, these folk missed the point that all players selected are easily capable of doing a lot more than $5K per day. In fact, it was one of the hardest sales pitches for me to convince people to play at this level, since it is restrictive. The goal was that it would make it more accessible, and also levels the playing field, since we did have people who would be putting 5-6 figure amounts through debit cards….
So, in fairness, when DCbroker presented me his results my first impression was “WOW this is amazing“, followed by a concern that the cycle was too fast, and that it may be disallowed. After all, the players had all agreed to ‘tone down’ what they were doing in order to jump through the hoops we created to shape the Tournament. This post will explore his tactics, and show their value. Everyone who played the game thought his strategy was excellent, but it was the convolutions of our ruleset that said it wouldn’t work.
About DCbroker
DCbroker is an information management professional in Washington, D.C. He was educated in California and Bahrain. He has studied economics and Islamic finance and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East. He does not write about his experiences.
The DCbroker Method
| Date | Action | Amount | Cost | Points | Cash back | SPG | Arrival | NFCU Flagship | |
| 3/1/2014 | AMEX GC | 5000 | 15.95 | 5000 | 99.84 | 5000 | |||
| 3/2/2014 | No activity | ||||||||
| 3/3/2014 | XXXXXX | 5000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Walmart money orders | 5000 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| AMEX GC | 5000 | 99 | 5000 | 149.64 | 5099 | ||||
| 3/4/2014 | XXXXXX | 5000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Walmart money orders | 5000 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| AMEX GC | 5000 | 0 | 5000 | 149.64 | 5000 | ||||
| 3/5/2014 | XXXXXX | 5000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Walmart money orders | 5000 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| AMEX GC | 5000 | 0 | 5000 | 149.64 | 5000 | ||||
| 3/6/2014 | XXXXXX | 5000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Walmart money orders | 5000 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| AMEX GC | 5000 | 0 | 5000 | 149.64 | 5000 | ||||
| 3/7/2014 | XXXXXX | 5000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Walmart money orders | 5000 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| AMEX GC | 5000 | 0 | 5000 | 149.64 | 5000 | ||||
| 3/8/2014 | XXXXXX | 5000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Walmart money orders | 5000 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| AMEX GC | 5000 | 0 | 5000 | 149.64 | 5000 | ||||
| 997.68 | 10099 | 15000 | 10000 | ||||||
| 997.68 | 196.9305 | 330 | 200 | 1724.610 |
The process
There was a little misunderstanding, since it wasn’t clear about the fees inclusion rule, this was my fault as I was too busy and didn’t explain everything clearly.However that is just a silly ‘gamerule’ and that could have been accounted for simply by making day 1 Gift Card purchase reduced to $5,000-$15.95 for a total card value of $4984.05 for our purposes.
On Day 1 TopCashBack was offering 2% Cash Back, from Day 2 that boosted to 3%, so the deal became even more lucrative. On day one, in addition to the points he earned by using a Credit Card, by going through TopCashBack $100. So his starting day 2 bankroll (using our rules) was
- $5,000
- Minus $15.95 for overnight shipping
- Minus $3.50 for 5 Walmart Money Orders (he bought 5x $999.30 orders for a flat $1,000 each, one of which we would account down for game rules)
- Plus $100 Cash Back from Top Cash Back
Net Starting Day 2 Bankroll = $5080.55, plus 5000 SPG earned
Day 2
- $5080.55
- Minus $99 for unlimited overnight shipping for the year
- Minus $3.50 for 5 Walmart Money Orders (he bought 5x $999.30 orders for a flat $1,000 each, one of which we would account down for game rules)
- Plus around $150 cash back (now raised to 3% as luck would have it)
Net Day 3 Starting Bankroll = $5128.05 plus total of 10099 SPG earned
From Day 3 onwards, he had no more shipping expense, so his daily cycle was incredibly valuable:
Could spend the full $5000 on Giftcards, earning $150 Cash Back plus paying just $3,50 out of pocket to make them into Cash again, within the same day. Each transaction additionally generating $5,000 of Credit Card spend. In theory he could have bought even more cards, since his bankroll would allow him to start buying $5100, $5250 etc as each day the value rose, but for simplicity’s sake he kept it to $5,000 even.
