I prepaid my cable internet with the AXP sync offer of 10% off on up to $300. I got $90 credits after using three cards with the offer and have noted it on my calendar when all my credits are used up. The opportunity cost I “lost” in this case is losing the bonus on a 5x card but since the $30 credits came up higher than what I’ll earn from UR, I chose the AXP sync offer.
It’s wishful thinking for the best WM prepaid to come back…the black preferred prepaid which is the ugliest I got but one of the best for MS purposes. Those who still have this card know what I’m talking about, I wish I could’ve registered for more than two before they discontinued it in Jan 2016 
No fees when I load $500 or more per month which is not hard to do with VGCs and loading is free at any WM.
Free Trolli or Black Forrest Gummies - Buy one at $2, Get $2 eb. = FREE
check stores for the .25/1 tearpads that expire early 2018 to get these better than free.
Now it’s really over for most…I just read on doc’s site and reddit that VGCs are now hardcoded as credit at the USPS This means that even if you have friendly clerk who knows you, they cannot override your payment if it comes up as credit. Better find another way to drain your VGCs if you have any left OR if you can’t find anywhere to drain them, best NOT to keep buying them with intent to hoard because these can easily be hacked by thieves that’s why MSers drain them within 24 hrs after activation to avoid their funds getting stolen.
@honkinggoose you’re welcome 
btw, the offer for regular savings has been extended until 12/18/2017 with a little modification. It’s still $150 bonus on $15K but to get the $200 bonus, total deposit is $25K. New bonus code is SN17. Funds must be received by 01/02/18 to receive the bonus.
They started with a new reward system as of 11/1. I checked MyVerizon app and clicked UpRewards and saw I have 1 credit I can spend on any offer. My choices were $5 Amzn GC, $5 Barnes n Noble GC, 2 GB data and NFL packet thingey. DH wanted the free 2GB since he uses a lot of data.
The smart rewards has been shelved and replaced by UpRewards. Check the offers you got.
@harperr yes you can. I bought five $200s, use 4 amex CCs and paid the fees with 3% CC.
I dread to be the bearer of bad news for most MSers who drain their VGCs at the post office. There is a circulating memo to varied POs you can read from milesperday website. For now, people are saying it’s YMMV depending on clerks if they’ll enforce this memo but to avoid scrutiny, it may be best to avoid subtracting the fee (I think it’s $1.20?) from $500 VGCs and come up with varied amounts like $491.72 AND SWIPE ONLY ONE card (although this’ll come up more fees) instead of the usual practice of two to four cards which will definitely arouse suspicion that you’re using VGCs.
If the PO is the only way to drain your VGCs, it is best to find other ways now before the PO hardcodes no acceptance of prepaid debit cards to their system. Reports say they are currently upgrading their system. As long as it is up to the clerk who will not ask to see your debit card, you’re fine but best to avoid suspicion by sticking to just one swipe.
Check your AXP personal cards for $25/$250 on Best Buy and you receive $25 as statement credit or MR 2500 pts. I prefer the $25 statement credit to account. Although offer expires 12/31, if you see them under your offers and you don’t save them on each account, they may be removed on the list once the quota is filled so make sure to save them to your accounts ASAP. This offer gets filled quickly and it’s not available on twitter if you didn’t get them in your account.
$25 off $250 on Best Buy AXP sync offer is back on most personal cards. I didn’t get them in my business cards.
I get the credits from buying 5 $200 VGCs (not all BBYs carry VGCs now) and pay with 4 AXP cards. Some stores enforce limits on how many you can buy that’s why I buy them in batches of $1000 per transaction. I’ve also gotten Elite Plus status just buying VGCs and I bank my points until I have at least $100 worth in certificates.
I used all of mine for the sweepstakes offer to win $2500 since I’m going to lose all those points anyway. I forgot the limit allowed per day so I went for the max and took me 3 days to use them all with just 20 points left on account now. I guess many went to that route also, at least I have a chance of winning rather than not having any chance at all.
@honkinggoose I suggest you go to doctorofcredit website where they have the links to all three. The code I used for AAA was AAABONUS (all caps), you may be asked for your AAA membership but just leave it blank. For the AAII, they also ask for membership number which I also left blank. Code for AAII is AAIIBONUS. Even if you see the bonus code populate REMEMBER to press APPLY to make sure it gets applied to your registration. I filled in all required info for our applications to avoid missing anything. At the end, of each application the new D savings account was there. I immediately linked this to my bank hub so I can transfer money to the new account asap.
