topic Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean? in Credit Cards

Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

FICOEmpire — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:18:10 GMT

Simple question. I see MS mentioned in posts around here. I can't figure out what it means and couldn't find it in the abbreviation post. Also, I see churning mentioned as well. I think I got that one figured out to mean getting new cards for the sign-up bonuses and closing them at the earliest possible time. Is that right? Thanks for helping me to decipher these forums a little better. They are highly informative.

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

Beckhsrules — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:20:28 GMT

MS means Manufactured Spend. MS is the process of using a rewards credit card to purchase something that can easily be converted back to cash. The goal of this process is to increase the amount of money that you spend on your rewards credit card without actually having to “spend” money out of pocket

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

thelethargicage — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:20:47 GMT

MS = that which shall not be named

Manufactured Spending

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

FICOEmpire — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:23:05 GMT

Thank you.

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:32:48 GMT

@FICOEmpire wrote:
Simple question. I see MS mentioned in posts around here. I can't figure out what it means and couldn't find it in the abbreviation post. Also, I see churning mentioned as well. I think I got that one figured out to mean getting new cards for the sign-up bonuses and closing them at the earliest possible time. Is that right? Thanks for helping me to decipher these forums a little better. They are highly informative.

Churning also has various meanings. In its "purest" form, it means getting the same card (or very similar cards) over and over, for the bonus. You used to be able to do this with a number of Citi cards, and you didn't even need to close them before getting the next.

But here it is more like what you describe, "bonus chasing", where I get a card purely for the bonus, close before an AF hits, and move on.

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

FICOEmpire — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:49:11 GMT

Thank you longtimelurker for that explanation. I'm learning the lingo around here better all the time.

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 20:03:27 GMT

M$ = Microsoft. MS = Manufactured spend.

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

UncleB — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 20:32:56 GMT

@thelethargicage wrote:
MS = that which shall not be named

Manufactured Spending

To further clarify, since manufactured spending is against the terms and conditions of many - if not all - credit cards, and is considered at best questionable and at worst unethical/dishonest/abuse (by some), our hosts, myFico, has asked that we not discuss it on this board.

I'm fairly sure defining it here is OK, but any discussion on how to actually do it ~~can~~ will cause you problems, up to and including being banned from the forums. This is why people refer to it as "that which shall not be named".

You may also find an occasional (legitimate/allowed) reference to it when folks discuss things that can get a credit card canceled, but that should be the extent of what you hear of MS on this board.

Hope this helps.

(Mod/Anybody - please correct if I have anything wrong here)

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 20:38:50 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
@thelethargicage wrote:
MS = that which shall not be named

Manufactured Spending
To further clarify, since manufactured spending is against the terms and conditions of many - if not all - credit cards, and is considered at best questionable and at worst unethical/dishonest/abuse (by some), our hosts, myFico, has asked that we not discuss it on this board.

I'm fairly sure defining it here is OK, but any discussion on how to actually do it ~~can~~ will cause you problems, up to and including being banned from the forums. This is why people refer to it as "that which shall not be named".

You may also find an occasional (legitimate/allowed) reference to it when folks discuss things that can get a credit card canceled, but that should be the extent of what you hear of MS on this board.

Hope this helps.

(Mod/Anybody - please correct if I have anything wrong here)

It is advocating it which is not allowed, not really discussion. Obviously a bit of a fine line, because if I give lots of details of how I do it, and just end with "Oh, by the way I'm not suggesting that you should do this", that might still not fly!

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

SunriseEarth — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 22:39:00 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
@thelethargicage wrote:
MS = that which shall not be named

Manufactured Spending
To further clarify, since manufactured spending is against the terms and conditions of many - if not all - credit cards, and is considered at best questionable and at worst unethical/dishonest/abuse (by some), our hosts, myFico, has asked that we not discuss it on this board.

I'm fairly sure defining it here is OK, but any discussion on how to actually do it ~~can~~ will cause you problems, up to and including being banned from the forums. This is why people refer to it as "that which shall not be named".

You may also find an occasional (legitimate/allowed) reference to it when folks discuss things that can get a credit card canceled, but that should be the extent of what you hear of MS on this board.

Hope this helps.

(Mod/Anybody - please correct if I have anything wrong here)
It is advocating it which is not allowed, not really discussion. Obviously a bit of a fine line, because if I give lots of details of how I do it, and just end with "Oh, by the way I'm not suggesting that you should do this", that might still not fly!

Correct. Discussion of MS, while frowned upon by the community at-large, isn't in and of itself against TOS. Advocation of MS and "How-to" posts are definitely on the wrong side of the TOS tracks. My main issue from a Moderator standpoint is that MS advocation doesn't align with the purposes of this Forum.

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

UncleB — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 22:47:34 GMT

@SunriseEarth wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
@thelethargicage wrote:
MS = that which shall not be named

Manufactured Spending
To further clarify, since manufactured spending is against the terms and conditions of many - if not all - credit cards, and is considered at best questionable and at worst unethical/dishonest/abuse (by some), our hosts, myFico, has asked that we not discuss it on this board.

I'm fairly sure defining it here is OK, but any discussion on how to actually do it ~~can~~ will cause you problems, up to and including being banned from the forums. This is why people refer to it as "that which shall not be named".

You may also find an occasional (legitimate/allowed) reference to it when folks discuss things that can get a credit card canceled, but that should be the extent of what you hear of MS on this board.

Hope this helps.

(Mod/Anybody - please correct if I have anything wrong here)
It is advocating it which is not allowed, not really discussion. Obviously a bit of a fine line, because if I give lots of details of how I do it, and just end with "Oh, by the way I'm not suggesting that you should do this", that might still not fly!
Correct. Discussion of MS, while frowned upon by the community at-large, isn't in and of itself against TOS. Advocation of MS and "How-to" posts are definitely on the wrong side of the TOS tracks. My main issue from a Moderator standpoint is that MS advocation doesn't align with the purposes of this Forum.

Excellent clarifications... thanks longtimelurker and SunriseEarth!

Re: Simple Question. What does MS abbreviation mean?

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 02:00:50 GMT

Used to be (Mod Cut-References to that are not allowed on myFico), per Family Guy.

Maybe it changed