By the end of a week, the total cash value collected from this was an astounding $1,724.61 and what is more impressive is that the work load is minimal, you receive the core cards via the mail from Amex shipped overnight, pop out and buy the XXXXX card, and then buy 5 money orders, that can be done in next to no time if you have a Walmart nearby.
The Lesson
The most critical part of this puzzle is the XXXXX transaction. Anyone can purchase $5,000 of Amex Giftcards and make a solid $150 profit on the trade, and in the process it makes the credit card points acquisition price a money maker. The hard thing was the liquidity factor, since you can’t directly buy Money Orders with Amex Giftcards. As such, people were doing things like running them through Amazon Payments, or Kiva Loan ladders, both took time, since AP has a $1,000 per month transaction limit per account, and Kiva takes around 6 months to return.
DCbroker found a way to speed up the entire transaction to happen in just one day, which is amazing work. The method was disallowed because in our tournament rules we state T+1, so we say that he would have to wait 1 more day for the funds to be considered back on his credit card for the next purchase, but in reality, they don’t need to be as he has a Credit Line that exceeds this amount. So, the key for a person seeking to learn about the process is to look at the power and simplicity of this transaction, see where the addition of the XXXXX factor changes an ‘average’ system into a powerhouse and start testing it out.
For those who simply are following along for interests sake, there is no need to know the name of XXXXX, for those of you in the intermediate levels (in the middle of the Venn) I can see the desire to have it. In order to keep it away from google indexing I have placed the details into the Private Forum, please sign up here, and send me a note if you need access to the restricted content.
The method employed is not available to everyone, as it does have some geographical location issues including requiring Walmarts for MoneyOrders, and another store for the X Factor, but hopefully sharing the story will help people think about things a little differently and find ways to increase value. Interestingly it is all out there in the public realm, but it is the crafting together that he did in his method that makes it very simple, and very effective.
Tips, Warnings and Caveats
I’ll start out with this excellent email from DCbroker:
I’m sure you’ve thought of all this, but in my conversations with family/friends their biggest concern is, What happens when the music stops? When someone (TCB, AMEX, Safeway, XXXXX, Walmart) changes their policy, won’t you be screwed? My answer is, This is a strategy with no risk of loss, only foregone future gains.
It would be sad (or I should say, IS GOING TO BE sad) when things change and this is no longer a viable strategy. But things are always changing and we can only take advantage of what is available right now.
The great thing about this strategy, as I said above, is that you’re never at risk of losing money because you’re always trading cash for cash. You may lose your anticipated returns from TCB if they shut down your account (hasn’t happened to me yet but you never know), but you will never be out of pocket.
In the worst case scenario I get stuck with $5000 of AMEX GC no one will let me use to buy XXXXX But I can still spend them on purchases (either for use of resale) or sell them directly for a small discount. Being “stuck” with Visa debit cards is an even better scenario because there are so many ways to liquidate them.
My advice, as I’m sure yours is as well, is for beginners to start small and get used to the flow. Never have more money in motion than you can do without for a few weeks. And don’t be conspicuous when making your purchases. Even though everything about this strategy is legal, it’s not commonplace and therefore makes people curious. When people are curious and feel vulnerable they call it suspicion and when people are suspicious they feel justified in making your life difficult.
I’m always polite and non-confrontational. I spread purchases over several stores at different times of the day. And I keep track of successes and failures so I don’t go back to a cashier who has previously denied me a transaction.
It’s a good idea to have a separate bank account in a business name because repetitive large deposits don’t look as aberrant.
Superb advice here (and a little clue about where to locate XXXXX. Additionally I would like to follow up with:
- TopCashBack doesn’t Always track your order properly, so you may lose some upside, but as DCbroker states, that is not going to cost you money, it just means you could earn a bit less than expected.
- A real risk remains loss/theft. You are waltzing around with a lot of cash or cash equivilents, that makes the impact of loss/theft more substantial.
- In addition to the valid point on bank accounts, based on what I hear about Chase these days, I wouldn’t even touch a Chase account in this process.
