Dealing With Manufactured Spending Crackdowns?

[RonMcCord]

I want to visit the PNW this summer and travel hack my way to do it cheaply.  Problem is, a lot of the travel hacking blogs are reporting that Serve and Bluebird are starting to terminate accounts being used for this purpose and Walmart is making it harder to liquidate Visa Gift Cards.  I can't make the minimum spends to get the rewards points, and some of the other ways people have suggested like buying and reselling things online are a bit too risky.  Anyone know of any other ways to MS my way into some free tickets?

[Ricksun]

Depending on how much spend you need to make, you could purchase gift cards for locations you frequent in the future...  this isn't manufactured spend; more of a shift in the timing of it...

Unfortunately, if the travel hacking blogs, which specialize in this sort of thing, haven't been helpful, no one here is likely going to have better ideas.

Good luck though!

[Clean Shaven]

Two ways I shift spending are buying Costco cash cards online (which I use at the store) and buying Amazon gift cards (which I email deliver to myself) .  It's not manufactured spend, but it helps me meet minimum spend requirements for credit card signup bonuses, for stores I spend $ at anyway. 

[Goldielocks]

Buy large items for family, using the card and getting cash.  Maybe go with them on their grocery shop?
Works for group purchases as well, just get cash up front.

[stlbrah]

pay bills in advance

[Vanguards and Lentils]

Have you tried the nationwide buxx card? It gives you a debit card (with your name on it) that you can load with Visa or Mastercard credit cards. The limit is $200/week, with a fee of $2 per load. I personally can use the card to pay my rent, and (I believe) for paypal without fees, so the only fee is that 1% from loading.

[Travis]

I buy VISA gift cards and turn them into money orders.  The trick is finding a place that will accept debit cards as payment rather than cash.

[flyingaway]

It may be easier to work a few hours at a McDonalds.

[renata ricotta]

I buy VISA gift cards and turn them into money orders.  The trick is finding a place that will accept debit cards as payment rather than cash.

And you write the money orders out to yourself, and then go deposit them in your bank account (and use that to pay the cc)? My local post office will let me get large money orders with a debit card (I had to scramble around for one to pay a deposit in a quickly-moving rental market), but my bank doesn't have any brick and mortar locations. Maybe I should consider opening a checking account at my local Wells Fargo for this purpose.

[Travis]

I buy VISA gift cards and turn them into money orders.  The trick is finding a place that will accept debit cards as payment rather than cash.

And you write the money orders out to yourself, and then go deposit them in your bank account (and use that to pay the cc)? My local post office will let me get large money orders with a debit card (I had to scramble around for one to pay a deposit in a quickly-moving rental market), but my bank doesn't have any brick and mortar locations. Maybe I should consider opening a checking account at my local Wells Fargo for this purpose.

I have three checking accounts, and all of them have online check deposit. There are three King Soopers in my town and all of them have full service money centers and allow debit-purchased money orders. They have a swipe pad at the register so the cashier can't even see the card I'm using.

[renata ricotta]

I buy VISA gift cards and turn them into money orders.  The trick is finding a place that will accept debit cards as payment rather than cash.

And you write the money orders out to yourself, and then go deposit them in your bank account (and use that to pay the cc)? My local post office will let me get large money orders with a debit card (I had to scramble around for one to pay a deposit in a quickly-moving rental market), but my bank doesn't have any brick and mortar locations. Maybe I should consider opening a checking account at my local Wells Fargo for this purpose.

I have three checking accounts, and all of them have online check deposit. There are three King Soopers in my town and all of them have full service money centers and allow debit-purchased money orders. They have a swipe pad at the register so the cashier can't even see the card I'm using.

My bank has online check deposit, it hadn't even occurred to me that it might work for a money order too. Google is giving me conflicting answers on whether it will work for my bank, so I'll give them a call to see! Thanks! That would be a super easy way to hit a spend requirement (and I wouldn't have to deal with a suspicious person at Walmart, thank goodness). I can pay my rent in advance, but it throws off my cash flow a bit.