Help! I need to spend $1200 in the next week for CC points!

[frugaliknowit]

I am about $1200 shy of reaching my $4,000 spending requirement to get 50,000 points out of Chase Sapphire before the statement closes.  I just learned that you can't buy "Vanilla Visa" cards at CVS with a credit card.  I COULD buy a $1200 Southwest Airlines gift card, but I'd rather not.  I will visit my local Aldi store to ask about gift cards...Ideas?

[NotJen]

Gift cards to the grocery store you usually shop at.
Gift cards to the gas station you usually buy gas at.
Add to your gift card balance at Amazon if you shop there.
Charge your annual charitable donations to the card.
Prepay some of your bills (cable/internet/phone are good targets. Earlier this year, I was able to prepay $1000 to my utility company for a $2.50 fee).

[Schaefer Light]

I'd be looking for gift cards to any of the places you normally spend money.  It looks like you've got the grocery store covered.  I'm pretty sure gas stations have gift cards, so that might be another place to look.  I'd also be thinking about whether or not I could go ahead do some of my Christmas shopping.

[NoStacheOhio]

Do you have any upcoming vehicle maintenance? I just bought tires for my wife's car to hit a minimum.

[frugaliknowit]

Do you have any upcoming vehicle maintenance? I just bought tires for my wife's car to hit a minimum.

I don't own a car.  My family and I don't exchange xmas gifts, except for my nephew.  I really don't need anything major...

[SilveradoBojangles]

Amazon gift card?

[mskyle]

Make a rent/mortgage/loan payment with Plastiq? Fees are substantial but could be worth compared to $1200 worth of gift cards you don't want.

[johnny847]

Just send a trusted individual money using square cash. There's a 3% fee but it's a heck of a lot better than not getting your sign-up bonus

[Catbert]

Property taxes?  Income tax quarterly payments?  Generally there will be a fee involved.

Try somewhere other than CVS to get Vanilla VISA cards.  Even try a different CVS.  I don't think there is a blanket prohibition on buying Vanilla VISA cards everywhere.

[frugaliknowit]

Thank you all for your ideas!

I went into my local Aldi, and fortunately they issued me gift cards which will take care of most of the amount needed. 

[kpd905]

+1 to using Plastiq to anyone else with this problem.  They send a physical check, and it typically gets there in roughly a week.

[Lanthiriel]

Costco cards resale at a less than 1% discount on many of the resale websites. I'm not sure what % you have to pay to use those sites, but buying 6, $200 gift cards could lead to a less than a 5% loss.

[frugaliknowit]

I heard back from Aldi:

Thank you for contacting us.

We’re excited to share with you that ALDI gift cards are now available for purchase in $5 increments up to $500 in all ALDI stores. ALDI gift cards can be used at all ALDI US locations, and you don’t have to use the full value of the card all at once. You can check the balance at https://www.aldi.us/en/customer-service/gift-card-balance/ or visit your local ALDI store and an associate will help you out. ALDI gift cards are not reloadable once all funds have been used. At this time, we do not sell gift cards online.

Should you have an ALDI paper gift certificate, all stores will continue to accept these. Gift certificates must be used all at once as cash back is not given. In addition, gift certificates cannot be transferred to a gift card.

Kind regards,


Thanks all, Plastiq sounds like a good tool to have as well!!

[boarder42]

thats gonna cost you money to do ... you can make money this way

1. Sign up for a topcashback(TCB) account - PM for a link if you dont have one already (i get 10 bucks)
2. use TCB portal to Giftcardmall.com
3. buy 3- $500 visa gift cards - i buy the wharf ones
4. take Visa gift cards to Post Office and buy 1 - 1k money order and 1 - 500 dollar money order
5. put money orders in yur bank account.

fees for gift cards 6.95 each

cash back at 2%(i know TCB says 1.25% for VGC but i always get 2%) - 30

profit 30 - 3* 6.95 = $9

[charis]

thats gonna cost you money to do ... you can make money this way

1. Sign up for a topcashback(TCB) account - PM for a link if you dont have one already (i get 10 bucks)
2. use TCB portal to Giftcardmall.com
3. buy 3- $500 visa gift cards - i buy the wharf ones
4. take Visa gift cards to Post Office and buy 1 - 1k money order and 1 - 500 dollar money order
5. put money orders in yur bank account.

fees for gift cards 6.95 each

cash back at 2%(i know TCB says 1.25% for VGC but i always get 2%) - 30

profit 30 - 3* 6.95 = $9

This sounds too good to be true.  I always thought there were fees associated with buying money orders.  Is that not the case for USPS?