If you sign up for TopCashBack using the links in this post I get a $10 referral fee, I will donate any referrals from the entire month of March to a Charity of DCbrokers choice. PS DCbroker wasn’t banned from the Tournament, he just decided that this is what he likes to do, and he didn’t want to change it (not that I blame him!) and he bowed out gracefully.
Astoundingly interesting. I am definitely in the middle of your Venn diagram, but I am afraid that my MS prowess does not extend to my Twitter communication knowledge. Would it be possible to me the info to me at the email I used to leave this comment? Or I would gladly learn how to DM someone who is not following me.
Hey Livvy,
Just tweet me with the link and it will hashtag automatically, should be able to follow you and DM
How can you buy money orders with an amex gift card?
Xxxxx
use the amex gift card to buy $500 pre-paid visa/mc debit cards from grocery stores that have the ability to set a pin, then use them to buy money orders
I don’t so much care what XXXX is specifically, as why is there no cost to acquiring it? Is it a debit card that gets loaded using AMEX cards?
Well that is kinda the intrinsic point, that it has zero fee and can be a conduit to get from Amex GC>MO. It is a debit, but lets not speculate as to its name here on the thread so as to add a layer of convolution.
Hey Matt! Tweeted you but I guess you are not allowed to DM since I have a private account.
Can you follow back? Twitter handle is in e-mail. Thanks!
Nice job DCbroker! A few comments as well…
AMEX has been notoriously slow in shipping my gift cards so DCbroker must have to carry a significant float to manage this. Also, I assume that he has multiple AMEX accounts as I thought that the AMEX gift card limit per month is fairly low? The spreadsheet shows $35K in a week.
Hey Mark,
There is always one guy with the protected account 🙂 I ‘requested your permission to follow you’….
Good point about the actual ability to push that fast. Regarding limits, look to the Business Side.
I have a protected account also 🙂 Thanks if you can request permission to follow me as well….
Hey Livvy, can you email me your handle, then I will do that.
How does this work? I cliked the link and retweeted the post. ..sorry I hardly ever use twitter and new to this.
AMEX has an overnight shipping option for $15.95. They also offer unlimited overnight shipping when you enroll in their Premium Shipping Plan for $99/yr. (really only $74 because when you enroll they send you a $25 gift card).
I understand they have overnight shipping (I signed up for that as well). However, it takes them 4 or 5 days just to process the gift cards (particularly when they are personalized). Are you using un-personalized amexs? Or do you get personalized gift cards to ship on the day after your purpose?
I’ve never used personalized gift cards. I just get the default (Original Gold, I think) and they always process it the same day. If I place the order in the morning I get an immediate email that my order has been received and then another email a few hours later telling me the order has been approved. Shortly after that I get an email telling me the order has been shipped.
I’ve never had it take longer than a day except on the weekend (don’t deliver on Sunday) or when I place an order in the evening.
Note, they will “receive” your order at any time but only process them during working hours.
Interesting. I’ve had problems in using the non-personalized AMEX GC when purchasing VRs so I’ve been getting personalized cards with my name on them. Shipping does take forever on the personalized cards. My last order took over 10 days! I will have to re-think this now… Thanks!
There have also been reports of AMEX cancelling orders of business GCs with a personal CC (although not really sure how they can tell?). Just ask MilesPointsandMaiTais about that one.
Where can you sign up for AMEX overnight shipping? Do you have a link?
DC- wondering how often you pay off the Starwood. Not sure if there is a monthly limit to payments? I’d be maxed out after day 2.
Awesome story. Very inspiring! Thanks Matt & DC!
Christine,
I pay off the balance on all my cards twice a month to make sure I never carry a balance and to free up spending room. I have fairly permissive credit lines but as you can see from the above I also move spending to different cards.
The three cards I used when I was tracking my spending for this tournament were the SPG AMEX, Arrival, and NFCU Flagship Visa cards because they get the best returns, but I also use lower return cards to keep the process moving while paying down the balances on these cards.
