I love credit cards so much!

[CyndiLouWho]

I haven't done this yet, is it possible to do it with two different Marriott accounts?

it asked for email/Marriott number and password so you'd probably just have to log out one & log in the other.

 

[platamama]

Gift to SIL every year is a $50 Sephora GC. Used MORE app & got 1218 Marriott points! Done with SIL Christmas shopping. Win win!

I'm trying to figure out HOW you got that many points? I made a purchase thru DH's account (he's Marriott Gold for some unexplained reason) and got 2xMR for the Amazon purchase + 25% bonus MR for holding the Marriott credit card + the 1000 MR first-use bonus. So for a $26.75 purchase I got 1068 MR points.

Does MouseSavers have a special link for better prices at UT?

Yes, I just checked and there is about a 3% discount for going through the MouseSavers link to UT vs UT directly. E.g. - a UT 3dayMYW pass costs $303.95/adult; through Mousesavers' link to UT it costs $294.45. The link is in the monthly MouseSavers newsletter which you have to subscribe to, and is issued in the middle of the month.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I'm trying to figure out HOW you got that many points? I made a purchase thru DH's account (he's Marriott Gold for some unexplained reason) and got 2xMR for the Amazon purchase + 25% bonus MR for holding the Marriott credit card + the 1000 MR first-use bonus. So for a $26.75 purchase I got 1068 MR points.



Yes, I just checked and there is about a 3% discount for going through the MouseSavers link to UT vs UT directly. E.g. - a UT 3dayMYW pass costs $303.95/adult; through Mousesavers' link to UT it costs $294.45. The link is in the monthly MouseSavers newsletter which you have to subscribe to, and is issued in the middle of the month.

For my $50 Sephora purchase:
Base Points Earned +150
First Purchase Bonus Points Earned +1,000
Silver Bonus Points Earned +30
Marriott Rewards Credit Cardholder Bonus Points Earned +38

I signed up for MouseSaver newsletter but never get it
Not in spam either.

 

[amalone1013]

Weird. Amazon kept telling me there was an issue with their system for eGCs, so I ended up getting myself a physical card. Supposed to arrive tomorrow. $25 towards SPG Biz and 1060 Marriott points! I think I'll make DH a Marriott account too and do it on his...

 

[tink1970]

For my $38.69 Petco purchase:

base points= 184
gold bonus points=48
1st time use bonus=1000
-----------------------------
Marriott point 1,230

also used my $5 off $25 so will be getting $5 credit from amex...every little bit counts

Thanks, y'all. If you hadn't posted and spurred me to do this I might have missed out! <3 this thread

 

[gottalovepluto]

ATTENTION USPS MO MSers: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/new-usps-memo-gift-cards-are-not-accepted-to-buy-money-orders/

 

[Lain]

ATTENTION USPS MO MSers: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/new-usps-memo-gift-cards-are-not-accepted-to-buy-money-orders/

Yeah, it looks like MS through USPS is dead, or will be dead soon. That leaves Walmart? I don't know if I'd feel comfortable banking on a method with only one player left in the game.

ETA: Going forward, I think I may still dabble with buying VGCs, but only if I was working on a minimum spend or had a credit card that earned a high return, and then use that VCG to spend at places that may not take Amex or would otherwise earn me a lower or 1x bonus.

 

[Ngwira]

I went back and checked my WF from Mar and that's exactly what I did, bonus posted a week later. Everything is subject to change obviously but imho give it a shot. Worst that happens is you have $5.00 sitting in your amazon account for your next purchase.

Just did it. Thanks!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yeah, it looks like MS through USPS is dead, or will be dead soon. That leaves Walmart? I don't know if I'd feel comfortable banking on a method with only one player left in the game.

And I think there are certain pre-paid cards even they don't accept. This isn't my cup of tea but I know others are able to make it work for them, just don't want anyone here stuck with a bunch of pre-paid cards they intended to cycle through USPS and then get shut out!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Just did it. Thanks!

Hope it works!!

 

[Lain]

And I think there are certain pre-paid cards even they don't accept. This isn't my cup of tea but I know others are able to make it work for them, just don't want anyone here stuck with a bunch of pre-paid cards they intended to cycle through USPS and then get shut out!

Yeah. My understanding is that Vanilla and One Vanilla branded VCGs work(ed) at USPS, but USPS terminals were already hard coded to reject Metabank issued VCGs. Metabank VCGs have to be liquidated at Walmart; and Vanilla VCGs don't work at Walmart.

I bought $1450 worth of MOs from USPS about two weeks ago for a legitimate expense that only accepted MOs or cashier's checks, and I wasn't going to let that spend go to waste. Glad I don't have to do that again (not that I could)!

 

[Albort]

Yeah, it looks like MS through USPS is dead, or will be dead soon. That leaves Walmart? I don't know if I'd feel comfortable banking on a method with only one player left in the game.