HTH.
PSA: TODAY is the last day to register for the THREE Discover savings accounts for an easy $150 OR $200 per account.
this type of product reminds me of a colleague who is the DIY type, he was able to get over 50 channels with a paper clip contraption. he lives in a major city and that is what I think makes a lot of difference.
for those who are interested in this device, make sure to check the 1 star comments before you buy.
I’ve successfully opened AAII for another $200 bonus for both of us. Will complete the full $20K on each account way before 11/15 and X our fingers another $400 posts. Those who plan to open this AAII bonus have until tomorrow, Oct 31 to open it and fully fund it by 11/15 to qualify for the $150 or $200 bonus, according to amount of your deposits.
Heads up on a $10/$20 coupon from Staples. It says YOUR $10 off coupon has arrived. This coupon is NON transferable and attached to your Staples rewards card.
This is the fine print:
†$10 OFF $20: Valid online at staples.com®, by phone at 1-800-333-3330 or in Staples® U.S. stores. Cannot be combined with any other discount or coupon. Excludes Daily Deals and Auto Restock orders. Limit one coupon per customer, nontransferable. Minimum purchase requirement must be met with purchases to which no other coupon or instant savings offer applies. Tax and shipping not included in calculating the minimum purchase. Not valid on desktop or laptop computers, tablets, netbooks, streaming devices, Amazon products, Apple®, Bose®, Ink & Toner, Epson® EcoTank™ printers, HP Instant Ink, Home Automation, JBL®, SquareTrade® warranties, Staples® EasyTech(sm), Steelcase®, Ultimate Ears®, Wacom®, computer workstation, direct mail services, faxing, gift cards, mobile phones and services, outsourced print, phone cards, postage stamps, purchases on staplespromotionalproducts.com, scanning, self-service print or shredding services. Each item purchased can only be discounted by one coupon, applied by cashier in the order received. Coupon not valid if purchased or sold and must be surrendered. Not valid on prior purchases or purchases made with Staples® Procurement or Convenience Cards. No cash/credit back. Coupon value applied pre-tax. Expires 11/4/17.
*Mods, if this doesn’t belong here, feel free to move this post. TY!
@almighty1 I have a plan but still thinking about it. It’s a supplement to my 2 and 3 percent CB CCs, trust me I know what I’m doing but my strategy may be fragile so I’ll tread lightly and keep my mouth shut on it till I know it works.
@musicloverd I don’t sell on ebay but at least I got $20 amazon GC with my and DH’s accounts. I see some “enterprising” folks try to exchange their cap codes for the flap codes, they may know something others don’t know yet so I’ll keep them for now.
Caveat: those who have the flap codes from Christmases ago with the polar bear design, they came up expired when entered.
I will send them SM to ask if one of my savings account can be converted/product changed to a checking account with no overdraft protection so I can avail of this DC promo up to $30 per month.
I’d be glad to fill them if you tell me what EFF stands for and my apologies for not understanding how to fill the ACH orig/des cell is. I know what ACH push and pull is but how does the orig/des relate to opening an account? I’ll just PM you what to enter on each cell and you decide if it’s appropriate or not. If not, feel free to remove the post to avoid confusing others.
@my4mainecoons yes, AAII savings fall under Discover Bank. It has the highest rate among three, the other two being Discover savings and AAA Discover savings although their rate is not a lot lower than AAII.
Chexsystem is usually pulled when one applies for a bank account, similar to one of the CRA when one applies for a CC. Chexsystem in NOT pulled by Discover, for whatever reasons. With the Discover savings offer, there is NO NEED to leave the money, I pulled out 98% of the $20K two days after it posted and sent it back to my external account. If the C1 bank requires you to park the funds there, I suggest you do the Disc savings first. Once you have deposited the full $15K or $20K, you can pull it the next day while leaving some amount to keep the account open until you get your bonus. Once you get your bonus, you can choose to close it, if you wish.
@fivetalents I guess it’s both since AAII Discover savings has current APY of 1.25% PLUS the sign up bonus that expires end of October. With or without the sign up bonus, I think it’s one of the best offers around.