Thanks! Continued success, keep us posted! 🙂
I am pretty familiar with what he is doing and once you read a little about MS you will see it is not rocket science. What is MOST interesting about this is the NFCU credit card, that’s one you don’t hear about every day and looks very nice! My main beef with this methodology is the addition of steps to the process. I could for example just buy XXX straight at a store that sells it and then go to buy my MO’s. I probably have a credit card that earns a high multiplier at that store. I always think of my MS trips as either a “load” or an “unload”. So if I am buying XXX I am “loading” and if I am using XXX to buy MO’s I am “unloading”. I hate that with this technique I have one step that is “loading” and another that is “unloading” but then I have another intermediate step that is neither. I really hate that. I always want to be either earning points or liquidating points and on that intermediate step I am doing neither and I hate that.
I very curious how XXX ends up being free. If it’s something specific to AMEX cards I could understand that, but if you can buy it with other methods, it’s not free is it?
Miles,
Yes, you can buy XXX directly with your miles/points earning card. The advantage is that online portals often offer 2-4% cash back on the purchase of AMEX gift cards (though they fluctuate frequently). This is an additional benefit above and beyond what you’re earning on the credit card you use to purchase them.
But if, as you say, you have a miles/points earning credit card that gives you a category bonus for the store you use to purchase XXX then you can cut out the AMEX gift card step. This is especially beneficial when portal cash back bonuses are low.
Seems like everywhere I go to get XXX they only accept cash for it. How do you purchase it without cash.
Somewhere else 🙂 it’s just one of those things that doesn’t work everywhere unfortunately
I was thinking about this a bit more, and Milesabound has a good point here. Even at 4% cb Amex gc is hardly worth it as a cb machine. You will never earn more then the base amount of your cc for amex gc; that is 1% for all cc except barclay and fidelity. Even using a 2% card only makes your profit 1% better if your going strictly for cb, but thats a lot of extra hassle for 1%. That said, if your willing to add the extra step you can get 5% (or 4%cb + 1x) on any credit card while meeting minimum spend. So not bad if your going for minimum spend, but it hardly seems worth it if you just want cb.
Everyone has their own definition of ‘worth it’ but 5% of $75,000 or $3,750 cash back per month is worth it for many people.
@Matt I was comparing using this method for cash back, versus a 5% cb at grocers card. Of course going for 5% cb is worth it, its just a matter of how you do it.
Do both! This one works well for those unfortunate to not have a 5x card but yep, I agree an old style amex blue can be a powerful tool.
I’m fairly new to manufactured spend only having started in January. I’m curious to what XXXX is but also want to know if the money orders have to be done at Walmart. What is the benefit to cashing out at Walmart instead of my local grocery store chain? Thanks!
You don’t need to go to Walmart but they accept debit cards for money orders and many grocery chains do not. They also allow you to get money orders up to $1000.
I could make this even simpler. Before the contest, get the following cards
Old Amex Blue (5%), Wells Fargo (5%) and a few other cards that give 5% CB (at least a few months).
Step 1 : Go to CVS/Grocery Store and buy visa gift card for $500 at a cost of 4.95. Lets approximate the cost to $5.
Step 2 : Take the visa gift card to Walmart and convert to MO. Cost is $0.70
Step 3: Deposit the MO in your bank.
Each $500 VGC nets me $20. 10 cards a day would be $200. Assuming the same cost as DCBroker, that would be $3.50. So, a profit of $196.5 per day.
The only thing he is doing different is using SPG card and converting Amex to VGC/Mastercard (or probably loading Amex to a debit card like Visa Buxx/Paypal) at zero cost.
…except what kind of pre-paid debit card would allow $35k of loads per week…for free, and not do a shut-down?
The only way to convert an Amex gift card to VGC is thru giftcardmall(from topcashback at 0.5%). That would reduce the fees to $3.5 ($6 fee per 500 VGC – 0.5%) but an additional day of processing. Converting Amex to VGC with no cost is the KEY.
I do know of one way to do that @ Bestbuy.
Buy $200 VGC at BB using Amex gift cards. BB provides a 5% rewards and Shopkick provides another $5 for VGC purchases. So, every $200 VGC @ BB would fetch $10 of BB rewards, $5 Shopkick points and cost $6. You can make money in this process. Only issue is not every BB stocks VGC.
