topic Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement in Credit Cards

Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Gunnar419 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:09:33 GMT

I got an Amex BCE for the grocery and gas benefits. Then I discovered that nobody in my remote area (except one gas station) takes Amex. Even the grocery stores in the nearest market town don't take it.

I need to spend $1k in the next 2-1/2 months to earn my sign-on bonus. The problem is that I'm about as far as a person can get from being a big spender. My income is pretty low and most of what I buy comes from thrift stores, garage sales, Craigslist, etc. I live a simple life and don't do any mall shopping, big travel, or entertainment.

My local utility companies won't take Amex. I have scheduled a couple of insurance payments and an ISP payment to go on the card. And I'll put a couple hundred dollars of gas on it, but that still won't meet the spend requirement.

Is there an honest way to meet the $1k spend requirement without buying things I don't need? Thank you.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Simply827 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:15:12 GMT

Can you look for something you would typically buy and buy it online?

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

daybreakgonesXe — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:15:27 GMT

@Gunnar419 wrote:
I got an Amex BCE for the grocery and gas benefits. Then I discovered that nobody in my remote area (except one gas station) takes Amex. Even the grocery stores in the nearest market town don't take it.

I need to spend $1k in the next 2-1/2 months to earn my sign-on bonus. The problem is that I'm about as far as a person can get from being a big spender. My income is pretty low and most of what I buy comes from thrift stores, garage sales, Craigslist, etc. I live a simple life and don't do any mall shopping, big travel, or entertainment.

My local utility companies won't take Amex. I have scheduled a couple of insurance payments and an ISP payment to go on the card. And I'll put a couple hundred dollars of gas on it, but that still won't meet the spend requirement.

Is there an honest way to meet the $1k spend requirement without buying things I don't need? Thank you.

Maybe try buying gift cards online for places that you know you will use and go to? My recommendation was going to be order things you've needed online, but it seems like buying from your local businesses and areas is more your style

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:24:28 GMT

Buy Visa or Mastercard gift cards and use them. They are widely accepted. You would lose 3.95$ per 500$ Visa card that you buy

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Gunnar419 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:32:27 GMT

Thank you, guys. I do shop online (Amazon and eBay, mostly). But my purchases there are still too small and infrequent to make much of a dent in that spend requirement and I'm not in the market for any big ticket items.

The gift card idea is interesting. I've never bought a gift card or any kind of pre-paid card. This is probably a dumb question, then. But can I buy a card for myself or buy a card and use it to put money in my checking account? And if I did, would that be honest? I don't want to violate any Amex terms or do anything else wrong.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:35:23 GMT

I won't recommend transferring money to your checkings account, Thats against AMEX or I guess every CCC's policies. What you can do is pay your mortgage, rent or even car payment using AMEX BlueBird.

It's against forum policies to post the loop holes but a simple google would return you 100 different ways of meeting Spend req. Another simple option is Amazon Payments.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

jritch — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:42:55 GMT

Were you concerned with meeting the minimum spend when you applied for the card? Overextending yourself isn't worth any bonus, IMHO.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Burned2manybridgesB4 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:45:24 GMT

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Amex got very smart in regards to people racking up MR's by doing the prepaid gimmick. You're putting yourself in jeopardy.....

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:49:01 GMT

@Burned2manybridgesB4 wrote:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Amex got very smart in regards to people racking up MR's by doing the prepaid gimmick. You're putting yourself in jeopardy.....

Not sure on this. Again I am not ENCOURAGING anyone to do it, YMMV, but for me it worked really well. Never had any transaction declined for GC's. Bluebird is their own product and they allow it to be refilled using Prepaid cards.. Dont abuse the system for sure.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Burned2manybridgesB4 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:51:38 GMT

Did I miss something?

Bluebird is a debit/check/prepaid card.... Isn't the OP talking about a real Amex card?

He Is!! He is!!

Blue cash everyday!!!

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:52:44 GMT

Bluebird lets you to pay bills, send checks to your mortage, car, renter companier/persons for free. Thats how people meet spend requirements using BlueBird

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Burned2manybridgesB4 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:55:15 GMT

The OP is talking about a revolver in the amex class of credit cards. Bluebird has nothing to do with it. You can pretty much buy anything with Bird, since it's a debit card with swipe POS through the amex network.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:57:22 GMT

Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Only if you read the Headline, he wants to achieve Min spen req. Buy reload card, put it on Bluebird, send checks to Mortgage, Auto loan, landlord etc etc. No one is talking about AMEX network or Visa network here

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

dddewdrop — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:58:23 GMT

Can you buy Amex travellers checks? Well maybe the fee for them would wipe out the benefit of the bonus rewards. I'm not sure about that.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Burned2manybridgesB4 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:00:31 GMT

How is he using his BCE then? Please, enlighten us.

...I'm fairly sure it's a BIG NO NO to try and buy prepaid cards with an Amex charger/revolver, unless it's another Amex prepaid, through their own website.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:00:38 GMT

Is it really Rocket Science to you?

Blue Vanilla Reload (1000$) using your BCE -> Load it you your Bluebird -> Pay rent/mortage/car loan whatever (Spending req met)

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Burned2manybridgesB4 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:01:38 GMT

...and he gets closed by Amex. Then what?

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:02:47 GMT

@Burned2manybridgesB4 wrote:
How is he using his BCE then? Please, enlighten us.

...I'm fairly sure it's a BIG NO NO to try and buy prepaid cards with an Amex charger/revolver, unless it's another Amex prepaid, through their own website.

You edited your response on enlightening you. Read my previous posts, how many times I repeated its not encouraged to go this route but people do it. I have been doing it for over months. Met my spend req for AMEX platinum with 3000 reload cards.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

Burned2manybridgesB4 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:06:02 GMT

It's violation of the cardholder agreement. Plain and simple. You risk closure.

Re: Please help me meet a minimum spend requirement

ibmrad7 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:09:21 GMT

@Burned2manybridgesB4 wrote:
It's violation of the cardholder agreement. Plain and simple. You risk closure.

Where does it say you cant buy visa or mastercard gift cards in cardholder agreement.

It is indeed risky and YMMV but you initially twisted my replies, all I was trying to suggest OP a way to meet the requirement with possible outcomes.