ETA: Going forward, I think I may still dabble with buying VGCs, but only if I was working on a minimum spend or had a credit card that earned a high return, and then use that VCG to spend at places that may not take Amex or would otherwise earn me a lower or 1x bonus.

yeah, that leaves only Walmart to get MOs. I havent MS for about a month due to school but im still buying VGCs to pay of utilities with them. get them at Staples, lose about 1% to fees, leaving around 3.5% left is still pretty decent.
I did originally had a backup plan that if i couldnt unload the VGCs at walmart, you could liquidate them at plastiq.

and it also looks like plastiq and amex worked out their issues as it seems like they accept amex. gonna change my rental stuff back to plastiq for the lower fees. but radpad seems to still work for me so its a good back up just in case that stuff happens again.

 

[amalone1013]

DoC says Amex is working with Palstiq again! Off to try my car payment!

ETA: Before I run off and do this, is there anything special I need to do with AMEX to make sure it doesn't come up as cash advance or something?

 

[WVMomof3]

Thanks so much. I'm still confused about timing. Say my AF hits Feb 1st. I have to wait until then to sm Chase to pc to the Freedom...once that is done I can sm them again and request a reimbursement of the AF. This has to all be completed within that one month billing cycle. Is that right?

Just one message to pc should do it. They will do the rest.

 

[Lain]

DoC says Amex is working with Palstiq again! Off to try my car payment!

ETA: Before I run off and do this, is there anything special I need to do with AMEX to make sure it doesn't come up as cash advance or something?

No, the cash advance problem is a Visa issue. I've always used Amex to make the first payment to a new recipient to "establish" a relationship to avoid the cash advance problem. Once that relationship is established, cash advance becomes a non-issue and I switch to CIP because it seems like every category of spend is coding as 3x on CIP through Plastiq.

P.S. I'm really happy Plastiq is working with Amex cards again! We finished my wife's CIP minimum spend and the 80k UR posted last week, so I was really hoping to be able to switch our Plastiq payments over to the SPG Biz.

 

[Happy_2_B]

ETA: Before I run off and do this, is there anything special I need to do with AMEX to make sure it doesn't come up as cash advance or something?

I am more worried about the new gaming language than how purchases will post or anything else, really. The days of MS are nearing an end- way more people are gaming now when compared to the 'good ole' days' when you could buy dollar coins, cash them in, get the points- and rinse and repeat. The crackdown that started a while ago has now reached a new level, with 5/24, all the new language, etc. People gaming in the 'grey area' WILL have all their AmEx accounts locked- and this is going to happen sooner rather than later. My days of playing the game on the fringes are over. My advice....watch your back.

 

[amalone1013]

Well, Toyota won't take my AMEX. Nevermind for me.

 

[Lain]

Well, Toyota won't take my AMEX. Nevermind for me.

Not even through Plastiq?

 

[amalone1013]

Not even through Plastiq?

Nope, it tells me my recipient won't take that card.

 

[Lain]

Nope, it tells me my recipient won't take that card.

Ouch. I wonder if the reason why Amex was down on Plastiq was because Amex told Plastiq to get a tighter grip on what kinds of payments are allowed on their cards.

I am more worried about the new gaming language than how purchases will post or anything else, really. The days of MS are nearing an end- way more people are gaming now when compared to the 'good ole' days' when you could buy dollar coins, cash them in, get the points- and rinse and repeat. The crackdown that started a while ago has now reached a new level, with 5/24, all the new language, etc. People gaming in the 'grey area' WILL have all their AmEx accounts locked- and this is going to happen sooner rather than later. My days of playing the game on the fringes are over. My advice....watch your back.

Notwithstanding my above comment, I'm not too worried about Amex flagging Plastiq as "gaming." Plastiq is not MS. Plastiq requires a legitimate debt underlying any transaction. You want to use a credit card to pay that debt, but the payee doesn't or is not set up to accept credit cards? Pay over the principal amount plus a fee to Plastiq, and Plastiq will send a check or wire to the payee and take a cut of the fee. Yes, I know Plastiq cannot verify every transaction has a legitimate debt owed to an unrelated third party, but the principle is you're not supposed to be cycling this money back to yourself.

All that said, I find Amex cracking down on the kinds of payments for and platforms on which their customers can use Amex cards to be extremely frustrating. Amex cards are difficult enough to use as is; I still come across many merchants who do not accept Amex cards. I saw an article on reddit the other day about the goal for Amex's incoming CEO: keep the affluent, attract millennials. I'm surrounded by millennials who don't carry cash, use credit cards to pay for everything, Venmo and Venmartyr group expenses. If you told them they could pay for more of their regular expenses with a credit card, they'd be all over it! As I noted upthread, I understand why banks and credit card companies legally may not want to assume the risk of their customers racking up general, unsecured debt on their credit cards to pay down secured debt on cars or homes, or nondischargeable debt in student loans, leaving them holding the bag when things go bad. But generally, millennials are using credit cards differently than Amex's customers before them, and it's not necessarily to game the system, although the end goal may still points/miles/cash back.