BB has 5% rewards? I thought that was back in January?
Maybe this is a rookie question but to clarify, WMT accepts standard visa gift cards to buy money orders?
Yep, accepts most, go small first if you are testing out new card types, that way you can always just spend it down elsewhere.
This is exactly what I am currently doing.
Thanks Matt and DCbroker for being generous and sharing. The NFCU credit card is a great little corollary tip and if I hadn’t read this post I don’t know when I would have discovered it! Looking forward to confirming what XXXXX is – have been reading and speculating since I read the post earlier in the day.
Hey Girl,
Did you tweet me? If I missed you give me a nudge there or leave your twitter handle here.
Matt and DCBroker,
This is ingenious. Matt: I tweeted you (not a big twitter person, but logged on to my twitter account specifically because you said DM). Can you please DM me? My twitter handle is @yeshu1984
Thanks in advance.
Very interesting post. I’m not so great with twitter. I believe I’ve tweeted, and don’t think it’s protected. Would be grateful to know what xxxx is, if you don’t mind. Thank you!
I mailed you
I tried Twitter and I am hopeless. Please send me what XXXXXX is to my e-mail.
Ha! Yes I saw, I’ll get to you
I might also be failing at twitter. I did manage to send a tweet @ you, I think. I’m actually not sure if I used my twitter account or my very unrelated to travel (except for a few road trip posts) blog’s account.
Just so as not to create another mystery I added my blog link above. Fair warning, it is pure silliness and in no way related to travel rewards.
Pretty sure I’m aware of xxxx after reading through all comments. I only have one SW related store anywhere near me and have been denied multiple times on it. When there was a coupon that covered the fee, no problem buying with CC. Now with no fee, but new wording on package it is a no go. Sigh.
If you have a CVS there is an Extra Buck offer for $5 when you purchase one of the reloadable cards, forget which one but it is in the ad. Limit 6. Limit is easy to get around. I have not checked to see if this is a multi week deal, many EB offers are.
Hey, Matt. Tried tweeting once and must not have gone through. Tried again and “forbidden.” D’oh! Hook me up at @ed1chandler?
What a great post! Thank you for discussing this topic. I’m sorry if I missed this, but what do you do with all the money orders? Doesn’t the bank start asking questions if so many money orders are being deposited?
I wouldn’t use Chase for any of this, and maybe having a few accounts at different banks would help
Have not received a DM. Twitter handle is @ScotttyChambers. Thanks
Hey Scott,
Twitter won’t let me DM unless you are following me.
Just checking Flyertalk’s discussion of XXXX. Seems to be a lot of negativity around this vehicle, threats of shutdown, etc? Is the 411 on XXXX real, or our squirrel friends trying to ward off chipmunks? Thanks
I honestly don’t know, DCbroker likes it, i’ve not tried it, and the problem with FT is that if it is great it is even more likely to be bashed than if it is not…
Sorry. New to twitter. Now following.
I thought that I was definitely in the middle of the Venn diagram (however guessed the x factor correctly), now I guess I’d be more interested in a future post of how this all scales. I am quite sure that with my stated salary, doing this at DCbroker’s scale would result in adverse action pretty quickly. Or maybe my hesitance is what defines me as at the intermediate level.
Is there a reason not to just use bill pay at WM once you have the debits (for non-Amex cards)? The cost per 2k is equivalent, and you’d you could avoid the money order step.
People certainly do that. This is a method to go big and capture the cashback that will offset the points generation.
I’m very intrigued by what XXXX is, great post Matt and DCBroker, if you don’t mind sharing, tweet me @myoldsmoky, I can’t stop thinking, have a great weekend!
Great post, Matt and DCbroker! I did tweet you, but have not seen a reply. Can you reply to @rossir?
I have been. Benefitting from the Amex trade, though your ingredient adds extra kick! I also have not tried going through the business side at Amex. Did not know I could using personal cards.
DM’d you, if you haven’t got it just let me know your twitter handle and I will do so again, make sure you are following so you can accept the message. Business side is an good way to boost limits.
