I immediately called the number on the back of my card and explained that I had the card in my possession, fresh out of the packaging, and saw that it was hacked only because I went to register it online. Whoever it was though definitely had me craving some In N Out. Looking at the transaction history, I saw about 10 transactions that were definitely not mine. To my horror, I saw I only had an available balance of $19.92 on a brand new gift card! I quickly ripped the card from its packaging and went to the dedicated website to “register” my card so that I could use it to make an online purchase. When I saw that was offering $100 Uber e-gift cards for just $80 each, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to spend one of those bad boys since I use Uber on a fairly regular basis. I was managing the cards well and was thrilled that as of last night, I only had 6 left to worry about. I decided to bypass all of the hassle, and just use the cards one by one on regular expenses. Though MS is not a regular part of my daily life, I’m not a novice to the various ways one can quickly liquidate the cards – I just didn’t want to really dedicate the time to doing so in a timely manner. Earning 5 points per dollar, and 19 cards later, I spent $3,800 on gift cards to generate 19,000 “free” Ultimate Rewards points. Like many, I took part in using my Chase Ink Business Cash card ( Learn More) to buy some $200 MasterCard gift cards during the fee-free promotion that was going on at Staples at the end of April. With that being said, I do live within a mile of a Staples that almost never has more than two cars in the parking lot at any given time, so I’m easily tempted, and it’s hard to pass up on “free” and “easy points sometimes. With my life being pulled in so many different directions, it’s just not for me.
I admire people who have mastered the art of manufactured spending and have dedicated the time, patience, and organization it truly requires. Not only do I find it extremely time-consuming, I also despise stepping foot in any Walmart. I’ll be the first to say that manufactured spending is not a regular part of my points-generating strategy.
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