AAII Discover has a sign up bonus with code AAIIBONUS that expires 10/31. Current rate is 1.25%. No chexsystem pull to open this account. Bonus is $150 on $15K or more OR $200 on $20K or more deposited by Nov 15, 2017.
@niniss MSR is minimum spend requirements.
it has been reported in blogs that axp revised their terms on a lot of their cards to say that bonus rewards can take UP to 120 days to post. I forgot the date set it will be implemented. Purchases from the mall Simon has not earned bonus points as reported by many which means that MSers ought to avoid buying VGCs there to meet MSR. Since the average time to meet MSR is 90 days, it’ll be too late to make organic purchases elsewhere once they rule that MSR has not been met from VGC purchases made at certain merchants.
I ordered VGC at GCM used code Sweet17 and it took off $3 from purchase fee for each GC. Use your CC and portal of choice for add’l rewards. code expires 10/26
I buy them at GCM and maybe I’m just lucky since the first order I made was $7500. I’ve ordered using different CCs, maxed out $15K per month limit and so far, so good. Many are having the same problem as yours and no one has cracked the mystery of why they ban some people or cancel orders. I’m not close to a Simon but I’ve ordered a few GCs online from them but then they don’t give CB via portals so I stick with GCM.
btw, if you’re trying to meet MSR with ANY Amex, do NOT buy from Simon because it has already been reported that purchases there are flagged and don’t qualify for MSR. It is safe to say to do ONLY organic spend with any Amex since they take up to 120 days to review your purchases and by then, the average 90 day period to meet MSR is over so you’re likely to lose the sign up bonus/reward.
@ritholtz if you mean one savings and one AAAsavings using same SSN, yes it has worked for many.
If you have an open regular savings and apply for AAA later, it will be under the same log in, you don’t create a new one. As to whether you’re guaranteed to get your bonus or not, no one can tell you that except the bank.
@niniss yeah, that’s what I’ve read and it was sad that my OD had lots of the Dining and Grocery VGCs tempting me. I MS at OSS ocassionally when I have new CCs to meet MSR; for regular MS, I just buy VGCs online and drain them at WM.
AXP blue cash ~ this may still be available for registration although it is no longer advertised compared to the Blue cash everyday and Blue cash preferred.
PSA to those who MS at drugstores with their AXP old blue cash, most drugstores have removed the variable vanillas with $4.95 fees and replaced them with new ones that have $5.95 fees. If your drugstore still carry the ones with $4.95 fees, you might as well buy them to reach the MSR so you can start earning 5% on gas, groceries and drugstores up to $50K.
The $1 increase in fees may seem insignificant but if that’s your main hub for MS to reach the $50K cap per reward year, that is quite a significant decrease in profit.
@mistercheap IDK whose decision it was to remove the $500 variables but I’ve been to OD/OM in different states and none of them carry the 500 variables so it must’ve been a corporate-wide implementation.
On the positive side, most of them now carry the $200 variables we call the anywhere/everywhere cards (Grocery/Dining/Style) issued by Metabank with fee of $4.95 instead of the regular $6.95 on regular Visa/MC up to $200 variables. The 5Backs had $6.95 fee but they were profitable in the past because they can be used at Lowes to get $10 CB but then most merchants that sold GCs have gone out of the 5B program
AFAIK, NONE of the OSS carry the $500 GCs now; Staples carry $300 VGCs online, but in-store, only up to $200 for both Visa and MC. Staples do NOT carry the everywhere VGCs I mentioned above, it’s just OD/OM.
you must’ve been out of the game for a while now; it’s been a year since the variable GCs up to $500 have been removed by OD/OM. Sadly, even the instant discount on GCs have been lowered to $15, limit one per transaction which used to be $20/$300, limit 2 so we bought three $200s, and received $40 discount. Good to reminisce the good times…
These looks like good quality towels; for those buying these, make sure to go thru a porter that offers the best reward.
There are CCs I would like to keep my CLs over $20K since they come in handy for volume purchases of GCs online. Since the purchase limits of some merchants are way below than my CLs, I don’t have to cycle and just pay the full balance before statement cut. I know credit cycling and multiple payments each month are sensitive issues for some CCs so I avoid that with paying once a huge balance I’ve incurred for specific CCs.
I like the benefits of some cards like Citi and Discover where I can freeze them if I rarely use them; but for the rest, I just keep an eye on my accounts regularly. I know I am not responsible for unauthorized charges (IINM, the most that I will be responsible for is $50 and even this is waived if I report unauthorized charges immediately) so that I prefer to keep the high CLs that I have.
