Smart or Stupid Way to Get Extra Cashback?

[Anonymous]

I'm trying something out and I'd like to hear what you all think. Some banks offer low balance cancellations when the statement balance is below a certain amount, usually $1.99 or $.99. Amazon allows you to reload your gift card balance with amounts as low as $.50. Would it be smart or stupid to just use a couple of cards every month only for one of these purchases and then let the bank cancel the balance? Seems like a good way to make an easy $1-2 each month from a card that you don't use otherwise. Do this with 5 cards and over the course of a year you could get a free $60 at minimum. Would the banks catch on and come at me with adverse action? Or would they not care and let me get some money out of them for doing absolutely nothing?

[kdm31091]

This has come up before, and just IMO it's silly to risk your relationship with a lender over $1-2. They wipe out small balances as a courtesy. Why knowingly abuse one of the (few) cases of a bank actually being "nice"?

[NRB525]

Yes, OP you are not the first to think of this

At least one other poster who was trying this ended up with AA as the card issuer seemed to get annoyed. As with all AA this may not have been the only trigger, and AA is never predictable, but if you value the card, use it in a more normal fashion. 

If you don’t care about the card, consider just closing it. The $1 is a hassle, because you still have to monitor the account . A 30-day late on $1 hurts just as much as $1,000.  

[Loquat]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

This has come up before, and just IMO it's silly to risk your relationship with a lender over $1-2. They wipe out small balances as a courtesy. Why knowingly abuse one of the (few) cases of a bank actually being "nice"?

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My thoughts exactly.