Tweeted earlier but realized I wasn’t following you. Now I am following you. Please DM when ever you get time. Have a wonderful Friday!
Yep, got to you, a little late!
I clicked through the link on twitter but I gave finding xxxxx a real shot. Stumped as to what it could be but a huge thanks none the less for sharing. Kudos to DCbroker for being such a class act!
Hey Leigh, I think I got to you now, if not let me know your handle on Twitter and I will contact you.
Well it’s pretty obvious what XXX is since there’s no other reason to mention SW. And FM has already discussed it openly so not sure it’s such a big secret. The biggest problem I’ve seen with XXX is there’s no way to add a zip code without supplying your SSN. Which means you can’t use it with Venmo and Ribbon for example.
It’s certainly been talked about before by several bloggers, I am not sure if in this ABC detail though, and all the info in various pieces is in public domain.
However, I thought there would be no harm in obfuscating slightly in order to allow people to just ‘read it’ or those interested in playing it to access the key somewhere else.
Just followed you and am looking for the xfactor. I’m JohnnieJD on twitter. BTW, I think I found the answer last night on a search….
I think I twitted you correctly but I’m a twitter newbie. hope U can tweet me back the XXXX details. thanks
Can I get a tweet with the store name? @Dangjr213
Love this informative post! Would love to know xxxx. @2bsuigeneris
Thank you both!
Hi Matt, I tried to tweet you the other day but I must have done it wrong because I got this post again through twitter. I don’t really know how to use it. Could you please email me what xxxx is?I think I know, I examined what I think is xxxx at the grocery store today.
Thanks
Wow! Thanks DC and Matt. Does Xxx have an annual or monthly maintenance fee? Seems like yes in the terms. (Please feel free to delete my question if that’s too much info and may out XXX.)
Xoxoxoxoxo!
Hi Matt,
I’m following you on Twitter now. I’d love to know the XXXX factor. Could you DM me @roschele3? You and DCBroker are generous to share this. Thank you!
I’m a small player in the middle of your Venn diagram. I already purchase Amex cards through TopCashBack, and then convert them to VRs for Bluebird or VGCs for MOs at WM. I’m comfortable with my level of profit, even with fees. However, it’s good to have alternatives. I’ve tried to figure out the XXX-factor, but so far no luck. If you’re willing to share, it will be most appreciated.
Thanks for your blog. I was concerned about this MS contest, but you are handling it very well. There’s enough info to tease my brain and get me thinking fresh. Everything doesn’t need to be spelled out. With or without the XXX-factor, I’m a happy and reinvigorated small-scale MSer.
@KennyBSAT – I haven’t used Twitter much and I’m not sure if the DM worked. I’m pretty sure XXXXXX isn’t available in my neck of the woods but I’d like to make sure.
In my experience I have not been able to find a store that will sell XXXXX at maximum load without checking to see my ID correlates with name on the CC I want to purchase with. This is surmountable if you replicate DCbroker’s method but buy Amex GCs that are personalized. DCbroker of course has had a different experience, in that he has been successful with generic Amex GCs. Just something anyone trying to replicate should be wary about.
It is a fair point, I think that is where relationships help a bit.
are you implying that dcbroker has a ‘connection’ at SW? Thats a pretty crucial peice of information if so.
Hey Matt, I don’t twitter but if you feel like email replying about xxxxx I’d appreciate it!
I would be interested in knowing what XXXX represents. I was unable to send a DM via twitter since you don’t follow me. @jslnghrn2002. I really enjoy the blog. Started this hoppy about 2 years ago and also recently obtained CFA designation.
Guys, to make my life easier, please email me matt@ saverocity.com if you have any twitter problems, I will get back to you quickly via email.
DCbroker, Matt,
Question: when purchasing XXXX, say as per the above example where you buy 5 MOs at 999.3 value plus .7 fee, it seems you will need to get multiple XXXXs (my guess is 6)? Also , does the denomination of Amex GCs matter (do yo get say one 3K and one 2K or instead denominations that exactly match the value of each XXXX? Thanks in advance!