@ritholtz DH received his $200 bonus on savings yesterday, 10/20. Today, I checked my AAA savings and $200 has also posted! Suffice it to say that we just juggled the same $20K to open these accounts. So far, we’ve received $600 in bonuses and one $200 for DH which may post later. This is the highest ROI we’ve received so far w/o our money getting tied up. We’re using the same funds applying for more bank bonuses.
@mnsweeps Go for it! I already received both bonuses from the savings and AAA savings.
I’ve also gotten my AAA bonus today. Woot!
I remember another trick reported on MyFico to get a CC to build one’s credit was to apply for a store CC. They called it the shopping cart trick done like this:
1. Go to the website of the store you want a card for.
2. Join their loyalty program (some people find more success skipping this step and just checking out as a guest). Add some items to your shopping cart.
3.Start to check out
4.Enter in your address, make sure this matches your address listed in your credit reports exactly
5.Continue going through the check out process until you get to the final payment page. You should receive your offer before this page, if you haven’t then either the shopping cart trick isn’t working or you need to try again.
6.Choose to accept your offer
7.Complete the application
I remember stores like Dillards, Victoria’s Secret, Overstockdotcom, were the easiest ones to get approved and there was no HP. You’ll know if it’ll be HP if you’re asked for the full SSN, but if it’s only the last 4 digits, it’s a soft pull. I’ve read a DP where Overstockdotcom asked for the full SSN but still a soft pull.
If one makes small purchases using their store CCs and pay them in full before statement cuts, that’ll build one’s credit history in no time. As long as one uses these CCs responsibly, you’ll have a great credit history in no time.
I’ve had GoBank prepaid since early 2014 and have NEVER paid maintenance fee either when I have a balance or I have zero when statement posts. They may have revised their T&C several times the last three years but so far, this is one of the best prepaid I have since the hammer fell on a lot of my AXP prepaids.
I ordered this via TCB last Saturday and got .94 in CB. I received it Wednesday but it wasn’t thru USPS; can’t remember if it was FedEx or UPS. I hope to see more “price mistakes” like this. I haven’t checked if they corrected the price but if not, then good for consumers.
The $15 off instant discount for $300 or more 5Back GCs at OD/OM will be another good opportunity to MS at office stores. It’s time to use again the INKs and Simply cash in store starting tomorrow until 10/28 and collect some URs and CB.
@crabbing if you’re referring to the $15 Visa debit card they sent the last time, answer is YES.
my go to Staples accept Staples GC as partial payment for GCs. Highly YMMV so best way to find out is to try it at your Staples.
@ma-barker said in Discover AAA Savings account $150/$200 Bonus with $15,000/$20,000 Deposit at Discover Card:
DH opened his first savings a week later than I did and he hasn’t received his bonus, he might get his on the next batch
the $200 bonus on his savings account posted today. Those who didn’t get their bonus on the 5th, check it now
For those who are doing split tender on $2K total while using VGCs bought online, it is best to change PIN to something you know because there are WM cashiers who will ask to swipe the cards on their end. If you didn’t change the PIN and do not know the last 4 of the card number, you’ll be in a bind, whereas if you changed the PIN to what you’re familiar with, you can key it on your end when prompted and it’ll be approved. I was in this situation when the cashier didn’t give me back the DC after she swiped it but I was able to key in my PIN to finish transaction.
@marcopolomle I have several accounts opened and when I see there’s six statements, I transfer whatever balance is in that particular account to another account. Once there’s zero balance, I send SM to close it; so far, so good. I have already closed several, but there’s a bunch more to close. I’ve read that if you can’t go to the branch to close, they require a notarized letter sent to them plus a $10 closure fee. I won’t know until I close the last.
Those who are churning bank bonuses, make sure to take note of monthly maintenance fees, if any. If there is a minimum balance needed to waive the fees and you can “park” that amount for at least 180 days before you can close it w/o ETF, do so to save time/effort in “babysitting” such account(s).
For those who got in the MTB bonus bandwagon the past several months, once you see six statements have posted to your account, you can send SM to close it after you transfer funds to your other accounts. If that is the last account left, just pull the funds using your bank hub and once balance is zero, send SM to close account. So far, I’ve closed several accounts painlessly via SM.