Author Topic: Credit Card Churning without Manufacturing Spending  (Read 20850 times)

SailAway

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Re: Credit Card Churning without Manufacturing Spending
« Reply #50 on: May 24, 2015, 06:38:25 PM »
Lots of credit cards with good bonuses waive the fee the first year.  Some do not.  You should go to somewhere like www.frugaltravelguy.com which has a guide for newbies.

Barclay Arrival + MasterCard would be a good one to get.  Yearly fee is waived for the first year.  For a 3k spend in 3 months you can get $400 in travel credits.  If you both get one (staggered so minimum spend isn't a problem) that's a long way towards a vacation.  Then get an airfare card.
Thanks for the link, reading it now. Yes, I was thinking that Barclay Arrival+ was going to be next on my list. :)

BuckeyeFinance

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Re: Credit Card Churning without Manufacturing Spending
« Reply #51 on: May 24, 2015, 06:43:15 PM »
I'm curious--What are the possible ramifications of manufacturing spending? It is fully legal, right? Is there any risk to it?

iamlindoro

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Re: Credit Card Churning without Manufacturing Spending
« Reply #52 on: May 24, 2015, 06:54:25 PM »
I'm curious--What are the possible ramifications of manufacturing spending? It is fully legal, right? Is there any risk to it?

Yes, it is fully legal.  The risk is that the credit card company makes note of your pattern of manufactured spending and closes the account, clawing back any and all points (since their relationship with you is voluntary and they can opt not to do business with you at any time).  At worst, they could close *all* your accounts with them and claw back any points they have control over.  This is why it's always best to mix in genuine spending with manufactured spending.  I put all my regular spending on cards when possible, and make sure to choose the right card if there's a category bonus to be had.  In this way, you can at least make a case that your pattern of spending is legitimate if necessary.  Some people do their manufactured spending in unusual amounts to limit the risk of a review.

I've had a nice run of non-MS points lately as I'm consulting for a company that's just setting up a physical office space-- I've put thousands and thousands in needed office supplies on my Ink Bold at 5X points per dollar-- racked up about 100K Ultimate Rewards points in the past two months.

arebelspy

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Re: Credit Card Churning without Manufacturing Spending
« Reply #53 on: May 26, 2015, 10:24:21 AM »
Also, how, uh, forgiving are the banks? Let's just say I have great credit and mustachean habits now, but 15 years ago I did not. My mistakes were named Chase and Citibank, if memory serves. Would a denial hurt more than my pride? I could have hubby apply for the Chase Sapphire.

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