Thanks Matt for sending the DM, much appreciated… I had my suspicions that XXXX was what you mentioned, so it was a good sanity check.
One question: Isn’t there a 15 day limit to buying AMEX gift cards? I seem to remember getting some of my orders cancelled when not waiting for two weeks or so between orders.
If not, this seems like a great way to go and up the MS.
No such requirement that I know of, but even if there was it still would be a great way to increase things, just not as much!
What can you do with NFCU Flagship? I have tried to read thru this topic but I still dont see how DCbroker used this card?
DCBroker–how do you get away w daily Amex GC purchases? They reject many orders on no particular basis? Also I’m in the Baltimore DC area. We should get together over coffee! 🙂 email me oscarjohnson786@gmail.com
My local store sells XXXX but doesn’t accept CC or prepaid Visa/MasterCard/Amex as the package says “cash only” — will have to try again and some other locations…
Yeah, DCbroker mentioned that some stores only worked with certain people too, it is very much a relationship game.
Can anyone apply for NFCU Flagship Visa Card? even if not gov’t worker?
What a great post! Hat’s off to the the Navy Seals DC Broker! And thanks Matt for a great new blog!
I’ve had varied experience at SW buying XXX with a credit card. Since the package clearly says “Cash Only” on it if they read it or have had their training from the local manager, and remember it, they’ll deny you. But I’ve still had some luck purchasing with credit card. Best bet is to hit SW a bunch and see what happens. If one particular cashier lets you buy them, remember who that was and do that again. Also, in general follow the advice that has been given here—be nice! Talk to the cashier, make a joke etc. Worst case you make her life a little better and she still denies you. Best case she lets it slide because she likes you or is distracted or whatever. Certainly your chances are better.
Question is if the limit is $500 on the card are you coming through the register 10 times or slamming all at one checkout?
Hi Matt, Can you DM me on twitter the XXX secret? lol @Clint_Duncan
Thanks!
Please email me the info on XXXX. Thanks.
Hey Matt, just posted the tweet from above… Could you dm me the famous xxxx? @rotarycoach
Was just able to buy xxx with credit card at Vons in CA. My question is do you have to register each and every card with SS#, personal info, etc???
No- buy temp cards, call to set a pin and toss after unloading
Thanks- I am learning as I go even with all your great info!
Just finished the loop here in northern CA………instead of Walmart I used a drug store to buy the money order…….they were shocked to see my debit card scan work……as I said to them the computer is always right……..Lori I just called and activated my xxxx card and got a pin but DID NOT register the card………I think I and others might be overthinking the checkout as if you are scanning and inputing the data the clerk is just there for the ride so to speak………
JustSaying- were you able to get the pin without giving all your info? I am reading the back of the cardboard packaging where it says you must provide info… Since I did that already they are sending me a card with my name. I will know for next time. I was just so excited the store took a credit card when it clearly said cash only! I guess the clerk does not know that I am not using a debit card.
Yes…..when you called in the first thing it asked was to set the pin…….set it and extricate yourself from the call or you end up in the account setup which it appears is what you did……it’s not a fatal mistake…….also have to believe that the funds are on your non named card and you could probably go online or call and check balance and if so “probably” go ahead and proceed to the money order step…drain the card with a money order……….then throw the named card in the trash when it comes because you will have also have nothing on this named card by that time…….another ninja can speak up if they this version of reality is different…….
DC BROKER U R A ROCK STAR!
Ugh. Way behind the curve on this post. Just tweeted. Hope you’ll still enlighten me. Thanks
My question for DCBroker is: Are the AMEX cards just left in your mailbox? My mailbox box is locked but we do occasionally get mail intended for someone else, as well as have a neighbor walk a misdirected letter over to us. Or do they come Fedex, and if so, are they just left on your doorstep? Occasionally packages from Amazon are left on my doorstep if I am not home, but a book or some vitamins are nowhere near as valuable as the AMEX cards would be.