[boarder42]

thats gonna cost you money to do ... you can make money this way

1. Sign up for a topcashback(TCB) account - PM for a link if you dont have one already (i get 10 bucks)
2. use TCB portal to Giftcardmall.com
3. buy 3- $500 visa gift cards - i buy the wharf ones
4. take Visa gift cards to Post Office and buy 1 - 1k money order and 1 - 500 dollar money order
5. put money orders in yur bank account.

fees for gift cards 6.95 each

cash back at 2%(i know TCB says 1.25% for VGC but i always get 2%) - 30

profit 30 - 3* 6.95 = $9

This sounds too good to be true.  I always thought there were fees associated with buying money orders.  Is that not the case for USPS?

my bad i forgot that fee is 1.60 per 1k money order so take another couple bucks off but you still make a profit.

[charis]

thats gonna cost you money to do ... you can make money this way

1. Sign up for a topcashback(TCB) account - PM for a link if you dont have one already (i get 10 bucks)
2. use TCB portal to Giftcardmall.com
3. buy 3- $500 visa gift cards - i buy the wharf ones
4. take Visa gift cards to Post Office and buy 1 - 1k money order and 1 - 500 dollar money order
5. put money orders in yur bank account.

fees for gift cards 6.95 each

cash back at 2%(i know TCB says 1.25% for VGC but i always get 2%) - 30

profit 30 - 3* 6.95 = $9

This sounds too good to be true.  I always thought there were fees associated with buying money orders.  Is that not the case for USPS?

my bad i forgot that fee is 1.60 per 1k money order so take another couple bucks off but you still make a profit.

Apparently it's .70 at Walmart, but then you have to deal with the headache of going there.

[Car Jack]

Go to a Simon mall.  Find customer service.  Buy 2 $500 visa gift cards.  Bring them to Wal*Mart.  Use them to buy a $999.30 money order.  Take the money order to your bank and deposit it into your account.  I'm sure you can figure out something to buy with the remaining $200.

[charis]

Go to a Simon mall.  Find customer service.  Buy 2 $500 visa gift cards.  Bring them to Wal*Mart.  Use them to buy a $999.30 money order.  Take the money order to your bank and deposit it into your account.  I'm sure you can figure out something to buy with the remaining $200.

This is basically the suggestion above, except when you buy the cards online via the cashback portal, you come out ahead of all the fees in cash back.

[boarder42]

Go to a Simon mall.  Find customer service.  Buy 2 $500 visa gift cards.  Bring them to Wal*Mart.  Use them to buy a $999.30 money order.  Take the money order to your bank and deposit it into your account.  I'm sure you can figure out something to buy with the remaining $200.

This is basically the suggestion above, except when you buy the cards online via the cashback portal, you come out ahead of all the fees in cash back.

correct.  and even if it was the normal 1.25% you'd just about break even on the transaction

[turketron]

thats gonna cost you money to do ... you can make money this way

1. Sign up for a topcashback(TCB) account - PM for a link if you dont have one already (i get 10 bucks)
2. use TCB portal to Giftcardmall.com
3. buy 3- $500 visa gift cards - i buy the wharf ones
4. take Visa gift cards to Post Office and buy 1 - 1k money order and 1 - 500 dollar money order
5. put money orders in yur bank account.

fees for gift cards 6.95 each

cash back at 2%(i know TCB says 1.25% for VGC but i always get 2%) - 30

profit 30 - 3* 6.95 = $9

this seems like a pretty good manufactured spend process- any limits on how much/how often you can buy VGCs through TCB?

[boarder42]

i do 1500 per transaction GCM is known to ban people.  the 1500 per transaction means no signature required and free shipping.  i make about 2-3 transaction max per week. have been ramping up.

[Miranda]

In addition to grocery and gas gift cards, I've done this by calling my utility companies and paying enough to cover my bills for 6-8 months.  If I end up moving and closing my accounts with them they issue refund checks. 

I've also paid for a used car on my credit card for the points, then immediedly paid off the credit card.