MS for freedom 1st quarter

[Anonymous]

I only recommend going for a category maxout with retail GC if UR are of particular use to you, such as transfer to partner.

[goldengopher1991]

Yup I mentioned in a few posts ago all my UR will convert to United Mileageplus miles

[Anonymous]

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@goldengopher1991 wrote:
Agreed with above statement. No point getting tied up, my CL on freedom is the lowest among my 4 cards only $2200.. I MS with my United every once in a while at cvs but I found it to be not worth the effort and time

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The cvs near me no longer sells visa/mastercard gift cards. Not even if you pay with cash. Only restaurant and retail as of a couple of weeks ago.

[kdm31091]

Yes, some stores are taking them away completely, unfortunately because of fraud issues (and also heavy MS is suspected to be the cause in some cases). People using them for fradulent activities ruin it for everybody else.

But even as a gift, eh, you're better off giving the person cash or a check considering there's a 5 or 6 dollar fee to even purchase the cards.

[Callandra]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

Yes, some stores are taking them away completely, unfortunately because of fraud issues (and also heavy MS is suspected to be the cause in some cases). People using them for fradulent activities ruin it for everybody else.

But even as a gift, eh, you're better off giving the person cash or a check considering there's a 5 or 6 dollar fee to even purchase the cards.

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When I worked at Target and someone came in and tried to buy a bunch of those Visa/MC giftcards with a credit card, I knew it was fraud/a stolen card. Those transactions always got declined too. 

I agree, with the loading fees, it's better just to give cash. 

[Anonymous]

There is legit purpose for V/MC GC. Some business give them out for gifts as merit prizes and such. Cost more in payroll tax than the loading fee to just put it on the check.

[CreditCuriosity]

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@Anonymous wrote:
There is legit purpose for V/MC GC. Some business give them out for gifts as merit prizes and such. Cost more in payroll tax than the loading fee to just put it on the check.

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This is true many companies I have worked for give away 500-1k Visa prepaid cards as incentives, etc..  Alot of companies do this.  I doubt the company is paying cash for these, but using a corporate CC.  Most likely an Amex

[Anonymous]

The company I work for gives out BOA gift cards as incentive but usually they're for no more than $100. The cards are specifically for employee incentives and I'm sure they get a discount for purchasing them in bulk.  They definitely don't come from your neighborhood store.

[SunriseEarth]

Thank you to all participants for keeping this thread within community guidelines.

As has been suggested by people, you can certainly maximize your spend at grocery stores without MS.   While some have suggested retail GCs for planned purchases, you can also simply switch purchases normally made elsewhere to your grocery store (so long as this is cost-effective).   If you have items you typically obtain at drugstores or the big box stores like Walmart or Target that can be found at the grocery store, that could work.  

[Anonymous]

+1

Only do this though if it makes financial sense to do so.

Example: I buy Red bull in 24pk at Sam's. I could just as easily buy the 12pks at my local grocery store (Not walmart) at a much higher cost per can to earn 5%. But it wouldnt make much sense. Instead I would see about buying WM GC instead and buy at Sam's.