To me, it would be worrisome to have high value gift cards just coming in the mail on a regular basis. If they require a signature on arrival, this method will work well for someone with an office/secretary/doorman or who is home a lot. Being that I fall into none of those categories, it’s more risky. I
have bought Costco GCs on occasion when making a minimum spend, and dabbled a bit when the Chase GCs were being sold at no fee. They all arrived fine via US mail. But without a required signature, I expect that if one did this every day, at some point, an order would be lost or stolen. Since I have access to XXX that I can buy with a CC, what I leave on the table is the cashback from the portal purchase. I’d have to balance the aggravation of getting my money back over the benefit of the cashback, and come up with amounts that work for me on both sides of that equation.
I’ve been using CCs to buy XXX for a while now, with success. They know me at the store where I shop regularly anyway. Typically buy two per store visit, dividing my purchases into two halves which the same cashier rings up one after the other. If my husband is with me, he’ll buy one too. They always require manager approval but the managers just wave their cards over the scanner or toss the manager card over to enable the cashier to do so. Rarely do I get any reaction or question. When I did, I just said I am using them to pay my taxes. I may need another excuse after 4/15!
I did have a problem with one XXX card when trying to load it onto BB just last week – the pin I had set was apparently not set, because when I called to check, the automated system walked me through setting a pin as if I had not already done so. In the end (and after multiple calls to XXX) I got it working, but to do so they made me register the card. In the course of solving the problem, XXX told me that if you do get a bum card they will refund it, for a $5.95 fee and in 20 days.
Thanks Matt and DCBroker. Very enlightening and for this beginner/intermediate MSer, awe-inspiring!
Piece of advise to people who ask questions. Read more around, educate yourself on this hobby.
Ignorant people are harmful to the game.
In my neck of woods the thing is not free and require ID match in all stores I’m frequent. So YMMV.
Awesome stuff and thanks for the hard work. Just followed you would love PM back for XXXX. So far South Florida seems to be great place for purchase and unloading (lots of WalMarts and Neighborhood Grocery Stores) so hope I can do this! (I have yet to find a MoneyCenter machine that works though – ha).
Just tweeted. When should I expect the direct message? Thanks!
I am not great with tweeter, either. Matt please email me the X-facta!
Did a quick google search, for SF No fee. Milenomics posted on this twice so far this year.
DCBroker, are you hitting SW downtown, or in the suburbs? Im in the burbs, and rarely had luck at SW. The limiting factor in this equation is finding SW’s that;
1. Have cashiers that allow you to buy CO cards with credit card.
2. Don’t require a manager override for large gc purchases
3. In the case of GC with GC, don’t check your gc for id.
That said, if you found stores that can easily let you do so, you are in a lot of luck, because you can also buy RIs and you essentially have a VR machine for half off CVS. Throw in a cb card and you’ve got a very nice machine with minimal effort. Wish I could do so. It makes my blue bird cry just thinking about it.
You nailed it
BTW I havent done so in a very long time, but I know in the past, you could add a “message” to your purchased GC, and the message would be printed on the front. That said, replace “happy birthday” with “Mike Jones” and barrier 3 is a non issue.
Matt can you share with me the XXXXX factor, I don’t twitter unfortunately. Thanks DCbroker for giving us insight into your method. I primarily use Amex gc and this X factor would make my MSing a lot quicker, GCM takes over a week to mail my visas which limits my MSing. Thanks again guys
I’m pretty sure the DM on twitter did not work but I tried. @niehaubs. Can you hook me up? Been going the AFT row for now with AGC. Thanks.
Diddo. Can someone share the love by DM me the elusive xxxxx? Twitter account: telhuang. Thanks a bunch!!!
We’re talking about it in the forum- join and PM me and you can see a real breakdown of how this works.
Joined the forum but not sure which part this XXXXX is discussed.
We discuss it in Level 2 manufactured spending- it’s not visible until invited in to protect it. If you send me a pm through the forum I’ll upgrade your account.
Matt, I have access to level 2 MS but don’t see this thread referred to in this anymore. Has this been deleted? I joined saverocity late so wasn’t aware of this.
It’s still there. Please ask me forum questions through the forum. Easier to discuss.
Matt, just added you on Twitter… how late am I to the party?
please share the goods… @mengoulap
Pretty late 🙂